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    Strangled in Cherry Hills
    Strangled in Cherry Hills
    Strangled in Cherry Hills
    Ebook85 pages1 hour

    Strangled in Cherry Hills

    By Paige Sleuth

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Three cats, two dogs, and one dead body.

    Kat Harper isn't the only one with a knack for stumbling upon crime scenes. This time she's led to the corpse du jour by her adventurous cat Matty and one determined dachshund. It doesn't take long before the dead man is identified as local dog walker Jeffrey Parr—and his doxie client could be the only eyewitness to this latest Cherry Hills homicide.

    Kat doesn't set out to investigate, but what can she do when the task of reuniting the dachshund with his owner introduces her to more suspects than she can count? Between Jeffrey's disgruntled clients and his angry exes, Kat has her hands full trying to determine "whodunit." That might be a blessing in disguise though. As the amateur sleuth soon learns, success often comes with a price. And when Kat finds herself in the killer's crosshairs, it might just be up to her furry feline friends to save her from becoming the next murder victim.

    All of the Cozy Cat Caper Mystery books can be enjoyed as standalones but will be better appreciated as part of the series. The books are light, fun cozy mysteries featuring an animal-loving female amateur sleuth, lovable and not-so-lovable quirky characters, and a page-turning mystery that needs solving. None of the books include cliffhangers, bad language, or graphic scenes.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMarla Bradeen
    Release dateAug 17, 2016
    ISBN9781370255450
    Strangled in Cherry Hills
    Author

    Paige Sleuth

    Paige Sleuth is a pseudonym for mystery author Marla Bradeen (http://www.marlabradeen.com/). She plots murder during the day and fights for mattress space with her two rescue cats at night. When not attending to her cats' demands, she writes.Please join her readers' group so she can keep in touch: http://hyperurl.co/readersgroup

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      Book preview

      Strangled in Cherry Hills - Paige Sleuth

      Strangled in Cherry Hills

      A Cozy Cat Caper Mystery

      Book 6

      Paige Sleuth

      Copyright © 2016 Marla Bradeen (writing as Paige Sleuth)

      All rights reserved.

      Published by Marla Bradeen.

      This book or portions of it (excluding brief quotations) may not be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher/author.

      This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), actual businesses, or actual events is purely coincidental.

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. If this ebook copy was not purchased by or for you, please purchase your own copy before reading. Thank you for respecting this author’s work.

      Three cats, two dogs, and one dead body.

      Kat Harper isn’t the only one with a knack for stumbling upon crime scenes. This time she’s led to the corpse du jour by her adventurous cat Matty and one determined dachshund. It doesn’t take long before the dead man is identified as local dog walker Jeffrey Parr—and his doxie client could be the only eyewitness to this latest Cherry Hills homicide.

      Kat doesn’t set out to investigate, but what can she do when the task of reuniting the dachshund with his owner introduces her to more suspects than she can count? Between Jeffrey’s disgruntled clients and his angry exes, Kat has her hands full trying to determine whodunit. That might be a blessing in disguise though. As the amateur sleuth soon learns, success often comes with a price. And when Kat finds herself in the killer’s crosshairs, it might just be up to her furry feline friends to save her from becoming the next murder victim.

      All of the Cozy Cat Caper Mystery books can be enjoyed as standalones but will be better appreciated as part of the series. The books are light, fun cozy mysteries featuring an animal-loving female amateur sleuth, lovable and not-so-lovable quirky characters, and a page-turning mystery that needs solving. None of the books include cliffhangers, bad language, or graphic scenes.

      Table of Contents

      CHAPTER ONE

      CHAPTER TWO

      CHAPTER THREE

      CHAPTER FOUR

      CHAPTER FIVE

      CHAPTER SIX

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      CHAPTER EIGHT

      CHAPTER NINE

      CHAPTER TEN

      CHAPTER ELEVEN

      CHAPTER TWELVE

      NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

      HALLOWEEN IN CHERRY HILLS

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      CHAPTER ONE

      Matty, no!

      Katherine Harper raced out of her apartment after the tortoiseshell cat. Matty moved with surprising speed, turning into a tawny-colored blur as she streaked down the hallway. No one watching would have guessed that just two minutes ago she had been sound asleep, snoring contentedly.

      At the other end of the corridor, the elevator doors parted. Kat’s lone third-floor neighbor stepped out.

      Kat, hi! Lucy Callahan waved as best she could around an armload of canvas grocery bags.

      Lucy, don’t let Matty in the elevator.

      What? The redhead looked around, but the bags blocked her view of the cat darting right past her legs.

      Matty! Kat yelled again, but she was too late. Already the elevator doors were closing.

      Matty sat down in one corner of the elevator and hooked her tail around her paws. The tilt of her chin suggested she knew she had just done something bad and her human couldn’t do anything to stop her.

      Kat reached the elevator just as the metal doors fused shut. Fiddlesticks! she said, smacking her palm against the seam.

      She jabbed the button a handful of times. When the doors didn’t part, she realized someone must have already called the elevator to another floor.

      Her gaze shifted to the stairwell.

      Matty’s out here? Lucy lifted her bags in an attempt to see what was going on below knee level.

      Kat sprinted to the stairwell, leaned against the bar handle, and shoved the door open with her shoulder. She escaped from the apartment.

      Before Lucy could ask for details, Kat ducked into the stairwell and pounded down the steps. Luckily, she lived on the top floor so there was only one way for Matty to go. And if she hurried, she just might make it to the ground floor before the elevator.

      She burst into the lobby, groaning when she saw William Peterson standing there with his hands on his hips.

      The older man scowled. Kat Harper, was that your mangy animal?

      Kat’s eyes swept across the lobby. Where did you see her?

      It was in the elevator. Mr. Peterson glared at her. You ought to keep it in your own unit. I don’t want to be riding around with flea-carrying vermin.

      She doesn’t have fleas, Mr. Peterson. Kat’s brow furrowed when the item in his arms caught her attention. Why are there naked people on your tote bag? The picture on the side depicted a shirtless man and a cleavage-baring woman engaged in a steamy embrace.

      Mr. Peterson shoved the bag behind his back. That’s none of your business.

      Kat shrugged, figuring he was right. She shifted her attention to the more urgent matter at hand. Where did Matty go?

      Mr. Peterson scratched his head as he looked around. It was here just a moment ago.

      A yellow-and-brown ball tore past them then, rocketing toward one of the windows that someone had left open a crack.

      Kat’s heart lurched. Matty! She ran for the exit, knowing she wouldn’t be fast enough.

      By the time she flung the lobby door open, Matty was almost around the building. Kat caught sight of the tortoiseshell’s gray-striped tail seconds before it disappeared.

      She feared Matty would be gone before she could catch up, but as soon as she cleared the corner of the building she spotted the cat sniffing at a patch of grass.

      Kat

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