50% Off Murder (Good Buy Girls)
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Authors: Josie Belle
“If you love to shop ’til you drop, watch out for Josie Belle’s first entry in a new mystery series—because murder’s no bargain.”
—Leann Sweeney, author of
The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon
Killer Deals
The women took their places. A crowd of fifty or so had gathered, but Maggie and her crew had arrived at five this morning to stake out their turf. Stegner’s was a premier outlet in southern Virginia that specialized in shoes, handbags and belts. Twice a year, they had a sale that could blow the doors off a woman’s closet.
Maggie and the Good Buy Girls had yet to miss a sale at Stegner’s. Their system was honed to perfection. They arrived early, they took the spot in front of the doors on the side of the store where they were headed, and they let nothing get in their way.
Maggie glanced at her watch and began the countdown. “Seven, six, five…” She could feel her crew take its mark.
“Three, two, one!”
The automatic doors slid open, and the crowd pressed forward. The professionals walked swiftly, but in an orderly fashion. Shoulder to shoulder, the Good Buy Girls veered to the left as planned.
The amateurs bolted into the store, throwing elbows and body slamming people out of the way until what had been a fine day of shopping had turned into an Ultimate Fighting cage match.
“Focus!” Maggie ordered. “Eyes on the prize.”
Josie Belle
BERKLEY PRIME CRIME, NEW YORK
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
50% OFF MURDER
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / April 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Jennifer McKinlay Orf.
Cover illustration by Mary Ann Lasher.
Cover design by Sarah Oberrender.
Interior text design by Laura K. Corless.
All rights reserved.
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ISBN: 978-1-101-56134-8
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If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
For my mom, Susan McKinlay, and my aunt Nancy Gould, the best shoppers I know. I love you two more than a smoking-hot bargain. And in loving memory of my aunt Joan Seybold, whose gifts always had the “wow” factor.
A big thank-you to my wonderful editor, Michelle Vega—you really made this book sparkle. A very grateful high five to copyeditor Andy Ball—you’re brilliant. Also, I have to give a knuckle bump to my agent, Jessica Faust, for her unwavering confidence that I could write yet another series. And, as always, high fives and hugs to my dudes, Beckett, Wyatt and Chris.
The Good Buy Girls’ Top Ten Thrifty Tips
“Okay, is everyone clear on what they’re supposed to do?” Maggie Gerber asked.
“Head straight for shoes, do not get distracted by handbags,” Ginger Lancaster said. It appeared she was reminding herself.
“What do you do when you get there?” Maggie asked.
“Sizes eight and nine, leather only,” Joanne Claramotta answered. She had her best running shoes on and was jogging in place, her usual warm-up routine for storming a store.
“What is our primary target?” Maggie asked.
“Designer only, preferably Italian,” Claire Freemont answered. “No knockoffs.”
“Excellent.” Maggie said.
She took a moment to study the reflection of her crew in the store’s glass door. They all wore track suits of varying
colors and running shoes, and carried canvas shopping bags on their arms.
Claire had her blonde bob pulled back by a wide, neon pink headband, which matched her sweat suit and also helped to keep her glasses in place. She looked determined.
Joanne, in navy blue, wore her long dark hair in a ponytail on top of her head. She stopped jogging and was stretching, looking prepared to run over anybody who got in her way.
Ginger, who kept her black hair cut close to her head, was in a baby blue track suit, which enhanced the rich brown of her skin. She was muttering, “No handbags,” under her breath like a mantra. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration. She had her game face on.
Finally, Maggie took a cursory glance at herself. She was in her favorite green workout suit, and her shoulder-length auburn hair was pulled back and clipped at the nape of her neck. She had her shopping tote on her arm. She was good to go. She could feel the surge of adrenaline coursing through her body as the rush of scoring a good deal was just minutes away.
She consulted her watch. “We’re in the sixty-second range. Remember, when the doors open, go to the left.”
The women took their places. A crowd of fifty or so had gathered, but Maggie and her crew had arrived at five this morning to stake out their turf. Stegner’s was a premier outlet in southern Virginia that specialized in shoes, handbags and belts. Twice a year they had a sale that could literally blow the doors off a woman’s closet.
Maggie and the Good Buy Girls, as they called themselves, had yet to miss a sale at Stegner’s. Their system was
honed to perfection. They arrived early, they took the spot in front of the doors on the side of the store where they were headed, and they let nothing get in their way.
“Thirty seconds,” Maggie said.
The crowd behind them shifted restlessly. The lure of ridiculously marked down Manolo, Weitzman and Prada shoes, as well as Coach and Michael Kors handbags, was drawing them all like bees to pollen.
Abruptly, a platinum blonde, wearing black leather stiletto boots with black leggings and a zebra striped halter top, elbowed her way to the front of the crowd until she was standing beside Maggie.
“You’re going down, Gerber,” the woman hissed.
Maggie turned and saw her nemesis, Summer Phillips, standing there.
“Are you actually trash-talking me?” she asked.
“Trash, is that how you see yourself?” Summer asked. “So you are more self-aware than I thought.”
Maggie felt her temples contract as her temper flared.
“Why are you here, Summer?” she asked. “Didn’t your fourth husband pay enough to get rid of you when he divorced you? I wouldn’t think outlet sales were your thing.”
Summer’s bloodred lip curled back, and she looked like she wanted to bite Maggie.
“Countdown, Maggie,” Ginger said.
When Maggie didn’t respond, Ginger leaned forward and saw Summer Phillips on the other side of her.
“Uh-oh,” she said. “This is bad.”
Maggie was breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. Summer Phillips had been the bane of her existence since they were kids.
For some reason that Maggie had never fully understood, Summer lived to make her life a misery. She had made sure that Maggie was mocked, picked on and ridiculed at every possible turn. She had even tried to befriend Ginger, but Ginger had refused, seeing Summer for the devil in spandex that she was.