Ming Tea Murder (29 page)

She let loose a startled yelp as her forehead went numb and bright stars danced and flashed before her eyes. She suddenly felt like a captured butterfly pinned inside a display case. Angry, stunned, and struggling to pull herself back to the here and now, she gripped the gate with her hands and managed to croak out, “Help!”

Then she heard footsteps lightly running away from her as she was finally able to shove the heavy door or metal gate or whatever it was away from her.

“Stop!” she cried out. Now her fear had been replaced with fury.

But whoever had smacked her with the gate was long gone.

Carmela gently touched a hand to her nose, mindful of sudden tears that clouded her eyes.

Broken?

She prodded carefully. No, she didn't think so. Just sore. But whoever had tried to waylay her had been fairly successful. They'd stopped her cold. And she knew she'd probably feel battered and bruised come tomorrow morning.

Deciding the smartest thing, the
safest
thing, to do right now was get herself out of the cemetery as fast as she could, Carmela scuttled left, found a sort of pathway, and hurried along it. She was feeling angry and scared and hurt. If she could make it out to Babcock's car, she'd hopefully meet up with him there.

Boy, did she have a story to tell!

But as Carmela lurched along, her eyes scanning to either side of the path, she almost tripped again. She caught herself at the last moment, glanced forward, and let loose a startled cry.

What is that? What am I seeing now?

Someone had flung a coat across a gravestone?

Carmela blinked and struggled to focus. Wait a minute. Maybe that wasn't a coat?

Is that a person lying there? Oh dear lord!

Carmela moved forward as if in a trance. She was suddenly hyperaware of every crunch of gravel underfoot, every looming grave, every sigh and hiss of the wind.

Who is it? Is it the person we heard screaming?

Had to be.

As if compelled to bear witness, Carmela drew closer and closer to the grave where someone—she was pretty sure it was a woman—was sprawled in a totally unnatural pose, as if they'd been hurled there by some uncaring, unfeeling giant.

Carmela was five feet away when her brain blipped out a warning message: Be careful, be careful.

Babcock. Where was Babcock? Now she really had to find him.

She opened her mouth to yell out, but no sound emerged. Because, by this time, she was standing directly in front of the slumped body (slumped
dead
body?), experiencing not only shock, but paralyzing fear.

Get a grip
, she told herself.
Try to breathe. Make a sound. Any sound.

Carmela gritted her teeth and tried to rally her courage. She wasn't sure if the woman was dead or very badly injured. But she knew she had to try to make a determination. Because if there was any chance she could help this poor soul . . .

Tentatively, Carmela reached out a hand. And just as the tips of her fingers were about to touch the woman . . .

“Carmela!” came a harsh voice. “No!”

Watch for the Next Tea Shop Mystery

Devonshire Scream

Theodosia's having a grand time at the Gems and Jewel Trunk Show held at Heart's Desire jewelers. But just as she's admiring an antique brooch, a black SUV crashes through the front window and black-clad figures jump out. It's a smash-and-grab robbery where nobody's supposed to get hurt. But nothing turns out as planned, and now Theodosia is hot on the trail of some very bold killers.

And Also the Next Cackleberry Club Mystery by Laura Childs

Egg Drop Dead

When Suzanne goes to Mike Mullen's dairy farm to pick up wheels of cheese, nobody's around. She steps into his barn only to be greeted by the urgent, upturned faces of cows that haven't been milked. As the cows wail, Suzanne tiptoes down the aisle and discovers Mike's dead body. What kind of maniac would murder this mild-mannered farmer? And who is coming after Suzanne now that she's hot on the trail of his killer?

A WARNING TO READERS: A
N ENTIRELY NEW SERIES FROM THE AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK
!

If you enjoy pulse-pounding thrillers, if you like intriguing female protagonists, you're going to love the first book in this brand-new series:

Finders Creepers

An Afton Tangler Thriller by Gerry Schmitt

Writing as Laura Childs, this author has brought you the
New York Times
bestselling Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbooking Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Now, writing under her own name, Gerry Schmitt, she is bringing you an entirely new series of sharp-edged thrillers. Gerry has ratcheted up the suspense, set the stakes even higher, and created exciting, memorable characters that sizzle on the page.

We know you'll be intrigued by
Finders Creepers
, the first in this series that features Afton Tangler, single mom, Outward Bound enthusiast, and liaison officer with the Minneapolis PD, as she gets pulled into a bizarre high-profile kidnapping.

Looking for more?
Visit Penguin.com for more about this author and a complete list of their books.
Discover your next great read!