Book Description for Vintage Whispers
by Riley Blake
Best friends since childhood, Mary Louise, Opal, and
Pearl enter a retirement community with plans to live out their golden years
reminiscing about the good old days while embracing the new, but when rocking
chair discussions reveal different versions of bygone days, investigations are
in order. Soon, three blue-haired ladies are doing what they must to find suspects
in an unsolved murder, but a cold case is the least of their worries when they
discover the buried body and inconspicuous clues are a little too close to
home.
Sample Chapter
An
hour later, another new resident strolled across the porch. With a welcome
brochure in hand, he read, “Walk about six hundred feet or so and you’ll find
an uphill trail leading to Downtown Bristol.” He took a few steps, counting
them off as he paced.
“They
have a small bus with four drop-offs each day, you know,” Pearl whispered,
leaning sideways as she spoke.
“Shh,”
Opal said. “I didn’t get the leaflet. I want to listen.”
As
if he’d heard them, the older gentleman smiled and read aloud, “Follow our
winding cobblestone paths to a spring fed pond. Located about a half-mile from
the main house, the water is surrounded by concrete benches. There are several
paddleboats and restroom facilities nearby.”
“Which
is important, particularly if you’re wearing adjustable underwear,” Pearl said,
nodding her head.
The
man sent her a seething glare and Mary Louise halfway expected Pearl to remain
tightlipped and wait for Opal to bail her out. Instead, she gave the fellow a
kind look. “Don’t worry. Your secrets are our secrets. And besides, they sell
them in the supply hall. Underwear, that is. Secrets are shared for free.” As
if he needed verification. “But in case you haven’t noticed, you sign your name
on an index card right below each product. That way the delivery guys can
charge necessities to your account before delivering them to your room.”
The
man turned in a huff and marched away.
“Did
I say too much?”
“No,
girl,” Opal replied. “Keep getting your ditzy on. Never let them know how
intelligent you really are.”
Pearl
frowned. “You just handed me the rope and watched me swing.”
“Why
should I interrupt? I wasn’t the one presented with a sign-up sheet for
disposable panties.”
“I
was trying to talk my way out of a mess.”
“When
you find yourself in the middle of a lion’s den, stop feeding the beast,” Opal
said, breathing in the fresh air.
“I’m
so depressed now,” Pearl said. “He struck me as a man of substance. I could use
someone like that for entertainment purposes.”
Mary
Louise paid attention then. “What are you talking about?”
“They
host all sorts of tournaments and you aren’t exactly good card players,” Pearl
explained. “That man had a good poker face.”
“Then
I’d hate to see his war game expression,” Opal said.
Pearl
moped. “You’re probably right. I don’t think he liked me very much.”
“Let’s
just say your first impression left a lot to be desired.”
“But
why? I was only providing information.”
“You
basically implied that he wet his pants.”
“Don’t
hold back now,” Pearl said. “And I did no such thing.”
“Think
about what you said and how you said it.” Mary Louise hated to hurt Pearl’s
feelings but she needed to learn when to speak and when to hush. And the latter
would be an answer to everyone’s prayers.
“It
sure is nice here,” Pearl said, shifting her focus. “Did you know that one side
of the Bristol line is called ‘a good place’ to live?”
“So
this side of the line is a good place to die?”
A
few of the other residents stopped talking. Some left. Opal and Mary Louise
rocked with a little more precision.
Pearl
glanced over her shoulder when the front door slammed. “Opal, that was uncalled
for. Maybe you should take a page from my playbook.”
“Why?
It would be blank.”
“Discussing
medical problems in a place like this isn’t good form.”
“Who
started this conversation?” Opal waited before adding, “And not to be nitpicky
or anything but I mentioned death. I don’t know anything about these people or
their medical conditions.”
Pearl’s
dreamy-eyed look appeared, the one where she really didn’t care if anyone
listened while she babbled. “I don’t see why we all have to be so uptight.
We’ll be like a real family living here together in harmony. I was telling the
truth about the signup sheet, by the way. They display samples of their
available items. Residents then sign up to receive their orders by a certain
date. It helps with the community’s ‘no secrets’ policy.
“Oh
and you can also schedule a time to meet with the funeral director and plan
your entire wake, pick out your coffin, casket liners, and decide on the
service that you’d like to have. It’s very convenient when you think about it.”
“Liners
as in plural?” Opal asked. “People die once, Pearl. They need one liner, one
casket.”
“Miss
Layla says the reason for this practice is because there have been two
incidences where they’ve accidentally buried people alive. After the first
time, folks typically want a new liner and casket. The old one haunts
them.”
“Why
that’s not true,” Mary Louise said. “Someone is pitching that garbage so they
can sell funeral packages.”
Opal
groaned. “We gotta get out of here.”
“Tell
me about it,” Mary Louise muttered, thinking they needed to keep Pearl away
from the spirit guide who seemingly possessed the 4-1-1 on life and death.
About
that time, Clarence called out to them. “How are they treating you, ladies?”
“Very
well, Clarence.” Mary Louise shot him a warm smile. “It’s nice to see you.”
“Good
to see you, too.” He shook his ax. “We’ll visit another day! I’m busy at the
moment.”
He
returned to his methodical swings. They returned to their rocking.
