Murder on the Sinful Express: Miss Fortune World: Sinful Stories, #7

By Shari Hearn

All aboard the Sinful Express!

Fortune gets roped into leading this month's Sinful Library mystery book club. But fiction becomes reality when one of the book club members is poisoned. Will Fortune, Gertie and Ida Belle catch the perp before she strikes again? Or will one of them become her next victim?

Murder on the Sinful Express (Sinful Stories Book 7) is set after the events of Hook, Line and Blinker, book ten of Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune series.

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR: Murder on the Sinful Express was first published on January 19, 2018 as part of the Miss Fortune Kindle Worlds program (which ended in July of 2018). It is now part of the Miss Fortune World published by J&R Fan Fiction. I wish to thank Ms. DeLeon for graciously allowing other writers to explore their own writing in a most Sinful way.

Sinful Stories is a series of stories written by Shari Hearn within the Miss Fortune World featuring Fortune, Gertie and Ida Belle. They may be read in any order; however, they do follow the timeline of Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune series with regard to Fortune's relationship with Carter. With the earlier books in the series, Carter doesn't know Fortune's true identity. As Jana DeLeon's series changes with regard to Fortune's continued threat from Ahmad, future stories within Sinful Stories will reflect those changes.

Currently, the stories within Sinful Stories include:

Nearly Departed

Mutiny on the Bayou

Overdue

Nearly Beloved

Rematch

Leaving Sinful

Murder on the Sinful Express

• Language: English
• Publisher: J&R Fan Fiction
• Release date: Aug 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386312987

Book preview

Acknowledgements

MANY THANKS TO JANA DeLeon, first for writing such amazing characters and creating the town of Sinful, and second, for allowing other writers to write our own stories set in the world of Miss Fortune.

Thank you to Carla and Kathleen for your wonderful notes.

Cover design by Susan Coils at coverkicks.com

Chapter One

HIS LIPS LINGERED AGAINST mine. And I so wanted them to stay there, except...

We were being watched.

And although you can take the girl out of the CIA, you can’t take the CIA out of the girl. I pulled away from Carter and whipped my body around, facing the steps leading down to the dock behind the General Store where, five minutes ago, I had discovered a shirtless Carter working on Walter’s motorboat on his day off.

A woman was slowly backing down the steps, her phone held above her head.

That camera had better not be pointing at us.

Startled, the woman lost her footing and missed the last step, screaming as she tumbled backward. Carter rushed over and caught her before she hit the dock.

Are you okay? he asked as he helped her gain her footing.

Uh-huh, she squeaked, her eyes glued to his chest.

I think the better question is, why were you taking a photo of us? I asked.

She finally tore her eyes from Carter and pulled her focus to me.

Mid-twenties, blonde hair in a ponytail. Unusual blue eyes – most likely colored contacts. Dimples. An I Heart Books pin secured to the collar of her crisp, white blouse. Threat-level: Mousy.

Well?

Carter smiled. I’m sure Madigan wasn’t taking our picture. Were you?

No no, absolutely not, she said nervously.

The name sounded familiar. Madigan? I said, trying to remember where I knew her from.

She nodded as she wiped the dust from her skirt. You probably don’t recognize me. I lightened my hair. And I wear blue contacts now. I felt I needed a change.

I thought I noticed something different. Carter looked from Madigan to me. He was noticing what I was noticing. Her change made her look a lot like me.

She stuck her hand out to shake mine. Let me reintroduce myself. Madigan DuBerry. I’m an aide at the library. We worked together for a few days when you volunteered there a couple of weeks ago.

I snapped my fingers. Oh that’s right.

I’d been roped into leading the children’s story hour. It didn’t go well. Long story short, the kids and I discovered a dead man, a local author and I had a shootout with his killers, and Gertie destroyed the Harry Potter papier mache display the head librarian, Lucy, had spent two weeks perfecting.

I didn’t mean to startle you, Madigan, it’s just... I saw the phone and...

Madigan looked down at her smart phone. Oh, I wasn’t photographing you two in an embrace. Honest. I was taking a selfie from the steps and didn’t realize you were back here. I mean, the two of you. Together. I mean, I knew you both knew one another, but didn’t realize you two were THAT together. Madigan stole another peek at Carter’s bare chest. He reached over and grabbed his shirt from Walter’s boat and put it on.

She bounced nervously on her toes and began to overexplain herself. It’s my lunch hour and I was in the General Store buying a can of tuna for my mother. Packed in oil. She’d raise heck if I bought the kind in water. She’s making tuna mac tonight. So that’s why I was here. For the tuna. And then I just thought I’d come out back and get a picture of my new Carter with the bayou behind me because I always liked this spot.

Your new Carter?

What? she asked, horrified.

You said you were taking a picture of your new Carter.

Hair color, she said quickly, touching her hair. My new haircut and color.

Oh, she was definitely taking a photo of Carter.

She chewed her bottom lip. I probably need to head back to the library.

Sounds like a plan.

Madigan smiled at Carter. If this were a cartoon, her eyes would be projected out like long coils, taking in every inch of him. You take care, Deputy LeBlanc.

You too, Madigan.

She scrambled up the steps and disappeared around the building. I poked my finger into Carter’s chest. Someone has a crush on you.

Seconds later, Madigan popped her head back around the corner of the building. Oh I forgot. I’m happy to hear you’re going to be volunteering again, Fortune.

Volunteering where?

The library, of course.

I shook my head. I think you heard wrong.

Oh no. Lucy told me this morning. She said you were going to be leading next week’s Sinful Express, the murder mystery book club. Madigan pulled an imaginary train whistle cord and gave a whoo-whoo sound.

I shook my head again, faster this time. No, I’m pretty sure I’m not.

Then you may want to talk to Miss Gertie, because she told Lucy you said yes.

I glanced at Carter. Oh, Miss Gertie said that, did she?

Madigan nodded. Well, I need to get back to the library. See you Monday, Fortune!

Madigan turned and disappeared up the steps.

I thought Lucy banned you from the library after you three destroyed it, Carter said.

I could feel the steam rising from my neck. That’s why Gertie texted me to meet her in the store. She knew I was less likely to throw a fit in front of Walter. I’ll be back after I straighten her out, because you and I are going on a fishing trip next week.

I stormed into the store to find Gertie trying to return a flashlight she’d bought from Walter.

If I had known this thing took triple A batteries, I wouldn’t have bought it.

Walter picked up the flashlight and pointed to the bottom of it. Says right here. ‘Takes three triple A batteries.’

How am I supposed to read print that tiny?

Put on a pair of glasses, I said, maybe with more attitude than it deserved.

Gertie spun around and glared at me. What crawled up your butt?

A book club. And it’s feeling a little uncomfortable.

I’ll throw in the triple A’s, how about that? Walter asked, tossing me a welcome nod.

Gertie waved him off. Whatever.

And fifty percent off a pair of reading glasses.

Gertie flipped him the bird and came over to me. Did someone spoil my surprise?

You had no right to tell Lucy I would lead a book club discussion.

Gertie grabbed my arm and led me to the canned goods aisle. Lucy’s shorthanded next week because Claire, the other librarian, had to go tend to her sister in Texas. She didn’t have your number, so she called and asked me to ask you to help out.

I’m going fishing with Carter next week. Besides, Lucy banned me for life from the library.

You’ve been unbanned. Lucy and Celia are best friends, so Celia’s probably behind it. She wants you back in the library to monitor you. Ever since being booted out of the mayor’s office she’s been angry and bored and blames you for her run of bad luck. And a bored Celia is a dangerous Celia.

What else is new?

Gertie sighed. She’s stepping it up a notch. We heard she went to the offices of The Sinful Times and said she might have a scoop for them about you. That was after she came down to the sheriff’s office yesterday and demanded Sheriff Lee investigate you.

For what?

Celia thinks you’re not who you say you are. Which, you know, you’re not. I know you’re supposed to go fishing with Carter, but Ida Belle and I think Celia has something big up her sleeve. We just want to make sure people see a competent librarian helping out when needed to quell any rumors she starts about you.

I sighed.

There will be plenty of opportunities to go fishing with Carter after Ahmad is caught and you can be open about who you really are.

I hated to admit it, but Gertie was right. My butt was on the line. If Celia was on the warpath, it was best for me to stay behind and circle the wagons. "Fine. It’s just a