You Can't Judge A Crime By Its Aura (Piper Ashwell Psychic P.I. #3.5)

By Kelly Hashway

Some murders scenes are harder to read than others.
Psychic P.I. Piper Ashwell has never met a crime scene she couldn’t read, but when a murder takes place in the bookstore next to her office, she can’t get a good sense of the killer or motivation for the crime.
With the help of well-known thriller author Madison Kramer, who looks so much like the victim it’s unnerving, Piper will have to assess the few clues there actually are to track down the killer and save the life of an innocent soul that walks on four legs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kelly Hashway
• Release date: Oct 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463572610

Kelly Hashway

Kelly Hashway fully admits to being one of the most accident-prone people on the planet, but luckily she gets to write about female sleuths who are much more coordinated than she is. Maybe it was growing up watching Murder, She Wrote that instilled a love of mystery, but she spends her days writing cozy mysteries. Kelly’s also a sucker for first love, which is why she writes romance under the pen name Ashelyn Drake. When she’s not writing, Kelly works as an editor and also as Mom, which she believes is a job title that deserves to be capitalized.

Book preview

Chapter One

Present for you, Mitchell says, placing a hardcover book on top of my notebook where I’m jotting down places my current client’s cheating spouse has been spotted with his new girlfriend.

I put down my pen and narrow my eyes at him. You bought me a present? I ask, calling his bluff.

Okay, not exactly. It’s from Marcia.

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. I finally allow myself to read the cover. "Running from Murder by Madison Kramer. I’ve heard that name before. Isn’t she the author who was all over the news for being mixed up in a bunch of murder cases?"

Mitchell holds up his hands in front of him. I’m just the delivery man.

I open the book and flip to the author photo in the back. Yeah, that’s her. Her parents were murdered in front of her when she was a kid. If I remember correctly, she was even held at gunpoint, but the killer let her go.

Oh, man. That’s rough, Mitchell says, taking a seat across from me. Marcia said the author will be doing a signing at the store later today. You should bring the book and get it signed.

Spend my Friday night standing in a line waiting to get a book signed by an author I’ve never read, or go home, veg out on the couch with my sweet Golden retriever, Jezebel, and read this book? It’s not a contest at all. I’ll pass now that I have a new book to read. Did Marcia put the book on my tab? I might be the only one with a tab at a bookstore.

I covered it for you. You can pay me back later.

I flip to the inside cover to read the price, not that I have cash on me to reimburse him. I virtually never keep cash on me. Buy you dinner and call it even? I ask.

You’re on. What are you working on there? Mitchell motions to my notebook.

Cheating spouse. It was almost too easy to catch him in the act.

In the act? Mitchell raises a brow at me.

I roll my eyes and toss the notebook at him. You’re disgusting. He’s been out with this woman three times since Monday: they had drinks Tuesday afternoon, his car was parked at her apartment for over two hours on Wednesday, and he showed up with flowers to the office building where she works this morning. I’ve got plenty to report back to my client, all confirming what she already knew. She married a colossal jerk.

Mitchell leans back in his chair. Well, not every man can be me.

Thank the Lord for that, I say. So why are you really here? You have a case for me?

No. I was just stopping by on my way back from the station.

I hold my hand out for the notebook, which Mitchell relinquishes. Detective Mitchell Brennan doesn’t have a date on a Friday night? He claims to not have had a date in a long time, mostly because he and I have been busy collaborating on cases. I’m slowly winning over some of the police officers at the Weltunkin PD, mostly because Mitchell asks for my help with so many cases. Not that he’s not a competent detective—though I’d never tell him that—but having a psychometrist on hand to read the energy off objects and locate missing persons or uncover how someone was murdered is kind of handy.

Mitchell huffs. Friday night dates are so cliché.

Right. I drag out the word. So you happened to stop in Marcia’s Nook because you were looking for a new book to occupy your evening? We both know there’s no truth in that.

I was not hitting on Marcia if that’s what you’re implying.

Good because like I’ve told you countless times before, she’s too good for you.

Duly noted. And for your information, she actually called me.

I cock my head, my interest piqued. Do tell. I lace my fingers on top of the book he brought me.

He dips his head toward the book. Why don’t you read that and find out why? He means read as in read the energy off it to see what happened between him and Marcia when she gave him this.

Must we play this game? It would be a lot quicker if you just told me.

He smirks. But if I tell you, you’ll assume the worst of me and think I couldn’t resist the opportunity to hit on Marcia after she initiated a conversation.

I bite my lower lip and consider it for a moment. That’s true. I huff, unlace my fingers, and pick up the book with my left hand. After clearing my mind, I close my eyes and transfer the book to my right hand.

Thank you for coming, Detective, Marcia says from behind the bakery counter.

No problem. What’s this plan you need my help with? He steps up to the counter and rests his forearms on it.

There’s a semi-local author coming for a signing tonight.

Semi-local?

She’s from Tillboro Hills. It’s not that far from here. About an hour or so.

Mitchell nods. Okay, I’m with you. Go on.

Well, I think it would be good for Piper to come to the signing. The woman writes mysteries and thrillers, so it’s right up Piper’s alley. And I think having some human interaction would be good for her. You know how she is. If she’s not working a case, she’s at home in her apartment with Jez. She needs to socialize more.

Mitchell sighs and stands up straight. So you want me to convince her to go to the signing. He shakes his head. You do realize Piper virtually never listens to me.

Marcia laughs. She doesn’t listen to anyone. But you seem to get through to her more than anyone else.

I think her father would disagree with that.

I open my eyes and level Mitchell with a glare. "You got one thing right. My dad would disagree." Former police detective Thomas Ashwell is the reason I became a private investigator. More so, he’s the reason I started working with the Weltunkin PD. Dad and I made a great team, and when he retired from the police force, he came on as my partner at my P.I. business—though he chooses which cases he wants to work on. He also chooses when he wants to take a long weekend, like he did this week. Hence, I’m working on my own today.

What do you say, Piper? I promised Marcia I’d do my best to convince you to go. You know how she is.

She worries about me. Just like Dad