A Sidecar Named Expire: The Falconer Files - Brief Cases, #2

By Andrea Frazer

The second instalment in an occasional series of short stories covering the elapsed time between the books in The Falconer Files series.

An insanely gripping village detective series with a delightful slice of humour. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Lillian Jackson Braun and Midsomer Murders.
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This story covers events that occur between the books Inkier than the Sword and Pascal Passion.

A young man and his girlfriend decide to celebrate their first St Valentine's Day together, with a cosy evening of cocktails at her house.

But as the evening progresses,events don't go quite as Malcolm Standing planned.

The next morning, DI Falconer and DS Carmichael are called in to try to sort out what really happened.
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Praise for Andrea Frazer's quirky and compelling crime novels:

***** 'What can I say except that this is a very good story as expected from this Author and I thoroughly recommend it... She is absolutely fantastic' Reader Review

***** 'Short but good, filled with love, mystery, and thrilling moments... very well written... a lot of enthralling moments... would recommend to all ages!' Reader Review

***** 'The Andrea Frazer Falconer File series of books are terrific... I would recommend these books to anyone that likes a bit of light hearted mysteries!' Reader Review

***** 'Very fond of the main characters. Good stories. Good character development' Reader Review

• Language: English
• Publisher: JDI Publications
• Release date: Jun 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223316794

Andrea Frazer

An ex-member of Mensa, Andrea Frazer is married, with four grown-up children, and lives in the Dordogne with her husband Tony and their seven cats. She has wanted to write since she first began to read at the age of five, but has been a little busy raising a family and working as a lecturer in Greek, and teaching music. Her interests include playing several instruments, reading, and choral singing.

Book preview

For Belinda, who has always encouraged and supported me, as well as lending me her eyes.

The second in a series of short stories covering the elapsed time between the books in the Falconer Files series. This story covers events that occur between the books Inkier than the Sword and Pascal Passion.

Other books by Andrea Frazer

The Falconer Files

Death of an Old Git

Choked Off

Inkier than the Sword

Pascal Passion

Murder at the Manse

Music to Die For

Strict and Peculiar

Christmas Mourning

Grave Stones

Death in High Circles

Glass House

Bells and Smells

Shadows and Sins

Nuptial Sacrifice

The Falconer Files – Brief Cases

Love Me To Death

A Sidecar Named Expire

Battered to Death

Toxic Gossip

Driven To It

All Hallows

Written Out

Death of a Pantomime Cow

Others

Choral Mayhem

Down and Dirty in the Dordogne

A Fresh of Breath Air

Chapter One

14th February

I

‘Now, my cocktail starts with one-and-a-half measures of gin.’ There was a short glugging sound from round the angle of the L-shaped room, as Chelsea Fairfield began to mix the drinks with which they were going to celebrate their first St Valentine’s Day together.

They had only been an item for three weeks or so, but Malcolm Standing had been captivated by her since their first meeting, and had gladly accepted her invitation to spend this evening at her house, drinking cocktails together. He had high hopes of not going home at all tonight, and sprawled on the sofa in an ecstasy of expectation. Tonight would probably be the night!

‘One-and-a-half measures of Cointreau,’ her voice purred on, ‘and one-and-a-half measures of lemon juice. Shake,’ he discerned the quiet sloshing of the cocktail shaker being agitated, ‘and strain into a frosted glass, over ice. There! That’s my White Lady sorted. Now for your Sidecar.’

‘How come I don’t get to choose my own cocktail?’ he called out to her.

‘You can after the first one. I just thought a Sidecar was rather appropriate, as you ride a motorbike,’ she called in answer, and Malcolm could feel his whole body tingling in anticipation of the evening to come.

‘Right! A Sidecar. Bit of information for you here, my dear. This cocktail was originally created after the First World War, in ‘Harry’s Bar’ – the one in Paris, not the one in Venice, and was named after an officer who used to go there by chauffeur-ridden motorcycle sidecar. See what I mean?

‘And now for the ingredients. One measure of cognac, one measure of Cointreau, and one measure of lemon juice.’ As she shook the cocktail, he raised his voice to give his opinion of the two recipes.

‘Yours seems to be half as strong again as mine. Why’s that? It doesn’t seem fair to me.’

‘Just think about it, sweetie,’ she answered, and he heard her speaking in a slightly quieter voice. ‘There we go! And strain, garnish with a slice of lemon, over crushed ice. I’m on my way.’

In less than a minute, she came round the ‘L’, carrying a small silver tray with the two glasses on it.

‘Hand it over, then,’ Malcolm said, holding out his hand.

‘Not just yet, big boy. I want the occasion to be just right, so, just before we drink our cocktails, I want us to enjoy a black Russian cigarette.’

‘But I don’t smoke!’ he protested.

‘Neither do I,’ she replied, ‘but trust me, this is definitely the best way to enjoy these cocktails,’ and in so saying, she removed a small black box from a drawer in a wall unit, opened it, and held it out for him to take a cigarette, took one herself, and produced a lighter to light them. ‘Now, she ordered, ‘a couple of puffs on that, and we can have our glasses. Happy Valentine’s Day, darling.’

‘And the same