Hello, Book Lovers!

At the moment, I’ve been enjoying writing within the cozy mystery genre. So far, every weekday this week I’ve managed to work on my cozy mystery short story every day. I’ve enjoyed the writing process so much that I’ve decided to c=share this next chapter with you right away and not wait until the next scheduled blog post day.

So, here it is the fifth chapter of my cozy mystery short story titled, Entitled to Murder. Yes, I’m still calling it a short story, even though I suspect the story will be the length of a novella or short novel.

Every few days, I will release a chapter from Entitled to Murder on this blog throughout the next few weeks, until I reach the end of the story. Keep your eyes peeled for more entries. If you want to receive notifications via email, then sign up for updates by filling out your first name and email address in the opt-in form below, and you’ll receive an email from me, letting you know the latest chapter is available, plus a copy of the ebook when the story is finished. By the way, the story you will receive will be professionally edited just like the copy I plan to sell on the various ebook retailers.

Before, I dive into the opening chapter of this cozy mystery short story, here’s a brief description of the story for those who are new here.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

FIVE

Out of nowhere, a blur of grey shot across the room and under the kitchen table. A thick, warm fur coat rubbed against Lucy’s trousers. Lucy chuckled at the series of loud purrs that cried out from under the table. Alfred rolled his eyes as he glanced at the cat face that Lucy had carved into her pumpkin. 

Lucy shrugged. ‘What?’ 

‘I think a certain four-legged someone has you under his spell.’ Alfred smirked. 

Jane leaned forward. ‘Oh, that’s going to look so good with a candle inside it.’ 

The door creaked, Tiberius’s body tensed as it brushed up against Lucy’s legs. Thomas waltzed through the door and over to the table, clutching a bottle of gin in his left hand. Looking over Alfred’s shoulder, Thomas nodded and frowned at the scary face carved on this father’s pumpkin.

‘Dad, aren’t you concerned that Tiberius might be frightened of these? It looks scary.’ Thomas skimmed his hand over his balding head.

Alfred grimaced. ‘Tiberius is a smart animal. He’ll be fine.’

‘Sorry.’ Thomas shrugged. ‘Have another drink, Dad.’ Thomas held up the gin bottle as Alfred leaned back in his chair, then turned and looked up at his son.  

Alfred turned back around and picked up the carving knife, then shook his head. 

Thomas screwed up his face. ‘Come on, Dad. It’s your birthday. Let your hair down a little.’ 

As Alfred stiffened his posture and clenched his fists, he took a deep breath. Thomas leaned over his father and picked up his empty gin glass. While uncurling his fist, Alfred’s face flushed a slight shade of pink. Not another fight.

Alfred slammed his hand on the table, then whirled around and looked up at his son. ‘I’ll get it myself. I’m not an invalid.’ He snatched the glass out of Thomas’s hand.

Tiberius darted out from under Lucy’s legs and stood between the two men. Arching his back, Tiberius hissed at Thomas.  

 ‘Dad, I’m just trying to make sure you’re having a good time.’ Thomas shook his head. ‘And, your outburst is upsetting, Tiberius.’ With his posture hunched over, Thomas ambled towards the door clutching the gin bottle and disappeared into the hallway. 

Alfred sighed.

Jane smiled at her father. ‘Dad, I think Thomas is only trying to help you.’

‘No, he’s not. He’s been treating me like an old fool for weeks now. He’s been on my case daily about his hair-brained ideas.’ Alfred poked his carving knife into the pumpkin and continued to etch out an eye. ‘I just want to carve pumpkins in peace.’

Lucy shrugged her shoulders at her mother as they sat in the kitchen in silence. Moments later, the dining chair creaked as Alfred stood up and pushed the chair along the kitchen tiles. ‘I think it’s time for a second slice of cake.’

Frightened she would get her head bitten off, Lucy shifted in her seat and then took a deep breath before she peered up at her grandfather. ‘What about the diet that your GP put you on?’

Alfred rolled his eyes. ‘I’ve been managing my diabetes since I was five. That’s eighty-two years. I don’t need some child telling me what I can and can’t put in my body. All I have to do is take the correct amount of insulin before I eat a carb. That’s it. It’s worked for over eight decades.’ Alfred pushed the chair back across the tiles a little further, then turned. ‘I’m going to my study to get my insulin.’

A lump formed in her stomach as Alfred turned around, then strolled across the kitchen and through the open door. Tiberius turned around and meowed in Lucy’s direction.

Jane shook her head. ‘My father’s a stubborn man. And that Doctor is a saint. I can only imagine the lectures he gets every time my father attends an appointment.’

A jingle of a tiny bell cried out as Tiberius sprinted across the kitchen. The cat dashed through the door and down the hall after Alfred.

Ten minutes later, Alfred returned to the kitchen, humming along to a tune that Lucy didn’t recognise. He was empty-handed. Maybe granddad took his insulin in his study. Jane raised her eyebrows at Lucy as Alfred walked over to the fridge. As Alfred clutched the handle, a blanket of darkness covered the kitchen and the rest of the house.

Concluding Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed reading the fifth chapter of my cozy mystery short story, Entitled to Murder. As I’m writing this blog post, I’m also scheduling chapter six to be released tomorrow.  Yes, you get to read three chapters in a row this week. Hopefully, I wouldn’t hit a snag and get stuck. Fingers crossed.

As I mentioned earlier, over the next few weeks, I write and edit the subsequent scenes and chapters. At the same time, I will be sharing chapters over on Wattpad, so be sure to follow me if that’s how you prefer to read.

Once I draw closer to pressing the publish button on this story, I will remove everything after the first chapter, depending upon whether I choose to enrol this book in Kindle Unlimited or publish it on all ebook retailer platforms. But that’s a long way off in the future. If you are interested in receiving email updates alerting you of new chapters plus a free copy of the ebook, Entitled to Murder when it finished, subscribe for updates by filling out the opt-in form below.

With love,

Amelia xx