We were seated outside on Dana's patio, a roaring fire in her gas fire pit and two open bottles of wine on her stone side tables as the four of us celebrated the little things in life. Like not having been shot by a lunatic with a service revolver.

  "You know, back home, they used to sell monkey in the marketplace," Ling said, eyeing Jerome as if she didn't quite trust him not to steal tip money from her purse.

  "Oh yeah?" Marco said. "See, everyone knows they make great pets."

  "Yeah, it was not that kind of marketplace," she mumbled.

  Jerome cocked his head at her. "Screee?"

  "Well, this little monkey is a hero," Marco insisted. "The least I can do is give him a nice home. With a sleigh bed and a down comforter and some memory foam pillows."

  I stifled a grin behind my wineglass rim.

  "What shoe size do you think he is?" Marco went on. "I want to get him a pair of slippers."

  "I saw a pair of SpongeBob ones on Amazon the other day," Dana offered. "Jerry loves his SpongeBob, don't you, baby?"

  Jerry grinned.

  "Maybe some silk pajamas too," Marco said.

  Ling rolled her eyes. "Monkeys don't need silk pajamas and slippers! They poop in the jungle!"

  "And pee in minivans," I added.

  "Not this monkey," Marco insisted. "This monkey is a hero now. Whatever he wants, he gets."

  Jerry's grin widened, showing off several white teeth.

  Ling shook her head, reaching for a bottle to refill her glass. "All this praise for biting some guy. I've bitten lots of guys before."

  I glossed over that tidbit of TMI. "Whether he intentionally saved me or not, he did have excellent timing," I had to admit.

  "Any idea what will happen to Officer Willis now?" Dana asked, cracking open the top on a water bottle.

  "Well, for starters, he's certainly not Officer Willis anymore," I said. "And Ramirez said he's clammed up and only talking through his lawyer. But there's a pretty solid case against him, even leaving out his full confession to me, and if convicted he's looking at spending the rest of his life in prison."

  "As he deserves," Ling said heartily.

  "At least Ricky got some closure, knowing the truth about his mom. Though, I can't say it was comforting, knowing the real circumstance of her death." Dana sighed.

  I put a hand on her arm. "Is he doing okay?"

  She nodded. "He and his dad have been talking more lately. I think this whole thing has actually brought them closer. Even admitting that everything wasn't as peachy as he'd pretended for Ricky's sake."

  "I feel kind of bad that we ever suspected Robert," I said. "Or Lillian."

  "Me too," Dana admitted. "But I'm glad things worked out in the end. Lillian and Robert are on their way to the Grand Canyon right now."

  "I don't get the RV lifestyle," Ling said, crossing one platform heel–clad leg over the other as she sipped from her glass. "Four Seasons. That's my idea of roughing it."

  Dana laughed and shrugged. "They're happy."

  "Speaking of happy," I said, turning to Dana. "I don't suppose you've heard from Uncle Bart lately?"

  She frowned. "No. Why?"

  "Because my mom told me that Mrs. Rosenblatt has been out with him every night this week."

  "No!" Marco said, slapping his hand on the arm of his rattan chair.

  "Yes." I nodded. "Apparently, since she realized he's not a thief—"

  "Anymore," Dana mumbled.

  "And wasn't lying about his involvement with Moira DeVine—"

  "Once he got caught in the first lie," Marco added.

  "Mrs. Rosenblatt is on a mission to change his mind about psychics."

  "Not sure how I feel about that," Dana admitted. "I mean, I guess he's my uncle-in-law, but I'm still not sure how much I trust him."

  "About as far as I can throw him," Ling said. "And I got a bum elbow."

  "Don't worry. Mrs. Rosenblatt won't put up with any funny stuff from him. This is not her first rodeo, remember. She's buried six husbands." Three in the ground and three in divorce court.

  "Maybe it's Uncle Bart we should be worried about," Marco said, raising one perfectly painted eyebrow with a teasing grin.

  "I don't suppose Ricky has had any contact with Uncle Bart?" I asked Dana.

  She shook her head. "Not yet. I think this has all been a lot for him. You saw the interview he did with Diane Sawyer, right?"

  I nodded. Ricky's publicist had cautioned him that the story wasn't going to stay contained—as if the paparazzi camped out on his front lawn hadn't tipped him off—and that his best bet at putting the whole thing to bed was to give his side of the story to a trusted source.

  "We really saw a softer side of him when he talked of his memories of his mom," I added.

  "It was sweet, right?" Dana said, smiling. "As a silver lining, that softer side did not go unnoticed by casting directors. He got the part in the Nicholas Sparks movie."

  "Oh, that's wonderful!" I told her.

  "He deserves it," Marco said.

  "He'll be so hot," Ling added.

  Dana laughed. "Yes, he will. He'll also be shooting in Canada for a few months, but what can you do?" She shrugged, but I could tell by the smile on her face that she was genuinely happy for him, despite the long distance.

  "To Ricky and sappy romantic movies!" Marco said, raising his glass.

  We all chimed in and sipped our drinks, and I hoped Ricky's life had finally turned a corner toward getting all the happiness he deserved.

  "You know, there's still one thing I want to know," Marco said, dabbing at his lips with his fingertips as he set his glass down on the table beside him.

  "What's that?" Dana asked.

  "That guy who tried to hit you on the 2." Marco turned to me. "Did you ever find out who that was?"

  "I did." I tried to shove down the feeling of discomfort at even talking about the incident. "Ramirez tracked the car down through traffic cam footage. He was able to catch the license plate, and I was right. The car was registered to Ricci Brothers Construction."

  "So they did try to kill you!" Dana put a hand to her mouth.

  "Well, tried to scare me anyway," I hedged, not liking the words kill and me so close together in that sentence. "Ramirez tracked down the driver. It turns out it was that security guy we saw. Colt Gavetti."

  "Gavetti!" Dana said.

  "They really do keep it all in the family, huh?" Ling noted.

  "Seems that way. Only he claims he was just trying to scare me away from his employers."

  "But if they had nothing to do with Beth's death, why bother you?" Marco asked.

  I shrugged. "Who knows what other skeletons they have lurking in their closets."

  "I don't know," Ling said, "but I'd bet money they're all wearing cement shoes."

  "Are they going to charge the Riccis?" Dana asked.

  I shook my head. "No. Colt Gavetti said he acted on his own. He's claiming it was out of loyalty to the family because he thought I was harassing them."

  "Baloney," Ling spat out. "I don't think for a minute those Riccis didn't know about his monkey business."

  "Scree!" Jerry jumped up.

  "No offense," Ling shot his way.

  "I agree," I told her. "But they've probably gotten away with a lot worse in the past, so I doubt anything will come of this."

  "Well, at least you don't have to look over your shoulder anymore," Marco reasoned.

  "And I had my real Charlotte's Angels moment," Dana added. "I always wanted to tell a perp to freeze. So much more satisfying in real life than on TV."

  "You were pretty spectacular," I had to agree. Not to mention her timing had been totally on point. A second later, and I didn't even want to think about what might have happened.

  "Maybe you should consider doing your own stunts next season," Ling suggested.

  Dana shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

  "Why not? You're a natural," Marco told her. "Besides, I swear you must be able to see in the dark, to find that gun so fast."

  "That wasn't so hard," she confessed. "Jerome kind of swatted it over to me when he was dancing around Willis. I just picked it up. I could never do the things stunt people do. Especially now."

  "What do you mean, especially now?" I asked, glancing over at her.

  I'm going to claim that I was so preoccupied with the celebratory mood that I hadn't really noticed until that moment that my best friend had not poured herself a glass of wine all evening, instead nursing a bottle of water.

  "Wait," I said. "Don't tell me that you're—"

  "Pregnant!" she announced with a huge smile.

  "Dana!" I jumped up and grabbed her in a hug, Marco and Ling quickly following suit.

  "We're both having babies, then!" Marco cried, grabbing Jerry and squishing him in a hug so tight the monkey squeaked.

  "Oh brother," Ling said, rolling her eyes again before she turned to Dana. "Congratulations. You're going to be a great mother."

  "Thank you," Dana said as we all sat back down. "I honestly can't wait. I've always wanted a family."

  "Dibs on planning the baby shower!" Marco said immediately. "I know a baker who makes these adorable baby bootie cakes. And no blue or pink for your little one. We're going gender neutral. Maddie, you can help. You can find the caterer. Ling, what can you do?"

  "Entertainment," she said without batting an eyelash.

  "Hold on." Dana held up a hand, laughing. "We just found out ourselves. Give us some room to breathe with it, okay?" She slipped me a sideways look. "But you'll be his or her godmother, right?"

  "Absolutely." I squeezed her hand. "It'll be an honor."

  "A-hem," Marco said loudly.

  "And you'll be the godfather," Dana said.

  Marco preened. "If you insist."

  "What about me? What am I, the liver chops?" Ling asked.

  "You are the eccentric honorary aunt that every Hollywood baby needs," Dana assured her.

  Ling thought about that a beat before nodding. "It's true. The kid is gonna need someone with street smarts in their life."

  Dana grinned at the three of us, her eyes watery with emotion. "I just wish Beth could have been here to meet her first grandchild."

  "Oh, I'm sure she knows, honey," Marco told her "Just ask Mrs. R. And if Beth hasn't heard, she'll have Albert deliver the message personally."

  Dana laughed. "I just may have to take her up on that."

  "Speaking of psychic messages," Ling said, turning my way, "did you ever find out how Moira DeVine knew Beth had been shot?"

  I shook my head, trying not to think about how close I'd come to the same fate. "No. But forensics confirmed that the hole I saw in the bathroom molding was made by a bullet."

  "So she was right!" Marco said.

  "She was," Dana added. "The autopsy confirmed it. Ricky went ahead with the exhumation, which, in light of everything that happened, even his dad and Lillian were in favor of. They finished the autopsy last week, and Beth had a clear gunshot wound that the ME agrees would have been fatal."

  "Poor thing," Ling said, shaking her head, her pigtails flapping against her shoulders.

  "But if no autopsy was originally performed and Willis strategically left any information about a gunshot out of the police files that Moira bribed her way to getting, how did Moira know about it?" Marco asked.

  Dana turned to me. "You're sure Willis didn't tell her?"

  "He's been known to lie before, but he seemed pretty adamant that he didn't give Moira any more information than she already had," I said.

  "Maybe the psychic lady really did get a message from the beyond after all," Ling said.

  We all sat in silence a moment, letting that thought sink in. Until Jerry broke it with a loud, "Scree!"

  "What do you think, little man?" Marco asked the monkey. "Did the spirits really talk to Moira?"

  Jerry just smiled, like he was in on a really good secret he'd never tell.

  Then he promptly peed on Dana's outdoor sofa.

  "Nooo!" yelled Dana.

  "Bad monkey!" yelled Ling.

  "We've talked about this," admonished Marco.

  "Maybe your baby needs diapers," I offered as I handed Marco a towel.

  "Maybe he needs a cage," Ling offered, wrinkling up her nose.

  "No, it's okay," Dana said, having composed herself, though she was still sadly eyeing her stained cushions. "Jerome is a hero. He saved Maddie's life."

  Jerry sat up on the back of the sofa and grinned.

  Oh brother. I would forever be reminded that I owed my life to a monkey.

  But, I was grateful I still had a life to owe.

  "To Jerome," I said, raising my glass.

  "To Jerome," everyone else chimed in (some more reluctantly than others).

  Jerome grinned and preened proudly.

  "Screeeeee!"

  * * * * *

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  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Gemma Halliday is the #1 Amazon, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of several mystery series. Gemma's books have received numerous awards, including a Golden Heart, two National Reader's Choice awards, three RITA nominations, a RONE award for best mystery, and two Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards for best cozy mystery and readers' choice. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her large, loud, and loving family.

  To learn more about Gemma, visit her online at http://www.gemmahalliday.com

  From her first discovery of Nancy Drew, USA Today bestselling author Kelly Rey has had a lifelong love for mystery and tales of things that go bump in the night, especially those with a twist of humor. Through many years of working in the court reporting and closed captioning fields, writing has remained a constant. If she's not in front of a keyboard, she can be found reading, working out or avoiding housework. She's a member of Sisters in Crime and lives in the Northeast with her husband and a menagerie of very spoiled pets.

  Kelly Rey is the author of the Jamie Winters Mysteries, as well as the co-author of the Sherlock Holmes/Marty Hudson Mysteries.

  To learn more about Kelly Rey, visit her online at: http://www.kellyreyauthor.com

  BOOKS BY GEMMA HALLIDAY

  High Heels Mysteries:

  Spying in High Heels

  Killer in High Heels

  Undercover in High Heels

  Christmas in High Heels (short story)

  Alibi in High Heels

  Mayhem in High Heels

  Honeymoon in High Heels (novella)

  Sweetheart in High Heels (short story)

  Fearless in High Heels

  Danger in High Heels

  Homicide in High Heels

  Deadly in High Heels

  Suspect in High Heels

  Peril in High Heels

  Jeopardy in High Heels

  Deceit in High Heels

  Wine & Dine Mysteries:

  A Sip Before Dying

  Chocolate Covered Death

  Victim in the Vineyard

  Marriage, Merlot & Murder

  Death in Wine Country

  Fashion, Rosé & Foul Play

  Killer Among the Vines

  Wine Country Recipes (companion cookbook)

  Hollywood Headlines Mysteries:

  Hollywood Scandals

  Hollywood Secrets

  Hollywood Confessions

  Hollywood Holiday (short story)

  Hollywood Deception

  Hollywood Homicide

  Hollywood Revenge

  Jamie Bond Mysteries:

  Unbreakable Bond

  Secret Bond

  Bond Bombshell (short story)

  Lethal Bond

  Dangerous Bond

  Bond Ambition (short story)

  Fatal Bond

  Deadly Bond

  Marty Hudson Mysteries:

  Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Brash Blonde

  Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Disappearing Diva

  Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Wealthy Widow

  Tahoe Tessie Mysteries:

  Luck Be A Lady

  Hey Big Spender

  Baby It's Cold Outside (short story)

  Hartley Grace Featherstone Mysteries:

  Deadly Cool

  Killer Looks

  Wicked Games

  Other Works:

  Play Dead

  Viva Las Vegas

  A High Heels Haunting (novella)

  Watching You (short story)

  Confessions of a Bombshell Bandit (short story)

  * * * * *

  SNEAK PEEK

  of the first Wine & Dine Mystery

  A SIP BEFORE DYING

  by

  GEMMA HALLIDAY

  CHAPTER ONE

  My best friend was waiting for me outside Silver Girl, her jewelry boutique in downtown Sonoma, when I pulled up in my Jeep. Ava Barnett: blonde, bubbly, and as perpetually optimistic as a woman who worked the tourist trade could be. She was dressed today in a flowy floral dress that just skirted her perfectly tanned ankles above boho-style sandals and pink painted toenails. We were both about a size eight, though Ava was on the lithe, athletic side of eight, and I was on the generous, enjoys-her-chocolate side of eight. She floated into my passenger seat on a cloud of peachy lotion and patchouli incense, and I instantly felt my spirits lift as I tried to downplay how rotten that Friday had turned out for me.