Murder and Salutations
Elizabeth Bright

Excerpt

THE HANDMADE ENVELOPE, PLEASE...

It was rumored around town that my sister, Sara Lynn, was slated to receive the Rebel Forge Businessperson of the Year award, something that she’d yet to receive in all her years as a small-business owner. The reason for the slight was obvious: there was bad blood between my sister and Eliza Glade, a woman who ran the Chamber of Commerce—along with her businesses—with a velvet fist.

Sara Lynn frowned . “If you haven’t heard the rumors yet, you will tonight. Bailey and I are completely and utterly finished. I will never be able to get the image of him in Eliza Glade’s embrace out of my mind.”

I was shocked but finally managed, “Are you positive you want to be here? Eliza’s going to be making the presentation.”

I couldn’t imagine my sister onstage with her worst enemy in the world.

Sara Lynn stood her ground, though. “I won’t let that woman deprive me of this evening. I did nothing wrong, and I won’t scuttle away to a corner and hide.”

She left the table for a minute, out of earshot. “There’s a good turnout tonight, isn’t there?” noticed Aunt Lillian.

Her friend nodded. “I think half of them are here to see that niece of yours onstage with Eliza.”

They were just starting to serve when Sara Lynn rejoined us, without her husband in tow. She looked more shaken than I’d ever seen her, but it was clear further conversation wouldn’t be welcome.

Later, I heard a scream coming from the kitchen.

“Eliza’s dead,” the woman’s voice shouted. “Someone stabbed her in the heart.”

And that’s when all hell broke loose…