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    Easy Pickings: Antique Pickers in Paradise Cozy Mystery Series, #8
    Easy Pickings: Antique Pickers in Paradise Cozy Mystery Series, #8
    Easy Pickings: Antique Pickers in Paradise Cozy Mystery Series, #8
    Ebook67 pages1 hour

    Easy Pickings: Antique Pickers in Paradise Cozy Mystery Series, #8

    By Maggie West

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    About this ebook

    There's something sinister at the county fair.

    Antique pickers Sherri and Carol have entered some of their best wares for judging in the Pope County Fair. But a murder during a food competition becomes front and center.

    Can they figure out who killed a fair judge while they navigate the fair food and small town goings on?

    Easy Pickings is a clean and wholesome short read perfect for lovers of cozy mysteries set in a small town that feature an amateur sleuth.

    Easy Pickings is the eighth short book in the Antique Pickers in Paradise Cozy Mysteries series, and is a complete mystery that you can read in an hour or two. As a clean read, it does NOT contain strong language or graphic violence. There's just Sherri and her sidekick Carol. Oh and Sherri's husband Ralph and their sweet cat, Kitty Jo. And don't forget Leon Fletcher, Carol's boyfriend who also happens to be a deputy sheriff.

    Be sure to check out all of the short books in the Antique Pickers in Paradise Cozy Mystery series, Picked to Death, Cotton Picking Murder, Picked On, Pick a Letter, Pick a Tune, and Picked Clean for more small town fun and crime solving in the close-knit community of Paradise.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMaggie West
    Release dateJan 21, 2018
    ISBN9781386035398
    Easy Pickings: Antique Pickers in Paradise Cozy Mystery Series, #8

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      Book preview

      Easy Pickings - Maggie West

      Chapter 1

      The crisp late summer air smelled like apples and a fresh breeze. Once inside the Pope County fair event hall, Sherri Green studied the competition in her category and sighed. The numerous displays of vintage handkerchiefs astounded her. In comparison to the others, she thought her little trio of delicate white vintage hankies with hand-embroidered monogrammed initials, pretty flowers, and delicate crocheted edges looked a little sad. Well, maybe not sad, but certainly not all that special. Sort of common in fact .

      A display of practically see-through white handkerchiefs with delicate pastel fabric cut outs of flowers and butterflies that had been appliqued to the top using the tiniest stitches particularly made Sherri nervous.

      Aren’t they all so pretty? Carol O’Brien scanned the table then turned to look at her picking partner.

      Yes, all but mine. Sherri grimaced and her shoulders fell.

      Oh, no, don’t say that, Sher. Yours are great! Carol ran a finger over a couple of matching hankies with pretty pale blue-bordered fabric and bluebell flowers hand embroidered in the corners.

      Carol, those aren’t mine. Sherri then pointed to her display and added, These are.

      Carol’s silence said it all. She was a talker through and through, and Sherri knew that if Carol was speechless that said something. After a moment Carol piped up, Well, those are beautiful. Where’d you find them? Guess I just didn’t recognize them is all. Carol plastered a big grin on her face. Her eyes landed on a pure white handkerchief. Oh, did you see this one?

      Sherri nodded, glad she didn’t have to answer. Yep, gorgeous, isn’t it? The solitary handkerchief featured thin white linen with hand embroidery and drawn work creating tiny cut away boxes and lines in the corner. It was titled Bridal Handkerchief. She smiled and said, It’s so delicate and —

      Sherri was interrupted by a loud thud. She and Carol both turned in the direction of the sound and caught sight of a woman next to a food table across the hall. Well, part of her. She was prone on the event hall floor.

      What happened? Carol peered around Sherri for a better look. Do you know who that is?

      Sherri shook her head. I’m not sure. All I can see are her feet sticking up, and no one I know wears navy blue loafers.

      Me neither. Carol inched forward toward the commotion. Sherri followed close behind.

      I t was a food allergy that killed her. Well, that’s what we think it was. The fire fighters arrived in their engine to assist as needed and had stayed behind after the blue-shoed woman’s body was removed from the event hall .

      So, it was Brenda Bainbridge? And you say she died from a food allergy? Sherri had caught a glimpse of the poor woman and realized she’d seen her around town, at the IGA and the post office and a few other places through the years. And definitely at city council meetings. Brenda was always in attendance, usually complaining about how bright the streetlights were outside her bedroom window. She was known for this particular gripe, and the suggestion by council members for her to install blackout curtains fell on deaf ears. Sherri always wondered if maybe Brenda just wanted to keep the complaint going for something to do. To add some drama to her life. Now Sherri felt pity that the dead woman had seemed to concentrate on something so seemingly trivial.

      Sherri and Carol had watched from a respectable distance immediately after Brenda collapsed. Sherri stood stock-still. She reached for Carol’s arm. This isn’t right! Did that woman really just died right in front of us? This sort of thing doesn’t happen at the fair!

      Afraid it did, Sher. Carol shrugged and craned her neck as she watched as several people close by tried to resuscitate the woman to no avail.

      By the time the paramedics and fire personnel had arrived everyone in shouting distance had a pretty good idea that she was gone. When the paramedics took a pulse, or tried to take her pulse, and then half-heartedly used the portable defibrillator on the woman a couple of times, it was clear to everyone in the crowded event hall that Brenda Bainbridge was dead.

      The fire fighter nodded. "Looks that way. From what everyone said about how she acted right before she fell. The coroner will have to do an autopsy of course to

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