Sandy had volunteered to carry the priceless Fabergé egg to its owner in Virginia, as the stopover had also given her a chance for a quick visit with an old friend.
“Congressman Williams wasn’t nearly as emotional as your Mrs. Rubenstein, but he was clearly very thankful. Over tea, his wife confided that he’d invested a great deal in the egg hoping it would grow in value. It represents a large portion of their estate. Even though he was sort of brusque about it, I could tell the wife was very relieved. I’m really glad we were able to help.”
Nods and smiles all around. “Those stories really made it all worthwhile,” Gracie said.
Pen raised her glass. “You don’t know what this means to me,” she told them. “I, too, would like each of you to have a reward for helping me. In my entire life, I’ve not had friends who would dream of going to such lengths. Each of you is a treasure I will always value.”
They all nodded a little self-consciously. “I don’t know about the rest of you,” said Sandy, “but this is the most fun I’ve had in ages.”
“I don’t want a reward,” Gracie said. “I agree, this has been huge fun. The adventure and the friendship is reward enough for me.”
“To us—the Heist Ladies!” Amber said, raising her glass. “It was great knowing all of you and pulling off such a successful job. I’m kind of sad it’s ending.”
As the glasses clinked, a loud sniff came from Sandy. There were a few moist eyes in the room.
“You know what I’d like,” said Gracie, her expression sober. “I’d like to stay together and do this again. Think about it. We could really help people who have lost something of value—it doesn’t have to be jewels or wealth. There are a lot of ordinary people out there who have been taken in by someone, people who can’t afford the losses they’ve suffered. When the law doesn’t help them, maybe we can.”
“I like that idea,” said Pen with a catch in her throat.
Amber’s eyes sparkled. “I love it!”
The doorbell rang. Pen set her glass down and went to answer. A delivery man held out a flat, rectangular package, for which she signed. When she glanced at the label she saw it was from her publisher.
“My goodness,” she said, ripping at the tape as she walked back into the room with the other ladies. “With our recent excitement, I’d forgotten all about this. The edits were done months ago—it’s my newest book.”
The others crowded around to take a look at the glossy cover.
“Well, this means I need to start writing a new story.” Pen’s smile glowed as she looked around at her friends. “And now I have an idea what it will be about.”
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Thank you,
Connie Shelton
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What’s next for the Heist Ladies?
Sandy Werner’s longtime client walks into Desert Trust Bank, clearly down on her luck. Sandy is shocked to find the woman’s once-plump account is down to less than $200, and is distraught to learn her friend is now homeless. At Sandy’s invitation, Mary Holbrook joins the Heist Ladies, whose new mission is to steal back the money her ex-husband and his gold digging younger wife took from her. They discover a huge shell game and track the deceitful ex to the other side of the world, determined to win back Mary’s financial security as well as her self-esteem. But Clint Holbrook has even more ominous problems involving Chinese mobsters and is willing to take drastic measures to avoid being caught.
Watch for The Trophy Wife Exchange, coming in early 2018
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Author’s Note
As always, I have a huge amount of gratitude for everyone who helped shape this book into its final version. Dan Shelton, my husband and helpmate of twenty-seven years, puts up with less-than-regular meals and a less-than-clean house during my weeks of the initial first-draft stage. Editors Susan Slater and Shirley Shaw spot the plot and character flaws and help smooth the rough bits in the prose. And topping off the effort are my beta readers, who drop everything in their own lives to read and find the typos that inevitably sneak past me. Thank you for your help with this book: Judi Shaw, Debra Bolling, Paula Webb, Marcia Koopmann, Elaine Pool, Sandy Fields, Becky Johnson, Richard Butler, Christine Johnson, Ginger Griffin, Sandra Anderson, Dot Wichert, Katherine Munro, Lisa Train, Maria Edrozo, Debbie Wilson, Jeanie Jackson, Carol Blacklock, Gail Wolf, Joanne Horak, Jan Evans, Susan Gross, Jane Parker, Isobel Tamney, and Ginger Weinstein. You guys are the best!
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Books by Connie Shelton
The Charlie Parker Series
Deadly Gamble
Vacations Can Be Murder
Partnerships Can Be Murder
Small Towns Can Be Murder
Memories Can Be Murder
Honeymoons Can Be Murder
Reunions Can Be Murder
Balloons Can Be Murder
Obsessions Can Be Murder
Gossip Can Be Murder
Stardom Can Be Murder
Phantoms Can Be Murder
Buried Secrets Can Be Murder
Legends Can Be Murder
Weddings Can Be Murder
Alibis Can Be Murder
Holidays Can Be Murder - a Christmas novella
The Samantha Sweet Series
Sweet Masterpiece
Sweet’s Sweets
Sweet Holidays
Sweet Hearts
Bitter Sweet
Sweets Galore
Sweets, Begorra
Sweet Payback
Sweet Somethings
Sweets Forgotten
Spooky Sweet
The Woodcarver’s Secret
Spellbound Sweets – a Halloween novella
The Heist Ladies Series
Diamonds Aren’t Forever
The Trophy Wife Exchange (coming early 2018)
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