Excerpt of THE WRITE WAY TO DIE:
The grounds of the Hotel had been transformed from peaceful gardens of serenity to a hive of activity and noise. The police officers who had initially arrived quickly called for backup, and now the air was filled with the crackle of their radios. Their voices mingled into background noise as they strung crime scene tape around the area, held onlookers at bay, and took statements from all those they could. It was organized chaos, yet I felt distanced and cold, and in the fading afternoon light, I struggled to pull my thoughts together.
At well over six-foot-tall and with more muscles than a front cover of a men’s health magazine, Detective Jacob Tate exuded strength and confidence. But as he looked down at me, his smoke gray eyes were wide. One large hand held a well-loved notebook while the other ran through his short blond hair. A tiny bead of sweat formed on the edge of his manscaped stubble as he hurriedly glanced over his extremely broad shoulder. The movement caused his white cotton shirt to ride up ever so slightly, giving me a glimpse of an abdomen that took a workout seriously. My heart rate had definitely picked up, but I was putting that down to stress.
Turning his attention back to me, his brow lowered. “Aubrey, I know this is very distressing for you, but I need answers to some questions, and I can’t understand what you’re saying.” His deep voice held a hint of hysteria. I had no idea why. I was only crying, and surely, a crying woman wasn’t that scary for a homicide detective. Especially one the size of him that oozed virile masculinity.
“I’m, I’m s-so… sorry,” I hiccupped, snuggling into the warm jacket he’d slipped off and handed to me. One that I could almost wrap around myself twice. “I… I’ve never… never seen a real d-dead body before.”
“I understand. I really do, but I need you to recount how you found the body.”
I nodded before loudly blowing my nose into a sopping wet tissue. Detective Tate grimaced and called to a nearby uniformed officer. “Can anyone give us some help here, please?” His finger twirled in my direction.
The female officer gave me a sympathetic look before ducking into a waiting patrol car, its flashing red and blue lights giving her an eerie glow. While we waited, Tate frowned and slid his hands into the pockets of his faded denim jeans all the while giving me sidelong glances before looking like he wanted to run.
“Take some slow deep breaths,” the female officer said once she’d returned and handed me a tissue box. “It activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Your body has no choice but to slow both your heart rate and your breathing.”
I hugged the new box to my chest and breathed in to the count of three, trying my best to focus. I’ll happily report that it worked, and the tightness that gripped my chest eased. Well, that was until I saw the coroner lifting Willow into a body bag.
The loss of life was overwhelming, and my sobbing quickly turned up a notch.
Tate groaned and looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
“I’ll see if one of the paramedics can come over,” the female officer suggested, taking a large step away from me.
“Thanks.” He gave her a dazzling smile, and for a microsecond, I forgot about the awful events that had happened.
Exhaling loudly, he then gave me a minute before attempting to bring the conversation back on task. “So, did you see anything suspicious at the time you found the body? Anyone hanging around that shouldn’t have been there? Anything that looked out of place?”
I nodded.
“Okay.” He half smiled. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
I thought back over the moment I found Willow. Her unfocused eyes would haunt my dreams for a very long time. The way her neck was angled and the way her body lay; her shirt torn from the branches she had fallen on caused my heart to stop momentarily. But I’d kept my composure, and I’d tried to help her. I’d felt for a pulse and had wanted to give her CPR. Only it was clear that she was beyond my help, which is when I’d called for the paramedics and then ran back inside the hotel screaming.
“What did you see?” Tate gently pushed. “Was it someone you recognized?”
“Not someone.”
He lifted an eyebrow,
“It was a squirrel.” I hiccupped.
“A…” He froze. “A squirrel?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Is that a nickname for someone you know?”
“Nope. It’s a furry gray animal that lives in the wild.”
“O… kay.” Tate held the notebook and pen at the ready. However, he chose not to write that down.
“It’s what made me notice Willow’s leg. Sticking out from between the bushes,” I finished. “Do you think she tripped over the branch?”
Tate closed the notebook, his shoulders dropping as he released a long breath. “No. We believe Willow fell from the window.” I followed his finger as it pointed to the third-floor turret.
My stomach gripped in a wave of nausea, and I put my hand over my mouth to stop gagging. Tate’s eyes widened, and he took a large step backwards.
“How?” I asked once I’d managed some self-control. “She was a smart woman. Surely, she knew better than to lean that far over the ledge? And besides, it’s freezing today. Why would she even have the window open?”
“All very good questions that I’m trying to find the answers to. Now, did you hear anything from above that would indicate someone was in the room with her before the fall?”
“No!”
“And you didn’t see anyone up there?”
“I didn’t even look. Wait, are you suggesting that someone pushed Willow out the window?”
“I’m just gathering facts at this stage.”
“Hang on a second.” I lifted my hand, wanting to slow the pace. “You’re a homicide detective, right?”
“Correct.”
“Why are you here? Stoney Creek isn’t big enough to have a homicide detective on staff, which means you’ve come from Snohomish. I know they have the services of the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit available to them. How did you get here so fast?”
Tate’s brow furrowed as he took a slow breath and studied me. After a hesitant smile flashed, he gave a small nod of his head. “Very good. Now if we could get back to my questions. Did you see anything out of the ordinary?”
“No, I didn’t. But you didn’t answer my question—why are you here? I’ve done enough research to know you don’t attend accidents unless you think there could be foul play involved.”
“Miss Jackson...”
“Call me Aubrey.”
He sighed. “Aubrey… I’m only investigating all angles.”
I straightened my spine and sniffed loudly, considering his line of questioning. “You think she was murdered.”
“Like I said, just gathering facts. Now, you’ve had a shock, and a paramedic will be with you shortly. It looks like your friends are waiting for you, so I’ll leave the questioning until tomorrow. Please make yourself available.” He nodded and spun on his heel, but before he stepped away, he looked back at me, and his eyes softened. “Aubrey, you’ve had a difficult afternoon. Take care of yourself tonight and surround yourself with loved ones. Seeing your first dead body is never easy.”
Copyright ©2025 by Beth Prentice
Murder by the Book #1
From USA Today bestselling author Beth Prentice comes a brand new series filled with humor, romance, and deadly deceptions...
A writing retreat. A famous author. A deadly fall.
Aspiring novelist Aubrey Jackson never expected her big break to be wrapped in crime scene tape. Invited to an exclusive writer’s retreat hosted by the legendary author Willow Fox, Aubrey was excited to sharpen her plot twists and finally finish her first book. But when Willow is found dead—pushed from a third story window—the peaceful getaway turns into a real-life investigation.
With a retreat full of suspects, and the police pointing the finger at one of her best friends, Aubrey’s instincts kick in. After all, she’s read enough murder mysteries to know this wasn’t an accident! So with her writer buddies, Ellie and Spencer, by her side, she sets out to find a killer!
Only problem? The sharp detective with gorgeous eyes and enough muscles to be on a magazine cover, who has a frustrating determination to arrest the wrong person.
Can Aubrey uncover the truth before the killer writes her off for good? Or will her first big break end in a plot twist she never saw coming?
And don't forget to pick up Aubrey Jackson's debut novella, Murder for Shore!
Mystery Cozy | Mystery Amateur Sleuth [Gemma Halliday Publishing, On Sale: October 7, 2025, e-Book, / eISBN: 9798224220953]
I was born in Manchester, England, but after moving backwards and forwards across the world 13 times in 14 years I decided that at the age of 18 that Australia was to be my home. I now live on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia where every day is a good one. I am the lucky mother of two grown up children, and, along with my ever-patient husband, I am the proud but sometimes flustered owner of four dogs, a cat, and a canary. I have always had a love of reading, and even though my background is in accounting, I have now discovered my love of writing. My main wish is to write books you can sit back, relax with, and escape from your everyday life...and ones that you walk away from with a smile! When I'm not writing you will usually find me at the beach with a coffee in hand, pursuing her favorite pastime—people watching!
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