The Strange Critter at the Old Johnston Place: Deb Powers, Otherworldly PI: Case #3: Deb Powers: Otherworldly PI, #3
By Kari Kilgore
()
About this ebook
Not the Best Place for a Good Night's Sleep
Deb Powers finally gets to work. Helping an old friend with new potential upgrade his life.
This time her cousin brings a case at a B&B in town that threatens the owner's sanity.
A free stay plus a chance to investigate the bizarre proves too much for Deb to resist.
Will she figure out the trouble before she loses her own sanity in the process?
Also available in the collection Investigations Beyond Belief
An excerpt from The Strange Critter at the Old Johnston Place:
When an Old Friend Fears His Own Mind
"Cliff's been finding things like his razor in the freezer," Terri said. "An egg inside his pillowcase, which unfortunately had not been hard-cooked first. Piles of salt and pepper in his underwear drawer, potting soil in the silverware drawer, and the remote for the television inside the oven. Apparently he checked inside before he turned it on a couple of days ago, because he melted a pair of his reading glasses in there last week."
"And no one else has been inside?" Deb said.
"Nope, not until he called me personally to come take a look," Terri said. "He hasn't seen anyone skulking around on any of the security recordings."
"Maybe he'll let us install a few just for this?" Jeff said. "Help ease his mind?"
"I don't think that would help Cliff feel better," Deb said."Not unless it shows him sleepwalking, right? I'm going to guess he's afraid he's doing all of it himself but just can't remember."
Kari Kilgore
Kari Kilgore started her first published novel Until Death in Transylvania, Romania, and finished it in Room 217 at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, where Stephen King got the idea for The Shining. That’s just one example of how real world inspiration drives her fiction. Kari’s first published novel Until Death was included on the Preliminary Ballot for the Bram Stoker Award for Outstanding Achievement in a First Novel in 2016. It was also a finalist for the Golden Stake Award at the Vampire Arts Festival in 2018. Recent professional short story sales include three to Fiction River anthology magazine, with the first due out in the September issue. Kari also has two stories in a holiday-themed anthology project with Kristine Kathryn Rusch due out over the holidays in 2019. Kari writes fantasy, science fiction, horror, and contemporary fiction, and she’s happiest when she surprises herself. She lives at the end of a long dirt road in the middle of the woods with her husband Jason Adams, various house critters, and wildlife they’re better off not knowing more about. Kari’s novels, novellas, and short stories are available at www.spiralpublishing.net, which also publishes books by Frank Kilgore and Jason Adams. For more information about Kari, upcoming publications, her travels and adventures, and random cool things that catch her attention, visit www.karikilgore.com.
Read more from Kari Kilgore
Reflections Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fantastic Women: A Dark Fantasy Novella Trio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStepping Out of Reality: Short Spells of Appalachian Magic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFour-Legged Heroes: When Pets Rescue People Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShadows Mountain Deep: Six Appalachian Crime Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Gateway to Dragons: Uncollected Anthology: A Diversity of Dragons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Adventure Well Begun: Lightning Gap Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Earworms Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMurder at the Fabulous Feline Emporium Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sweetest Trouble Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAt the Heart of It All Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Last Dragonkeeper Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Timely Bit of the Best Bad Luck: A Misfortune and Magic Story: Misfortune and Magic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFantastic Shorts: Volume 3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrusting Their Magic: Misfortune and Magic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Garbage Belt Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Fluffy Black Ball of Pure Naughtiness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFantastic Shorts: Volume 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFantastic Side Trips: Side Characters Take Center Stage: Misfortune and Magic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStraying from Her Human Lifetime: Uncollected Anthology: Were-Creatures & Conundrums Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLottie's Unexpected Literary Adventure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Heart Is the Strongest: Lightning Gap Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFacing Down Extraordinary: A Series of Ordinary Heroes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Road to Paradise Mountain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Sentient Surprise: Uncollected Anthology: Faeries in Space Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Taste Just Like a Hug: Lightning Gap Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn Choosing the Perfect Peach Dress Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dream Thief Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKati and the Witches in the Hill Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPartnership in Crime: Six Journeys to Justice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Strange Critter at the Old Johnston Place
Titles in the series (6)
Making a Change for the Stranger: Deb Powers, Otherworldly PI: Case #1: Deb Powers: Otherworldly PI, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Cave of Whispering Secrets: Deb Powers, Otherworldly PI: Case #2: Deb Powers: Otherworldly PI, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Strange Critter at the Old Johnston Place: Deb Powers, Otherworldly PI: Case #3: Deb Powers: Otherworldly PI, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Eddy of the Unexplained: Deb Powers, Otherworldly PI: Case #4: Deb Powers: Otherworldly PI, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFinding the Tracks to the Past: Deb Powers, Otherworldly PI: Case #5: Deb Powers: Otherworldly PI, #5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInvestigations Beyond Belief: The Intitial Adventures of Deb Powers: Otherworldly PI: Deb Powers: Otherworldly PI Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
A Cave of Whispering Secrets: Deb Powers, Otherworldly PI: Case #2: Deb Powers: Otherworldly PI, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaking a Change for the Stranger: Deb Powers, Otherworldly PI: Case #1: Deb Powers: Otherworldly PI, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYou Can't Hide From Me Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFinding the Tracks to the Past: Deb Powers, Otherworldly PI: Case #5: Deb Powers: Otherworldly PI, #5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUpload to Murder: An Ember Oaks Mystery, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Eddy of the Unexplained: Deb Powers, Otherworldly PI: Case #4: Deb Powers: Otherworldly PI, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSunshine Nails: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wooing Sophie Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSuper Normal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOther Mothers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll The Time In The World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRouge 52 (Goderich Girl #2) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLost in Translation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSomething More: A Classmates to Lovers novella Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFirecracker Queen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeducing Mr. Right Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Soul Institute Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Powers That Be Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsComing in from the Cold Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Flawed Beauty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImmortal Writers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Property Lost Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBetween You and Me Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nightsong Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTessa Randolph Cozy Mysteries, Books 1-3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFatal Assignment: GAINFULLY EMPLOYED MYSTERY, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeart of Fall: Anchorage Seasons, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Summer of Cotton Candy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Balancing Act Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Girl: Those Flirty Forties and Nifty Fifties, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Fantasy For You
Dune Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fairy Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Priory of the Orange Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Demon Copperhead: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Thorns and Roses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Piranesi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lord Of The Rings: One Volume Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tress of the Emerald Sea: Secret Projects, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Is How You Lose the Time War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Eyes of the Dragon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Pirate Lord: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Desert: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist: A Graphic Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Stories of Ray Bradbury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Measure: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Will of the Many Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Out of Oz: The Final Volume in the Wicked Years Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of Dreaming Books Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Mist and Fury Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Assassin and the Empire: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Silver Flames Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Underworld: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Day of Fallen Night Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Strange Critter at the Old Johnston Place
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Strange Critter at the Old Johnston Place - Kari Kilgore
For Everyone with Unusual Skeletons
in the Family Closet
The Strange Critter at the Old Johnston Place
Deb Powers, Otherworldly PI: Case #3
Kari Kilgore
Spiral Publishing, Ltd.
The Strange Critter at the Old Johnston Place
Deb Powers was a big believer in the power (so to speak) of the right motivation.
She’d put herself through college working too many hours on a computer-training help desk, absolutely determined to keep herself from sinking into debt.
All those hours talking people through their technical difficulties gave her the background she needed for her possible new career as a computer consultant.
Her post-college job as a private investigator rose out of a sincere desire to never have to punch someone else’s clock or see her hard work lining a wallet outside her own pocket. Not to mention honing those computer skills to a scarily sharp edge.
She’d turned out to be a much tougher boss than anyone else she’d worked for, but it was worth it.
The mental strain of years of her chosen career as a PI, combined with Atlanta’s traffic and heat and humidity created an undeniable need to slow...everything...down.
Between that and her beloved Auntie Zelda’s house to sweeten the deal, the move to Estonoa, Virginia, made all kinds of sense.
And so Deb sat in her cozy walk-in basement office overlooking her lovely new Appalachian Mountain hometown. An office she’d carefully arranged to give her all the flexibility and privacy she’d need to get her new venture off the ground.
Not much need for photos or paintings or other kinds of fussy decorations. Not with big windows showing off the sheltering tree-covered ridge all around Estonoa. Right now the range of springtime green was on full, lush display, creating a wonderful contrast with hilly streets full of red brick buildings.
From the right angle, Deb and any perspective clients could catch a glimpse of the Grasspe River and Oxbow Lake, forming two gentle arcs at the lowest point in town. They also anchored an extensive and beautiful network of hiking trails Deb kept meaning to take advantage of.
Maybe this very afternoon, once she finished meeting with the most interesting prospective client she’d ever had. It was a bit hotter than she’d like out there, but the sun was still high and bright. A perfect day for a long hike along the river, along the cool forest path.
She’d made sure her office wasn’t too comfortable, with only a reasonable blue sofa, and considerably less reasonable dining room chairs. All sat opposite the huge old wooden desk she’d kept out of her Auntie Zelda’s things. Sturdy and solid, and perfect for giving Deb much-needed distance between her and the people she’d be helping.
That distance and the fully loaded black bookshelves in front of her cinnamon-brown walls would help reinforce her status as an expert, every bit as much as two sleek monitors perched on her desk.
And in the case of this might-be client, she’d thrown every bit of that out the window.
Maybe to land out there with the enticing aroma of her neighbor’s sprawling lilac bush.
She glanced at Jeff Denton, sitting only a few inches away,