In this, the second novel in the Vivianne Murphy Mystery series, a dead bride is discovered murdered at Vivianne and Venice's brokerage, a homeless family is found sleeping in a vacant house and Viv's mother, who is a force, is having open heart surgery.On a personal level, Venice becomes romantically involved with Bryan, who is moving out of state and Vivianne becomes concerned Venice will follow him. That is, until Viv starts dating a former client whoâs handsome, amusing, and insanely rich.In some of the many subplots, Vivâs niece has a run in with a kidnapper, thereâs a wedding, another murder, and a tense final act
In this, the second novel in the Vivianne Murphy Mystery series, a dead bride is discovered murdered at Vivianne and Venice's brokerage, a homeless family is found sleeping in a vacant house and Viv's mother, who is a force, is having open heart surgery.On a personal level, Venice becomes romantically involved with Bryan, who is moving out of state and Vivianne becomes concerned Venice will follow him. That is, until Viv starts dating a former client whoâs handsome, amusing, and insanely rich.In some of the many subplots, Vivâs niece has a run in with a kidnapper, thereâs a wedding, another murder, and a tense final act
CHAPTER ONE
My name is Vivianne Murphy and, with my best friend, and business partner, Venice Martino, we started our own brokerage, Rainbow Realty. We had our Grand Opening last summer. My sister Kat, with her daughter Nellie, as well as my Mom, Tess and stepdad, Wes, flew in from New York for our event. My cousin, Skylar and I were the only ones in the family who had left New York for greener pastures. Skylar moved to Washington, D.C. many years ago and still lives there with her husband, Jock. And he is quite the Jock. However, there are no pastures there, green or otherwise.
Venice and I live in Havenville, in the northwest part of Washington State. We met when I sold her the house across the street from mine. I live with Sassy, short for Sasquatch, a rescued terrier mix, and Venice is owned by Betty, a Border Collie, and Mr. Snigglebottom, who seems to be mostly Jack Russell, right down to his stubbornness. Venice and I complement each other, she with dark hair and olive skin, I, with red hair and fair skin. Italian and Irish, we incorporated the best of both ethnicities.
My Mom and Wes had gone home the day after the Grand Opening because, while she was here, she was diagnosed with a heart problem and she wasnât feeling well. She was going to have her mitral valve replaced next month. It shouldâve been sooner but my Mom does what she wants on her own terms, in her own time. I also think sheâd been in denial. The only reason she was having it done now was because she was tired of being tired. Mom was a force, usually to be reckoned with. We were all a little afraid of her. Except me, I was very afraid of her. Nellie, who would be thirteen this year. got along with Mom better than any of us ever did. Mom adored her. Maybe it was the first and only grandchild that did it but being a girl was a definite plus. She was the only human who seemed to be able to ignore my Momâs dulcet screeching, which was mostly directed at Wes.
Last year while still working for Morgan, Cromwell and Chase Realty, Venice and I sold an $8,000,000 house, or mansion would be more like it. The commission from that sale was what gave us the capital to open Rainbow Realty. What goes around comes around and, in this case, it was the mansion. John Berkman, the owner, gave us the listing. Since the debacle last year, which resulted in his divorce, he now loathed the place. He had been staying in a very nice rental which gave him time to decide where he wanted to live. He had other houses in other countries but he wanted something here, in the Pacific Northwest. He had grown to love this area.
The mansionâs infamy, coupled with the price, made it more difficult to sell than usual, however, an offer had just come in. I would call John and run it by him after I had my coffee and became semi-human.
My phone chirped, I had a bird call for my ring except for my Mom and then it belted out, âThe Bitch is Back.â
I recognized the number; it was John Berkman. He must have read my mind.
âHi John, I was just about to call you.â I was lying, it was only 8 A.M. for Godâs sake.â
âWe received an offer on the mansion,â I said.
âExcellent, and what would that offer be?â
We had it on the market for $9,000,000 because some updates had been made after the purchase, one of them being a brand-new kitchen. The old kitchen was pretty spectacular, I didnât see why it had to be renovated but it was none of my business.
âThe offer is $8,500,000. I know itâs not full asking price but itâs been on the market for a while so theyâre hoping to get a deal. What do you think?â
âI think we should counter back at $8,750,000 just for the hell of it. Tell the agent Iâm splitting the difference,â said John.
I wish I could be so cavalier about that much money. Ah, whatâs $250,000 give or take? To John, a mere pittance, to me, a fortune.
âI was calling to see if you or Venice could show me that waterfront listing? The one on Sandy Point Road? I would love to get out of this rental and be in my own place again. If I donât find something here soon, Iâm off to my house in Ireland.â
âLet me take a look, hang on a minuteâŚitâs still active but the owners are currently living there and they require a twenty-four-hour notice to show. How about tomorrow morning at eleven?â
The Sandy Point home was $3,200,000, mainly because it was no bank waterfront. You could literally walk out the back slider and bury your toes in the sand. It was a magnificent house with 4200 square feet of living space on two acres. Why a single man needed all that room was beyond me but who was I to question his wants and needs as long as he could afford it. And he most definitely could. Weâd get another hefty commission from this so I didnât care if he bought it and tore it down. Not only was âno bankâ a rare find here, this house also came with a dock. The dock was a big deal because you could no longer get approval to build one. He wouldnât find another property like this. And I knew John had lots of boy toys, a speedboat being one of them. This would be perfect.
I called the listing agent who insisted on being there during the showing. This wasnât the protocol, but given the price and the fact that the owners still resided there, it was a precaution. They didnât want looky-loos traipsing through the house, and possibly stealing things. I didnât mind at all and an appointment was available at the specified time and date we wanted.
Iâd ask Venice, if sheâd like to show it with me. We shared all the commissions anyway. I had to make a duty call to my Mom but I wanted to talk to Venice first.
It was a little after 9 A.M. and I knew Venice would be up. She was an early riser, unlike myself. I walked over and knocked. Betty and Mr. Snigglebottom were out in the fenced yard. When they saw it was me, they smiled. And yes, dogs smile, but only if they like you. I could see homemade muffins on the counter. Venice was an excellent baker and last year had come up with the idea of baking cupcakes and decorating them to fit the businesses she was giving them to. For example, cupcakes that looked like dogs and cats for Paws. She had her realtor labels on the cupcake boxes and also handed out her business cards. Surprisingly, she got quite a few listings out of her unique marketing, as well as a few buyers. That was the catalyst that opened the door for her and now she was doing very well.
I saw her through the glass sliding doors, walking toward me. Acting like the adult I am I pressed my nose to the glass and puckered my lips. Venice was laughing when she let me in.
âNow look what youâve done, thereâs lipstick on the glass. And how old are we today, twelve?â
Chuckling I said, âIâve got good news or what could turn into good news.â I told her about the impending showing with John. âI was wondering, if youâd like to go with me. Itâs a lovely house and I think youâd enjoy seeing it.â
âI was going to tell you; I wonât be in tomorrow. Iâm taking the day off. I have a date.â
âA date, like with a man and a woman date? I real date as in âout to dinner?ââ
âAnd why is that so surprising? Do I look like Godzilla or something?â
âNo, no, itâs just thatâŚI donât know. I didnât think you were even looking. I guess Iâm surprised.â
âYou know Viv, I wasnât looking, but I was thinking about it. I was so busy with house buying, renovating, selling my auntâs house, settling in, taking the real estate course, and getting my license. Donât forget all the time and work it took to start Rainbow Realty too. With all that behind me now, I feel like I can breathe. I was even considering joining a dating site.â
âYOU JOINED A DATING SITE? WITHOUT ME?â I yelled.
âNo, no, I didnât actually join yet. I was going to ask you to help me write my bio and answer the myriad of questions they ask. I figured youâd be better at getting me up and running since youâve done it before. And there would have to be a good photo of me and the dogs. I looked at the site and itâs very intimidating. But we can put that on hold for the time being.â
âOh? You met a man in the outside world then? A real man, not a digital one?â
âYes indeedy. I was in the supermarket yesterday and dropped a can of crushed tomatoes and a very nice man picked it up for me. We got to talking and he asked me out to dinner.â
âYouâre kidding me? Do you know how many times Iâve been in the market and have yet to meet anyone? I even read that food stores are very good places to find a man. I think some big supermarket chain made that up so more single people would shop there.
âI have this little game I play when shopping, it makes it less boring. If I see a nice-looking man alone, I glance in his cart. I can tell by whatâs in there if heâs shopping for one. You know, single serving frozen dinners and nothing too fancy or nutritional. If thereâs a sporting magazine thrown in, Iâve hit the jackpot.â
Venice said, âAnd howâs that working for you? Hereâs a muffin, letâs head to the office and Iâll tell you more later.â
âJust one more question. Is the date why youâre taking off tomorrow? Not that you need permission, Iâm just being my typical nosy self. All right, I have two questions. Why didnât you tell me you met someone? Itâs been weeks and Iâm only hearing about it now?â
âIâm taking off because I donât have work to do tomorrow and I need a day to get beautiful for my date. And I wasnât asking permission, I was simply being considerate and letting you know. And, Ms. Drama Queen, it hasnât been weeks, I just met him yesterday.â
I acquiesced, put Sassy in the car and off we went. Sassy now thought of the office as her second home. She got lots of attention and she was well behaved. My Sassy had manners, sometimes more so than humans. Everyone found her adorable, how could they not?
I had fenced in a small portion in the back so she could hang out and I wouldnât have to walk her all the time. Venice also brought her dogs to work if it was going to be a long day. We should have named the place, âRainbow Realty and Dogs.â My kitty Lola didnât like the car and she couldnât have cared less that we were leaving her. She usually slept most of the day anyway but insisted I put on saved episodes of Animal Planet. She especially loved the big cats and would caterwaul every time they made an appearance.
Venice came into my office and plopped her ass down but not before she handed me a coffee.
âOkay, I know youâre dying to ask me a million questions, I wonât make you wait until lunchtime,â she said.
âNope,â I said, âI have not one question.â
That deflated her. âWhat do you mean you have no questions? Youâre the nosiestâŚI mean the most curious person I know. Is that you Viv or have you been taken over by pods?â
âI said I have no questions but Sassy has many. Sheâd like to know his physical attributes, his financials, his marital status, widow, divorced? Oh, and his voice, does he have a deep timbre to his voice? Sassy loves a deep man-voice.â
Laughing Venice said, âI only met him briefly in the market. And that sounds suspiciously like the list of attributes youâd like in a man. This one is mine, find your own. When we have dinner tomorrow night, it will give me plenty of time to interrogate him in the guise of conversation.â
âBut you just met him. Why the rush?â I asked.
âI believe thatâs what you do. You meet someone and then you spend a little time with them to see if you want to spend more time with them. Thatâs called dating, Viv. And I am free tomorrow tonight.â
âNo Venice, youâre certainly not free youâre available. Must I teach you everything? I guess I donât have much time to prep you on the vagaries of dating so weâd better leave now for lunch.â
âViv itâs only 10:30 A.M. Itâs too early for lunch. But we can go to lunch at the Hamburger Haven when itâs a little closer to noon, what do you say?â
âIâve got nothing on the docket so itâs a date. Oh my, you have two dates in one day.â
âI doubt very much,â said Venice âif youâre the same kind of date Iâll be on tomorrow evening. Youâre a friend date, heâs a man date. Oh, mandate. Itâs mandated I go on a man date.â And she convulsed in laughter.â
âNot only are you clever today, you seem downright effervescent. If you got any happier, Iâd have to smack you. He must be quite the looker for this level of joy, or is it the fact that you havenât had a date in forever?â
âNow, now, donât be jealous. As your Mom would say, âIt doesnât become you.ââ
We both went to our respective offices and worked until it was lunch time. I spoke to Annie, our spikey haired receptionist who weâd come to love and rely on for everything. She was our Gal Friday. Today her hair was a vivid pink. Naturally, her attire matched her hair as it always did.
âAnnie, what time are you taking lunch today? Venice and I are going to the Hamburger Haven but weâll work around your schedule.â
âIt doesnât matter to me. Just let me know what time. I have snacks if Iâm starving.â
âDo you want us to bring you back a hamburger?â
âUgh, did you forget Iâm Vegan?â
âNo Annie, I just thought maybe youâd come to your senses and decided to eat some real food for a change. I donât know how you live on that stuff. I donât even want to tell you what those fake hotdogs look like but itâs kind of similar to what comes out of Sassyâs rear end.â
âGee, I thought you werenât going to tell me what they looked like. Thanks so much for sharing. I canât believe you eat animals given your love for them. And everything you own is leather or something made from animals. At least you donât wear fur.â
âMy Mom does. One time she was out in her mink coat and some animal rights people threw fake blood on her. I thought she was literally going to bludgeon them to death with her leather purse. Wes pulled her away just in time. And you know, minks are raised on farms for that sole purpose. Or should I say âstoleâ purpose. Get it? Stole, like a mink stole?â Veniceâs puns were contagious.
Annie looked annoyed. âYes Viv, I get it. You are such the comic.â
âNot that farming the animals makes it better but as long as I donât have to know the process of a cow becoming a hamburger, Iâm good. So, letâs make a deal. I wonât comment on your eating habits if you wonât comment on mine.â
Annie shook her head, âYou do know you started this? But itâs a deal. One I have a feeling youâll break, Ms. Boss Mouth.â
âNow thatâs just impudent young lady. Have you never heard of ârespect your elders?â So, how about we bring you back a salad. However, that would be killing veggies.â
Annie sneered at me.
Venice and I left for lunch a little before noon. We ordered our drinks and then I pummeled her with questions. Sassyâs, not mine.
âStart at the beginning and tell me everything and donât leave out even the most inconsequential detail, it could be important.â
âImportant to what? Or whom? If you donât approve what are you going to do? Tell me to go to my room and ground me?â
âNow thatâs not a bad idea. Not only ground you but NO dinner, and NO video games.â
âYouâre so silly. You know I donât play video games. Now let me tell you what happened.
âI went over to Park Hollow to go to the big pet store and while I was in the neighborhood, I thought Iâd stop at the really nice upscale supermarketâŚwhatâs it called again?â
âYou mean âYummies?ââ
âYes, thatâs the one. I wanted to pick up some of that delicious ground sirloin and I was low on crushed tomatoes. They have the brand I used to buy in New York. So, in I went. I had my cart filled with more than I planned on buying but you know how that goes. I reached for the big can of tomatoes and dropped it. Missed my foot by an inch. The can ended up rolling halfway down the aisle. Thatâs when Bryan, of course I didnât know he was Bryan yet, picked up the can and walked it over to me. I took in so much at that first glance and it was all good. Tall, muscular, blonde hair with a tiny bit of gray but abundant and wavy. With that hair I doubted heâd ever go bald. Oh, and no wedding ring.â
âYou noticed all that? At just a fleeting glance?â
âYes, and when he started walking toward me, he had a good gait. Long legs, great posture, nice smile. Good teeth too.â
âA good gait? What the hell does that even mean? And good teeth? Are you sure it wasnât a horse you were inspecting?â
âYouâre just a riot.. Now will you let me finish or maybe you would rather not hear any more about my horse date?â
âNo, no, by all means continue. Iâll try and keep my mouth shut. At least until youâre done. I canât imagine thereâs too much more to this story unless he threw you down on the market floor and had his way with you.â
âVIVIANNE! Really! Youâre so bad. When he handed me my errant can he said in a John Wayne accent, âThought this needed rescuing little lady.â I then swooned and he caught me in his big strong arms, threw me over his shoulder and had his way with me in the meat section. How apropos.â
Now I was on the floor laughing. âVenice, youâre killing me. That was hysterical.â
âWhat makes you think Iâm not telling the truth? That could have happened,â she said with a straight face.
âYes, youâre right, it definitely couldâve happenedâŚwhen hell freezes over.â And that only started me laughing all over again.
âI guess you have a point. Okay, no swooning but I did return his smile, with one of my own. The biggest and best smile I could manage without splitting my face. He stuck out his hand and introduced himself as Bryan Davidson. Nice name too, I thought. I shook his hand back, telling him my name, and oh, his hand was big, with a firm grasp but not crushing and definitely manly hands. Honestly, I donât know what came over me. I was smitten to say the least. We chatted a bit and he asked me if I would have dinner with him. Smitten or not I wasnât going to be that easy. If he meant that very evening, I would have declined. After all I didnât want to appear desperate, or available at a momentâs notice. We exchanged numbers and he said heâd call. And he did, last night.â
âHereâs what I gleaned from our phone conversation. Not married, not seeing anyone. Divorced. Oh, and heâs moving to Arizona.â
âHeâs moving to Arizona?â I asked. âSo why are you going out with him? Please donât tell me youâre thinking of moving to that inferno. You do know it reaches over a hundred degrees in the summer. Most of the people who live there go to cooler climes in the late spring and donât go back until October. Where in Arizona is he planning on living?â
âHe told me Sunshine City which is not far from Phoenix. Iâve never been to the state so I donât know what that even means. Is that a good area?
âAnd I have no intentions of moving in with him. I havenât even gone on the first date yet. Donât you think youâre overreacting?â
âYouâre right. As far as Sunshine City, I have no idea. Skylar and Jock would know. They got married in Tucson, at their friendâs house, Linda and Mike. We all went, Mom, Wes, Kat and Nellie. It was lovely and since it was winter it was a perfect venue for their nuptials. At 80 degrees during the day, it sure beat winter here. I stayed for a week but never ventured far from Tucson so I canât tell you about any other area. Iâll call her tonight and ask about that place.â
A year after the events of Real Estate, Murder, and Mayhem, the first book in the engaging Vivianne Murphy Mystery series, the lead characters, New York City transplants, Vivianne Murphy and Venice Martino, have settled down and made their real estate brokerage a success. The narrative of Real Estate, Dating, and Death is mostly from Vivâs point of view, but Venice picks up the story when necessary, and that worked well for me. Both are fun voices, but Viv is comedy gold. The banter between the two partners sparkles, and Vivâs conversations with her mother, sister, and niece also had me in stitches at times.
I liked that the story included these two 40-something women stepping out of their recent comfort zones and dipping their toes in the dating scene. Theyâre still young, no matter what Vivâs mother may say.
I enjoyed the setting in the Pacific Northwest with its vagaries of weather, and the houses in the woods across from each other sounded so fun. In this story, there are also scenes in Arizona that create an interesting contrast. I liked the fun mentions of actual locations in each of the states.
A significant thread in the story is the animals. Both Viv and Ven have dogs that they call and treat like their children. There is wildlife that makes appearances throughout the novel: raccoons and lizards and bears, oh my!
But we read for the mystery, right? At first, I felt the mystery was going to be quite secondary to the evolving relationships in the series, but suddenly â WHAM! â it was front and center, and I was shocked and surprised by what unfolded. There were quite a few twists and turns and hidden connections! However, the clues to the mystery are sprinkled throughout the book for the reader to see how everything fits together. And bravo to the author for the âdidnât-see-that-comingâ moment at the close of the book. Hopefully, book three is coming soon.
I recommend REAL ESTATE, DATING, AND DEATH to cozy mystery readers who enjoy a character-driven story, a Pacific Northwest or Southwest U.S. setting, or even have an interest in a sleuth involved in real estate.