All this week, Written Words is publishing excerpts from books by fellow author-members of the Jet and Lei Crime Kindle worlds. Today, enjoy this taste of Christine Nolfi’s second Lei Crime and second Lei’s Magic novella, The Shell Seeker.
By Christine Nolfi
Lei Texeira pushed away her drink. “Let me get this straight,” she said from between her teeth. “Last night you wowed me with a paranormal stunt on the beach. By means I’ll never understand, you transformed into an African wise woman because . . . you need my help?”
The petite and supernaturally gifted hostess of the Delacorte Bed & Breakfast twirled one of the rings on her manicured hands. Pixie Delacorte wasn’t easily toppled from her three-inch heels, and Lei suspected she was silently amused. They were seated on the back patio of the Bed & Breakfast, the Atlantic’s waves crashing behind them. With the approach of the noon hour, sunbathers were converging on the Isle of Palms Beach.
“I was going for ‘African shaman’ if you must know,” Pixie replied.
“How do you become someone else?”
“How does anyone change? With practice.” The hostess took a sip of her drink. “I assumed there was a better chance of grabbing your attention if I appeared old and wise. Be fair, sugar. If I’d appeared as my usual and admittedly perfect self, would you have stuck around long enough to learn a thing or two about Lowcountry magic?”
Lei grunted. The assumption was accurate. She would’ve walked away.
Nothing from last night made much sense, certainly not the handful of glowing shells that had revealed snatches of her future. In stunned silence, she’d watched Pixie—transformed into an old woman the color of ebony, with dozens of cowries woven through the braids spiraling from her scalp—bring the Atlantic under her command. Waves retreated from the seabed in a fabulous column. The waters whirling and dancing around them, Pixie had then revealed tempting flashes of the future Lei would hold once she joined the South Hilo PD in Hawaii.
Recently Lei had graduated from the Police Academy in California. No one finished those grueling months of training with an inclination to believe in magic, or the supernatural, or whatever strange gifts Pixie held at her command. Still, there was no refuting what Lei had seen with her own eyes. Delicate shells glowing with an unexplainable, inner light. Fleeting images of her future partner on the South Hilo PD, and a murder scene they’d encounter together. And finally the voice, humming through her ears, of the man she’d one day love.
Breaking into her musings, Pixie said, “Well? Will you?”
Lei brushed a frizzing curl from her eyes. “Will I what?”
“Solve a crime. You are a police officer. Now that I’m teaching you how to trust your instincts, you’re perfectly equipped to solve the case.”
“You showed me snatches of my future to hone my instincts?” A less than admirable motive, even though it was effective.
“I needed to demonstrate that you should trust them.” A hint of triumph flashed in Pixie’s expression. “I succeeded, yes?”
There was no glory in denying the facts. She was correct. With the full moon hovering overhead, she’d given Lei a mystical experience to inexplicably bolster her confidence in her ability to excel at police work. Soon Lei would put her talents to the test in the new job in Hawaii.
Despite her better judgment, she heard herself say, “What crime are you talking about?”
About The Shell Seeker
In South Carolina, there’s more than magic in the air. Now policewoman Lei Texeira must solve the case of the Pirate Necklace.
The famed emeralds, spirited in the 1700s from the pirate Blackbeard’s ship, have been snatched once again. This time, the bling was taken from Marie-Therese Belvedere, a woman whose cruelty is only topped by her arrogance.
Lei doesn’t care for the icy socialite, but she feels an instant connection with the woman’s stepdaughter. An unlucky star has followed Sydney Belvedere her entire life. If the necklace isn’t found, she’ll lose a treasure more dear than the finest gem.
Only the magic of Lei’s intuition stands between Sydney and unspeakable loss.
About the author
Award-winning author Christine Nolfi provides readers with heartwarming and inspiring fiction. Her 2011 debut Treasure Me is a Next Generation Indie Awards finalist. The Midwest Book Review lists many of her novels as “highly recommended” and her books have enjoyed bestseller status. Look for her new series, Heavenscribe.
“Please continue the mail, tweets and comments on FaceBook, Twitter, GoodReads and other sites. I cherish your support and love chatting with readers.” –Christine
Visit her at website www.christinenolfi.com and follow her on Twitter @christinenolfi.
About Amazon Kindle Worlds
Kindle Worlds is an Amazon initiative that allows authors to publish stories set in another author’s fictional universe. The Lei Crime Kindle World is based on the Lei Crime series, created by bestselling author Toby Neal.