Cleanup on Aisle Six

Daniel Stallings

Description

Attention, shoppers! Today’s special is murder! The Minimum Wage Manhunter is back, bagging groceries and a killer. After solving a murder at his last low-paying job, 20-year-old Li Johnson thought he would never see a corpse again. Unemployed and flat broke, Li catches a lucky break when kindly supermarket clerk Reuben Rodriguez gets him a job at Esther’s Family Grocery. But when a famously vindictive food critic is found bludgeoned to death in the spice aisle, the evidence suggests that Li’s new friend and benefactor might be the murderer. Determined to clear Reuben’s name, Li sets out to find what really happened to the shopper in aisle six. But getting the truth will force Li to match wits against the city’s shadowy political boss and a homicide detective who hates amateur sleuths. Can a lowly grocery clerk uncover a secret that powerful people want hidden? Once again, Li Johnson delivers fresh value and everyday high quality to the traditional mystery.

Sujets

• Irish Luck
• Generation Z
• Millennial
• Working Class Hero
• Retail
• California
• Noir

Informations

• Publié par: Linden Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781610353564
• Langue: English

Extrait

A DVANCE P RAISE FOR
C LEANUP ON A ISLE S IX
Deftly told with a blend of suspense, humor, and terror, Cleanup on Aisle Six is a captivating mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. Li Johnson is an unlikely yet entirely compelling protagonist.
-Robert Rotstein , USA Today bestselling author of We, the Jury
Grocery clerk to the rescue! A supermarket murderer meets his match when Li Johnson sweeps up.
-Carolyn Hart , author of the Death on Demand mysteries
Have no fear: The Minimum Wage Manhunter eventually produces a solution as ingenious as it is unlikely.
-Kirkus Reviews
Broke and hapless, accidental sleuth Li Johnson just can t seem to catch a break, but can he catch a murderer? You can t help but root for this down-on-his-luck millennial as he finds himself entangled in another engaging whodunit!
-Red Rock Books
P RAISE FOR THE F IRST L I J OHNSON M YSTERY
S UNNY S IDE U P
An Agatha Christie cast of characters seen with a modern eye, and with startling moments of both insight and compassion.
-Anne Perry
Daniel Stallings debut mystery offers an appealing protagonist and a fresh viewpoint. Root for the underdog!
-Carolyn Hart
Snarky and hilarious! I was cheering for newbie Li Johnson from the start, as he dealt with overbearing bosses, tyrannical passengers, and even murder on this pleasure cruise from hell!
-Red Rock Books
This all-too-human amateur sleuth is a wimpy sad sack, but you root for him anyway. With all the things going against him, you want him to come out on top.
-Terrance McArthur, Kings River Life
Very entertaining this brought in a new kind of detective-a millennial with a minimum wage job. I would like to see where Li Johnson goes after this one - it would be fun to go along on another investigation with him!
-JessicaMap Reviews
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Sunny Side Up by Daniel Stallings!!
-Cozy Mystery Book Reviews
C LEANUP ON A ISLE S IX
Daniel Stallings

Pace Press Fresno, California
Cleanup on Aisle Six
Copyright 2019 by Daniel Stallings. All rights reserved.
Published by Pace Press
An imprint of Linden Publishing
2006 South Mary Street, Fresno, California 93721
[phone] / [phone]
QuillDriverBooks.com
Pace Press and Colophon are trademarks of Linden Publishing, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-61035-343-4
135798642
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper.
This is a work of fiction. The names, places, characters, and incidents in this book are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is coincidental. Whenever real celebrities, places, or businesses have been mentioned or appear in this novel, they have been used fictitiously.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Stallings, Daniel, author.
Title: Cleanup on aisle six / Daniel Stallings.
Description: Fresno, California : Pace Press, [2019] | Series: Li Johnson murder mysteries; vol 2
Identifiers: LCCN 2019032413 | ISBN 9781610353434 (paperback ; acid-free
paper) | ISBN 9781610353564 (epub) | ISBN 9781610353564 (kindle edition)
Subjects: LCSH: Murder--Investigation--Fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3619.T3497 C54 2019 | DDC 813/.6--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019032413
Contents
1. Oscar the Grouch
2. Victims
3. Tonight
4. Police
5. Third Degree
6. Widows and Orphans
7. Morning After
8. An Awkward Alibi
9. Threats
10. Clean Plate
11. Long Shadows
12. Unexpected Guests
13. Tea Time
14. Day of Wrath
15. When Words Hurt
16. Oscar s Secret
17. Beginning, Middle, and End
CHAPTER 1
Oscar the Grouch
Hearts were hard to find in the grocery store.
But thanks to his connections to an offal supplier, he got what he needed.
The Butcher tore the paper off the beef heart, his fingers twitching. He watched it bleed onto the cutting board, fresh from the chop shop. His eyes sparkled, and he caressed his lips with his tongue. The first steps of revenge tasted sweet. He seized a well-loved chef s knife out of a kitchen drawer. And he drove the blade into the meat.
I m killing you, Oscar. I m finally killing you .
All the anger boiling inside him for months raced in waves of blood across his arms, through his fingers, down the knife, and into the heart. Therapy. This was the therapy he needed. He hacked at the heart flesh, tearing it, trashing it, whittling it down to a more human scale. He once put Oscar on a pedestal, followed him as a disciple. He bought every book the man wrote. Then Oscar unleashed the monster inside him.
You snake! You ruined me! You attacked my family! You destroyed my friends!
The Butcher ripped the knife out of the meat, his face smudged with tears. He smeared them away with the back of his bloodstained hand. His swollen eyes surveyed his handiwork. Not bad. Here was the main course on Hannibal Lecter s dinner table. A heart torn out of a human chest.
Just like mine . And he slammed the blade into his prey, leaving the knife jutting cockeyed out of the flesh. A knife in the heart. Far too fitting.
The Butcher s eyes, still blurred with tears, lifted from the wreckage on the cutting board to a line of books on his countertop. The titles mocked him. Oscar s books. He should have barbecued them, smirking as he watched the flames eat up all those lies. His hand pawed blindly at them, groping for the fattest volume. He let the book fall open and ripped out a page.
A small smile curled his lips. That felt GOOD.
He ripped out a few more. Then more. And more.
After he destroyed two chapters, he grabbed one of the torn pages, snatched a fat marker-a fitting shade of red-from the magnetic caddy on his fridge, and scrawled out a message. A little card to put with his present.
FIRST WARNING .
Now it was all ready to be wrapped and dumped on Oscar s doorstep.
Resigning? What the hell do you mean you re resigning?
Frank Dixon slammed the offensive letter onto his desk and launched to his feet. Angry arcs of color burned on his tan cheeks still pockmarked with old acne scars. His face became a perfect model of the Martian landscape. His thick lips twisted into a snarl.
What are you trying to pull, Oscar?
The man addressed as Oscar stroked the brass head of his ebony cane with a jaundiced thumb. He settled further into the leather visitor s chair across from the desk, where his boss held his stance like a king under siege in his fortress. A cold, reptilian sneer slithered out from underneath a black broom of a mustache.
I believe I ve come to the end of my time here at The Shorewood Gazette . Oscar s words oozed across his tongue like syrup. The sneer widened. It s not like you really wanted me here, Frank.
My personal feelings aren t the issue here! You re putting the paper in a hell of a bind!
The newspaper has never cared for my work. The public loves it, but you could never appreciate what I brought to the table, if you pardon the pun.
Frank s scowl ripped through his face. I d be happier if you just toned it down in your reviews. Why do want to destroy people all the time?
Why should these establishments be permitted to serve substandard fare to their customers? Oscar s tone was one of righteous indignation, the feeling a man who proclaims himself to be the Sword of God might feel. The citizens of Shorewood have every right to-
You closed a caf because they mistranslated a French quote! How in heaven s name is THAT news that the public needs to care about?
That imbecilic quote reflected the shoddy execution of their cuisine. They were no more French than I am.
Frank s scowl warped into a tortured, scathing grin. Oh yes a fact you mentioned several times on that disgusting blog of yours. His eyes searched for surprise in that poisonous yellow glare of his resident restaurant critic. He got none. I bet you didn t think I knew about it, huh? Imagine my surprise to find out The Gazette got the DIET version of Oscar Lindstrom s patented blend of prejudice and condescension. What did you call your blog again? Tough Bite to Swallow? Well, it certainly was. I nearly choked on it.
Oscar s yellowing eyes narrowed. I don t believe I have to mention the First Amendment in this case, do I?
Oh sure. Protected by all the buzzwords. Critique. Opinion. Freedom of the press. You re a shining example of how much murder we can get away with using our words.
Oscar drummed sallow fingers on the arm of the chair, keeping his sick eyes locked on his boss s red, bulging face. His sneer shriveled into a frown. Despite your handicaps, Frank, you do have a way with words yourself. Look at the irony of what you just said.
What are you talking about?
Words and how we use them. A spark flared in Oscar s eyes. You asked me to tone down my words. I think toning things down has become the manifesto of The Shorewood Gazette under your editorship. Scaling back on bad words. Words that may reflect poorly on certain people.
Blood drained from Frank s cheeks, turning the landscape of Mars into the surface of the moon. His fingers corseted around a football-shaped brass paperweight his wife gave him for his birthday last year.
You re talking in riddles, Oscar.
I pay attention to things. The details matter. I despise it when details don t match up. Why, for instance, did you fire Esposito a month ago after she published one of her most successful articles?
Who I hire and fire is my business, Oscar. I have no reason to discuss th