Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings by Elaine Faber ~ Spotlight

Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings

Series: Mrs. Odboddy’s Mysteries #4

Author:  Elaine Faber

Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery

Setting: California

Release Date: April 30, 2022, by Elk Grove Publications

Pages: 264

Summary:

After falling from a tree, Agnes’s behavior and delusions escalate from ‘merely eccentric,’ to ‘near mayhem ’ Still seeking a permanent home for a displaced carnival tiger, she goes to unthinkable extremes in an effort to prevent city hall from destroying the big cat. When Agnes witnesses a well-known citizen commit burglary, and the church’s beloved Good Shepherd painting goes missing, she becomes obsessed with exposing the art thief. But, questions arise whether the extent of her bizarre behavior is due to a ‘brain bleed’ from her head injury, or is something amiss in her medical treatment?

As WWII rages across the Pacific, dealing with victory gardens and rationing at home doesn’t stop Agnes from fighting the war from the home front. From city hall, to the hot seat at Newbury’s Police Department, and finally to a San Francisco mansion, Agnes pursues injustice to save a tiger and expose a shocking conspiracy at the highest levels of Newbury’s elite society.

Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings is a hilarious WWII mystery-adventure you’ll not soon forget.

Excerpt

From Chapter 19, Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings  On a stake-out to catch the doctor in the act, stealing the Reep lithograph, Agnes faints as the sound of someone breaking in the front door.

 Moments or hours later, she wasn’t sure which, Agnes opened her eyes. The coarse threads of the rug scrubbed her cheek. The fireplace poker lay off to her side. She noted the silence… the darkness. As if nothing had happened. As though she had not tumbled down in a dead faint when the doctor forced open the door and entered the hallway. The Reep lithograph! Was it still there? She struggled to her knees, and blinked. She could see into the dimly lit theater lobby, but from her vantage point, nothing appeared disturbed. She got to her feet, leaned on the nearby crate, and stood. Using the poker like a cane, she wobbled into the lobby, although she knew what she would find.

A shaft of moonlight lit the empty easel where the Edward Reep lithograph had been displayed only minutes, or was it hours, before? So, Dr. Schatzsman had succeeded, after all.

Agnes held her head as she stumbled to the back door, now standing slightly ajar. Where was the night watchman “Hello? Hello?” She peered around the dark alley. Why hadn’t she brought her late husband’s flashlight? Deep shadows touched the building where wood pallets and boxes were stacked against the wall. She hurried on. “Hello? Are you there?” Rounding the second corner of the building, she saw him lying on his side, his right arm stretched out, crumbled against the wall. “Oh, my stars!” Agnes leaned down and touched the blood on the back of the watchman’s head. She felt for a pulse. Still breathing. Thank God!

A siren whined in the distance, coming closer. Agnes waved both hands as the police car screeched around the corner and barreled down the alley. It came to a halt next to the watchman’s body. Two officers exited the car. “Don’t move. Keep your hands where I can see them!” The driver bellowed, his hand on his holster, ready to draw his weapon at the first sign of resistance.

Agnes took a step back. “Wait! I just found him. You don’t think I–”

The officer in charge nodded toward the injured man. “Simmons. Check him out.” He turned to Agnes, “What are you doing here at this hour? Were you the one who called the station about a break-in at the art show?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t call. I was inside and…” Realizing the futility of fully explaining her suspicion about the doctor, the missing lithograph, or the injured man on the ground, she shrugged, clamped her mouth and lifted her chin. “Call Chief Waddlemucker. I’m Mrs. Odboddy. He’ll vouch for me.” At this hour, finding her in the alley leaning over the body, the officers had every reason to believe she had attacked the night watchman.

Officer Simmons felt the guard’s pulse. “He’s alive.” He stood. “I’ll see if I can get find a phone to call an ambulance.” He hurried toward the corner of the building.

The remaining officer removed a flashlight from his belt. “Get into the car, lady. I’m taking you back to the station. You’ve got some explaining to do.” He cast his light past the injured man and into the shadows. A glint of metal gleamed. “Hello? What have we here?” He pulled his handkerchief from his pocket, picked up a 32-caliber Colt revolver, and held it out at arm’s length. “This must be what clunked the night watchman.”

Agnes gasped. That looked like… her missing pistol! But, how could it get here? Her heart raced. Bile gathered in the back of her throat. Don’t get ahead of yourself, old girl. All guns look pretty much alike, especially in the dark.

With a nod, the officer gestured with his flashlight. “I said wait in the car until the ambulance gets here.”

Mrs. Odboddy’s Mysteries

About the Author

Elaine Faber lives in Elk Grove, CA, with her husband and two feline companions. She is a member of Sisters in Crime (SIC), Elk Grove Writer’s Guild (EGWG), and Northern California Publishers and Authors (NCPA). Elaine volunteers with the American Cancer Society. She has published nine cozy mystery novels and an anthology of cat stories. Her short stories are also published in 22 independent anthologies.

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