Tesa's Mystery Spot

DON'T GO...I'LL BE BACK...REALLY!

2010-02-10T19:26:00.000-05:00

I'm knocking off the cobwebs & working on something new. Look for launch date soon.

Happy Holidays from your Google team!

2009-12-23T23:05:00.001-05:00

	Happy Holidays from Google

	Hello, As we near the end of the year, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for the time, energy, commitment, and trust you've shared with us in 2009. With sharing in mind, this year we've decided to do something a little different. We hope you'll find it fits the spirit of the holiday season. We're looking forward to working with you to build lasting success in 2010. Happy Holidays, Your Google Team

I WILL RETURN SOON!

2009-12-05T16:50:00.000-05:00

I haven't been slacking off, I promise. I've put my little hands in too many pots, and now I have to prioritize and regroup. Look for more after the holidays. Thanks for your patience. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

LOVED IT! HATED IT!

2009-11-11T14:49:00.000-05:00

Or maybe you’re somewhere in-between. Wherever you stand, I’d like to know. Tell me why and what parts you loved or hated…I’m a big girl, I can take it! Could you use a little more twists and turns? A lot of deception? A sprinkle more romance? Longer or shorter entries? Or do you think I should chuck my laptop into the Seine and look for a new career?

Just remember, when I started the blog, I said that writing is my passion. So no matter what the responses, I’ll still be here doing what I love and what makes me feel warm & fuzzy inside.

I hope you’ll come back for the next installment.

Stop by in about a week or so for Sweet Petite—the short-short edition of Tesa’s Mystery Spot.

VELVET

2009-11-07T13:35:00.000-05:00

EVIL TO THE CORE

Chuck thought about Tonya’s last moments alive. He was glad she had a chance to fight back, even if it was brief. And then he thought of Dara. She wasn’t given a chance to react. She was beaten to a pulp and shoved into a locker. But she was alive. No double jeopardy. No retribution. No justice. It made him sick.
“And the affair?”
“There was no affair.” She laughed. “Dorian was there to beg her not to come to Buffie’s party. He didn’t want his baby to be upstaged again. Pretty pathetic, I know.”
Chuck shook his head. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It didn’t make sense. One person died and another was on the verge, all because of a party. “I agree. So why were you there?”
“Oh, that’s neither here nor there.” Liza stood and rubbed her stomach. “The amazing thing…you remember. When the cops came to arrest me, Rick was so sweet. ‘Don’t hurt her. She’s having my baby. I love you.’ I mean, how awesome is that? Being arrested for killing his kid, but he’s more worried about me and the little one I’m carrying.”
Chuck remembered it well. It was one of the most pathetic spectacles he’d ever seen. Rick Somers was twice her age, strong and powerful, yet he was almost reduced to tears when Danica slapped the cuffs on her and shoved her into the car.
Liza tilted her head and allowed him to see a new pair of diamond earrings. She looked at her watch. “Well, I can’t keep my guests waiting. See you around, Chuckie.”
“Count on it.”

VELVET

2009-11-06T13:36:00.000-05:00

GLASS JAW

“Okay, so I tell her, ‘Stop moving you twit. Did you honestly think I was going to let you ruin my life? I’ve worked too hard to let you destroy everything.’ But she kept babbling about how she was going to make me suffer. How she would see to it that I got nothing. I couldn’t take it anymore. After I cracked her in the jaw, she looked a little stunned. I think she knew she was going to die.
“Chuckie, I’m almost finished. ‘Squeeze her harder, Dorian. She can’t talk if she can’t breathe. Not unless she wants to give me what I came for. No? Okay, have it your way. This will be quick, I promise.’ I picked up the comb and slowly ran my fingers along the slender, pointed handle. Poor Tonya tried to move, but her strength was gone. I chose the ribbon that matched her undies, you know, I wanted her to die in style. But it was the darnedest thing. I think she knew what I was planning to do because she wouldn’t open her mouth for me. Never fear, I fixed that. I cracked her again. The girl had a glass jaw. Problem solved. I think you know how the rest of the story ends.”

VELVET

2009-11-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

SWEATY PIG

Chuck was finding it hard to sit still. They should be behind bars for the rest of their lives, not walking around free to move on with their lives. Their investigation proved that Tonya was the wicked witch everyone said she was, but that never justified murder. He took a sip of his drink and waited for the story to continue.
“This is when it gets really good. Dorian was squeezing the life out of her, and she was flailing like a caged animal. ‘Stop moving or I’ll beat you to death myself!’ You really had to be there to appreciate it. The blood had rushed to his face, and he was sweating like a pig. His hair was plastered to his forehead, and his face was so distorted and intense I was afraid he was gonna hurt himself. I’m telling you, I see the man every day, and you would’ve never guessed he was our esteemed governor. Anyway, it was time for me to step back in, because Dorian had lost control. Are you still intrigued?”
Chuck could feel his service revolver against his ribs. What he wouldn’t give to pop off a few rounds to put a stop to this. “Can’t you tell I’m glued to my seat?”

VELVET

2009-11-04T12:16:00.000-05:00

NICE JEWELRY BOX

The dinner crowds were beginning to form, and Chuck was afraid they would be noticed. He motioned for the monster to speed up the storytelling process.
“I know Tonya’s face was numb. And her ribs had to hurt. She couldn’t breathe either. But Chuckie, she kept talking and smiling. ‘You fools will get nothing from me. I’ll die first. You idiots are getting what you deserve.’
“You keep saying ‘you’,” Dorian added. “I’ve done nothing to you. I thought we meant something to each other.”
Tonya wiggled from his grip. She laughed at him. “You’re right, but you were simply a casualty of war. There’s always at least one.”
“That set Dorian off. Get this, he grabbed her jewelry box and whacked her on the back of the head. Jewelry flew everywhere. The box flipped out of his hands and Tonya fell back into his arms. I thought he killed her, but that only made her mad.”

VELVET

2009-11-03T09:59:00.000-05:00

I’M AWESOME

Hope sat on the edge of her seat in the editing room. She rewound, watched, and rewound again. She couldn’t get enough of herself and the story she brought to the city. It was amazing how it practically fell into her lap. Had she known her career would’ve been catapulted to new heights, she would’ve killed Tonya herself years ago.
Hope walked over to the closed mini blinds. She peeked out to see what her colleagues were up to. Surprisingly nothing much had changed; except for the promotion. It had been hard not to rub it in Wendy’s face even when she deserved it. Instead, Hope often took the high road, which in itself was a miracle. She turned back to the screens, still unable to believe the incredible events that had taken place. Two 'Not Guilty' verdicts had the city reeling and would keep her busy for quite some time. She’d already done several interviews on national cable stations and she was slated to sit down with a director looking to film a movie of the week on the scandal. For once, it felt good to be Hope Freeman.

VELVET

2009-11-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

I HAVE A QUESTION

“I was gonna try to talk some sense into her, but I realized that wasn’t going to happen. Then she started swinging. I mean haymakers. A few landed, and those suckers hurt!”
Chuck was pleased Tonya was able to nail this little jerk a few times. Right now, he wanted to throw a few across the table himself.
“Alright,” fingers snapped. “Stay with me Chuckie. We started fighting. Where I come from, you don’t let someone wail on you and you just stand there. But she was getting out of control, so Dorian had to come and restrain the ice princess.
The punches to Tonya’s face were more than she could bear. She tried to scream, but Dorian embraced her torso so tightly, she had difficulty breathing. She began to flail her feet wildly, kicking his knees and legs.
“Where are they?” I yelled. “This will be over a lot quicker if you just give me what I want. You owe me that much.”
Chuck raised his hand. There were a few questions he had to ask, and he knew he needed to do it quickly. “What exactly was it that you were looking for?”
A thin smile crossed the wicked lips. “I’ll get to that in a minute.”

VELVET

2009-10-31T13:14:00.000-04:00

BAD, I MEAN REALLY BAD GOVERNOR

“He didn’t want to be there, but I insisted. He thought he could reason with her, you know see things from his point of view. I was even willing to give in to her additional demands. But once we were in the bathroom watching that witch brush her hair, Dorian panicked and decided that he didn’t want to confront her. We tried to make a run for it, but she looked up and saw me. That’s when all hell broke loose. ‘What are you doing here? How dare you come into my house uninvited?’ You know, the usual banter.”
Chuck kept his gaze fixed on his companion, only blinking occasionally. Steady boy. That’s what he had to tell himself. It would’ve been so easy to perform his own form of vigilante justice, but where would that get him? The desire was so great that he had to mentally block out the pure satisfaction he would receive from see the monster strung up and tortured, with the governor not far away. Steady boy. Steady.

VELVET

2009-10-29T13:47:00.000-04:00

LOCK ALL DOORS

It had been easy to get into the house. Tonya never locked the lower level doors. They didn’t have any real plans. Maybe try to talk some sense into her; each ready and willing to plead separate cases. Maybe rough her up a little or ransack the house; a little something to let her know that she wasn’t the only one capable of taking charge.
The walk-in closet was bigger than most master bedrooms, yet they huddled close to one another. Maybe she would come in to grab something and that’s when the confrontation would begin. That would’ve been the best case scenario for them. But when only one participant is willing to cooperate, terrible things were bound to happen. The huddled was stifling, but they had to wait for the perfect opportunity to move to another side.
Tonya stood at the vanity and admired herself in the large mirror. She saw the shadow emerge behind her. “Winston,” she said, over her shoulder. “I know you’re hiding back there. If you wanted a peep show, all you had to do was ask.”

VELVET

2009-10-28T11:19:00.000-04:00

DENTURES ARE AN OPTION

It was a bad idea, he knew. He could feel it in his gut. But he had to go so he could find out exactly how Tonya died. Tessa’s was crowded as usual, which was a plus for Chuck. He thought back to Tonya sprawled out in the tub and Dara crammed in the locker and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to contain himself. The crowd would keep him honest. At least he hoped it would.
“You’re right on time.” Chuck offered his degenerate guest a seat across from him.
“So Chuckie, I know you’ve had this burning desire to know all the juicy details of Tonya’s untimely death. Well sir, today is your lucky day. Unfortunately, I have a celebration to attend and I can’t be late, seeing that I’m the guest of honor.”
Chuck instantly regretted the meeting. It was hard for him to sit across from a known killer, unable to do anything about it. He wanted to reach across the table and knock out a few teeth. But he looked ahead and jostled the ice in his tea. “The floor is all yours.”

VELVET

2009-10-27T10:37:00.000-04:00

SO SMUG

Chuck shook his head in disbelief as the foreman read the verdict. It was a kick in the teeth. Not guilty for both. They killed Tonya Somers in cold blood, assaulted Dara, and got away with it. He looked at Dara’s almost healed face and wanted to say something to comfort her, but he knew his silence would be best.
“Don’t look so dejected, detective. It’s not as if Tonya was your friend.” The voice behind him was a little above a whisper.
“Well, looks like you got away with murder.”
“Looks like. How bout I meet you for a drink later tonight. I still owe you a confession. And yes, I’ve checked everything. I love that thing the law calls double jeopardy. Remember I can’t be tried for the same crime twice...yada, yada, yada. So don’t get any entrapment ideas.”
“Six o’clock at Tessa’s.”
“Cheap and tacky. How appropriate.”

VELVET

2009-10-26T14:31:00.000-04:00

CANDLELIGHT vs FLORESCENT LIGHT

The floor was quiet; much different from the emergency room. He rushed to make it before visiting hours were over, with enough time to buy the biggest bouquet the gift shop could make up. Chuck stood in the doorway and watched as the doctor changed the dressings. Dara had taken a beating, but she would live.
“I know you have questions, but she needs to rest.” Dr. Reed took off her glasses and placed them in her pocket. “No more than a few minutes. I sure hope you catch the jerk who did this to her.”
He nodded his head because that was all he could do. Dara looked small and helpless, and he instantly felt responsible. He sat down next to her and gently held her unbandaged hand. Chuck tried to replay the events of the day. If he’d checked his text message when he received it, maybe he’d be staring at her from across a candlelit table instead of praying she wouldn’t have any lasting damage from her injuries.
“I knew you’d save me.” she whispered. “But what took you so long?”

VELVET

2009-10-24T13:53:00.000-04:00

COOPERATION SOUNDS NICE

The detectives made sure the suspects passed each other as they were being escorted to different rooms in the precinct.
“Don’t you tell them anything!” she screamed. “They can’t prove anything! They’re setting us up, can’t you see that?”
Her companion was pale and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but he never imagined it would end the way it had.
The high priced lawyer by his side offered little comfort. Maybe he should just get it over with and confess. What was the worst that could happen? His hands were moist, and he found no relief when he wiped them on the front of his trousers.
Chuck stood in front of the weaker suspect and watched sweat drip from his forehead. “You’re looking at the death penalty. However, I’m sure the D.A. may be willing to reduce it to life if you cooperate with us.”

VELVET

2009-10-23T16:09:00.000-04:00

BIGGER LOCKERS PLEASE

Dara fell forward. Her head banged the metal wall in front of her. She was going to die; that much was certain. Even if her attacker hadn’t told her, she would’ve come to the same conclusion. She just wished she’d been able to see her family one last time; to tell them how much she loved them and what an honor it had been to be related to them. But that chance would never come.
Her body was numb, and she couldn’t push herself back in the crammed space. The cold barrier did little to relieve the burning that radiated through her body. She felt the wall give way, but she couldn’t stop herself from falling. Loud voices pierced her ears, and the white light blinded her. For a split second, she thought she was in heaven.
“You’re gonna be okay.” Chuck whispered to her. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you now.”

VELVET

2009-10-22T11:21:00.000-04:00

DEAD END

The room was dark. Danica covered her nose and mouth before she clicked on her flashlight. She slowly scanned the panel until she found the light switch. She looked back at the officers before she took a step into the room. She flipped the switch. It looked much like the other rooms. The floor was wet, and Chuck carefully navigated his way through the room.
“I don’t think she’s here.” Danica said as she moved back toward the door. “Somebody just forgot to clean up.”
Chuck turned to face her. He didn’t want to agree, but it didn’t seem as if he had a choice. The room held nothing but a long row of storage lockers, boxes, and cleaning supplies. He glanced around again and headed for the door.

VELVET

2009-10-21T11:38:00.000-04:00

DUCT TAPE & AMMONIA

After door thirteen, it was apparent that Dara may not be in the supply room. Chuck glared at the officers who wanted to call it a day. He and Danica moved forward, determined not to leave until every door had been opened. Danica looked behind them and motioned for the other officers to catch up.
They could smell the pungent odor from a distance. The clear liquid seeped under the door. Anxiety hit the group. It was unlikely that the cleaning crew hadn’t been called immediately. Chuck’s heart pounded wildly. The supply “warehouse”, like every other area in the resort was massive and well ventilated, yet several times since they began the search, he was afraid he would go into cardiac arrest.
Chuck moved aside to allow Danica to slide David’s key card across the wall mounted scanner. The officers stood behind them with guns drawn. She waited for the green light to flash and slowly pulled down on the handle.

VELVET

2009-10-20T10:01:00.000-04:00

SHAMELESS

David pulled his wait staff aside. He was clear with his directions. Food was to be placed at every visible and available spot in the room. And no glass should be empty. The group entered the ballroom to find that the festive mood had changed. Those who didn’t enjoy the police barricades at each point of entry let it be known by loudly threatening to file several lawsuits. The majority of guests went from person to person to try to figure out what happened. Whether the information they received seemed plausible, cell phones were out, and fingers couldn’t text and post internet entries fast enough.
David leaned against the wall and watched the crowd. It was amazing. He could already envision the amount of publicity the resort would receive. If she was found alive, he could be dubbed a hero, and people always paid good money to meet a hero. If she was dead, there was a group out there that would sell their souls to see where she’d been hidden. Either way, the resort would prosper. He just hoped that a majority of that prosperity would sprinkle down on him.

VELVET

2009-10-19T08:31:00.000-04:00

THE LADIES LOVE A HERO

David Knowles waited for the signal. He was a ball of fear, nervousness and excitement. When he rolled out of bed that morning, he never dreamt he would be a part of a search and rescue team. The stories he would tell had already begun to form in his mind. No matter the outcome, to his friends and colleagues, he would be the one to find her, resuscitate her, or pronounce her dead. His story would become legendary. The ladies would wait in line to hear of his heroics.
The hot little detective poked his arm with her elbow. He swiped his keycard and quickly stepped aside. The detectives and officers drew their guns. Danica nodded to Chuck before she opened the door. He went high and she stayed low. It wasn’t choreographed like an action packed movie, and that was just fine with them. The main objective was to find Dara; alive.

VELVET

2009-10-16T12:09:00.000-04:00

MR. CONCIERGE TO THE RESCUE

“The last time I saw her,” David Knowles said. “Was when I opened the door to the supply room.”
Chuck stared at him intently. He needed to be certain he heard and understood every word spoken to him. He couldn’t afford to miss even the smallest detail.
“Something told me to go in with her, but she said she just needed a few things; bandages or something. When I left, she was okay. I didn’t think to…I should’ve stayed…”
David pulled out a key card and began to walk. “It’s this way. But I must warn you. The supply room is more like a store. There are several places within the room where she could be hidden.”
The short walk down the hallway gave Chuck enough time to collect himself. He had no idea what to expect, and he didn’t like it. He saw what the killers had done to Tonya Somers, and said a quick, silent prayer that the same had not happened to Dara.

VELVET

2009-10-15T15:38:00.000-04:00

DIVIDE & CONQUER

Chuck felt his phone vibrate. It was a reminder that he still hadn’t checked his text message. He flipped it open and smiled. Dara’s name and number was clearly displayed. The murder suspect was being carted off, so he felt relaxed enough to take a few minutes for personal reasons. The letters on the screen formed words that he instantly understood. Chuck motioned for Danica.
“She could be anywhere.” Danica rubbed her eyes.
Chuck looked around. The resort was huge. The likelihood of finding her quickly was unlikely. “I know. Let’s pull a group of officers together and divide and conquer. I’ll grab the manager. Make sure no one leaves this room.”

VELVET

2009-10-14T15:44:00.000-04:00

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

Hope thought her fingers were going to bleed. Chuck had just given her the story of a lifetime. She sat upright in her seat and watched a murder suspect threaten the detectives, only to be thrown down and handcuffed. It was magnificent. Hope wanted to pat herself on the back for absentmindedly tossing her digital camera into her bag. In her mind, still photos beat no photos when it came to adding credibility to a story. After she snapped the last picture, she phoned Davis Greene and briefly explained what was going on, but refused to reveal the killers identity. Davis was her boss, and she thought highly of him. But she also wanted to make a name for herself, and if that meant protecting her story, so be it. She insisted the cameraman only had a few minutes to make it to the police station. She wanted to film from beginning to end. Hope closed her cell phone and followed close behind the police entourage. It was a good day.

VELVET

2009-10-13T20:56:00.000-04:00

DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

Everything hurt. Her eyes and nose were still on fire. Her ears were clogged. The very act of breathing was torture. And she couldn’t tell if she still had arms and legs. Dara had never been one to give in to self pity, but she was hopeless. No one knew where she was. She didn’t know where she was. It felt like she’d been trapped for days, but she knew that couldn’t be right. When was someone going to find her? Was anyone even looking for her? The only thing she clung to was the text message she’d sent to Chuck. When he saw her number, she was positive he’d read and understand it. She was positive he was on his way to save her.