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Ever think about becoming a private investigator? Gambling with Murder has a pretty funny P.I. team of Corrie and Veera and in today’s excerpt they’re looking for treasure in a Los Angeles warehouse. Let’s check out the latest Southern California mystery!
About Gambling With Murder
A late-night call is all it takes for rookie lawyer Corrie Locke to kiss her day job at the movie studio goodbye, and do what she does best: flex her sweet P.I. skills and go undercover to find a senior whoâs missing from a posh retirement community. One small stumbling block: skirting past security to gain inside access to the exclusive Villa Sunset. Time to call in the heavy artillery.
Besides former security guard turned legal assistantânow wannabe P.I.âVeera, Corrie relies on a secret weapon: her mother, a surprisingly eager addition to Corrieâs team. Armed with enough pepper spray to take down a band of Navy Seals, Mom impersonates a senior to infiltrate the Villa, Corrie, and Veera in tow. Turns out the jobâs not as easy as theyâd thought. These seniors have tricks tucked up their sleeves and arenât afraid of using them.
Read an Excerpt
Luck be a Lady
I maneuvered around shattered glass, splintered picture frames, and fragments of bubble wrap strewn along the cracked cement floor. Something crunched or crackled beneath my every step. Empty spaces joined hands to form a footpath meandering through the old warehouse. The beam of my flashlight circled around stacks of crates, blankets, old tiresâ
âNinja One, see anything yet?â Veera Bankheadâs voice sputtered through the walkie-talkie cinched onto my belt.
Dressing up like ninjas had been Veeraâs idea. To help us blend into the night. We wore matching black tunics over black slacks. The hood hid my long hair. A facemask rendered me incognito. Only the slit across my eyes kept me from tripping. Veera was posted in the parking lot outside to discourage unwelcome visitors.
âLooks like a hoarderâs paradise.â I stepped over a pile of well-used sneakers.
âAny idea of what weâre looking for?â she asked.
âOh, the usual hidden-in-a-warehouse items. A barrel labeled âTNTâ. A nondescript briefcase filled with rolls of cash. Dorothyâs ruby slippers would be nice.â
By day, Veera and I worked in the legal department of Ameripictures Film Studios. Tonightâs side gig was connected to our day jobâŠby a nearly invisible thread. Props had gone missing from a high-budget movie currently in production. A police investigation was underway, but Veera suspected an inside job. Sheâd convinced studio security into letting us take a look. An anonymous tip led to a Los Angeles warehouse hidden beneath the 405- freeway. I stepped gingerly over dented soda cans to stay on the path.
âWe gotta find something,â Veera said. âOur reputationâs at stake.â
She didnât mean our reputation in the legal department. She meant our reputation as quasi-professional, unlicensed private investigators. I had my father to thank for showing me the P.I. ropes. Investigating suspicious deaths was what I did best, with help from Veera. It had earned us a level of respect from the studio security crew. Thatâs how we got the nosing around for missing props gig.
âI still say that new intern is behind the thefts,â Veera said. âHeâs been hanginâ out at the prop house every day.â
âIsnât he inventorying the props?â I asked.
âSo he says,â Veera replied.
I had low hopes of finding anything tonight but I had to admit, this was the perfect location to hide stolen goods. A baby elephant could get lost in here. âDid you find out who owns this place?â I asked.
âWorking on it,â she replied.
It didnât hurt matters that Veera had handled parking lot security before becoming my legal assistant. She had connections far and wide in the Southern California security guard world.
I pinned the beam of my light into a dark corner. âThatâs strange.â Four large pieces of luggage lay side-by-side, atop a long folding table. Everything surrounding me was in stacks and piles. I quick-stepped closer. The luggage exteriors, aluminum handles, and zippers looked new. Why store unused luggage in a place with worn-out, broken-down stuff?
âOh-oh,â Veera said.
âHold on.â I grabbed a suitcase and slid it closer to me. I shone my light on a combination lock. Next to it sat a small keyhole. Pulling out a paperclip from my pants pocket, I shoved it into the keyhole and jiggled it around.
âTwo unmarked vehicles drove up,â Veera whispered.
Weâd parked my car behind the warehouse. Iâd left Veera hiding behind a bottle brush shrub near the entry.
I popped open the lid of the suitcase. Folded bedsheets lay on top. Easing them aside, I gaped at the blood-red cape with a stylized golden âSâ on the back. âItâs Superman.â
âThe cars parked next to each other,â Veera said.
To the side of the cape lay a pillowcase. I ran my fingers over something odd-shaped and bulky inside. I unwrapped it to find a one-of-a-kind, golden gun.
âNo way.â A cigarette case formed the handle. The trigger was a cufflink and a fountain pen served as the barrel. It was a prop gun from a James Bond film.
âTwo muscular guys came out of a van,â Veera said. âThereâs a third-person taking his sweet time exiting a Prius. Looks to be someone smaller, older by the way he moves. And heâs wearing a dress, which means he could be a female. Headed your way. If thereâs a backdoor, Iâd use it.â
âCanât. I hit the jackpot.â I spun around. Where to hide?
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About the Author

Lida Sideris’ first stint after law school was a newbie lawyer’s dream: working as an entertainment attorney for a movie studio…kind of like her heroine, Corrie Locke, except without the homicides. Lida was one of two national winners of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America Scholarship and a Killer Nashville, Silver Falchion Award Finalist. She lives in the northern tip of Southern California with her family, rescue dogs and a flock of uppity chickens.
https://www.facebook.com/lidasideris
Twitter: @lidasideris
Instagram: @lida_sideris
You did a fabulous of reading my excerpt! Thank you so much, Teresa!
Thank you! It was so much fun to read. I especially liked the line where Veera said one of the sketchy guys was wearing a dress–may be a woman….đ