“Do you want an Egg McMuffin, Sausage McMuffin, or Sausage McMuffin with Egg?” The voice coming from the drive-through microphone sounded way too perky for 6 am.

“No thank you. Just a large coffee, please.”

“Would you to try a Cappuccino, Latte, Mocha, or our new Caramel Mocha?”

“Coffee, I just want…coffee.” Mac Sullivan, newly-minted private detective, wiped his hand over his grizzly stubble. He’d been on a stakeout all night and had nothing to show for it. He’d been hired by an angry wife to tail a husband with an alleged wandering eye and frisky hands. But the guy had spent the last 16 hours straight in his office, working with his accountants, all male. Mac’s directional microphone, that his gadget loving assistant had insisted was vital in today’s electronic PI world, had picked up the sound of a paper shredder running at full speed.

Mac suspected that the wife should be less worried about any female competition, and more concerned her husband was going to end up doing hard time in Federal prison for tax fraud.

Whiskey, the Irish wolfhound, stretched out on the seat next to Mac Sullivan, growled.

“Okay, make that an Egg McMuffin and a very large coffee.”

Whiskey nudged Mac’s knee.

“Sorry, make that a Sausage McMuffin with Egg,” he glanced down at his companion and added, “and hash browns.”

Whiskey cocked her head, clearly not satisfied with the order.

“Forget it. The doc said you have to cut back on the fast food. I’m not ordering the Sausage Burrito. Need I remind you of the stomach issues you had the last time?”

Whiskey looked away in disgust.

Mac collected the order and pulled into a parking place.

Sipping his coffee, he said, “I’m getting too old for this.”

Whiskey looked up, bits of sausage clinging to her whiskers.

“For these all-night stakeouts. Those private dicks on television make this job look glamorous. But you and I know differently. After about a half hour the fun goes out of sitting in a cold dark car, eating junk food, and wondering who might be sneaking up, looking to score enough cash for their next fix.”

Whiskey gave a short woof.

“Yeah, I know. You’ve got my back.” Mac reached out a hand and rested it on his dog’s massive head. “When you’re awake!”

A sheepish expression on her face, Whiskey returned to her breakfast.

“I had to cancel a date with Rachel last night. I don’t think she was pleased.” He shifted in his seat. “You’d think a woman used to putting makeup on dead people would have more patience for the living.”

Rachel Brenner was Mac’s maybe girlfriend. “Maybe” because he’d had to cancel more dates than they had gone on, but “girlfriend” because for the first time in a long time, he smiled when he thought about a woman.

“I don’t know all these new dating rules.”

Using her nose, the dog pushed the remaining hash browns over to her owner.

Mac smiled, and pushed them back. “Thanks but I don’t need sympathy potatoes.”

Without argument, the dog inhaled the greasy treat and licked the wrapper.

“Okay, let’s get going.” He finished his coffee. “We’ve got to get to the office and file a report. I want to get paid before the Feds freeze the husband’s accounts.”

Mac’s cell phone rang. A glance at the caller ID made him nervous.

“Good morning, Rachel. I wasn’t sure you were speaking to me after-”

Whiskey looked up in surprise. Mac shrugged, putting a hand over the microphone. “What can I say? I’m irresistible.”

The dog’s expression indicated she doubted his assessment of the situation but like a good sidekick, she kept her opinion to herself.
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You can read more about Mac in MURDER OFF THE BOOKS, the first book in the “Sullivan Investigations” mystery series. The second book in the series is MURDER TAKES THE CAKE and RILEY COME HOME is a Sullivan Investigations Short.

Evelyn David is the pseudonym for Marian Edelman Borden and Rhonda Dossett. Marian lives in New York and is the author of ten nonfiction books on a wide variety of topics ranging from veterans benefits to playgroups for toddlers! Rhonda lives in Oklahoma, is the coal program director for the state, and in her spare time enjoys imagining and writing funny, scary mysteries. Marian and Rhonda write their mystery series via the internet. While many fans who attend mystery conventions have now chatted with both halves of Evelyn David, Marian and Rhonda have yet to meet in person. Visit Evelyn at www.evelyndavid.com

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