Helen Binney hadn’t planned to crash the Wharton Times interview of Celtic singer, Kenny O’Toole, headliner for the annual Christmas in July concert.

Okay, so she’d arrived at the venue in the center of town an hour early, hoping to have a word with Kenny’s assistant, but that was as far as she’d planned ahead. Then she’d seen local reporter Geoff Loring heading for a small office trailer marked “Event Staff Only.” Before she could get close enough to ask if he would pass along a message to the performer, Geoff caught sight of her, rubbed his right arm where it had been broken years ago—which hadn’t been Helen’s fault at all, but she’d never been able to convince Geoff of her innocence—and had run off, dropping his press ID in the process. She’d been picking it up to make sure it wouldn’t be misused, when someone wearing an event staff shirt emerged from the trailer, and said, “You must be the Times reporter. Come on in.”

How could she say no?

The man provided an arm for Helen to lean on while climbing the steep stairs. “Don’t take it personally,” he confided as he knocked on the door. “He’s a bit cranky today.”

“That’s okay. I am too.” Helen was still irritated from hearing that Kenny had ignored a letter from Betty and Josie, asking that he request special accommodations for disabled fans to attend the concert. They weren’t just random fans either. Back when he’d been an exchange student in Wharton, he’d been in Josie’s classes, and, with help from Betty’s financial connections, had arranged for him to stay after the school year, so he could hang out at Tanglewood, learning from musicians there.

The singer lay on a small sofa. In his forties, he would have been handsome in a brooding poet way if not for his resentful expression. He greeted her with, “I hate reporters.”

“Good thing I’m not one. And I hate celebrities who ignore the people who helped them when they were nobodies.” She’d met more than enough ungrateful celebrities during her years as the Commonwealth’s first lady. “You owed Betty and Josie a response even if you couldn’t get the accommodations they wanted.”

Kenny sat up abruptly. “Betty Seese and Josie Todd still live here? I thought they were—”

He’d probably intended to say dead. Josie was pushing ninety, and Betty wasn’t much younger.

“They live at the Wharton Nursing Home now,” Helen said. “They wanted to hear you perform, but can’t handle this venue.”

The trailer door crashed open and two bouncers rushed inside. One said, “Heard you had a gate-crasher.”
“Do I look like a groupie?” Helen demanded, using her ex-first-lady voice.

While the bouncers were stammering, Kenny sat up. “She’s a friend of a friend.” He gestured at the petite, cane-dependent Helen. “I’m not in any danger from her.”

The bouncers left, and it turned out that Kenny was still as delightful as Josie said he was in his teens. Helen left with assurances that he would visit the nursing home after the official concert to give the residents their own, more intimate, version. The director had scheduled a screening of the vintage movie, Rear Window, for the activities room tonight, but that could be postponed.

As she left, Helen debated whether to tell Geoff about the private event. He didn’t deserve the tip, not after siccing the bouncers on her. In the end, she did get word to him. After all, the town was celebrating Christmas, a time of goodwill toward all men. Even annoying ones like Geoff.

Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win A DELUSION OF DEATH, the ninth book (a novella) in the Helen Binney Mysteries, for either Kindle or Nook. The giveaway ends August 14, 2025. Good luck everyone!

A Delusion of Death – A Helen Binney Mystery Novella, Book 4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: August 2025
Format: Digital
Purchase Link

In this homage to Rear Window, Helen Binney breaks her wrist, and is unable to use her cane-wielding hand, effectively rendering her wheelchair-bound. With her husband out of town for a few days, she checks herself into the Wharton B&B where she hopes to sleep through the discomfort and increased disability. But in the middle of the first night, still drowsy and under the influence of painkillers, she witnesses a woman injuring her ankle during a scuffle with another guest, and the two of them heading for the hospital.

Helen’s friends think it was a dream or possibly a hallucination due to the pain meds, and she’s initially inclined to agree with them. But what if it had really happened? Where was the couple now? And how can Helen convince anyone to take her seriously when after just one glance at the brand new splint on her wrist, they all assume she’s on mind-altering painkillers?

Helen is determined to get answers, despite having to investigate with one hand tied behind her back, almost literally. If push comes to shove, she can’t even stand solidly on her own two feet. But it’s becoming more and more clear that she did indeed witness something nefarious, but with no way to prove it, and she’s starting to wish it had all been just a Delusion of Death.

About the author
Gin Jones became a USA Today bestselling author after too many years of being a lawyer who specialized in ghostwriting for other lawyers. She much prefers writing fiction, since she isn’t bound by boring facts and can indulge her sense of humor without getting thrown into jail for contempt of court. In her spare time, Gin makes quilts, grows garlic, and advocates for rare disease patients.