A blast of hot air and burning sage hit me when I opened my door. I should have known it wouldn’t be a normal day when I found my prickly next-door neighbor, Ruby Virtue, in the courtyard on an early morning in June.

If I was smart, I would have closed my door, but my cat, Nubi, needed to come inside for breakfast. And I had to admit, my curiosity got the better of me, so I asked Ruby what she was doing.

“Samantha, the spirits are restless. I must clear away all the negativity.” Ruby waved her bundle of sage. “And that includes you.”

I rolled my eyes as I always did when Ruby disparaged me. Ever since I moved into Thibodeaux Mansion, she made it clear she didn’t care for me. The day we met, she proclaimed trouble followed me or if I invited it in. Whether it was her skills as a psychic that made her say that or she just didn’t like me, I still didn’t know.

I wasn’t the only one in our apartment building she treated with disdain. Ruby had always kept to herself, according to my landlords, Libby and William Tyler. They explained Ruby was part of the deal when they bought Thibodeaux Mansion. They had to honor Ruby’s lease for as long as she wanted to live there. Did she want to stay here for our prime location in the French Quarter? I can’t help but wonder if she hides a secret beneath her pastel chiffon scarves and aloof manner.

I hoped our cats would give us some common ground. After all, she named my cat for me. After solving my first mystery in my new hometown, I had to go to the hospital. Before I did, I met an adorable cat who claimed me. Much to my surprise, she agreed to take care of the cat until I came home. When I returned, I discovered she had named my new furry friend, Anubis. I called him Nubi and now he was friends with Ruby’s cats, Cleopatra and Nefertiti. They were the best of friends, sunning themselves by our front doors and exploring our neighborhood every day.

This morning, the cats and I watched Ruby wave her bundle of sage as her robe floated in the air as she spun in a circle in the middle of our shared courtyard. A slight breeze made the lush plants in the former garden water fountain sway, but the cool air left as quickly as it came. I made a note to turn the air conditioning up even before I started the coffee maker when I got to work.

Normally I made coffee while my business partner and best friend, Andrew Ballard, adjusted the air conditioning and checked our voice mail. But on Friday mornings, Andrew taught a history class at Tulane University. Four months ago, I had no idea when I stepped into the bookstore with the funny name that I would become a co-owner of Lagniappe Books.

The word lagniappe was new to me then, but now it was one of my favorite words. It means a little extra thrown in and that describes New Orleans perfectly. Nothing is ordinary here. From the rich and flavorful food, to the elegant and diverse architecture, to the passionate and inspiring music, this city does everything with just a little more spice, a little more heart, and a lot more soul.

Ruby’s eccentricities were often annoying like this morning’s sage burning, but I really didn’t mind it. How could I expect to have a simple relationship with my next-door neighbor in a unique place like the French Quarter? And after the police entered our courtyard and spoke to Ruby, our relationship might change. Who would have thought Ruby would ask me to go with her to see if her daughter was the skeleton buried down the street?

No, this would be no ordinary day in the French Quarter for me, and definitely not for Ruby.

Bury The Past, A French Quarter Mystery #4
Genre: Cozy
Release: April 2022
Purchase Link

Sammy is surprised her prickly neighbor wants her help after a skeleton is discovered in a French Quarter courtyard. But she’s even more surprised when the decades-old bones lead her to a murder that’s closer to her home and heart. Can Sammy find the truth before the past is buried again?

When the detectives show up in Thibodeaux Mansion’s courtyard, Sammy is relieved they’re not there for her. But to her surprise, they need to see Ruby, her next-door neighbor. Even more shocking, Ruby asks Sammy to come with her to learn if the skeleton unearthed at the Delmar Apartments is Ruby’s missing daughter. As Ruby’s past comes to light, so does Sammy’s with a letter from her brother.

After the identity of the body is revealed, Sammy needs to find out what really happened twenty-six years ago when two teenagers disappeared without a trace. As if investigating a cold case isn’t hard enough, Sammy also has to face the real possibility that her brother is back in town. If he is, what does he want? Or worse, will he try to kill her again?

A twenty-six year old mystery collides with a modern day one that shakes Sammy to her core. To solve one mystery, she must solve the other. Can she find the evidence she needs to find closure for everyone before the killer buries the past?

Meet the author
Jen Pitts is a lifelong mystery reader who turned her obsession into writing cozy mysteries of her own. When she isn’t plotting fictional murder and mayhem, she’s chugging coffee, traveling, reading, and enjoying life with her husband, children, and two cats in the Pacific Northwest.

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