Once everyone had again had their fill, this time to the point of overindulgent agony, all that was left was to ooh and ahhh at the fireworks, sponsored by the mayor’s office and managed by the police department. Jimmy Matlin turned out to be a bit too keen when it came to lighting things on fire, and after he’d charred his hand, Vincent and Greg were thrilled to be called in take over for him at interim chief (former lieutenant) Maynard Trent’s request, following Walter Harrison’s suggestion.
Cascading fire drops and floral bursts of light ornamented the sky, and all agreed it was the best fireworks display they’d ever seen, just as they’d said the year before. Hank crept through the crowd to surprise Penelope, and tickled her waist with a boo just as an exceptionally loud sound-barrier-cracking shell deployed in the air. Penelope’s scream of terror trumped the blast, and without thinking, she whipped around and walloped the person who had grabbed her. Hank staggered backward, resulting in a domino effect involving the toppling of row after row of Pacific Grove’s finest who had huddled together with eyes toward the skies.
[WIP excerpt from Reading Between the Leaves, book 2 in the Tea Cozy Mysteries series]