Saturday Sample and Weekend Writing Warriors

Welcome to Saturday Sample and Weekend Writing Warriors. Today I'm sharing an excerpt from my current work in progress. The book is titled Tarnished Silver, and I have no official blurb to share. The set up is like this. 

My heroine Brittany Granger is a private investigator who has been summoned to the home of the Silver family. The Silvers operate The Silver Firm, a prestigious law practice. They are famous, rich, and some say unscrupulous. She has no idea why they want to see her.

Last Week: This is a WIP so if something grabs you that I need to change please say so. 

Brittany could see why Silver needed her; she was tailor made for this job.  Her American father had married a Japanese woman when he served in the military; she was the product of their marriage.

“Well, Miss Granger, will you accept this assignment?”

“Yes, sir.  I’d be glad to.”

“Excellent.”  Silver pulled a check out of his desk and handed it to Brittany.  “You’ll receive another check for the same amount on the day you deliver the information to me.”

Brittany’s eyes almost popped out of her head.  Silver had given her a more than substantial fee.  “I’ll do a good job, sir.  I appreciate the business.”

Silver rose to conclude the interview.  “I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”

He walked Brittany to the study door where the man who’d shown her in waited to escort her out of the mansion.  “Drive carefully,” the man said.  He stood on the portico and watched as she drove away.

Excerpt: I've skipped ahead to the first meeting between Brittany and Brad Silver. She has gone to the Japanese church as the first step in her investigation.

Silver stood at the door and spoke to the people as they filed out of the church.  He smiled when Brittany extended her hand to him.  “Welcome to Redeemer’s Chapel.  My name is Brad Silver.”

“Hello, Reverend Silver.  I’m Brittany Granger.  I enjoyed the service very much.”

He smiled at her, his brown eyes warm, open, and friendly.  “Good.  I hope that means you’ll come back again.  Do you live in Fairfield, or are you just visiting?”

“I was born in Fairfield, and so was my father.  He met and married my mother while he was in the army.”

Silver laughed, a pleasant, almost musical sound.  “Stationed in Japan, right?  My mother is Japanese too.”

“So that’s how you learned to speak the language so well.”

Silver nodded.  “Yes, she insisted we learn both English and Japanese.”

“We?”

“My sisters and I.”

Brittany took the hint when the lady behind her gave a discrete cough.  She had held up the line long enough.

“Come again,” Silver urged as Brittany walked down the church steps toward the parking lot.  

Brittany smiled at him.  “I sure will.”  She’d keep coming here until she found out whether or not the minister had taken money from his congregation.  His sermon impressed her, but business came first.  Let Brad Silver help her make Granger Investigations a household name.