Jennifer DiCamillo is in the Garden

Good morning everyone. It's a nice day in the garden. I hope none of you have allergies because the flowers are in bloom. I want to welcome, Jennifer, it also looks like she has brought some friends. Everyone please help yourselves to some refreshments and then we'll begin.

Jennifer: Hi, Mary. It’s so nice of you to invite me to your blog. I brought along two friends of mine. I hope you don’t mind.

Mary: Of course not, everyone’s welcome here.  Wait. I recognize these detectives. Folks, we are lucky to have Detectives Beth Thompson and Mike Barber from that serial killer case chronicled in Jennifer DiCamillo’s book FOUR DEAD.

Mike: My pleasure. (Mike reaches around Beth to shake Mary’s hand.)

Jennifer:  If they hadn’t been after a serial killer, I could’ve named my book after The Dating Game, you know that game show of the 70’s?

Mike: But we were after a serial killer.

Beth: And we caught him, too!

Mike: I had to, for my own sanity.

Mary: That’s right, he was after reheads, wasn’t he? Like Beth?

Beth: Yes, women who fit my profile. I have to tell you, it was eerie looking at our S.K. board—all those pictures of his victims. (She shudders.)

Jennifer: I’d rather talk about The Dating Game. Beth made Mike crazier than the serial killer did. Didn’t you, Beth?

Beth: Oh, I hope so! He plays his emotions close to his chest, so close you’d think love was a poker game.

Mike: Ok, I’ll admit it—it was all I could stand, watching her go out with my brothers that last week of the case.

Mary: Isn’t that a time when you’d normally work round the clock? Feeling the heat, so to speak?

Beth: Yes. But I thought I was a target. I didn’t want to die before I found true love. So, you could say the timeline the serial killer set had me on edge in more ways than one.

Mary: So, what’s this about dating his brothers? The two of you are engaged, aren’t you?

Beth: Yes! (She holds out her ring finger which sports a single carat of SI diamond in princess cut.) We are now. But back then, well, I had to meet them when I saw their pictures.

Jennifer: All very handsome men.

Beth: Very different though.

Mike: I’d rather talk about the serial killer.

Beth: You’ll have to excuse Mike, he has some jealousy issues.

Mike: Only because they, uh, you taunted me during that last hellish week… All I wanted to do was keep her safe.

Beth: I just wanted to find love. The fairytale, Happy Ever After, all the things a girl dreams of.

Mike: (Through gritted teeth) We were chasing a serial killer!

Mary: Pretty grueling case?

Beth: Frustrating. We had very few leads.

Mike: Four bodies found in back alley dumpsters over the course of four months.

Jennifer: It was in all the papers.

Beth: We had a map with four pin points.

Mike: We did the routine background checks.

Mary: Anything connect?

Beth: That was another thing, the only thing the victims had in common was hair color.

Jennifer: There were more clues. I should know, I wrote the book. I don’t think we should talk about the case any more. It hasn’t gone to trial yet.

Mary: So, are you saying this killer may go free?

Jennifer: If he does, I’d write a sequel to Four Dead. I’m talking to my publisher, Mojocastle, right now, about the possibilities.

Mary:: I thought most of their titles were overly graphic.

Jennifer: Not bloody, but yes.

Mary: But you let them publish your masterpiece anyway?

Jennifer: (Laughing) Masterpiece? There is a little sex in it.

Beth: Well, the book is good. She pegged Mike perfectly.

Mike: And Beth gave her all the particulars about what distractions we had to deal with on the case.

Beth: You know a good book is all in the details, Mike, just like any sensational case…any case for that matter.

Mary: What will you do now that you’re retired, Beth?

Beth: Well, I hope he’ll follow through on his promise of marriage.

Mike: I’m a man of my word.

Beth: His father wants a grandchild to pass on the family name.

Mike: (groans) It’ll just be another one of his pawns.

Beth: (aghast) Mike! How can you say that? On the internet where things never disappear?

Mike: He’ll use it to his advantage or won’t be satisfied with just one.

Beth: The man has nothing sons. Ever think he’d just be happy with one little girl grandbaby?

Mike: (groans again)

Jennifer: On that note, I think we should go. Mary, thanks again for having us. Come over to my blog http://www.jenndicamillo.wordpress.com sometime soon.

Thank you Jennifer, Mike and Beth for visiting my garden, I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did.