#TuesdayTestDay with Alicia Dean ~ Win a $5 Amazon Gift Card!!

Welcome to Tuesday Test Day! Each Tuesday, I share a snippet from one of my stories, along with three options. To enter, guess which of the three options the snippet is from.

Post your answer in the comments before Sunday evening at 5 p.m. CT. (You may respond here or on my Facebook page). Each Monday, I will randomly draw a name from all the correct answers and that person will win a $5 Amazon Gift Card. Winners will be announced in the next Tuesday Test Day post.

Last week’s winner is…

Starr Moore

Congrats!! Please email me at Alicia@AliciaDean.com and I will send your $5 gift card. Thank you for playing!

(The correct answer was Ruined)

Which of the below stories is this snippet from?

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I gripped the phone and squeezed my eyes shut. Although I realized there was something I should say that would make him give a clue to his identity, something I could share with the police, my mind wouldn’t work properly. Nothing clever came to me.

My mouth felt stiff when I made myself speak. “You did this… you killed her so I’d keep writing the articles?”

“We have a connection. I know you feel it too.”

“I don’t even know you. If you’re really the one doing this, please just stop.”

A low chuckle rumbled over the line. “Stop? I did stop, but my life wasn’t complete. Something has been missing. Now, you’ve given me a new purpose. I’d gotten bored with the girls… the same old routine, blah, blah blah. You made it fun again.”

“You killed her because of me? For me?”

“When I read your articles, something sparked.” He paused, and when he continued, I detected emotion in his voice. “I can’t explain it, but…” He sighed. “Forget it. I don’t want to get all gushy. You get me. I know you do. Did your detective friend tell you about the penny?”

“Penny?”

“Your pennies from heaven story inspired me. I left a penny in the girl’s hand, along with one of her teeth.”

Bile, thick and overpowering, clogged my throat. I swallowed hard and whispered, “One of her teeth?”

“Yeah. With a little coaxing, I got her talking. Telling me about her life. She lost her first tooth in ’03 when she was six. I found a penny dated 2003 and put it in her hand with the tooth. I bet the cops don’t want that released. There you go. A human interest touch for your article.” He sounded proud, like he’d just solved world hunger.

My body went cold. My mind whirled with warring thoughts… find out something useful… hang up… keep him talking…. But the will to contain the screaming inside my head was all I could manage.

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Have fun!