Lydia James Mysteries

It had been a really long day. To say that I was tired would be an understatement. I was bone-weary. On the way home I stopped to get a few groceries. A homeless young man was loitering outside of the apartment building. He offered to carry my groceries but he looked a little sketchy, so I declined. All I wanted to do was heat my lean cuisine, pour a glass of red wine, and relax. My briefcase was full of briefs that I knew I should read but the chances of them being read tonight were slim. 

Continued:  https://lydiajamesmysteries.blogspot.com/2024/02/lydias-obsession.html

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It had been almost two years since I quit my job at the law firm. My colleagues thought I was crazy, but I felt good about my decision. I had already taken the necessary classes but I needed to have at least three years of experience in a private detective agency before I could sit for the PI Exam. Luckily, Carl knew an agency that he thought would be perfect for me. Hines Investigations was a small agency located in Delaware County. Its owner was, Jeffrey Hines, an ex-police detective. 

Continued:  

https://lydiajamesmysteries.blogspot.com/2024/02/twins-and-missing-cord.html

Detective Hines finally took advantage of a much-deserved retirement and left the agency in my capable hands. Of course, I wasted no time in changing the name on the door to Lydia James, Detective Agency. My dream of running my own Agency was finally realized. Now I needed to use all my energies and the skills that I learned from Detective Hines over the past three years to make this a successful Agency. 

Continued:

https://lydiajamesmysteries.blogspot.com/2024/02/return-of-mysterious-sebastian-davies.html

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Carl and I were returning from two wonderful weeks in Paris. Although the vacation was beautiful, it was also very tiring. We both felt we could have used a couple of days to recuperate from the vacation. However, that was hardly in the cards. Even before our plane landed, I got the eerie feeling that something was wrong. That may have been why I wasn’t surprised when I got a call from my partner Ken before we left the airport.

“I’m sorry to call you so soon after your vacation,” he said. “But I thought you might want to know about a very interesting delivery we received today.”

“A delivery?” I questioned. “What was delivered?”

“A tablet.”

https://lydiajamesmysteries.blogspot.com/2024/03/where-is-amanda-kasey.html

Photo by Photo by Raychan on Unsplash

I wanted more than anything to sleep in that morning. The night had been cool and rainy, and the morning promised another dreary day.  No clients were scheduled, so it was a great day to sleep in. However, a little after nine, I got a call from my partner Ken. Lydia!” I heard a hint of urgency in his voice. “Where are you?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “We might have a new case. I just got off the phone with a potential client, and she will be here in less than an hour.”

“Calm down, Ken. Why are you so excited?”

“I’m sorry. I guess it’s just that the potential client was almost frantic on the phone, and when I noticed that you weren’t here, I panicked. She will be here soon. Would you like me to do the original interview?”

To be continued:

https://lydiajamesmysteries.blogspot.com/2025/03/greed_26.html

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My partner Ken had a bad feeling about this case from the very beginning. Ronald Crawford, an old teammate from Ken’s high school football days, showed up at our office on a blustery day in late October. He was disheveled and bleary-eyed, looking like he hadn’t slept in a few days. He was so distraught that we could hardly understand what he was trying to tell us. What we were able to make out of his incoherent blubbering was that Laura, his wife of ten years was missing.

I had never met the Crawfords but according to Ken, the Crawfords were a loving couple and the owners of a well-known Center City Bistro. Since Ken and Ron had been high school buddies, I thought it best to let Ken handle the initial interview. I took a seat, prepared to listen. Ronald took the seat opposite Ken.

“When did she go missing?”

To be continued:

https://lydiajamesmysteries.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-disappearance-of-laura-crawford.html

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Lynn pulled into the parking lot of the Blue Vista Motel. She had been meeting Brad at this motel every Friday night for six months. As usual, her heart quickened at the prospect of seeing her secret lover. At first, she was surprised that she could even participate in such a scandalous deception. It became easier over time. Now she looked forward to their tryst with gleeful anticipation.

The desk clerk recognized her. He smiled as if he knew her secret and handed her the room key. She smiled, thankful that she had never given her real name.

She let herself into the room. The lights were dim. Soft jazz wafted from the speaker. She kicked her heels off and threw her jacket across a chair. “Brad,” she softly called as she headed for the bedroom. There was no answer. “Brad,” she called again. 

To continue follow the link:

https://lydiajamesmysteries.blogspot.com/2024/07/deadly-consequences.html

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It was the end of a short week and a short day. There were often days like this through the holiday season. Both Ken and I were expecting to spend a long weekend away from the tedious waiting of surveillance and the complications of emotional clients. 

However, such a break would not be realized this weekend. It was after four in the afternoon when the phone rang.

“This is Lydia James. Who is

calling, please?”

“Lydia, this is Sidney Jones.”

Sidney?  My brain began to spin. I knew the name but couldn’t quite remember from where. 

“Go Panthers!” He said. “We went to high school together.”

To continue follow the link:

https://lydiajamesmysteries.blogspot.com/2026/01/bones-in-attic.html

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