Murder Packs a Suitcase [Paperback]

USCynthia Baxter is a native of Long Island, New York. She is the author of the Reigning Cats & Dogs mystery series, featuring vet-turned-sleuth Jessie Popper, and the Murder Packs a Suitcase mystery series, featuring travel writer Mallory Marlowe. Baxter currently resides on the North Shore, where she is at work on her next mysteries in both series.Chapter One


"A journey of a thousand miles must begin
with a single step."
—Lao Tzu

Graceful palm trees, an isolated white sand beach, the gentle waves of the blue-green sea.

Breathe in, breathe out, Mallory Marlowe instructed herself, hoping that the breathing and visualization technique her daughter had taught her would help steer her toward something along the lines of relaxation. Or at least ease her out of the state of near-panic in which she found herself as she sat in the waiting area of Paragon Publications, bracing herself for her first job interview in nearly two decades.

It wasn't working. The two cups of coffee she'd gulped down before dashing for the 9:57 Metro North train out of Rivington sloshed around in her stomach, and the cream-colored silk blouse that had seemed so fresh and polished early that morning already smelled like something a construction worker would peel off his back at the end of the day.

Forget Amanda's supposedly no-fail relaxation techniques, she thought grimly. Instead, Mallory fixed her gaze on the huge gold letters on the wall above the curved granite reception desk. The Good Life, they spelled out, proudly announcing the name of the magazine headquartered here on the twenty-fifth floor. Underneath, in letters only a few inches smaller, was the monthly publication's slogan, "Read The Good Life to Lead the Good Life!" along with half a dozen large, glossy photographs that represented some of the topics the magazine covered: fine wines, four-star restaurants, flashy cars, innovative home design, state-of-lóÚ