Rita Mae Brown - Hiss of Death: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery

Books by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown

WISH YOU WERE HEREREST IN PIECES
MURDER AT MONTICELLOPAY DIRTMURDER, SHE MEOWED
MURDER ON THE PROWLCAT ON THE SCENT
SNEAKY PIES COOKBOOK FOR MYSTERY LOVERS
PAWING THROUGH THE PASTCLAWS AND EFFECT
CATCH AS CAT CANTHE TAIL OF THE TIP-OFF
WHISKER OF EVILCATS EYEWITNESSSOUR PUSS
PUSS N CAHOOTSTHE PURRFECT MURDERSANTA CLAWED
CAT OF THE CENTURYHISS OF DEATH

Books by Rita Mae Brown with Sister Jane Arnold in the Outfoxed Series

OUTFOXEDHOTSPURFULL CRYTHE HUNT BALL
THE HOUNDS AND THE FURYTHE TELL-TALE HORSE
HOUNDED TO DEATH

Books by Rita Mae Brown

A NOSE FOR JUSTICEANIMAL MAGNETISM:
MY LIFE WITH CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
THE HAND THAT CRADLES THE ROCK
SONGS TO A HANDSOME WOMANTHE PLAIN BROWN RAPPER
RUBYFRUIT JUNGLEIN HER DAYSIX OF ONE
SOUTHERN DISCOMFORTSUDDEN DEATHHIGH HEARTS
STARTED FROM SCRATCH: A DIFFERENT KIND OF WRITERS MANUAL
BINGOVENUS ENVY
DOLLEY: A NOVEL OF DOLLEY MADISON IN LOVE AND WAR
RIDING SHOTGUNRITA WILL: MEMOIR OF A LITERARY RABBLE-ROUSER
LOOSE LIPSALMA MATERSAND CASTLE

Hiss of Death is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2011 by American Artists, Inc.

Illustrations copyright 2011 by Michael Gellatly

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Bantam Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

BANTAM BOOKS and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Data Brown, Rita Mae.
Hiss of death : a Mrs. Murphy mystery / by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown; illustrations by Michael Gellatly.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-553-90808-4
1. Haristeen, Harry (Fictitious character)Fiction. 2. Murphy, Mrs. (Fictitious character)Fiction.
3. Women detectivesVirginiaFiction. 4. CatsFiction. 5. VirginiaFiction. I. Title.
PS3552.R698H57 2011
813.54dc22 2010047836

www.bantamdell.com

Cover design: Beverly Leung
Cover illustration: Daniel Pelvin (cat), Shutterstock/MisterElements (yarn)

v3.1

Dedicated with admiration
to
Lima
the Texas cat who saved her human from a pit bull attack

Mary Minor Haristeen, HarryHardworking, frugal, forty, and good-looking, although she doesnt think so. Her curiosity might kill her as well as her cats.

Pharamond Haristeen, D.V.M., FairHe loves his work, his wife, and his farm. At forty-two, hes known Harry all of his life. He accepts her for herself, despite the fact that she all too often courts danger.

Susan TuckerHarrys best friend since cradle days, she tries to act as the brake on Harrys speed. It rarely works. Her two children are in college and graduate school; her husband was elected to the statehouse a year ago.

Cory Schaeffer, M.D.A surgeon acquiring a big reputation, he thinks hes smarter than most everybody else. He does care about medicine, and he wants to improve peoples lives.

Annalise Vernonese, M.D.As a pathologist, she sees the ravages diseases and addictions can do to the body. She is passionate about health and fitness.

Paula BentonA much-respected operating-room nurse, she is very detail-oriented as well as occasionally direct. Then again, shes not from the South, so she sees this as a virtue.

Toni EnrightAnother respected operating-room nurse, she works out at Heavy Metal Gym with Annalise. She figures if youre fit, you can fight much of what life throws at you.

Thadia MartinOnce a gifted athlete and a pretty girl, she blew up her life on drugs. After serving a prison sentence and recovering from her problem, she now counsels others who are battling addictions.

Noddy CespedesNow in her forties, Noddy had a wonderful career as a bodybuilder. She owns Heavy Metal Gym, is completely committed to pushing iron as a way to avoid many conditions, not the least being osteoporosis. Shes a formidable presence.

Big Al and Nita VitebskIn their fifties, they own Pinnacle Records as well as a mutt named JoJo. Both are active in the community and stalwarts at the Reformed Temple.

Franny HowardShe is a member of a cancer support group, has a good sense of humor, and owns a tire store. She believes regardless of what you paid for your vehicle, its only as good as the tires on it. She has a point.

BoomBoom CraycroftA real bombshell, she is another one of Harrys childhood friends. Their relationship has been on again and off again. Now its on. She owns her late husbands concrete business but has turned over day-to-day handling to a manager.

Alicia PalmerOne of the most beautiful women of her generation, she is a former movie star in her fifties and finally truly happy. It was a long, hard road to get there.

The Reverend Herbert JonesAs Pastor of St. Lukes Lutheran Church, he guides his flock with humor, insight, and quiet encouragement. Hes not much evident in this particular volume, but hes always there when his parishioners or anyone else needs him.

Mrs. MurphyShes a sleek tiger cat in her prime who has less curiosity and more sense than her human.

PewterA sometimes-petulant gray cannonball of a cat who cant believe how limited humans are. She does not suffer in silence.

Tee TuckerAlert and sagacious, shes like every other corgipound for pound, quite a dog. She loves her humans, horses, and even the cats.

TomahawkA seventeen-year-old Thoroughbred, hes what horsemen call typy, looking exactly like a TB should. Hes usually turned out with Shortro, a young horse whom he guides.

ShortroA five-year-old Saddlebred being trained for hunt seat. He can jump the moon and is very people-oriented.

SimonThis possum lives in Harrys hayloft and has a sweet tooth.

FlatfaceThe great horned owl lives in the cupola of the barn.

MatildaThe blacksnake also lives in the barn, and shes grown to nearly four feet. Shes made a cozy nest in the hayloft in the back, and has been there for years, emerging after hibernation. As the spring nights are still cold, she returns to her nest at sundown.

M oldy money. Susan Tucker jabbed her best friend, Harry Haristeen, with her elbow.

Come on, you all, Im cautious with money. That doesnt mean Im cheap, Harry said, defending herself.

Cautious? How about paralyzed? BoomBoom Craycroft, another friend from childhood, said, laughing.

My concern is I want to make as much money as possible for our five-K run this Saturday. I just think a thousand pink rubber bracelets is five hundred too many.