Stiletto to the Pedal (The Tow Truck Murder Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – Colorado
Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (May 15, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 250 pages

Synopsis

When the IRS claims Delaney Morran, the high-heeled tow truck driver and amateur sleuth, owes back taxes, she hires an accountant to fight Uncle Sam. Before Delaney can resolve the issue, a tax collector shows up in Spruce Ridge, Colorado demanding an amount Delaney can’t afford. It gets worse when Delaney’s accountant becomes the town’s next murder victim and Delaney’s tax records are locked inside the crime scene. The quickest way to get the Internal Revenue off her case is to catch the killer and get her files back, so she speeds around town questioning suspects while keeping one step ahead of the tax man.

Will Delaney be able to solve yet another murder and secure her records before the IRS shuts her down?

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Character Guest Post

I’m Benedict DiNardo, Revenue Officer with the United States Internal Revenue Service. A business trip brought me to Spruce Ridge, Colorado. There’s the matter of $1,437.12 owed by Del’s Towing per tax code §2.3104.141a. The owner of the company, a rather naïve young woman by the name of Miss Delaney Morran, who wears high-heels when towing cars, thinks she can get away with being noncompliant with the tax code. There are other tax evaders in this upscale mountain town between Denver and Vail, surrounded by ski resorts and pristine forest preserves. Miss Morran is not the only taxpayer in the city who is in arrears, but since I’m here I cannot let the sum of $1,437.12 go uncollected. Every taxpayer must be held accountable.

Because my airfare, hotel, and government car were provided to me, I brought my wife Juliet along on the trip. She’d never been to Colorado before. Of course I paid for Juliet’s travel expenses because I would never cheat the government, like some of the delinquent residents and citizens I’ve met in my work.

Juliet said I should trade my bow ties for a bolero since we are in the west, but I must remain professional. Juliet said I’m hounding Miss Morran so much she would probably pay her debt just to be rid of me, but I don’t care how I do it, as long as I bring to account those who have intentionally disregarded their tax obligations. Juliet said that I should try and enjoy the beauty surrounding us, but when I spotted Miss Morran slinking into the local coffee shop, I straightened my bowtie and marched right over to her.

“There’s the matter of $1,437.12 owed by Del’s Towing per tax code §2.3104.141a,” I said.

She rolled her eyes so far back she could’ve been looking in a rearview mirror. Then she had the audacity to say, “You came in person to collect that? I mean, really?”

I told her how serious the matter was, that she was not in compliance with the tax code. I even gave her the code citation.

She only tossed her hands in the air and made a rude sound. I continued to stare at her but she remained defiant. She claimed that she gave her accountant all her tax records to sort out, but the next time I confronted her she provided the poor excuse that her accountant was dead. Turns out, the accountant was murdered. What some people will do to get out of paying their taxes.

Juliet started to fret, worried that my job could be dangerous. But of course, us government men are fearless in our pursuit of enforcing the law, and I went about my business, meeting with other taxpayers, even bigger cheats, and never letting that high-heeled tow truck driver too far out of my sights.

The next time I saw her she called me “DiNerdo” and implied Juliet was too glamorous to be with such a dull person as me. Well, Juliet is a gorgeous woman, so I could not argue with Miss Morran for once.

And then, Miss Morran surprised us all—me mostly—by paying off her debt. And, oh yeah, she also solved the murder of her accountant. More importantly, my job was done here. All funds collected. All deadbeats in compliance. A success all around, thanks to me, Benedict DiNardo, relentless Revenue Officer.

Excerpt

There was something I needed to ask DiNerdo. “Who told you I had assets?”

The tax man answered, “I can’t divulge that. Informants are kept confidential.”

“I have a right to know.”

“There’s no right to that information in the tax code.”

How did I ever think he was a nice person? I rolled my eyes. “Oh, the all-important tax code.”

He sighed. “But it’s apparent your only asset is your tow truck.”

A pit opened in my stomach and I clasped my hands in my lap to keep them from trembling. “Don’t even think of laying a hand on my truck. I’ll borrow the money from my parents. I’ll get it for you.” Yes, I caved.

He snapped, “It’s not me you owe. It’s the United States Department of Treasury.”

“You said I still have four days left. Four days, remember? I’m certain I’ll have the money to you by then.” This hassle would all be over soon and DiNerdo would leave me alone.

He stood. “Good day, Ms. Morran. Thanks for the tea.” His face looked grim as he strode over to the sink and put his mug inside.

“You’re welcome.” I swung the door open wide and slammed it shut behind him.

Could the IRS really take possession of my truck? My self-loading Fulcan Xtruder was paid for. I’d inherited it free and clear. An asset to the business, yes, but more valuable to me than an asset. The truck had been my dad’s. It represented my connection to him. What if I lost the truck? If I was a good daughter I’d take good care of his truck.

Threatening to take my truck brought out a whole new level of angry. Threatening my self-loader made me bat-shit crazy. Nobody was going to take that away from me, not even Uncle Sam.

About the Author

Karen C. Whalen is the author of two mystery series for The Wild Rose Press: the Dinner Club Mysteries featuring Jane Marsh, an empty nester who hosts a gourmet dinner club, and the Tow Truck Mysteries starring Delaney Morran, a super feminine shoe-a-holic who drives a tow truck. Both are cozy mysteries about strong friendships and family ties set in Colorado. The first book in the Dinner Club series tied for First Place in the Suspense Novel category of the 2017 IDA Contest sponsored by Oklahoma Romance Writers of America. Whalen worked for many years as a paralegal at a law firm in Denver, Colorado and was a columnist and regular contributor to The National Paralegal Reporter magazine. Whalen loves to host dinner parties, entertain friends, ride bicycles, hike in the mountains, walk on the beach, and read cozy murder mysteries.

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