Cancelled Vows Read online

  Cancelled Vows

  A Mac Faraday Mystery

  By

  Lauren Carr

  Cancelled Vows: Book Information

  All Rights Reserved © 2016 by Lauren Carr

  Published by Acorn Book Services

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author.

  For information call: 304-995-1295

  or Email: [email protected]

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Designed by Acorn Book Services

  Publication Managed by Acorn Book Services

  www.acornbookservices.com

  [email protected]

  304-995-1295

  Cover designed by Todd Aune

  Spokane, Washington

  www.projetoonline.com

  ASIN: B017UI368C

  Published in the United States of America

  Table of Contents

  Cancelled Vows: Book Information

  Cast of Characters

  Epigraph

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Check Out Lauren Carr’s Mysteries!

  Killer in the Band

  A Fine Year for Murder

  Cast of Characters

  (in order of appearance)

  David O’Callaghan: Spencer police chief. Son of the late police chief, Patrick O’Callaghan. Mac Faraday’s best friend and half-brother.

  Dallas Walker: investigative Journalist. Daughter of famed investigative journalist, Audra Walker and Buddy Walker, Texan rancher. Hails from Texas.

  Chelsea Adams: David O’Callaghan’s fiancée. Suffering from epilepsy, she has Molly, a service dog trained to sense and warn of seizures.

  Mac Faraday: Retired homicide detective. On the day his divorce became final, he inherited $270 million and an estate on Deep Creek Lake from his birth mother, Robin Spencer.

  Gnarly: Mac Faraday’s German shepherd. Another part of his inheritance from Robin Spencer. Gnarly used to belong to the United States Army, who refuses to talk about him.

  Robin Spencer: Mac Faraday’s late birth mother. As an unwed and pregnant teenager, she gave him up for adoption. After becoming America’s queen of mystery, she found her son and made him her heir. Her ancestors founded Spencer, Maryland, located on the shore of Deep Creek Lake, a resort area in Western Maryland.

  Police Chief Patrick O’Callaghan: David’s late father. Spencer’s legendary police chief. The love of Robin Spencer’s life and Mac Faraday’s birth father.

  Archie Monday: Mac Faraday’s wife. Former editor and research assistant to Robin Spencer.

  Ali Hudson: Yvonne Harding’s assistant. Hails from Texas.

  Yvonne Harding: David’s old flame. She and David O’Callaghan grew up together on Deep Creek Lake. Four years ago, she moved to New York City to host Crime Watch at ZNC. Her star has been rising ever since. Last journalist to interview Audra Walker.

  Ryan Ritter: One of ZNC’s most popular news show hosts.

  Pam Wiehl: Lead host of Crime Watch. Married to childhood sweetheart Jim Wiehl, the show’s executive producer. On the wrong side of forty, she is past her prime. Is she so desperate that she would kill the competition to hold on to the spotlight?

  Audra Walker: Prize-winning free-lance investigative journalist. Disappeared under mysterious circumstances shortly after Yvonne Harding interviewed her about her latest book.

  Sergeant Caleb Roberts: Retired homicide detective. He originally had the lead in the investigation into Audra Walker’s disappearance.

  Jim Wiehl: Executive producer of Crime Watch. Witnesses say he is devoted to his wife. Just how devoted is he?

  Lieutenant Wayne Hopkins: Homicide detective. Worked under Sergeant Caleb Roberts on Audra Walker’s disappearance. Quickly closed the case after Roberts’ retirement. Frequent guest expert in law enforcement on ZNC news shows.

  Ruth Rubenstein: Internet troll. Murdered after Yvonne Harding outs her as a troll on Crime Watch.

  Melissa O’Meara: Young author driven to suicide by Ruth Rubenstein’s troll attack.

  Preston Blakeley: ZNC’s CEO. Big supporter of Senator Patrick Brennan, heir of the Brennan political dynasty, which had been threatened by Audra Walker’s book.

  Carl Rubenstein: Ruth Rubenstein’s husband. It’s debatable about whether he is mourning the murder of his wife.

  Edward Willingham: Mac Faraday’s lawyer. One of the top lawyers in the country, Robin Spencer had had him on retainer to handle her business affairs. He had hunted Mac down and chased him for three city blocks to inform him of his inheritance.

  Deputy Chief Arthur Bogart (Bogie): Spencer’s Deputy Police Chief. David’s godfather. Don’t let his gray hair and weathered face fool you.

  Officer Warren Tate: Murdered New York City police officer. His body is found in the same alley where Yvonne Harding’s assistant is attacked.

  Lieutenant Abigail Gibbons: Internal Affairs investigator with New York City police—on the trail of a group of crooked police officers called “the Dirty Six.”

  Polly Langley: Carl Rubenstein’s girlfriend.

  Lieutenant Andrew Van Patton: Middle-aged career detective. Head of the homicide squad. Lieutenant Wayne Hopkins’ supervisor.

  Dr. Dora Washington: Garrett County Medical Examiner. Bogie’s girlfriend.

  Clint Brown and Kimberly Castillo: Texas’ Romeo and Juliet. Audra Walker had been working on a book telling their story for several years. She had returned to working on this project the night she disappeared.

  Officer Milt Sauer and Officer Stan: New York City police officers.

  Detective Winslow: Lieutenant Wayne Hopkins’ partner.

  Jeff Ingles: Manager of the Spencer Inn, the five-star resort owned by Mac Faraday. Mac likes to keep Ingles’ life interesting.

  Epigraph

  Don’t marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can’t live without.

  James Dobson, Noted Psychologist

  Prologue

  East River, New York City, New York

  Police Officer Dan Sauer collapsed onto the pavement. Blood spilled from his gunshot wounds and pooled around him.

  All David O’Callaghan could see was the silver police badge pinned to Officer Sauer’s chest. I
shot a cop. One of my own. A brother. Two brothers.

  “This one’s buzzard bait.” Dallas Walker’s announcement broke through his thoughts. “How ’bout that one?”

  Stunned at what he had done, David could only stare down at the police badge shining off of the late morning sunlight. Later, he would not remember seeing Dallas come around the car, extract the ninja spikes from his hand, and kneel down next to Officer Sauer to check for a pulse.

  “They’re both dead.” She took Officer Sauer’s gun from his holster and handed it to David. “You’re gonna be needin’ this.”

  David’s hands were so numb that he could barely feel the cold metal when he took the weapon. He tucked it into the waistband of his pants and covered it up with his sweater. “Take his spare magazines, too.” His own voice sounded like it was in a fog.

  She was already handing him the magazines, which he slipped into his pockets. Seeing the bloody tear through the left sleeve of his sports coat, she gasped. “You’ve been shot.”

  Squinting at her, David shook his head. He didn’t understand what she’d said until she started poking through the hole in his sleeve to examine the wound.

  “Looks like Stan managed to clip you before you took him out,” she said. “You might be needin’ a couple of stitches. Right now, we need to get out of here.”

  She dropped back down next to the dead police officer to search his pockets. She extracted the backup weapon that he had taken from David earlier. While David placed his weapon back in his ankle holster, Dallas removed Officer Sauer’s backup weapon and placed it, holster and all, around her own ankle.

  “Do you know how to use a gun?” David asked.

  With a grin, she unholstered the thirty-two semiautomatic, extracted the magazine to check the rounds, shoved the magazine back into the grip, and then checked the sights. “I wouldn’t be a real Texan if I didn’t know how to shoot a gun.” She slipped the weapon into its holster and pulled down her pant leg. “Sugar, police are gonna to be here faster than a prairie fire with a tail wind,” she said while urging him to his feet. “Since we don’t know which ones are the bad guys, we need to go underground till we get it figured out.” Clutching her shoulder bag close to her with one arm, she tugged his arm with the other.

  David took one last look at Officer Sauer. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

  Grabbing him by both arms, Dallas forced him to look at her. Her tone was gentle yet firm. “You had no choice, hon. They were gonna kill us.”

  Far in the distance, David heard police sirens growing nearer.

  “It’s time to blow this pop stand, partner,” she said. “Now!”

  Forcing one foot in front of the other, David allowed her to lead him down the river and through the alleyway back toward the city—away from the approaching police sirens.

  Chapter One

  County Clerk’s Office, Oakland, Maryland: Two Days Earlier

  David O’Callaghan could feel the excitement pulsing through every fiber of his fiancée’s being while they stood in line. Trying not to look like a fool, he fought the smile that grew broader with every step they took toward the license window at the county clerk’s office.

  “Do you have your wallet?” Chelsea Adams tightened her grip on his arm and grinned up at him.

  Even Molly, her service dog trained to detect the onset of epileptic seizures, seemed to sense the excitement. Panting, she rubbed against Chelsea.

  David patted his police chief’s jacket—the inside breast pocket contained his wallet. “And my checkbook.” Lifting her chin up, he leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. “Don’t be so nervous.”

  “Not nervous,” she said, “Excited. In six days, we’re going to be married.” In spite of her effort to remain calm, she let out a girlish squeal of delight. Her ivory complexion held a hint of pink on her cheeks. There were sparks in her pale-blue eyes. She was glowing.

  David looked down into her face.

  “I love you,” she whispered to him.

  “Me too.”

  The clearing of a throat sliced through the moment. “Next,” the clerk snapped.

  As if they had been shocked with a bolt of lightning, David and Chelsea hurried up to the window where an older woman wearing turquoise-framed reading glasses regarded them. Her face was devoid of humor. “Chief David O’Callaghan, what brings you here today?”

  David slid the application across the counter to her. “We’re here to get a marriage license.” He felt Chelsea’s fingers digging into his bicep.

  Molly squeezed in between Chelsea and the counter to press her snout against David’s thigh. While the clerk studied the application, David patted Molly on the head.

  “Hm.” The clerk’s eyebrows rose up into her bangs. Died dark brown, they didn’t match her pasty complexion.

  “Is there a problem, Edna?” David asked her in a low tone that dared her to find one.

  “No.” The corners of Edna’s lips curled. “According to your birth date on this application, you’re thirty-five. Seems like only yesterday that I caught you peeing in my pumpkin patch.”

  “Because you yelled at me every time I rode my bike across your footbridge to meet my friends at the lake.” David let out a laugh. “I was—what? Five years old? And my dad took my bike away for a full week because of that. Don’t you think it’s time we put all that behind us?”

  Chelsea cleared her throat. “As interesting as this history lesson is, can you please just give us the license? I have a final fitting for my wedding gown in an hour.”

  Her eyes narrowed, Edna turned her attention from David to her computer monitor. “Still got that speed trap along Lake Shore Drive in Spencer?” she asked in a casual tone while typing the information into her computer.

  The smile dropped from David’s face. “That was never a speed trap. The sign clearly states the speed limit is twenty-five. Always has been. Always will be—which is what I told you when I gave you those speeding tickets how long ago?”

  “Yeah, I remember.” She pushed her reading glasses up on her nose to read the monitor. “I see Mac Faraday speeding along in his fancy red sports car all the time. How many speeding tickets have you given him?”

  Chelsea tightened her grip on his arm, sending a silent message to say nothing.

  “I used to think you and your officers never pulled him over just because he’s Robin Spencer’s illegitimate son and owns half of Spencer,” Edna said while working at the computer terminal. “But then when it came out last year that your father was—”

  “I have no problem with Mac Faraday,” David bit out. “Not only is he my brother, but he’s also my best friend. As a matter of fact, he’s the best man at our wedding. If you have an issue with the circumstances of his birth, which took place back when Robin Spencer was a teenager, long before she became a world-famous novelist, and when my dad was just graduating from school, years before he even met my mother, then that’s your personal problem, not mine.”

  “David,” Chelsea whispered, “please.”

  Forcing civility into his tone, he asked the clerk, “Can you please process the application and give us the license, please?”

  “Certainly, Chief O’Callaghan,” Edna replied. “As soon as you show me proof of divorce.”

  David stared at the clerk.

  Slowly, a smirk came to Edna’s lips.

  “Huh?”

  “Proof of divorce … from your wife.” Edna removed her reading glasses. “The law clearly states that you can only be married to one person at a time. Now, unless your other wife is dead, you need to provide proof of divorce. Otherwise, you’d be committing bigamy, Police Chief O’Callaghan.”

  Chelsea released her grip from his arm. The glow evaporated from her face. The sparks in her eyes turned to fury.

  Edna was the happiest David had ever seen her in the decades
he had known her.

  “This is a joke,” David said through gritted teeth. “Who did I marry?”

  Shaking her head, Edna turned the computer screen around so he could see it for himself. David and Chelsea stepped forward to read the name.

  Upon reading the identity of David’s current wife, Chelsea uttered a shriek. Spinning around on her heels, she gathered Molly’s leash and ran sobbing from the clerk’s office.

  In Western Maryland, Deep Creek Lake turns into a ghost town in late fall—the month between when the trees dump the last of their colorful fall foliage to the ground and the first snowfall beckons winter-sports enthusiasts to the ski resorts surrounding the lake.

  One corner of the lake is home to the small town of Spencer, the birthplace of the late Robin Spencer, a direct descendant of the town’s founder and America’s answer to Agatha Christie.

  Four years earlier, the world-famous author’s sudden death from a brain aneurism had revealed her secret that as a teenager, she had given birth to a baby who had been put up for adoption. Her baby boy had grown up to become a homicide detective named Mac Faraday, and he’d inherited her vast fortune, which included the Spencer Inn, the five-star vacation resort that rested on top of Spencer Mountain.

  After the snow-bird residents fly south to warmer climates, quiet descends on Deep Creek Lake. The only sign of life was found in an out-of-the-way cove tucked in a far corner of the lake: it was David’s police cruiser, and it was parked in front of his luxurious house, a contemporary cedar-and-stone roundhouse.

  Mac Faraday parked his SUV next to the police cruiser and turned off the engine. In the passenger seat, Gnarly, his German shepherd, stomped his feet. His regal ears stood at attention. He uttered a growl mixed with a bark.

  A hundred pounds of fur and teeth, Gnarly was another part of Mac’s inheritance. The German shepherd dog was the only K-9 to be dishonorably discharged from the US Army, who got very defensive when asked about him.

  Following the dog’s line of sight, Mac spied four ducks frolicking in the water next to David’s boat dock. “No! We’re not going to have a repeat of last time. It took a week to get the wet-dog smell out of this SUV. No chasing the ducks.”