5 The Murders at Astaire Castle Page 24
“It’s not your fault.” Florence draped her arm around Lily’s shoulders.
Everyone’s eyes turned to the mantel, which contained an array of pictures of the dark-haired beauty. Like her mother, she had dark hair that fell in a thick wave pass her shoulders. Her dark eyes stood out against her alabaster skin. Many of the photographs were professional shots displaying her striking features that had won her leading roles in the few local community theater circuit.
“We’re passing out pictures of the man that you saw Khloe talking to down at the lake on Friday night,” David explained. “If we can get it out across the media, maybe someone will recognize him.”
“That’s all?” Lily’s friend exploded. “You’re passing out drawings of this guy? Why aren’t you out there looking? Why aren’t you bringing in suspects to question? She’s been missing for the last three days and all you bunch of boobs have been doing is hanging around looking at the view and contemplating your navels.”
“Now look here, Bevis,” Bogie said, “we’ve been doing everything possible. You don’t know—” The silver-haired deputy chief, possessing the solid build of a wrestler, was more than impressive enough to cause Bevis to back up a step to avoid contact with him.
“I know all about abduction cases.” Bevis tried to avoid the imposing form of the deputy chief. “My father was a sheriff in Frederick County in the 1970s. He worked hundreds of abduction and murder cases before becoming Senator and I know all about how it works. Your handling of this case is totally unacceptable!” As if he threatened to strike David in the chest, he poked a finger in the police chief’s direction. “If you morons would have listened to me three days ago, Khloe would be home now and her kidnapper would be in prison.”
In addition to his nasty disposition, there was something about the smug expression on Bevis’s face that made Mac want to slap it. Sometimes, Mac wondered if it was who Bevis’s father was that rubbed him the wrong way. Senator Harry Palazzi had earned every bit of the reputation of sleazy politician. Every bit his father, Bevis made no bones about planning to take up his father’s torch when his old man decided to retire, which wasn’t likely to happen, and carry it all the way to the White House.
Mac could see by David’s clenched jaw that he had the same effect on him. “Everyone is on edge right now, Bevis. So I’m going to excuse your comments as simply that.”
“Spoken like a man with no balls,” Bevis replied. “How did you get appointed police chief anyway?” He cast a glance in Mac’s direction before scoffing. “I’m sure rubbing elbows with the owner of the Spencer Inn had nothing to do with it.”
“That’s enough, Bevis.” Florence stepped in to cut Bogie off before he was about to grab the young man by the front of his shirt to take him outside for a little talk about respect.
Seeing Bogie coming, Bevis backed up. His legs buckled and he fell backwards to land on his rump and back on the floor.
Without missing a step, Gnarly, another part of Mac’s inheritance, scurried around from where he had moved in to trip Bevis and sat down next to his master. A huge German shepherd with a mind of his own, Gnarly and Mac had a love-hate relationship. When he listened to Mac, or took it upon himself to act in Mac or Archie’s defense, it was love. When he was committing petty larceny, it was hate.
At this moment, it was love. “Watch yourself,” Mac told Bevis, “that first step is a doozy.”
Bevis pointed at the dog whose mouth was hanging open and his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth in what appeared to be a laugh. “He tripped me on purpose.”
Lily offered her hand to help him up. “Really, Bevis, he’s a dog. They aren’t capable of doing things on purpose. What is it with you two? You’ve been paranoid about him ever since you met him?”
“I don’t like the way he looks at me.” He smoothed his hair with both of his hands. “I know he stole my phone.”
“Why would he steal your cell phone?” Lily asked.
When Mac cast a glance in Gnarly’s direction, the dog scurried over to hide behind Archie.
“The sooner we get this started, the sooner we get it over with.” David moved to the door with Bogie directly behind him. Mac, Bevis, and Lily fell in behind them. Archie grasped Gnarly’s collar to hold him inside with her and Florence to watch through the window.
As soon as the media saw David step out of the house, a hush fell over the journalists. Cameras were poised to frame him in their shot when the police chief stepped up to the bank of microphones that they had set up on a makeshift podium in the driveway.
Bevis leaned against the porch railing with his arms folded across his chest. Mac wondered if that smirk on his face ever left it. It seemed to be permanently etched there. Behind him, Lily chewed on her pinky finger.
Bogie, Mac, and two of David’s officers positioned themselves behind the police chief in a show of support when he began his statement:
“Four nights ago, on Wednesday night, twenty-one year old Khloe Everest, accompanied by two friends, went out for an evening of clubbing. During the course of the evening, she had become separated from her friends. Khloe Everest did not make it home. Witnesses have told our investigators that they had seen Khloe parked at a boat launch on Deep Creek Lake. She was seen speaking to a young man. On Thursday morning, her mother, Florence Everett, who was out of town on a business trip, received a phone call from her daughter’s cell phone, in which she was screaming and crying for help during what appeared to be an attack. They were abruptly cut off. Ms. Everest immediately contacted our police department. Since that time, we have been searching for Khloe Everest. All of you have received pictures of Ms. Everest. We are still searching for the young man that she was last seen speaking to on the lake. At this time, I would like to distribute composite pictures of the young man based on witness descriptions.”
“Is he a suspect?” a journalist yelled out.
“Right now, we only want to talk to him,” David said. “He is wanted for questioning.”
“Do you think Khloe’s disappearance is in any way connected to the Amber Houston disappearance and murder in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?” another journalist shouted out. “They are about the same age and disappeared in the same way. Could it be the same killer?”
Another journalist agreed. “Have you checked the dumpsters belonging to motels in the area … like the ones in McHenry?”
“We have examined all possibilities,” David said. “Until we get evidence suggesting otherwise, we’re operating on the assumption that Khloe is alive.”
Over the heads of the journalists, Mac saw a car pull up as far as it could go on the blocked road and turn off to get out of traffic. Squinting, he could see a young dark-haired woman behind the wheel. She fluffed her hair with her hands and checked her lipstick in the rearview mirror before opening the door and sliding out of the driver’s seat.
With a broad grin on her face, she sashayed up the driveway in her high heels and fire engine-red short skirt.
Mac was still trying to find the words to express his surprise when abruptly, Lily screamed, “Khloe!”
It took a full moment for the journalists to react. Cameras followed the line of Lily’s pointing finger to the young woman in the driveway striking a pose for the cameras.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “Has someone been killed?”
While the journalists mobbed the subject of the search, David turned to gaze at Mac in stunned disbelief.
Not only was Khloe Everest alive, but, judging by the glee on her face while posing for the cameras, she was doing extremely well.
Find out what happens next in The Lady Who Cried MurderComing Fall 2013!
Please note: Changes may be made to the excerpt that you have just read during the editing stage of publishing The Lady Who Cried Murder.
About the Author
Lauren Carr
Lauren Carr fell in love with mysteries when her mother read Perry Mason to her at bedtime. The first installment in the Joshua Thornton mysteries, A Small Case of Murder was a finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Award.
A best-selling mystery author on Amazon, Lauren created the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. It’s Murder, My Son, Old Loves Die Hard, and Shades of Murder, and Blast from the Past have been receiving raves from readers and reviewers.
Lauren is also the author of the Lovers in Crime Mysteries, which is located in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, where she grew up. Dead on Ice features prosecutor Joshua Thornton with homicide detective Cameron Gates. The second book in this series, Real Murder will be released January 2014.
The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publisher. In 2013 thirteen titles written by independent authors (not counting Lauren’s own titles) will be released through the management of Acorn Book Services.
A popular speaker, Lauren is frequently asked for advice about how to succeed as an author while running a business, cooking dinner, feeding dogs, and doing laundry. Authors in Bathrobes tells budding writers the truth about what it takes to be a successful writer today: determination, hard work, a dependable laptop, a full pot of coffee, comfy slippers, and a durable bathrobe.
She lives with her husband, son, and two dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Visit Lauren’s websites and blog at:
E-Mail: writerlaurencarr@gmail.com
Website: http://acornbookservices.com/
http://mysterylady.net/
Blog: Literary Wealth: http://literarywealth.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lauren.carr.984991
Gnarly’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/GnarlyofMacFaradayMysteries
Lovers in Crime Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/LoversInCrimeMysteries?ref=ts&fref=ts
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/900970.Lauren_Carr
Twitter: @TheMysteryLadie
Other Lauren Carr Mysteries!
Check Out These Other Highly-Acclaimed Mysteries
The Mac Faraday Mysteries
Click here to view book trailer.
The story takes hold immediately and the reader quickly identifies with Mac. The plot is well done without being overplotted. There are just enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. The climatic confrontation with the killer is good and the wrap up leaves you laughing and feeling good. The writing style is easy and draws the reader in effortlessly. I am looking forward to the next installment!
Reviewer: Ariel Heart, Mystery and My Musings Review
What started out as the worst day of Mac Faraday’s life, would end up being a completely new beginning. After a messy divorce hearing, the last person that Mac wanted to see is another lawyer. Yet, this lawyer looked very unlawyer-like, wearing the expression of a child about to reveal a guarded secret. This secret would reveal Mac as heir to undreamed of fortunes and lead him to Spencer, Maryland, the birthplace of America’s Queen of Mystery, with her millions and an investigation that unfolds like one of her famous mystery novels.
It’s Murder, My Son is Author Lauren Carr’s third mystery novel. Carr’s first novel A Small Case of Murder was named finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Awards. She resides in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, where she lives with her husband and son on a mountaintop. “I love a good mystery,” said Author Lauren Carr. “Growing up in a small community an argument at the corner store can become a murder by dinner. Making the story a reality on paper is a real thrill.”
Behind the gated community in Spencer, Maryland, multi-millionaire Katrina Singleton learns that life in an exclusive community is not all good. She thought her good looks and charm made her untouchable; but, for reasons unknown, a strange man calling himself “Pay Back” begins terrorizing her and her home. When Katrina was found strangled in her lake house, all evidence points to her terrorist, who is nowhere to be found. Three months later the file on Katrina’s murder was still open with only vague speculations from the local police department.
In walks Mac Faraday, sole heir to his unknown birth mother’s home and fortune. Little does he know as he drives his new Dodge Viper up to Spencer Manor that he is driving into a closed gate community that is hiding more suspicious deaths than his DC workload as a homicide detective. With the help of his late mother’s journals and two newfound companions, this recently retired cop puts all his detective skills to work to pick up where the local police have left off to following clues to Katrina’s killer.
Click here to download It’s Murder, My Son, the first installment in the Mac Faraday Mysteries, today!
The fast-paced complex plot brings surprising twists into a storyline that leads Mac and his friends into grave danger. Readers are drawn into Mac’s past, meet his children, and experience the troubling relationships of his former in-laws. New fans will surely look forward to the next installment in this great new series.
Reviewer: Edie Dykeman
Bellaonline Mystery Books Editor
Old Loves Die Hard…and in the worst places.
Retired homicide detective Mac Faraday, heir of the late mystery writer Robin Spencer, is settling nicely into his new life at Spencer Manor when his ex-wife Christine shows up—and she wants him back! Before Mac can send her packing, Christine and her estranged lover are murdered in Mac’s private penthouse suite at the Spencer Inn, the five-star resort built by his ancestors.
The investigation leads to the discovery of cases files for some of Mac’s murder cases in the room of the man responsible for destroying his marriage. Why would his ex-wife’s lover come to Spencer to dig into Mac’s old cases?
With the help of his new friends on Deep Creek Lake, Mac must use all of his detective skills to clear his name and the Spencer Inn’s reputation, before its five-stars—and more bodies—start dropping!
Click here to download Old Loves Die Hard, the second installment in the Mac Faraday Mysteries, today!
Click here to view book trailer.
Lauren Carr could give Agatha Christie a run for her money! This hypnotic page-turner is a whirlwind of romance, murder, and espionage. Lots of creativity went into the unforeseen twists, and culminated in a climactic ending that tied the multi-faceted story into a nice little package. I also appreciated the special attention paid to the animal characters, which were every bit as developed as their human counterparts. This was an absolutely delightful read that is sure to be a hit with mystery readers. I look forward to reading her other books, as I am now a fan!
Reviewer: Charlene Mabie-Gamble, Literary R&R
In Shades of Murder, Mac Faraday is once again the heir to an unbelievable fortune. This time the benefactor is a stolen art collector. But this isn’t just any stolen work-of-art—it’s a masterpiece with a murder attached to it.
Ilysa Ramsay was in the midst of taking the art world by storm. Hours after unveiling her latest masterpiece—she is found dead in her Deep Creek Lake studio—and her painting is nowhere to be found. Almost a decade later, the long lost Ilysa Ramsay masterpiece has found its way into Mac Faraday’s hands and he can’t resist the urge to delve into the case.
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, former JAG lawyer Joshua Thornton agrees to do a favor for the last person he would ever expect to do a favor—a convicted serial killer. The Favor: Solve the one murder wrongly attributed to him.
In Shades of Murder, author Lauren Carr tackles the task of penning two mysteries with two detectives in two different settings and bringing them together to find one killer. “What can I say?” Carr says. “I love mysteries and mystery writing. Two cases are twice the fun.”
In her fifth mystery, Lauren Car brings back her first literary detect
ive while introducing a new one. In Shades of Murder, Joshua Thornton teams up with Cameron Gates, a spunky detective who has reason to believe the young woman listed as the victim of a serial killer was murdered by a copycat. Together, Joshua and Cameron set out to light a flame under the cold case only to find that someone behind the scenes wants the case to remain cold, and is willing to kill to keep it that way.
Click here to download Shades of Murder, the third installment in the Mac Faraday Mysteries, today!
Click Here to View Book Trailer
Carr is a very gifted novelist. Her mystery novels, both the Mac Faraday and Lovers in Crime Series, are phenomenal. Her ability to keep the reader guessing, as well as her plotlines that flow so effortlessly as they work up to the big reveal, always make her novels a fun endeavor, and I look forward to even more of her work as this year unfolds.
Reviewer: Shana Benedict, ABookVacation
In Blast from the Past, Mac Faraday finds himself up to his eyeballs in mobsters and federal agents.
After an attempted hit ends badly with two of his men dead, mobster Tommy Cruze arrives in Spencer, Maryland, to personally supervise the execution of the witness responsible for putting him behind bars—Archie Monday!
Mac Faraday believes he has his work cut out for him in protecting his lady love from one of the most dangerous leaders in organized crime; but when bodies start dropping in his lakeshore resort town of Spencer, Maryland, things may be hotter than even he can handle.
In this fourth installment in the Mac Faraday Mysteries, readers learn more about Archie Monday’s past in a flash—as in a gun fight when the syndicate comes to town. “Readers love to be surprised,” mystery author Lauren Carr says. “In Blast from the Past, they are going to be surprised to discover the secret of Archie Monday’s past, which threatens her and Mac’s future.”