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Only 17 more days until the release of REVENGE!!! Before we get to the sneak peek you’ve all been waiting for, be sure to leave a comment today. In honor of “The Five” in REVENGE, we’re doing everything in fives today! Five commenters will win a copy of the Dangerous Desires box set! Five commenters will receive a copy of my romantic thriller BONE DEEP! AND five commenters will win a copy of my romantic suspense SEE HER DIE! So be sure to comment and to check back tonight for the names of winners! Now, let’s get to REVENGE chapters 3 AND 4!

REVENGE

Chapter 3

   3:40 a.m.

Jess entered the Vestavia Village library and suggested the officer watching over Frances Wallace take a short break. When he’d closed the door behind him, Jess turned to the woman who’d curled up like a cat and fallen asleep in one of the large, comfortable chairs scattered around the book- and magazine-filled room.

Whatever other mischief Frances had gotten herself into during the past twenty-four hours, murder was not among her activities. Jess would lay odds on that. There was, however, no way to prevent viewing her as a person of interest and pursuing the necessary accounting of her movements during the past six or so hours that would clear her. Even Frances would understand that reality. In any event, she had a hell of a lot of explaining to do.

Preferably before Burnett and the mayor got involved in the investigation any more deeply than they already were. That kind of interference always complicated an investigation. Made Jess want to tear out her hair.

She set her bag down and dragged over another chair. As she settled in, Frances opened her eyes and straightened. “Had myself a little nap.” She fanned away the loose strands of hair that had slipped free of her trademark bun and adjusted her blouse. “Did I miss anything?”

With monumental effort, Jess resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “You mean, other than the body down the hall?” Jess shook her head. “You didn’t miss a thing.”

“Well.” Frances cleared her throat and folded her hands in her lap. “I warned you that was coming.”

Somehow, while listening to her sketchy story on the way here, Jess had hoped to discover the victim’s death had been an accident. Maybe he’d tripped and hit his head. It happened. Hundreds of Americans died every year just getting out of bed.

“Yes, ma’am, you sure did.” Jess retrieved her notepad and pencil. “Why don’t you tell me what you were doing before you decided to pay a visit to our murder victim?”

The older woman’s head reared back just a little. “So it was murder?”

“The official ruling will come after the autopsy but the ME has indicated we have a homicide on our hands.”

“Good heavens.” Frances put a hand to her chest. “Am I going to jail? My daughter will never forgive me. It’s a good thing Orson is dead already or this would kill him.”

“Whether you’re going to jail,” Jess assured her, “is entirely dependent upon whether you only threatened to kill Scott Baker in front of about a dozen witnesses.” Frustration puckered Jess’s face, which only irritated her all the more. “For Pete’s sake, you couldn’t have told the man in private that you were going to kill him?”

Fingers twiddling with the collar of her blouse and the antique brooch fastened there, Frances let a hint of trepidation show. “Well, gracious no, Jess. The whole impact would have been lost had there not been any witnesses. I was making a point,” she insisted, as if Jess should understand perfectly what she’d intended.

God, she needed coffee. But going to the dining hall would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire with all the village residents camped out there. “Why don’t you start at the beginning and bring me all the way up to now,” Jess suggested, “and tell me what the point was. While you’re at it, explain this Widows club thing you’ve got going.”

Frances grunted. “We’re going to need to send that nice young man who’s been keeping me company for tea. This might take a while.”

Jess sent Officer Gilliam for tea and coffee before settling her full attention on Frances once more.

“Nine years ago, Orson and I bought into this retirement facility. We paid big money for condos in the building that overlooked the lake. As did a number of our friends, at our urging, I might add.” She visibly struggled to contain the hurt that still lingered with the loss of her life mate. “Many invested their whole life savings. Then two years ago there was a change of command. Out with the old and in with the new. Suddenly we had Scott Baker and a new corporation, Your Life, who cared only for making more money on this investment.”

Anger lit in Jess’s belly. That was something she despised more than most anything else. Those who bullied or took advantage of children and the elderly.

“What steps have they taken to that end?” Jess jotted the names Frances had mentioned.

“They’re constructing a new building between ours and the lake. Stealing our bought-and-paid-for view of nature and giving us a massive brick wall in its place.” Her lips tightened in fury. “Perhaps some would consider that a nonissue but we have the right to the quality of living we were promised. I’ve been spearheading the group of widows fighting the project. That’s all I’m guilty of, Jessie Lee. Beyond a few not-so-pleasant thoughts about Baker and his cronies.”

“Which brings me back to the question,” Jess countered, refusing to allow her adoration for the lady to throw her off her game. “Why were you in his office tonight?”

“I’d just come in from dinner at my daughter’s home. She and I had discussed how Baker was ignoring all our efforts and I was a little worked up.” Frances lifted her chin and said the rest. “I saw his car was still here and I decided to demand some answers. But he was dead.”

Well, there was a truckload of motive. Jesus. “Did you see any other vehicles in the parking lot?” Jess went on, hoping for additional answers that would clear the lady, not make her look guiltier. “Any other persons, even from a distance? Think hard, Frances. Was there anyone else in the parking lot or lobby area? Did you meet another vehicle as you were driving up to the facility?”

Frances opened her mouth and then snapped it shut. She furrowed her brow in thought, then said, “You know, I did meet another car after turning into the entrance.”

Anticipation pumped through Jess. Now they were getting somewhere. “Can you describe the car?”

Her shoulders slumped. “No. Their headlights were on bright. I cursed them all the way to my parking spot.” She shook her head. “I wouldn’t even have recalled that nuisance if you hadn’t asked.”

Jess’s disappointment at not getting a description must have been visible since Frances tacked on, “Get ready for it, Jessie Lee. That’s how it is when you get old. Can’t see, can’t hear. Forget every damned thing. The children you gave everything to are just glad you’re some place like this instead of in their way more than one evening a week.”

Jess’s heart broke just a little. “It’s the same whether a witness is eighteen or eighty, Frances. There’s a lot they forget to mention unless asked specific questions. Why don’t you just relax a few minutes and I’ll be back in a bit.”

 

   4:49 a.m.

As hard as she tried to keep her emotions in check, Jess dabbed at her eyes as she left Frances cuddled up in that same chair with a cup of hot tea. Jess left her cup on the table. The dining hall had run out of regular coffee. The only thing worse than no coffee at all was decaf. She closed the door behind her and gave the waiting officer strict orders not to allow anyone in or out of the library.

Burnett was here and he had sent Jess a text demanding to see her pronto. He couched the string of words with please but that was just code for Don’t make me send someone to get you.

She took a breath and reached for the door that stood between her and the man who’d made love to her only a few hours ago. He was going to let her have it for ignoring his calls all morning.

Wouldn’t be the first time or the last, she suspected.

He was on his cell when she stepped into the room. Whoever was on the other end, he wasn’t making Burnett happy, or maybe it was the other way around. Oblivious to her arrival, Burnett gestured in frustration with his free hand—or more specifically the hand holding a cup of Starbucks coffee. Jess licked her lips in anticipation. Another cup sat on a nearby table. Was that one for her? If it was, that would be an answered prayer. Considering how long she’d kept Burnett waiting, the coffee was no doubt cold but she didn’t care. She seriously needed caffeine.

He snapped a cutting remark at his caller. Something about keeping the investigation low-key for now. Usually unable to control her curiosity, she would try figuring out who was on the other end of that conversation. Not this morning. She had bigger issues with this case. But neither the case nor the promise of Starbucks could prevent the way she studied his every move. He had his back to her and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that side of him. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, and, well, things just got better from there. The elegantly tailored suit accentuated his every asset. Most of them, anyway. There were some that were best admired without any sort of embellishments.

A smile tugged at her lips when she thought of the way his skin smelled. Clean and masculine. He’d always been subtle with his aftershave or cologne. They shared that habit. Give Jess a softly scented lotion any day over perfume.

He ended the call and turned as if he’d suddenly sensed her presence. Her breath hitched. Looking at him head-on had always managed that feat. How could he be more handsome now than he had been as an ambitious senior in high school? His dark hair scarcely showed even a hint of gray. Jess had to get her roots touched up most every month. It was the bane of her existence.

   Not fair.

And how the hell could so much time have passed? They’d known each other since they were kids. God she felt old. Forty-two really sucked so far.

Those blue eyes of his zeroed in on hers. “I called.”

She nodded. “Four times.”

He dropped his cell into his jacket pocket, then bracketed his coffee-free hand at his waist in an authoritative maneuver. All the move did for Jess was point out that, like Sylvia Baron, Burnett always looked expertly put together. Crisp, creamy white shirt and tan trousers topped off with a navy jacket and tie. When he wore that color, those blues eyes of his appeared even more vivid.

“You enjoy ignoring me like that?”

Jess sighed. She could lie but he would know. “Immensely.”

Burnett frowned but he moved on. “Sylvia says this appears to be a homicide.”

“I never had a doubt.” Vaguely she wondered if he’d been speaking so sharply to Sylvia. But mostly she was amazed at how the sound of his voice disrupted her heart’s natural rhythm even now when the topic of conversation was murder. That was something she probably should never say out loud. And just went to show how very much sleep deprivation affected one’s ability to reason and stay on track.

   Get to the point, Jess. “Is SPU keeping this case?”

The hesitation before he answered had her heart thumping for a completely different reason. Her Special Problems Unit often had to go to war with Crimes Against Persons for cases like this. Jess had her own motives for needing to see this one through, but she didn’t want to bring up Frances Wallace just yet. Knowing Burnett, he would insist a conflict of interest existed and the case would go to Deputy Chief Harold Black.

“Harold has his hands full with the Ted Allen situation.”

When a cop went missing, the first assumption was always foul play. Between that and the bomb planted in the department vehicle she had been driving last week, there were lots of questions and endless speculation going around. For example, had her interference in the Lopez case gotten Allen killed? That was one place she had no desire to go at the moment. She had done her job. Still, she hadn’t missed the suspicious glances being cast her way around the department. The clashes between her and Allen were well and widely known.

Yes, he didn’t like her. Yes, she felt no love loss toward him. But making him disappear was not her way of handling departmental rivalry. Otherwise there were a number of others who would go missing as well.

   Not funny, Jess.

Whatever happened, she held no power over Leonardo Lopez and the actions he chose to take.

“It’s certainly nice to be needed,” she said, hopefully diverting the course of the conversation away from another reminder of how she took too many risks. “Why is it that every single time my team is assigned a case of this caliber it’s because Black is busy?”

Burnett gave her that look—the one that warned she was being petty. She was. She waved him off. “Forget I said anything.” She’d gotten in the dig. He’d remember her smart-ass remark next time that same old tug-of-war surfaced. And he would think twice about letting Black have first dibs just to prove her wrong. She knew him like a book. Dan Burnett was all about fair. Fairness and justice. He didn’t like breaking the rules—that wasn’t to say he wouldn’t, but he didn’t like it.

“I need you to tread carefully on this one, Jess,” Burnett continued, ignoring her question entirely but, thankfully, skipping the I’m-worried-about-you spiel. “The victim’s family roots go all the way back to the founding of Birmingham. Try not to offend anyone—especially if his or her name is Baker. He has an older brother who’s a lobbyist in Montgomery and I’d like to keep him on good terms with the department. His support is invaluable.”

If her eyes had rolled any farther back in her head, she would have seen her roots going gray even as she stood there enduring this needless lecture. “I wouldn’t dream of stepping on any toes, especially any important ones.” One month in the department and she had a reputation that ensured her boss felt compelled to give her a talking-to before each case. “Anything else you want to correct about my work before I get back to it?”

His gaze narrowed. “No one who matters can fault your performance on the job, Jess. For your information, Mayor Pratt suggested you were the one he wanted on this case.”

Jess snorted. She cleared her throat and resisted the urge to ask if Pratt had somehow acquired amnesia. Like so many of her colleagues, as well as the brass around here, Pratt didn’t like Jess’s style or her methods. He spent more time complaining about her tactics than the city’s antiestablishment reporters.

“Pratt asked for me?” There had to be a motive she wasn’t going to like.

“I think you’ve shown him what you’re made of,” Burnett said. “He knows no one else will do the job better.”

Okay, this was too over the top to handle with no caffeine. She desperately needed a second wind about now. “Is that Starbucks for me?”

He picked up the cup and passed it to her. “It would still be warm if you hadn’t ignored me when I first arrived thirty-five minutes ago.”

It was warm enough. The strong, rich taste had her stifling a moan. “Thanks.”

He gave her a moment to relish her coffee before starting his interrogations. “What’s the deal with this group of widows Baker was having trouble with?”

He’d been briefed on the statements they’d collected so far. Good. Kept her from having to repeat the whole sordid story. “There’s a group of seven elderly residents who, along with their husbands, who’ve since passed on, bought into the village nine years ago when it was in the development phase.”

Burnett took her by the elbow and guided her toward the chairs. “Let’s sit.”

Did she look that exhausted or was he just being a gentleman? Some of both, she imagined. Actually she was exhausted, so she sat. Waited until he did the same and resumed her story. “The building these ladies signed on for included spacious condos with balconies overlooking the seven-acre lake designed for the property. They’ve all lived happily ever after in their nice condos with their lovely views until the takeover by some money-hungry corporation. Now a new building that will draw in more elderly investors is going up.”

He nodded. “The new building will block that lovely view.”

“Completely. The condos where the widows live are going from prime real estate to nowhere near prime. They’ve demanded construction be stopped or that a generous portion of their initial investments plus interest and so on be refunded.”

“Ouch.” Burnett crossed his legs at the ankles and tried to get more comfortable in the hard plastic chair.

“Since the new building is already sold out, stopping construction would be a financial catastrophe for the corp’s investors.” Didn’t take an accountant or a crystal ball to see that one.

Burnett slowly turned his cup between his fingers. “One of these women publicly threatened Baker. What’s your take on that?”

Jess hoped he didn’t remember the name from when they were kids. “Frances Wallace. Her husband was a distant relative of the George Wallace. Frances comes from old money, just like Baker, so this ongoing war over the new building wasn’t about money. She could have bought a condo in the new building without blinking. She’s fighting for the rights of the other six who used their life savings to buy into the village. They’re being taken advantage of and no one on the board seems to care. It’s a classic scam.”

Not to mention just another example of how bullies were tolerated far too often in today’s society. Kids weren’t the only targets. The elderly were often manipulated, deceived, and pushed around.

“You’ve interviewed her already?”

This was where things got sticky. “I have. I don’t believe she possesses the physical strength to do what the killer did to Baker.”

“What about the others?”

“We’ll get to each one before the day is over, but”—Jess looked him square in the eye—“I’m telling you now that none of these ladies are physically capable of murder in this manner simply by virtue of their advanced ages.” For God’s sake, Frances was the youngest of the seven.

“Could they have pooled their resources and hired someone to do the job?” Burnett shrugged. “Maybe they felt Baker was ultimately responsible for their problem and decided to get him out of the way.”

Jess couldn’t rule out that scenario just yet but Frances would not have been party to that kind of scheme. No way. “I will investigate that possibility. What we should keep in mind are two important facts that are irrefutable. Scott Baker was expecting company. His guest was someone he knew well enough to shut off the surveillance system in anticipation of their arrival, which seems to indicate he didn’t want their meeting documented. Maybe Baker was caving to the widows, and someone with much to gain with the construction of this new building wasn’t happy.”

“His final actions open up a variety of questions and motives,” Burnett suggested.

“He may have been meeting with a lover,” Jess offered. “His own or his wife’s. There may have been trouble with one or more of the board members involved with the corporation. Maybe with the contractor or a media source who’d gotten wind of the trouble with the widows. There are a lot of avenues to explore. I’m starting with the most well known—the ongoing battle with the widows.”

“Keep me in the loop. I don’t want any surprises showing up in the news. There’s already a mob on the street at the property’s boundary.”

Not surprising. Getting the inside story on a murder kept ratings up. Jess stood. She had to get back to work. “Yes, sir.”

Burnett pushed to his feet, his eyes searching hers again. “Do we need to have that talk again?”

“We do not. I’m keeping an eye out for trouble. I’m definitely not taking any risks.” None worth mentioning anyway.

“Until we learn how that bomb got in the car you were using and what the hell happened to Allen, I won’t feel comfortable about your safety or that of any other cop in the department.”

Except he wasn’t hovering over any other cop. Jess had spent the last twenty-four hours chewing on this. She might as well say it. “There is a chance that Allen wanted to get rid of me that badly, isn’t there? He was in the motor pool the day you ordered the Taurus for me.” It was true. Dammit, she hated to think badly of a man who was most likely a victim, probably dead. But it was true. He’d made no bones about his less-than-friendly feelings toward Jess. Would he try to kill her, though? “Maybe he knows he’s caught and he disappeared to avoid the investigation.” Not to mention prison.

“I don’t want to believe one of my own people would go there, but I can’t deny it’s possible,” Burnett admitted.

Jess had been ignoring one theory about why and how Allen had vanished. Birmingham’s former drug and gang kingpins, the Lopez family, had warned that someone inside the department had it in for her. It made sense that Allen, being head of the gang task force and well known to the Lopez family, was the someone they meant. Particularly since he and Jess had butted heads so often. Now that the patriarch of the Lopez family had left Birmingham, had he neutralized the threat to which he’d alluded? Jess had gotten word that she shouldn’t worry about that particular problem anymore. She had an angel de la guarda. A guardian angel, according to Lopez’s messenger.

That was the part that worried her the most. The bomb, Allen’s disappearance, the Lopez business could all be related. But why would Lopez go that far for Jess? Why would he play her guardian angel?

“Maybe Lopez wanted revenge for Allen’s part in the downfall of his family,” she offered.  ”For whatever reason, he may have decided I should get a reprieve.” Except there had been a bomb in the car she was supposed to use…

“Be smart, Jess.” Those blue eyes that had the power to draw her into his arms with a single inviting look showed her the fear and the worry he felt. “Revenge is an ugly business, as you well know. If someone had it in for Allen for his perceived part in tearing apart the Lopez family, they may still have you on that same list. We can’t rule out anything at this point. Lopez could have someone watching you right now.”

“That’s me,” Jess said with a laugh she hoped passed for the real thing, “Miss Popular.”

She doubted she would be so popular after she informed the widows that they were all persons of interest in a murder case.

With no other leads at this time, Jess’s first order of business was to find a way to confirm Frances Wallace and the rest couldn’t possibly have murdered Baker.

That would be a whole lot easier as soon as she found someone with a better motive for wanting the guy dead.

 

 

Chapter 4

   Birmingham Police Department, 10:20 a.m.

“Captain Ted Allen has been officially missing more than seventy-two hours.” Jess paused for a beat before continuing. Guilt tried to intrude but she sent the pointless emotion packing. She wasn’t responsible for the head of BPD’s gang task force going missing. At least she hoped she wasn’t. She exiled theories about guardian angels. “I’ve just spent the past half hour in a closed-door session with Chief of Police Burnett, the mayor, and the other chiefs for a quick update.”

She’d barely gotten back to the office and started her case board on the Baker homicide when she’d gotten the call to report to the conference room. The press was about to be informed about Allen, and Burnett wanted everyone on the same sheet of music.

Jess surveyed her team, that infernal anxiety gnawing at her again. “Our team was not assigned the case but we should press any unique sources we have for information. Check in with your informants. The investigation has zero leads right now. We need something. Every law enforcement agency in the state has been alerted to the situation. We recognize there is a strong likelihood that if Captain Allen did not leave of his own volition, he’s already dead. There has been no demand or contact of any sort related to his disappearance. Be that as it may, until we have a body, this case will be pursued as if he is alive and in imminent danger.”

She braced for the barrage of questions the four members of her team would no doubt raise. She’d heard the water cooler talk. Most everyone thought Allen’s disappearance had something to do with her face-to-face meeting with Leonardo Lopez, the so-called messiah of the MS-13 in LA and the father of the son and daughter who had effectively destroyed each other here in Birmingham mere days ago.

But Jess hadn’t set up that meeting. She had been as surprised as anyone when Lopez sought her out last week as a means to convey his message to the powers that be in the city. He hadn’t sent her that message about having a guardian angel until much later. She kicked the idea out of her head again. There was just no evidence at this time to make that connection.

Still, she recognized how it looked, and human nature had taken its course.

Chad Cook, the lowest-ranking and youngest member of the Special Problems Unit, spoke first. “I guess Black getting the case was a good thing since that leaves us free to focus on the Baker homicide.”

“Deputy Chief Black and Crimes Against Persons will be primary on the Allen case, yes,” Jess confirmed, “but make no mistake, the entire department will be involved in finding one of our own. This is not a competition. Keep that in mind, please.” Jess hoped no one in the room noted her lack of conviction in that last statement. Finding the bad guys was always a competition, starting with who got the case.

“Are you a suspect in the captain’s disappearance, Chief Harris?”

Jess expected no less from Lieutenant Valerie Prescott. She might not overcome her frustration of being passed over for SPU’s deputy chief in this lifetime, which inevitably meant that she would remain a thorn in Jess’s side. Which was also another reason Jess didn’t trust the woman one little bit. Two years older than Jess, Prescott was every bit as ambitious as her. She disliked her new boss and had no problem telling the world.

During the silence that followed the blunt question, the other members of SPU, Sergeant Chet Harper, Detective Lori Wells, and Officer Chad Cook, gave Prescott the evil eye. At least the majority of Jess’s small but skilled team respected and liked her. Unfortunately that reality didn’t make the lieutenant’s question any less relevant.

“I would be surprised if I wasn’t considered a person of interest,” Jess admitted. “But it won’t be because Captain Allen had issues with the way I handled my end of the Lopez case or that he made those issues abundantly clear. Our close involvement in the Lopez case will be thoroughly investigated, as will that of numerous other detectives and federal agents. That’s investigation one-oh-one, Lieutenant.”

“I haven’t heard any rumors of trouble in his personal life,” Harper commented, redirecting the conversation. “No marital or financial problems.”

“His record at BPD has been exceptional,” Jess added, thankful to be moving in the proper direction. Captain Allen’s visit to the motor pool, just before Jess picked up the explosive Taurus, was known only by the few, like Chief Black, involved directly with the investigation into his disappearance. Until there was solid evidence Allen had crossed the line, that was the way it would stay.

Detective Lori Wells twisted in her chair. “What about you, Valerie?” she said to Prescott, who was her superior in rank, but the younger woman didn’t seem to care. Lori and Jess had bonded too deeply not to call each other good friends, off and on the job. “Are you a person of interest, considering you were Allen’s link to the scuttlebutt where Chief Harris is concerned? The way I hear it, you kept him informed of the chief’s every move where Lopez was concerned.”

Though she appreciated Lori’s support, this wasn’t the time. Jess held up a hand before Prescott could utter what would no doubt be a frosty comeback if the icy glare pointed at Lori was any indication. “Let’s get back to the case board and what we have so far on Scott Baker. I just wanted y’all to know what’s going on. And now”—she squared her shoulders—“you know. So, let’s move on.”

“Baker was only twenty-seven when he was selected to be administrator of Vestavia Village,” Harper said. “That’s a little young, so I did some asking around and it seems he has a friend of the family, a retired army general, on the board who ensured he was chosen for the position before the sellout to Your Life.”

“The Baker family,” Lori Wells picked up where Harper left off, “required the victim and all three of his brothers to obtain an MBA and then to work in the private sector for at least three years and to reach the age of thirty before receiving their trust funds. Scott was set to receive his in less than one week.”

“I guess Daddy wanted to make sure his sons knew how to work for a living.” Seemed to Jess that more parents should do the same before turning over their money to their offspring.

“Makes you wonder how badly his wife wanted full access to that trust fund,” Prescott suggested.

“Good point,” Jess acknowledged. She wanted Prescott to be a part of this team. Mostly she wanted the woman to get over the fact that she didn’t get the job and that Jess was her boss, for better or worse. “How much is this trust fund? And does the wife get it or does it go back into trust for their son?”

“Ten million,” Lori said. “I’ll have to find out where it goes now.” She made a note in her phone.

“Ten million is a lot of motive,” Chad Cook said.

“By anyone’s standards,” Jess agreed. “Where are we on the statements from the other six widows and Claire Warren?”

“Cook and I have two more scheduled this afternoon,” Prescott said. “Those two were out of town for a long weekend.”

“We asked what questions we could by phone,” Cook added. “The important stuff, you know. Just to be sure they didn’t go changing their stories after talking to anyone else.”

“Excellent strategy. I’m certain the first thing both did as soon as you spoke with them was to call their fellow widows.”

“I interviewed Ms. Warren when she arrived at the Village this morning,” Prescott noted. “She’s been the dining room director since the Village opened. Her statement is a carbon copy of Foster’s and Brewer’s. She heard Frances Wallace say something to the effect that she would see Baker dead before she would allow him to get away with the new construction.”

“I can’t see those ladies taking Baker down that way,” Harper countered. “He was a young guy in good physical condition. His secretary said he played racquetball twice a week and ran three or four miles every day. He was strong. It took a hell of a blow to take him off his feet and keep him down.”

“And a sudden, lighting-fast move,” Lori tossed out. “Baker had no defensive wounds. He didn’t try and deflect the blow. He obviously wasn’t expecting it.”

“It may have taken two blows to put him down for good,” Jess noted, remembering the way the gash in his temple looked. “The first one may have rattled him enough that he didn’t have time to react before the second blow landed.”

“Doesn’t sound like one of the widows,” Harper reiterated. “These ladies are seventy-five and beyond.”

Jess studied the images Lori had printed from the ladies’ Facebook pages. According to Lori, everyone had a Facebook page these days. Jess didn’t mention that she didn’t have one. She was way behind on social media. Who had time? Her attention settled lastly on the photo of the face she knew so well. Frances Wallace. She’d asked Jess if she needed a lawyer. The only answer she could give was yes. Though Jess was convinced of her innocence, this situation could get complicated fast.

“They all have alibis.” Lori cleared her throat. “Except Ms. Wallace.”

“Ms. Wallace has an alibi up until nine-fifteen,” Jess countered. “Between nine-fifteen and ten o’clock, she arrived on the property where she met another vehicle departing. She couldn’t hazard a guess at the kind of vehicle since the headlights blinded her.”

The silence that lingered signaled that everyone present understood Frances Wallace was a sensitive spot for Jess.

“Despite the concept,” Jess said, getting past the awkward moment, “that these elderly women likely don’t possess the physical prowess to have killed Baker, as Sergeant Harper pointed out, we can’t overlook the possibility that they banded together and hired someone to do the job for them.”

“I can explore that avenue,” Prescott piped up. “I worked a case last year where a wife hired a professional to have her husband murdered. I did a good bit of research that could come in handy.”

Jess was impressed with Prescott’s sudden team spirit, if not convinced of her allegiance. “Since you and Officer Cook are interviewing the widows, I’ll leave the follow-up on that scenario to the two of you as well.”

Prescott looked pleased with herself.

As much as she would like to assume this was a fresh start for her and Prescott, Jess still had reservations. “Sergeant Harper, dissect Baker’s personal life. Find me a motive for murder. Someone out there wanted Scott Baker dead. We need to know who had a compelling enough reason to make it happen when the opportunity presented itself. We can assume since the murder weapon was most likely the Administrator of the Year trophy that the killer didn’t come to Baker’s office planning to kill him.”

“Unless,” Prescott argued, “the killer had been there before and knew the trophy would do the trick.”

“Valid point.” Jess couldn’t dismiss her reasoning. The woman was on the ball this morning. “We do know the killer was in all likelihood right-handed. I’m hoping the feedback we get from the coroner’s office can tell us if the killer was shorter or taller than the victim. If we’re really lucky, trace evidence from a handshake or embrace will be found and can provide something more to go on.”

“I can follow up with the lab,” Lori offered. “See if I can prod some faster results.”

Jess flashed her a smile. “All right, then. Officer Cook, you’ll continue to assist the lieutenant. I’ll go back to Vestavia Village and poke around.”

When everyone else had gone, Lori asked, “You reinterviewing some of the residents?”

Jess shook her head. “Nope. You and I are going to see the body and talk to Dr. Baron.”

Lori dug her keys from her purse. “You worried Prescott’s still keeping tabs on you for some reason?”

“Without a doubt.” Jess reached for her bag. “We both know that’s how Captain Allen knew my every move during the Lopez case.” That bad feeling she got every time she thought of the man scrambled up her spine. “And look what happened to him.”

“You better watch out,” Lori teased. “That could be construed as a confession.”

Jess decided to get the real confession part over with. “If I went with my gut instinct, I’d have to say that whatever happened to him just might be related to me or something I did. I don’t know what it is or how it connects to anything. But that guardian angel message from Lopez keeps nagging at me.” Another knot tied deep in her belly. “I don’t like that feeling one little bit.”

 

   Jefferson County Coroner’s Office, 11:39 a.m.

An autopsy, even a partial one, was an excellent tool for an investigator. Oftentimes it was the results of the tests conducted by medical examiners that turned around a case going nowhere or, worse, in the wrong direction. Jess was banking on the story Scott Baker’s body could tell to help clear Frances and point them in the direction of the real killer.

Baker lay on the cold steel table, his arms at his sides, his naked body a somber gray. Before this day was over, every inch of him would be tested in one way or another. The tiniest speck of trace evidence could make the difference in finding the identity of his murderer.

“The CT scan revealed depressed fractures right here.” Sylvia Baron indicated his left temple where the visible gashes were located. “His attacker hit just the right spot and he hit it hard. Two distinct blows. The first may have knocked the victim off his feet, but it was the second one that got the artery and caused a massive bleed. The worst I’ve seen that didn’t involve a vehicle or a bullet.”

Judging by the visible tissue injury, Jess would have thought he’d have had a concussion, a bad headache and little more. Unfortunately, Mr. Baker hadn’t been so lucky. But Sylvia’s conclusions confirmed the theory that Frances Wallace couldn’t have been the one wielding the murder weapon.

“It’s rare,” Sylvia continued, “but I’d say he was dead in under five minutes. The good news is he may have died happy.” Her lips quirked. “There were significant traces of semen and vaginal fluid in his boxers.”

So Frances Wallace wasn’t the only female visitor to show up at Scott Baker’s office on the night of his murder. “No wonder he turned this surveillance system off.”

“When the cat’s away the rat will play,” Sylvia said with a sour glance at the victim.

Couldn’t exactly blame her. She’d lost her husband of ten years to another woman.

“Too early for any toxicology?” Jess knew better than to ask but she couldn’t help herself and it felt like a good way to move on from Baker’s indiscretions.

“Just the BAT,” Sylvia offered. “Point-oh-five. Under the legal limit of intoxication for operating a vehicle but the man definitely had a drink before that wallop to the side of his head. Which didn’t help his survival odds. Apparently it didn’t help his morals either.”

“There was no alcohol in the office or in his car.” Jess resisted the urge to frown and add to the wrinkle population already residing on her face. “I guess the killer opted not to leave that behind.”

“He did, however”—Sylvia indicated the gash in Baker’s temple again—“leave you the murder weapon.”

“The trophy?” Jess had thought as much.

Sylvia nodded. “I spoke with the detective overseeing the analysis at the lab. Whoever cleaned the trophy last used a wood polish on or near the base. It sat on the desk—maybe the polish came from the desk.” She smiled. “There’s just no way to think of every little possibility when you’re trying to commit the perfect murder, especially if one’s thought processes are still hazy after orgasm. At any rate, the desk was cleaned recently and furniture polish was used liberally. Maybe the killer missed one of his or her prints as well in the wipe-down. The lab’s still working on that aspect.”

“There’s always one more thing the killer should have thought of,” Jess agreed.

“I don’t want to get your hopes up,” Sylvia went on, “but a trace of the victim’s blood was discovered between the marble base of the trophy and the miniature brass statue of a businessman. So the wipe-down wasn’t as thorough as the killer likely intended.”

“Sounds less and less like a professional job.” In Jess’s opinion, the killer didn’t have murder on his–or her–mind when he walked into Baker’s office. Just another reason to rule out the widows’ involvement in any capacity.

The key to this case was finding out who had reason to want or need Baker out of the way. Every act of violence was prompted by motive. Motives were rooted in emotion. Emotions ensured mistakes. It was a no-win situation for the killer.

All Jess had to do was find the motive and the mistakes. It looked as if she had a new avenue. Infidelity.

“And more like Baker pissed off the wrong person,” Sylvia agreed. “A person shorter than him, by the way. The angle of the blow appears to have come from an upward slant.”

That might not be as significant as she’d hoped since the victim was over six feet. Lots of folks, female and male, would be shorter than him. “All I need now is a usable print or DNA sample and I can set out just like the prince in Cinderella to find who it belongs to,” Jess said, only half kidding. That was the thing about DNA evidence and even prints—there had to be something to compare that kind of evidence to. If there wasn’t a match in one of the many criminal databases, then she had to pound the pavement and find it.

“There’s something else.”

Jess’s instincts perked up.

Sylvia drew back the sheet and tapped Baker’s right hip. “I have no idea what it means. Some fraternities have symbols but this isn’t one I’ve seen before.”

The tattoo was a set of five small circles intertwined with a number five in the center. The ink was black, faded a little as if he’d had it for a while. “Looks like a brand.” Jess met the doctor’s gaze. “The way ranchers mark their livestock. Maybe it’s a family thing.” But Baker had only three siblings, not four. Jess studied the tattoo a moment longer. “No gang or business affiliation I recognize.” She fished for her cell and snapped a picture.

“I looked it up,” Sylvia told her. “It’s a Celtic five knot. Represents earth, wind, fire, water, unity.” She surveyed the victim. “For now that’s all I can give you.”

“I appreciate it.” Jess readied to head out. “How’s Leslie working out?” Leslie Chambers was the teenage sister of the key witness in the homicide case Jess had worked last week. Sylvia had pretty much taken the two kids under her wing. She was funding Leslie’s college and the younger brother’s attendance at a private school for autistic children. Sylvia had also gotten the girl an internship here at the coroner’s office. The lady had truly gone above and beyond.

“She’s a fast learner and a hard worker.” Sylvia tidied the sheet on the victim. “She’s a terrific kid.”

“She’s lucky to have made such a good friend.” Jess didn’t expect the other woman to acknowledge the compliment. For a woman who seemed so arrogant and full of herself, Sylvia Baron didn’t take real compliments well.

Before Jess was out the door, the ME called after her, “My family has their annual Labor Day barbeque coming up. Check your schedule—if you don’t have plans already, you should come. Bring Dan along.”

Jess hoped her surprise wasn’t showing. “I’ll let you know.”

So maybe they were friends, or at the very least on the road to becoming friends. The jury was still out.

Jess caught up with Lori in the long corridor outside the autopsy room, and the detective tucked her phone into the pocket of her trousers and gave Jess a look that warned she wasn’t going to like the news.

Before Jess got any more bad news—she’d had more than her share last week—she needed to pass along a revelation of her own. “Let Harper know that Baker was definitely having an affair.” Harper was digging around in the victim’s personal life. This news would give him a direction. “And our perp is in all probability shorter than the victim.”

“Okay.” Lori sent the text, then settled her attention back on Jess. “That was the chief.”

Jess expected as much. She didn’t have to check her phone to know he’d called her as well. She’d seen the missed call when she snapped the picture of Baker’s tattoo. “Do I want to know?”

“He needs you in his office. Now.”

Which meant one of two things: either the mayor wanted her reassurance that she would have the Baker case solved ASAP or they had found Captain Allen’s body buried in her backyard.

Since she hadn’t harmed a hair on the man’s head much less planted him anywhere, it had to be about the Baker case.

She hoped.

 

Don’t forget to leave your comment if you want a chance to win! Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next Friday for more REVENGE!!

Best,

Deb

REVENGE is Coming! There will be winners!

Only 24 more days until the release of REVENGE!!! Before we get to the sneak peek you’ve all been waiting for, be sure to leave a comment today. The first ten commenters will win a digital copy of the Dangerous Desires box set! Also, five randomly selected commenters will receive a digital copy of my romantic thriller BONE DEEP! So be sure to comment! Now, let’s get to REVENGE!

 

REVENGE

By

Debra Webb

 

Revenge…its delight is murder, and its end is despair.

~Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller

 

1

 

9911 Conroy Road, Monday, August 9, 10:45 p.m.

The room went as black as a tomb.

“Oh, shoot.” Jess Harris heaved a beleaguered sigh. She tossed the now useless hair dryer onto the bed. This was the second night in a row the power had gone out on her. “One of the perks of living in a historic—aka old—home,” she muttered.

Reaching forward into the darkness to prevent any collisions, she shuffled across the room. She hadn’t been here a week and small as the place was she still didn’t know it by heart. In her defense she was hardly ever home. A cop’s life was rarely calm or routine.

Where the hell had she left that flashlight her landlord had given her? By the kitchen sink? On the table? Wait…she squinted—trying her best to see as her eyes focused in the darkness. Maybe she’d stuck it out of the way on top of the fridge. One of these days she had to get organized.

Deciding the vintage appliance was the most likely place she felt her way there and ran her hand as far back and over the top as she could reach. A smile of triumph slid across her lips as her fingers closed around the plastic flashlight.

She nudged the switch with her thumb and a beam of light cut through the blackness. Some of the tension bunching her shoulders ebbed. “Hallelujah.”

Now what?

At this hour chances were Mr. Louis, her landlord, was in bed. It wasn’t as if she really needed the lights back on since she’d planned to hit the sack herself as soon as her hair was dry. Jess ran a hand through the still damp ringlets. But, she did have food in the fridge that needed to be kept cold. Besides, this was the second time that breaker had gotten thrown by her hair dryer. According to Mr. Louis that wasn’t supposed to happen. He’d promised to call an electrician today. She’d gotten home late so there’d been no opportunity to ask him if the problem was fixed.

“Obviously not,” she muttered as she tapped her thigh with the flashlight sending its beam back and forth over the wood floor. “Well, hell.” No use standing around here putting off the inevitable.

There was just no way around it. She’d have to go down to the garage and take care of the breaker herself. Resetting the damned thing wasn’t a big deal. Not really. After getting Dan out the door last night, she’d hurried through a shower and switched on her hair dryer and poof the lights had gone out—just like tonight. Thankfully her landlord had still been puttering around in his kitchen then so she’d knocked on his door.

He’d explained that her apartment and the garage were on a subpanel, which also clarified why there was no service disruption in the main house when her lights went out. Inside the garage last night, she’d carefully watched him reset the breaker and even remembered which one it was. Fourth from the top.

“Easy as pie.”  Jess shoved her cell phone into the pocket of her worn-comfortable robe and strode to the door. She could do this without bothering her elderly landlord.

On the deck outside her door, she verified that Mr. Louis’s house was indeed dark before descending the stairs. She hoped the garage side door wasn’t locked. That could be a problem. Dammit. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. People generally locked all doors at night. Then she’d have no choice but to pester her landlord.

“Don’t borrow trouble, Jess.”

At the garage’s side door the knob turned without resistance and she was in. Thank the Lord. She roved the flashlight’s beam over the cavernous space to get her bearings. Smelled like wood shavings and vaguely of oil. Last night she hadn’t really noticed. She’d been too focused on how to get the power back on in her place. This go around her curiosity got the better of her.

There was just one vehicle in the garage, a classic black Cadillac Eldorado. That she had spotted last night. The car fit the man, she decided. The thought of Mr. Louis and his horn-rimmed glasses behind the wheel of that big, formidable looking automobile reminded her of a character straight out of The Sopranos. Like the money man or the bookie.

Along the back wall a workbench and stack of wood in varying sizes awaited the next DIY project. Exposed stone walls were lined with shelves on the other two sides, all were neatly organized with cans of paint and tools. The brush lying across the top of a can of white paint had her remembering and wondering about her landlord’s sudden decision to freshen the door to her apartment the other evening. She should ask him about that. Not that it really mattered at this point to the homicide case she had just closed but he needed to understand that in her line of work sometimes trouble followed her home. And if some jerk decided to leave her a personal message it was essential that she see it—all of it, no matter how unpleasant—before it was whitewashed.

The sooner she made that point clear to him the better. Maybe tomorrow when she spoke to him about the electrician.

Jess padded across the rough concrete floor and settled the light on the gray metal door of the breaker box. She opened it and sure enough breaker number four from the top had jumped into the off position. Might not technically be considered off but it was off as far as Jess was concerned.

“So you don’t like my hair dryer, is that it?” She reached up and snapped the breaker into the on position. She watched for a moment to ensure it wasn’t going to repeat its unruly behavior. When the breaker remained in the proper position she closed the door to the box and turned to go. She stubbed her toes and cringed.

“Damn, damn, damn!” She hopped on one foot while she stretched the injured toes. Aiming her flashlight at the offending object, she glared at the large wooden box. Looked like a homemade toolbox or storage container. Another of her landlord’s little projects. The man appeared to be building, patching or painting something every waking hour. If she was that bored when she got old she hoped someone took pity and gave her cold cases to analyze—anything to keep away from power tools and paint brushes.

Something on the floor just left of the annoying box warranted a second look. The floor was uneven, not smooth at all. Looked as if it had been poured in sections in different decades. But the small round object that snagged her attention glittered in the light…silver. Jess leaned down and picked it up. A ring. Not just a ring…a wedding band.

She couldn’t read the inscription since her glasses were upstairs. The ring made her think of the one she had stopped wearing recently, only this one was larger, a man’s maybe, and hers had been gold—

The garage filled with flickering lights.

Her breath stalled somewhere in the vicinity of her throat and she squinted at the flood of harsh fluorescent glare.

“Is there a problem, Chief Harris?”

Mr. Louis, her inordinately patient landlord, waited at the door she’d entered and left standing wide open maybe two minutes ago.

Uh oh. Busted. So much for not troubling the man. It was a wonder he hadn’t barged in toting a twenty-gauge. This was Alabama. Folks took three things very seriously: religion, football, and the right to bear arms. Not necessarily in that order.

Jess shoved her hand, along with the ring, into her robe pocket. “Just that breaker again.” She smiled, knowing damned well she must look as guilty as sin. “I should’ve known better than to use my hair dryer until I checked with you. I hope I didn’t disturb you.” She gestured to the breaker box. “I thought I’d try to take care of it myself this time. It’s so late and all.” She clicked off the flashlight and waited for a reaction. He didn’t exactly look angry. Maybe frustrated or unsettled.

“The electrician will be here in the morning.” His lips shifted into a smile, banishing the less pleasant expression he’d been wearing. “I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“No trouble.” Truth was she felt like a nosy Nellie. This man had kindly offered his garage apartment when she had no other place to go—besides her sister’s and that was just not doable for a whole host of reasons—and here she was treating him as if he were a suspect. Dan’s paranoia about her renting from a stranger was evidently rubbing off on her.

No, that wasn’t fair. She couldn’t really blame it on Dan. She’d always overanalyzed people and situations. She walked straight up to her landlord and held out the ring. “I found this on the floor.”

He accepted the band, turned it over in the light. “Why, thank you. I’d wondered where it had gotten off to.”

She wasn’t about to ask the questions pinging at her and have him recognizing that she really was nosy in addition to a pain in the butt with her comings and goings at all hours of the night and day. A certain level of nosiness came naturally after twenty years in the business of criminal investigation, but he might not understand or appreciate that undeniable and sometimes bothersome fact.

Before she could apologize again for the trouble he said, “You have company.”

At this hour? Surely Dan hadn’t come back. He’d taken her to dinner earlier this evening and they’d discussed the ongoing investigation into the bomb that had been planted in the BPD vehicle she’d used last week. They’d gone over the business about Captain Ted Allen. The head of BPD’s gang task force had been missing for going on seventy-two hours now. The close timing of the vehicle tampering and a cop going missing and everyone on edge. Especially since the missing cop had been seen in the vicinity of the vehicle in question before going AWOL. She booted the idea that a fellow cop could want to get even with her that badly. The fact that she’d had a rather tense conversation with Allen the last time she saw him was amping up her guilt factor. It shouldn’t dammit. Barging into his investigation into the Lopez family drug business here in Birmingham had been the right thing to do.

Don’t think about it, Jess.

“Company?” She started for the door where Louis waited. “Must be police business.” It had better be. Knowing Dan he’ returned with one more reason she should be wearing full body armor at all times or hiding behind him.

The man took overprotective to a whole new level particularly with the bomb scare and Allen’s abrupt disappearance.

He really had to get past this obsessive need to see after her every minute. Soon! If he was at her door again she was going to give him what for. For heaven’s sake it was Monday and they were having enough difficulty already leaving their personal relationship with the weekend. That was the deal they made when she accepted this position. During the workweek he was the chief of police and she was one of his deputies. No exceptions.

She’d been back a month and that rule had gotten broken with tonight’s dinner and dessert that segued into getting naked afterwards.

God, she had to get this mess that was her personal life in some sort of order.

Starting right now, she promised herself silently.

One way or another she was going to get the message that she could take care of herself through to Dan.

“Sorry again,” she said to Louis. “I’m sure you weren’t expecting all this middle of the night activity when you offered to rent the apartment to me.”

“Your presence keeps life interesting, Chief Harris.” With that he stepped aside for her to exit the garage.

“You should call me Jess,” she suggested. It was silly for them to be so formal considering she was living on his property.

He ducked his head in one of those shy nods she’d come to associate with the older gentleman. “Of course and you should call me George.”

“Well, George, thank you and good night.” Jess gave him a nod as she walked past him.

“Good night, Jess,” he called after her.

She almost paused and turned around at the way he said her name. Familiar almost, like they’d known each other for a long time. Instead she kept going, slowing only to check the driveway. He was right about her having company but thank God it wasn’t Dan.

A white sedan she didn’t recognize sat in the drive behind her Audi. The slightest inkling of trepidation trickled through her veins as she rounded the rear corner of the garage and peered up at the top of the stairs leading to her apartment. The light outside her door illuminated a woman who knocked firmly, most likely not for the first time. She wore khaki slacks and a matching blouse. Her gray hair was tucked into a neat bun. Her bearing looked vaguely familiar. As Jess watched the woman reached up and knocked again.

“Hello,” Jess called as she started up the stairs.

Her visitor turned toward the sound of Jess’s voice and recognition jarred her.

“Ms. Frances?” Oh all the people… “Is that really you?”

Frances Wallace had been Jess’s ninth grade English teacher. She was unquestionably the only reason Jess didn’t quit school the day she turned sixteen. In truth the woman had been the closest thing to a mother in Jess’s life since she was ten. What in the world was she doing here? Jess hadn’t seen her in ages. She hated to admit it but she hadn’t even been sure the woman was still alive.

Yet, here she was.

“The one and only,” Frances confessed. “I’ve been following the news about you since you returned to Birmingham,” Frances announced as Jess climbed the final step. “You always did do things with panache, young lady.”

It had also been ages since anyone had called Jess a young lady. She liked the sound of that. “I had an excellent teacher.”

Frances Wallace was a genuine character. No one got anything over on her and she did everything—including her teaching—exactly the way she wanted, the rules be damned.

For one long moment Jess got so caught up in the memories she lost all sense of decorum. “Come in, Ms. Frances. Please.”

She opened the door and ushered her former teacher inside. “Have a seat.” She gestured to the new-old sofa she’d discovered at a thrift store on Saturday. “Would you like coffee?” She should have had wine to offer but she and Dan had finished it off before getting naked. A flush of embarrassment went through her at the idea of even thinking about sex in front of Ms. Frances.

Her former teacher took a moment to survey the apartment. Jess felt that same heat rise in her cheeks as her gaze lit on the tousled sheets of the bed.

“I’m still getting organized—”

Frances turned to Jess then, the unabashed fear on her face stole the rest of what Jess was about to say.

Without a word of explanation Frances drew her into a fierce hug. “I need your help, Jess,” she whispered with the same ferocity as her embrace. “I think I’m about to be charged with murder.”

 

2

 

Vestavia Village, Tuesday, August 10, 2:01 a.m.

Despite the lack of lights and sirens, within half an hour of the police’s arrival, the residents of Vestavia Village were gathering in the food court for complimentary coffee and the promise of a briefing. Excited chatter and curious stares accompanied their meandering path through the solarium that served as a lobby. Not a single member of the geriatric crowd paid the slightest bit of attention to Jess and her team. They were far too busy attempting to get a glimpse of the body.

Word had already spread that someone was dead.

Jess couldn’t exactly fault their curiosity. These folks had lots of time on their hands, and the fact was no one was more curious about the dead than her. Maybe because her parents died when she was so young. Jess didn’t really remember when her interest was stirred but that morbid curiosity made her very good at her job. She turned back to resume her survey of the crime scene.

They’d cordoned off an area that extended along the corridor leading from the solarium to the offices of the administrator and his staff up to and including the main entrance of the facility. With two ways to reach the administrator’s office—via the main entrance and the solarium lobby—it was necessary to protect both until any evidence was recovered.

The timing of the call from dispatch, not fifteen minutes after Frances whispered her stunning announcement in Jess’s ear, would have been freaky bizarre except that impeccable timing had always been another of her favorite teacher’s notable attributes. The man Frances suspected she would be accused of murdering was indeed dead. Which was no coincidence since Frances had found Scott Baker that way before rushing across town to pay Jess an impromptu visit.

Further proof that Jess drew killers like bees to honey, except Frances Wallace was no killer. Her explanation of tonight’s events was a little scattered and a lot thin but Jess had gotten the gist of things. Even at seventy-five, the woman wasn’t going to be hoodwinked by some whippersnapper—said whippersnapper was, unfortunately, the murder victim.

Since her options were limited, Jess had brought Frances to the crime scene with her. She was ensconced in the library in the company of one of Birmingham PD’s finest. Not that she was going anywhere, but Jess had no intention of letting her talk to anyone else until she got to the bottom of exactly what had transpired.

The janitors who found the victim and called 911 were sequestered to a staff lounge on the east end of the building where Detective Lori Wells was taking statements. The crime scene unit techs had arrived and were documenting and gathering evidence in and around the primary scene. Lieutenant Valerie Prescott was monitoring that activity while Officer Chad Cook wandered amid the residents in the dining hall. His job was to take note of anyone who appeared nervous or visibly out of sorts and who was under the age of ninety. BPD uniforms were searching the grounds. The deputy administrator of the senior living facility had arrived and was waiting to give his statement as well. Jess had given him a few minutes to get the residents settled.

Someone from the coroner’s office was en route. Wouldn’t bother Jess one bit if Sylvia Baron got the case. The snarky doctor was spot on in her assessments, and…Jess was curious about her—or more precisely her sister, a former Mrs. Daniel Burnett. And, if she were completely honest with herself, Jess kind of liked Sylvia. They were friends…sort of.

“Chief,” Sergeant Chet Harper said, drawing her attention back to the reason she was here. “According to his personal secretary, the victim remained in his office last night after she and the rest of the staff left for the evening. No meetings were scheduled and, to her knowledge, he wasn’t expecting any visitors. She says it’s not unusual for him to work late.”

“So,” Jess said, following Harper along the corridor that led back to the administrator’s office, “between half past five and quarter to eleven, Baker was here alone except for a visit from the Grim Reaper. The janitors came in to clean the office and found his body. Called nine-one-one. And here we are. Anything on the surveillance cameras?”

The question she kept to herself was: Is a little gray-haired lady showcased in any of the footage?

Harper shook his head. “The surveillance system is digital and motion activated. It generally runs twenty-four-seven, which would’ve shown anyone entering or exiting the facility. But the system was turned off just before six last night. Pete Clemmons, the deputy administrator, insists that only Baker could have done that. Not even Clemmons has the code. And no one outside the security company has the ability to delete stored data in the system.”

Jess crossed the threshold into the administrator’s office for the second time since her arrival. The forensic folks couldn’t finish up in here until after the coroner’s office had done their thing.

The body lay on the floor in front of the broad mahogany desk. That he was in front of the desk rather than behind it suggested to Jess that he’d been engaged in intimate conversation with his visitor. Scott Baker’s suit jacket hung on a bronze coat rack in the corner near the door. The white shirt and navy trousers showed a day’s wear. A small pattern of blood splatter soiled the left shoulder of his shirt. His striped tie and the first two buttons of his shirt were loosened as if he’d had reason to be exasperated or maybe he’d had a long day. Possibly his visitor may have pumped up his frustration level.

Baker’s dark hair was matted on the left side of his head where it appeared two violent blows to the temple area had taken him down. Probable fractures and certainly internal hemorrhaging had ensured he didn’t get back up.

The scenario that he had tripped and fallen went out the window pretty quickly as far as Jess was concerned. The desk—and the table, flanked by two chairs—was clean of blood and tissue that would surely have been left behind had he hit his head there. Nope, Scott Baker had not accidentally gotten that lethal injury. His most likely right-handed visitor had given him a hell of a wallop upside the head, then another for good measure, before walking away.

The victim had been dead a few hours. Rigor had a good start. Jess eased into a crouch to get a better look at the damage to his temple area. “Did you find anything that might have been the murder weapon, Sergeant?”

“If it’s still in this room,” Harper offered, “it’s been wiped.”

Jess pushed to her feet and mentally inventoried the potential weapons. A crystal paperweight was too roundish to have caused the gouges in the scalp. The stacks of manila folders may have given the man a headache but they hadn’t killed him. Framed photos of a young wife and son weren’t heavy enough. Besides, a blow like that would have broken the glass. With gloved hands, she lifted and gauged the weight of an Administrator of the Year Award.

“This feels solid enough.” Jess studied the marble base. Like Harper said, no sign of blood or tissue but the sharp corners would have done the trick. She squatted next to the victim again and had another look at his wounds. “The corner of this base could be it.” If the killer hadn’t taken the murder weapon with him.

“I’ll have one of the techs bag it as soon as the ME has a look,” Harper agreed.

Jess settled the trophy on the desk and dusted her gloved hands together as if that aspect of her work was done. Notification of next of kin was still a no-go. According to the deputy administrator, Baker’s wife and son were down in Mobile for a final getaway before school started. That would need to be confirmed to clear the spouse.

Jess moved around behind the desk and opened drawer after drawer. More files. Sharpened pencils and a stash of peppermints. Her attention returned to the framed photos. Young, beautiful family. She’d checked his wallet and driver’s license. The man lived in one of Birmingham’s wealthiest neighborhoods. The car keys in his pocket belonged to a Jaguar that was parked in his slot out front. The school uniform the young son wore in one of the photos told Jess he attended Birmingham’s most prestigious academy.

However good life was for Scott Baker and his family, someone had wanted him dead and that someone had managed to get the job done. In light of the after-hours timing and the shutting down of the surveillance part of the security system, Baker had not only known his final visitor quite well, he’d also been anticipating the visit. Could be a village resident? Frances Wallace’s image taunted her. She couldn’t have done this. Sure would have made Jess’s job a lot easier if that video surveillance had been left on.

“Why in the world did you turn off the video surveillance, Mr. Baker?”

“If he answers you,” an irreverent female voice announced, “I’ve wasted my time coming here.”

Jess turned to greet the medical examiner. “Looks like we’ll be working together again this week, Dr. Baron.”

“I’ve survived worse.” Dressed in a color-blocked sheath of dove gray and burgundy with open-toed stilettos in a deeper shade of gray, Sylvia rounded the desk and crouched next to the victim.

Maybe the idea that they were sort of friends was a bit premature. Before Jess could levy a witty comeback, Sylvia asked, “You get settled in your temporary apartment?”

“I did. Thank you for asking.” The belted ivory dress, her favorite, Jess had opted to wear for this middle-of-the-night outing suddenly felt like a flour sack compared to the sleek-fitting one Sylvia wore. Then again, it might not be the dress. The woman was gorgeous, tall and statuesque. Things Jess would never be.

“Carrie Bradley mentioned she saw you and Dan out shopping on Saturday.”

“Carrie Bradley?” Jess didn’t know the name. On Saturday, Dan, Chief of Police Burnett—her boss, she amended—had taken her to a few local thrift stores in search of stuff for her apartment. She’d found a surprisingly nice sofa and chair, along with a coffee table, a chest of drawers, and a bedside table. For now, she was set.

“Carrie’s redecorating her master bedroom,” Sylvia explained. “She donated everything in the room to the Second Life thrift store. She saw you there.”

“Oh.” Great. There was nothing like having Burnett’s uppity friends know that she shopped at the same place they donated. “That’s nice,” Jess said with about as much enthusiasm as the guy on the floor had for his current predicament. “I’ll have to remember that next time I redecorate.” She could redonate the stuff. Ha-ha.

Sylvia made a noncommittal sound. “I guess you found everything you needed.”

“For now, yes.” No point going overboard with the decorating since she didn’t know how long she’d be living in the garage apartment. Not that she was in any hurry to start house hunting. Her house in Virginia was still on the market and she needed the cash from that sale before going more deeply in debt. Besides, the elderly man who was currently her benevolent benefactor seemed nice enough. Good, trustworthy landlords were hard to find. This one went to church every Sunday. Her sister told her so.

That reminded Jess, she should check in with Lily to see how she was feeling. Waiting on the results of all those tests to determine what was going on with the crazy symptoms plaguing her was driving them both crazy. Not to mention Jess was also supposed to drop by their estranged aunt’s house to pick up that medical history she’d compiled. The weekend had slipped by and Jess had completely forgotten.

Or maybe she’d forgotten on purpose. Seeing her aunt again ranked about as high on her looking-forward-to list as getting a mammogram. Why she even referred to the woman as her aunt was a mystery. Lily was the only family Jess had. End of story.

“I was the new kid on the block at the coroner’s office when his sister died,” Sylvia said, her attention on the victim as she measured the body’s core temperature.

Another of those deep frowns puckered Jess’s forehead as she elbowed aside the distracting thoughts of her sister and Dan’s snobby friends. She rubbed at the creases with the back of her hand. “Whose sister?”

“Your new landlord’s. He took care of his sister until she died. She was a total invalid. MS, if I recall correctly.”

Burnett had told Jess that Louis hadn’t been married. Lily had gotten the part about him being a widower wrong. Based on what Sylvia had just told her, Lily probably thought the sister had been his wife. Not that it mattered to Jess but Burnett had insisted on doing a background check. He didn’t like the idea of Jess living over a stranger’s garage. Which was ridiculous. Most any landlord in the city would be a stranger to her.

Wait a minute. The frown was back. If Mr. Louis had never been married, who owned the ring she’d found in his garage? Had his sister been married? Probably. Maybe he even had nieces and nephews. He hadn’t entertained any visitors this last week as far as Jess knew. Then again he might not have any relatives in Birmingham. Not that it was any of her business.

“You know him?” Jess asked. Sylvia hadn’t mentioned knowing him when she’d dropped by with a housewarming gift the other night. ’Course, they’d had other worries at the time.

“Not really,” Sylvia said, her attention still on the victim. “I pronounced the sister. Louis and I met. That’s basically it.”

Jess had to admit she was a little curious about the man. Okay, maybe she was a lot curious. Mostly she was immensely thankful for a place of her own, even if it was basically just one big room. Of course, if she’d known Lori was going to move in with Harper so soon, she could have sublet her place. Probably not a good idea. Having a tenant in her place would only ensure Lori stayed in the relationship with Harper even if she started to have second thoughts.

Good grief, there she went assuming the worst of the couple’s latest step. Just because Jess hadn’t been able to sustain a decent romantic relationship for any length of time didn’t mean Lori and Harper wouldn’t be able to.

The fact was Jess’s issue with relationships went way beyond the romance kind. She’d never really had a lot of friends. She was always too busy. After she’d put Birmingham in her rearview mirror twenty some years ago and joined the Bureau at Quantico, she’d hardly come back for a visit. Lily reminded her often how much she’d missed.

Something else Jess had to fix.

“I’d estimate time of death at between eight and ten last night,” Sylvia announced, dragging Jess back to the here and now. “Judging by the location of the visible injuries, I’d wager cause of death is middle meningeal arterial hemorrhaging from the trauma to the temple area. Depending on the damage to the artery, death may have been very swift. Possibly only minutes.”

“How long before we have a preliminary report?”

Baron stood and peeled off her gloves. “The mayor is going to inform the victim’s parents so they can get word to the wife. She’s out of town. He called me en route to Scott Baker’s parents’ home and asked that we make this case a priority.”

“This victim’s related to the mayor?” Jess didn’t know why she was surprised. Birmingham’s upper crust liked to stay within their class. They all seemed related somehow. In the South, old money had a habit of circling the same pocketbooks.

“No.” Sylvia turned to Jess. “Your victim’s great-great-grandfather was one of the railroad barons who helped build Birmingham. Old money and lots of it. The Pratt family fortune has roots in that same history.” She shifted her attention back to the victim. “Dan didn’t tell you about Baker?”

“He called but I haven’t had time to call him back.” If Burnett had any ideas of giving this case to the Crimes Against Persons Division, he could forget it. This was her case. Jess had ignored his calls for that very reason. Seemed every time some who’s-who from the lifestyle pages got murdered, her colleague Deputy Chief Harold Black cherry-picked the case.

Not this time.

“I’ll have something later today, early tomorrow at the latest,” Sylvia told her. “Can’t keep the mayor or his friends waiting.”

Jess tugged off her gloves. She had folks to interview. “I guess that’s something that won’t ever change about Birmingham. Even when you’re dead it’s all about who you know.”

The doctor’s eyebrows arched. “Or who you blow.” She bent down and retrieved her medical bag. “I’ll let you know as soon as I have a preliminary assessment.”

Jess wondered if Sylvia and her younger sister were anything alike. Her cell clanged that old-fashioned-phone ringtone, prodding her beyond the distraction. Jess dug for it as she called a thanks to Sylvia. The woman waltzed out of the office more like a runway model than a medical examiner. Jess shook her head. Why was looking that good so easy for some women?

Lori Wells’s name and image flashed on the screen of Jess’s phone. Was she finished taking statements already? “Harris.”

“Chief, you need to talk to Mr. Foster now.”

“The janitor who made the nine-one-one call?” Terrence Foster was the lead janitor and he hadn’t given the impression that he possessed useful information when Jess first arrived.

“He swears he knows who the killer is.”

Talk about an about-face. “I’ll be right there.”

Jess went in search of Harper. He was taking the deputy administrator’s statement. Jess pointed in the direction of the east end of the building and headed that way.

At the staff lounge, she entered the room and both the janitor, Terence Foster, and his assistant, Moe Brewer, started talking at once. Lori looked way out of patience.

Jess held up her hands and the two gentlemen shushed. “One at a time, please. But first”—she turned to Lori—“Detective Wells, why don’t you take Mr. Brewer—”

“Foster’s right,” Brewer interrupted, determined to get his two cents in. “I hadn’t thought about it until he said it.”

Before Jess could respond, the obviously agitated man said to his coworker, “Tell her, man.”

“Mr. Baker’s been fighting with the widows for months,” Foster explained, picking the story up from there.

“Widows?” Jess looked from one to the other. Oh hell. She had a very bad feeling where this was going.

Foster nodded, his eyes wide with equal measures certainty and worry. “The widows are big-time upset about the new building that’s going up. During the last meeting, one of the women threatened Mr. Baker.”

“You heard this yourself?” Jess countered. She needed clarification. If he was repeating hearsay, that was something else altogether.

Brewer shook his head before Foster could answer. “We didn’t exactly hear it. Claire Warren heard it. She runs the dining hall. The meeting was in there and she was still closing up after serving dinner.”

“We’ll need to take her statement,” Jess said to Lori. “Mr. Brewer”—Jess looked from him to the other man—“Mr. Foster, who are these widows?”

“Residents,” Foster explained. “They’ve had the others staging sit-ins. Once they even formed a picket line out front. They keep everybody here upset about one thing or another. It’s always something.”

“The widows are residents,” Jess reiterated just to be sure she’d heard correctly, really hoping she hadn’t, “of this facility?”

Both men nodded adamantly.

They were talking about old people, like Frances. Whoever killed Baker had to have been strong enough to wield a heavy object. Jess wasn’t so sure an elderly female—she wouldn’t name names—would be able to manage such a feat. “Exactly how old are these widows?”

“The youngest is seventy-five,” Brewer said with a nod to Foster for confirmation. “She’s the ringleader.”

“She sure is,” Foster agreed. “That woman is a mess.”

“Who’s the ringleader?” Again Jess looked from Brewer to Foster, bracing for the name she did not want to hear.

“She’s been riling up those other old ladies since day one,” Foster said, his tone firm.

With a big emphatic nod, Brewer added, “She’s the one threatened to kill Mr. Baker—there’s witnesses to that.”

“I need a name, gentlemen,” Jess nudged. She appreciated their thoughts on the woman but a name would come in far handier.

“Frances Wallace,” the men said in unison.

And there it was. Frances had admitted to motive. Certainly she’d had opportunity. Now, for all the world to see, there were witnesses to the public declaration of her motive.

Oh God. This was going to get complicated…

The medical examiner had just estimated time of death between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Frances had showed up at Jess’s door around eleven or shortly after with her shocking announcement.

Dread settled on her shoulders. Jess had spent a lifetime looking up to Frances Wallace. Making sure this case was investigated properly and the real murderer found would be a piece of cake.

Protecting her friend’s reputation was going to be the fly in the frosting.

Leave your  comment and check back after five p.m. to see if you’re a winner!

Have a great weekend!

Deb

How about an appetizer before REVENGE? We have books to giveaway!

I have so much news! First, there are only 31 more days until the release of REVENGE!!! I absolutely cannot wait! Since we have our final Street Team Interview t[image error]oday, I’m saving the first sneak peek at REVENGE until next Friday. But don’t worry, you’ll get two chapters instead of one! So I decided to give you a little surprise today! To tide you over until REVENGE is released, I have two very special releases to tell you about! First, I am pleased to announce that I have a brand new romantic suspense available! Be sure to check out BONE DEEP! I love this story and I’m hoping it will serve as a killer appetizer for the coming main course, REVENGE! Next up is a huge July special with seven bestselling authors, five full length novels and two bonus novellas for only $.99 all month long during July. Be sure to grab a copy of the box set DANGEROUS DESIRES starting July 2!

Now, let’s meet DeeAnn Garner Kline! Remember, you have to comment to have a chance to win. FIVE commenters will receive a digital copy of BONE DEEP!

 

Deb: Tell us about you.

DeeAnn: I am 51 years old (age doesn’t bother me), married, have three amazing daughters that I love so much and 4 grandchildren that are the [image error]light of my life and a dachshund that I adore. My youngest daughter had a dog before she moved out and I got attached and she didn’t take it with her. She joked and told me I needed to get a dog for myself because she felt too guilty taking her own dog because she knew how much I loved hers. Now her dog comes to visit and our dogs play together.

My parents had me when they were in their 40’s. My oldest sibling, Jerry, was 22 years old when I was born (his oldest son is only 10 months younger than me and we were best friends growing up); I have a sister, Phyllis, who is 20 years older than me (I was jealous of her son who is 5 years younger than me because I didn’t want to share her); a sister, Gwen, who is 18 years older than me; and a brother, Richard “Dicky”, who is 11 years older than me. Dicky wanted my parents to name me after him so my first name is Vicki even though I’ve never used that name. Because DeeAnn is spelled with a capital D and a capital A, I had to drop my first name when I got my learner’s permit.  They wanted to use Vicki Dee or Vicki Ann and I kept telling them that wasn’t my name. They probably decided to let me use the name I was telling them so I’d leave.

One of my favorite stories to share is when my brother-in-law to be, Wendell, asked my sister, Phyllis out on a date. She said he called and asked her out and she told him she had to go to the hospital to visit her mom. Wendell asked what was wrong and she told him her mother had just had a baby. Wendell thought, “yeah, right” so he volunteered to take her to the hospital. He didn’t know some of the humorous (he may not think so) memories I would be giving them. My father paid my sister’s car payment for her if she’d stay home a couple of weeks and help my mom after giving birth to me. She says she fed me my first bottles and rocked me.  We have a very close relationship and always have. That’s why I was so jealous when she had a baby. Rowdy is their oldest son’s name. Wendell tells the story of us (Wendell, Phyllis, Rowdy, my mom and me) driving up to their house in Ashville when they lived there. I was being a tad bratty and didn’t want Rowdy to sit with me in the back seat (way before seat belts were used) so he laid down in the floor board. I kept dropping my hand down and touching him (I was aggravating him) so Phyllis told Rowdy to get in the front seat with the three adults (bench seat).  I was upset so I crawled in the front too.  Wendell said his next car was going to have a steering wheel in the back seat. I slept with a baby pillow until I was 14. I’d gone to stay with Wendell and Phyllis before Rowdy was born in Asheville. I’d forgotten my pillow and I cried and cried. My dad who had never driven out of state, and it was probably the only time he did, drove and met Wendell half-way to give him my pillow. Aren’t daddies the best? My pillow is still talked about to this day. I could tell so many more stories involving my oldest sister and her husband. I love them so very much and Wendell has always been a big brother to me. I miss my oldest brother very much as well as my parents. I didn’t have them the quantity of years most people have their parents and siblings but the quality of my home life was so wonderful that I feel very blessed. I wish they’d lived just a bit longer so my younger two girls would have more memories to hold dear. Gwen was the sister that always took me to my dentist appointments in downtown Atlanta because my mom didn’t drive that far. We lived in the “boondocks” as some of my friends called it. I stayed at her house often and babysat her daughter while I was in high school. Now that she is retired, she, Phyllis and I spend a lot of time together. Phyllis makes me laugh so hard, I have to use my inhaler because I’ll start wheezing (asthma). Dicky and I have always been super close. He was the only sibling I remember living at home. He picked on me so much and made me cry that his girlfriend, Dianne (wife now) would tell him to quit. He tells me now he feels bad. I told him that if he quit picking on me I’d be worried. A funny story about him is when I’d have friends spend the night (I had a play house with army bunk beds in it) Dicky (who lived in the house below my parents) would sneak up and beat on the side of the playhouse to scare us. I have always been and always will be a chicken! One night he said he heard something outside and went out on his back porch and yelled “DeeAnn, is that you outside”. He realized it wasn’t me (which I can’t believe he’d think I’d walk down the road in the dark). It was a bobcat. He went back inside. One of the sweetest things he has ever done for me is when I had my youngest child while I lived in Augusta (2.5 hours from here). I had labor pains on December 22nd (I was due on the 21st) and my brother drove to stay with my other two daughters while I was in the hospital. My labor pains went away but they induced me on the 23rd. I had to be induced with all my children and I was excited I’d actually had labor pains. While he was staying at the house the electric heat pump went out. He said he thought we had the coldest house ever. He and the girls stayed together in front of the fire to stay warm. It was a cold house and we had to use a wood-burning stove to supplement the heat but I can’t imagine how cold they were with no heat. He has a heart of gold.

Except for when I lived in Augusta for 8 years, I have lived in the same county I grew up in. I attended Suwanee Elementary School which had kindergarten through 7th grade. While I was in the 7th grade a middle school was built that 3 elementary schools fed their 6-8th graders into. We got to name the mascot; it wasn’t the one I chose though. When my three oldest siblings attended school, Suwanee Elementary was “Suwanee School”. All twelve grades went there. My sisters were the first group to attend the high school when it opened. I attended a very small high school, North Gwinnett, and everyone knew everyone. My teachers still recognize me when they see them. I loved my teachers and loved school. I was a cheerleader so life was good!  I was captain for two years and one of the coaches called me “Captain D”. I was a very petite girl back in high school (wish I still was) and I got the nickname of “PeeWee”. One of my teachers always calls me PeeWee when he sees me today. I am still friends with so many of the people I went to school with.  I knew one of my best friends, Renee, before we went to kindergarten. We went to church together. Everyone went to church together. We had the Baptist Church and the Methodist Church. Most of us went to the Baptist Church. People thought we were twins when we were little. If you saw one, you saw the other. Renee’s parents were teachers; her mother taught at the elementary school and was our PE teacher and her dad taught at the high school. He was the best Algebra teacher ever. He didn’t care how many times he went over the material and explained it to you. He wanted you to actually understand how you were getting to the answers you were writing down. I had a wonderful childhood and never knew some people didn’t. I was very naïve and I’m still gullible. I realized when I was a teenager that if I lied, I’d get caught. My children have always said you can read my face so easily. My sister told my mom when I was a teenager that if my mom wanted to know something to just ask me; but be prepared for the answer. Growing up in a small town where everyone knew everyone, my mom would have received a phone call about something before I even knew anything was going on. She’d tell me a little birdie told her. I really didn’t like that birdie. I always disliked the phrase “because I told you so”. I didn’t use it with my children; I actually explained why they got in trouble or why I wouldn’t let them do something. There was one time my mom said she’d heard I went into someone’s house. I laughed so hard (she probably didn’t appreciate me laughing) because I hadn’t even pulled in their driveway. I took a boy I’d grown up with, went to church with and mother knew his parents well, home one day from high school. He told me to pull into one of my girlfriend’s drive across the street because it would be too dangerous for me to pull out of his driveway and turn left onto the road. There was a really bad hill there. I told her the birdie was wrong this time. (I was a tad sassy when I was younger).

I took almost every business course you could take in high school. I loved typing and still do. I graduated and found a secretarial job quickly. I had signed up with a temporary agency that had visited our school and they placed me. A few of my high school friends got jobs there as well. Most everyone that graduated around the time I did got married out of high school; it’s just what we did. I had my oldest daughter when I was 20. I was a child with a child. Thank goodness for my oldest sister. She was always there with great advice and wisdom. I’d listen to her and not always to my mom. You know that period most girls go through where we don’t think our parents know very much? We learn later how much they did know and we should have listened better. After my second child was born, I went part-time where I’d been working (different company) and eventually quit. I started cleaning houses because I made more money and the hours/days were much more flexible. When I was pregnant with my third child was when my children’s dad (we aren’t married any longer) was transferred to Augusta. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I was so close to my family and especially my parents (I realized how much they knew). Fortunately, I actually loved living in Augusta and it was hard when I moved back here after my divorce. I’d lost both of my parents and my husband had lost his great-grandmother whom he was very close to. Not a good time in our lives and I didn’t have the skills and I don’t think he did either to handle that much stress. I had such great friends, a wonderful church family and my kids were in such good schools; all kids were so respectful of everyone. When we moved back here it was a cultural shock for my girls. They still talk about hearing some of the words children were saying and looked at the teacher thinking they were going to get in trouble. At least they tell me now how appreciative they are that I didn’t let them talk that way. They remember soap! I had been a realtor/site manager in Augusta. It was a cultural shock for me too. I wasn’t used to how other realtors would stab you in the back or how the customers would treat you. I decided I had to do something different.

Only after a couple of months of moving back, my oldest daughter became very ill. She had always been my healthy daughter so when she said she was sick I knew she was. For months I was taking her to doctors and local specialists and all they could tell me is that she had inflammation. She had nodules over her eyes the size of golf balls. She had biopsies; inflammation. She was a Rheumatologist and Pulmonologist and neither one of them knew what was wrong. She ran a fever every day and lost 20 pounds over the next 5 months. She was in so much pain breathing she couldn’t walk up the stairs any longer. I was very scared. I took her to the emergency room on New Years and they did a needle biopsy of her lung; inflammation. After that I made an appointment at Emory to see a Pulmonologist. The one we had been seeing told me after the needle biopsy that he didn’t see anything wrong with her; she was a normal 15 year old. I knew better. We saw the Emory Pulmonologist on a Monday and he did a PFT which I learned is a standard test. The other doctor never did that. She only had 39% lung capacity. He put her in the hospital Wednesday, they performed an open lung biopsy on Thursday and she started chemo on Friday. She was diagnosed with a very rare disease called Wegener’s Granulomatosis (a rare autoimmune disease) and had pleurisy. I can’t tell you how scared I was. I’d prayed before we moved about whether I should move back home because my ex-husband had remarried and moved back here. It was hard to be single and raise three young children. I was so glad I’d listened to God because sometimes it’s hard when it’s not the answer we want. I don’t know what I would have done without my sister Phyllis. My two younger girls stayed with her often and she took them to school. My oldest daughter had to go to the doctor often and stay over the weekends for her IV chemo. My sister helped me financially because I couldn’t work. I would have been absent more than be able to work. I had to help Christie get caught up in school because she couldn’t attend class. I’d pick up her lessons every week and take them back. She is such a strong person and very smart. She did not get behind even though she was out of school for months. I’m so proud of her and my other daughters too. She will always have a 50/50 chance of flare-ups and has had several. She has been fortunate that she goes to the doctor as soon as she starts having pain in her lungs (she recognizes the symptoms). Since she started trying to have children (she is a high-risk pregnancy) she has been able to put the Wegener’s back in remission with only Prednisone and no chemo. There was a chance she wouldn’t be able to have children. She said that if God wanted her to have children she would and if He didn’t, she wouldn’t.

Getting back to working, my oldest daughter was at the mall one day (after she was a lot better) and grabbed an application from Waldenbooks and told me I should apply. I have always loved books and reading. When I was in elementary school, I looked forward to the Friday’s they sent book order forms home to order books. I’m thankful my mother always encouraged me to read. I have always devoured books. I started part-time as a Bookseller, was promoted to Sr. Bookseller, Asst. Manager and then Manager. I’d always heard that if you found a job you loved, you’d never work another day in your life. I loved my job! Books! Talking to others about books! Meeting authors!! What was there not to like?

I remarried 11 years ago next month and haven’t worked for many years. When my oldest daughter had her first son I watched him full-time until she decided she didn’t want to be at work and miss any firsts. She was here at my house when he started crawling the first time and when he pulled up. I’m glad she was with him and didn’t miss it. She was home when he started walking and now running. He turns 5 next month. Now she has 3 children and cleans houses once a week and sometimes substitute teaches. I love watching my grandchildren. When my middle daughter had her son I watched him full-time for two years until I had hand surgery. She put him in daycare and realized he was ready for the socialization and kept him there. I wasn’t able to watch any of the children for about 6 months. It was amazing how wearing a cast for 6 weeks can weaken your hand and arm muscles so quickly.

I have to admit that it was very sad for me to have my daughters grow up and move out. I was never one of those parents who couldn’t wait until their kids grew up and moved out. I’d told my youngest that she could never move out and she’d have to stay with me forever. I still miss them but this is the way it is supposed to be. They grew up to be responsible, dependable and very loving adults. At least they don’t live too far away and I get to visit with them lots.

Deb : What does your reading library look like? 

DeeAnn: After the show Hoarders started all my daughters said I should be on the show because I have so many books. Can you believe they actually said I was a book hoarder? We tried to sell our house many years ago but that’s when the economy started declining. We wanted to downsize after all the kids were gone. The home values dropped so much we couldn’t even get our home appraised for what we still owed on it. I’d boxed up all my books I’d read and they are boxed according to author. I have a Debra Webb box that became so full I had to start another. Other authors have more than one box too. The boxes are stacked up very neatly (lots of stacks) and I can always find a book if I want to reread it. I had boxed up all my non-fiction books and typed up a list that is stored on my computer of what each box contains. I have OCD and my daughters have inherited it. I see a bit of it in the grandkids too. They are always thanking me for it. I still have some of my old books from when I was in elementary school and I ordered them from the school. I kept all my daughter’s books and now they are glad because they took them for their children. Deep down I think they think it is neat their children have their old books.

De b : What real life villain do you consider the most memorable?

DeeAnn: Hitler. He did the most despicable, inhumane things to people. I’d call him a monster instead of a villain. I can’t even watch movies based on events (fictional or nonfictional) because it disturbs me so much. I watched Sophie’s Choice one time and cried and cried. I can’t imagine the physical and mental anguish all the victims went through.

Deb : What aspect of a mystery or suspense novel keeps you reading in the genre?

DeeAnn: I love trying to figure out who did it. It’s interesting to get to know the characters and how they interact with each other or don’t. Sometimes, you can figure out who the bad guy is and sometimes you are surprised. I love series. To read about a character(s) and see them develop and change over the series is very interesting.

Deb : What do you like best about the Faces of Evil series? Who would you like to see play the roles of the characters in a TV series or movie?

DeeAnn: I found it interesting watching how Jess and Dan are trying to figure out how their relationship is going to work. I think that most everyone always remembers their high school sweetheart and it is special. So to go back and try to start a relationship that was over and not over would be hard. They work together and have to keep their work and personal lives separate and that is difficult at times. They both are capable on their own but worry about the other. Again, I love series and watching the characters develop.

I can picture Patrick Dempsey as Dan and maybe Keanu Reeves as Wesley, Jess’s ex. Natalie Portman as Jess. Mario Lopez or Matthew Fox as Harper. Katie Sackhoff as Lori. Anne Hathaway as Lily. Bradley Cooper as Blake. Charlize Theron as Dan’s ex-wife. Emma Watson or Bella Thorne as Dan’s step-daughter. Candice Bergen as Dan’s mother and William Devane as Dan’s dad.

Deb: Tell us about a great book you’ve read.

DeeAnn: I love the Bible. Every time I reread it I learn something I missed the last time I’d read it. Most people love the New Testament the best but I love the Old Testament except Leviticus (too many animal sacrifices). We have a relationship with God through God the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost; accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior. People in the Old Testament actually had Him dwelling with them and spoke with Him. They literally saw His glory and saw so many miracles performed in front of them and for them.

Deb : What book or movie from your childhood still haunts you?

DeeAnn: Psycho and the Exorcist. I was afraid to take showers when I was alone. Psycho scared me so bad. It took many years to get over it. I’m so glad our shower doesn’t have a shower curtain or I’d probably still be showering and peeping around the curtain every once in a while. The Exorcist still disturbs me because it is based on a true story. I don’t know what was true and what was embellished but I can’t imagine how freaky that was for the child, the family and the priests. It is sad and eerie that people died while making the movie and Linda Blair had to have therapy because the part disturbed her emotionally.

Deb : If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

DeeAnn: Hawaii or Ireland. I love the beach and can’t imagine a more beautiful, tropical place than Hawaii. Ireland looks so lush in pictures and the people seem so down-to-earth and real. I like simple and it seems like people live a quiet, simple life there. I guess I could be wrong. I’ve read many fictional books about Ireland and watched several movies filmed there. Ireland seems to have a pull on me. I have some Irish in me so maybe that’s what it is. I’d want my sister to go with me because she knows our entire family’s genealogy off the top of her head. Even though she is 20 years older her memory is better than mine. In the Girl Scout troop I led one of the girl’s family is from Ireland. I loved hearing her parents talk and was friends with them. They had a huge Irish Wolf Hound named Guinness. The dog was gentle but I wouldn’t get out of my car until someone came out. Just standing next to my car on 4 legs he was taller than my window.

Deb : Tell us about your pets (now or past).

DeeAnn: Growing up in the country we always had animals. We had dogs, cats, cows, pigs, chickens and I even had a pony. My first dog’s name was Pooky and I don’t remember if he was a mix dog. He was just my dog. My brother Dicky had a dog named Stardust and I don’t remember what type of dog Stardust was. One of the times we were up in Asheville visiting my sister someone stole our two dogs. That was very sad and hard. We had a Collie named Lassie, we had German Shepherds and I can only remember the name of one of them; Susie. I’d had a dog named Champ that my best friend’s dad (Renee’s dad) ran over accidentally. Like I mentioned people thought we were twins when we were younger and everyone thought Champ believed I was in the car and chased it. Renee’s dad was so upset over hitting it. She told me recently that he still talks about it and how it still bothers him. I had a poodle named BoBo that I got when I was in high school. I loved that dog so much. It was the first indoor dog I’d ever had. She got old and had cancer. We had to have her put to sleep. The vet had told us that she must really love us to be hanging on like she was. She couldn’t walk any longer. She’d bark and we knew to carry her outside to use the bathroom. It was very pitiful. I got another poodle and named him Bandit. Bandit was not like BoBo. He wanted to chew on everything and hated being inside. When I’d go visit my parents he just ran around all the time. I gave him to my dad and my dad loved that dog. Bandit followed my dad everywhere. He rode with my dad and went into the fields where dad planted vegetables. Someone stole him too. My dad was so sad. We offered to get him another dog and he said he didn’t want to go through that again. We bought my oldest daughter a dog when she was little. He didn’t last very long; he was destructive also. He wanted to roll in mud when he was outside and he’d run along the side of our house and wipe the mud on it. I can still picture that in my head and that was over 25 years ago. My husband had to clean and repaint the wood because it was stained by the Georgia red clay. He got a bird, a parrot, we had for a while. I can’t remember why but we sold him. Maybe it was because we were moving to Augusta. We got the girls ducks when we lived in Augusta because we had a pond behind our house that our property touched. Huge barn owls came and took them. The girls had hamsters and bunnies. Later, we rescued a cat that was abused and when we moved she came with us. Then 2 cats took up at our house. They were our neighbor’s cats but because the girls would love on them, they decided they liked our house more. The two different neighbors told the girls to keep the cats. One was Taylor and we called her Tootie. She acted like a dog. She’d run and greet you when you drove up. I’d bend down to pet her and she’d jump up on my back and get on my shoulder to rub her head on my head. The other cat was Jacob; someone stole him. We drove around and spotted him one day and he was in another neighborhood. By the time we turned around we couldn’t see him. We drove over there many times and never saw him again. I mentioned earlier that my youngest daughter had a dachshund, Augie, and I decided to get one for myself. We have Remy now and we are so glad we adopted him. He is the sweetest dog. I’d told the person fostering him that I had to make sure he got along with Augie and the grandchildren. He is so gentle with the kids and they love him and Augie too. My middle daughter had a cat she named Millie (Moo) and she still has her at her house. Moo is around 10 years old. My grandson Aiden loves his cat. I can’t believe the cat will lie still and let Aiden lay down on her. My daughter said if she gets tired of it she’ll just get up and move. She doesn’t try to bite him or claw him with her back claws.

Deb : Tell us about the best day of your life so far.

DeeAnn: I don’t know if I can pinpoint a certain day as being better than another.  I’d say having my daughters were probably the best three days of my life and when my grandchildren were born.

Thank you so much for sharing your life with us today, DeeAnn! Y’all leave comments! I have five copies of BONE DEEP to give away!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Deb

Meet Tracey as we count down to REVENGE – Only 39 More Days!!!

Just 39 more days! I can’t wait! I hope all you fathers out there had a great day last Sunday. We opted to celebrate at home with a quiet dinner and True Blood. Remember next Friday I’ll have a couple of big announcements for you AND we’ll begin the sneak peeks of REVENGE! Don’t forget  you have to leave a comment to be entered into today’s giveaway of a $10 Amazon gift card! Let’s have a big welcome for Street Team Member Tracey!

Deb: Tell us about you.

Tracey: I am 47, have lived my entire life in Kingston, NY. I’ve been married for 27 1/2 years to Mark. I have 3 kids, Andrew 27 yrs old, Megan [image error]25 years old, Robert 15 years old. My best friend Maggie lives in IN and I get to visit her once a year for 2 weeks. I have worked at my current job for Iron Mountain for 17 years.

Deb : What does your reading library look like?

Tracey: I have a very varied reading library all housed on my kindle at this point since my husband hates to have all my books strewn around the house. I like romance, mystery, paranormal, Amish fiction, true crime, vampires, witches and the like. I do not care for historical novels. I average reading or listening to audiobooks about 4-5 books a week. I have a list of about 30 authors whose books I read all of when they come out and then stumble across other books or authors as I find discounted or free books on amazon.

Deb : What real life villain do you consider the most memorable?

Tracey:  I would have to say Charlie Roberts the shooter of the girls in the west Nickel Mines Amish school shooting. To do that to innocent little girls is outrageous. I had an opportunity to visit the site and see the cemetery and where the girls and their families live.

Deb : What aspect of a mystery or suspense novel keeps you reading in the genre?

Tracey: Oh that would be the need to know if I have figured out the correct finish of the story. If I get really locked in to a story I have been known to read the story straight through to get to the ending. A lot of Deb’s books do that to me. The Harry potter series and the Twilight series accomplished this goal as well.

Deb : What do you like best about the Faces of Evil series? Who would you like to see play the roles of the characters in a TV series or movie?

Tracey: There is a back story that will not finish until book 12 so even though you get to the end of the current book’s story you have not yet reached the end of the back story so you need to keep coming back for the next piece of the big puzzle.

As for what actors or actresses should play the parts of the characters, unfortunately I have never been good at being able to assess this aspect. I really have no idea. Sorry everyone.

Deb: Tell us about a great book you’ve read.

Tracey: To be honest there are really too many I consider good. It would be easier to give you a few of my favorite authors. Besides Deb, I really enjoy Cindy Woodsmall, Charlaine Harris, Kay Hooper, P.L.Gaus, Jana Deleon and too many more to count.

Deb : What book or movie from your childhood still haunts you?

Tracey: Honestly this would be almost any horror movie. I get at least a month of nightmares from almost any Horror flick I watch. A few years ago I watched Ghost Ship thinking it was a paranormal movie. It so was not. It was straight up gory and I had major nightmares from that one. I proceeded to give the DVD away, didn’t even want it in the house.

Deb : If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Tracey: I really want to go to Hawaii. I don’t have much of a desire to leave the country as there are too many things happening to American tourists visiting other countries. I would be too scared to enjoy myself.

Deb : Tell us about your pets (now or past).

Tracey: I currently have 4 cats. Dopey is an 18 yearr old female gray tiger cat. Gus we have no Idea how old he is, he was a stray that just moved himself in about 6 years ago and is a mixed breed with 7 toes on each of his front paws. Nugget is also a gray tiger male and is about 4 years old. Jane is a female calico and is about 3 years old and has the softest fur I have ever felt.

I have one dog currently. Cliff is a male mixed breed of Dalmatian/Greyhound. He is about 7 or 8 and was adopted from SPCA when he was about a year old. I have previously had a Golden Retriever named Rocky. He died of cancer and lyme disease. I also had a mixed breed of yellow Labrador. She has been gone a really long time. We got her when we were first married.

Deb : Tell us about the best day of your life so far.

Tracey: I would have to say the day we moved from the mobile home we had lived in for 14 years to the house we finally bought with plenty of room, yard, pool and more. No more cramped spaces in a 14X70 trailer.

Thank you so much, Tracey! Commenters don’t forget to check back at the end of the day to see if you won! Until next Friday!

Deb

TGIF! And Another Chance to Win!

The clock is counting down until the release of REVENGE! But don’t worry, between now and then there’s another amazing release to look forward to! Be sure not to miss DANGEROUS DESIRES, the boxset going on sale July 2nd including full length novels from the amazing CJ Lyons, me, Vicki Hinze, Peggy Webb, VR Marks, Regan Black and Kathy Carmichael. Five, yes I said FIVE, full length novels and two bonus novellas for only $.99! Be on the lookout!

 

Don’t be shy today, folks! Leave a comment or a question for our guest! One lucky commenter will win a $10 Amazon gift card! Let’s welcome another fabulous member of the Faces of Evil street team! Welcome, Becky!

 

Deb: Tell us about you.[image error]

 

Becky:  I am 34, originally from Minnesota.  I have been married for 13 years. My husband is a Senior Master Sergeant in the USAF and we are currently stationed in Idaho. In those 13 years I have moved 8 times. We have lived in California, Wyoming, South Carolina, Colorado, Arizona, and now Idaho.  I have two boys that are 11 and 6. I am currently the CEO/CFO for our house.

 

Deb : What does your reading library look like?

 

Becky:  My reading library is a little of this and a lot of others. I like romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance. I like funny laugh out loud moments in books, but on the next page they can have you in tears. I like books that make you think, make you fall in love with the characters.

 

Deb : What real life villain do you consider the most memorable?

 

Becky:  Real life villains, I guess would be Jeffery Dommer, the OKC bomber, the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks, the people that go around shooting up schools. How can you forget those guys?

 

Deb: What aspect of a mystery or suspense novel keeps you reading in the genre?

 

Becky:  I think it’s the thought process of either the person who did the crime, or the people solving the crime. I would like to say I want to try and figure it out first but really I just like the “team” or the connection that they usually find in the process with either their partner or the victim.

 

Deb : What do you like best about the Faces of Evil series? Who would you like to see play the roles of the characters in a TV series or movie?

 

Becky: What I like best about the Faces of Evil series, is that same as what keeps me coming back, the connection you feel to the characters. Are Jess and Dan going to figure it out? Are Chet and Lori going to make it as a couple that works together? Is Jess going to find Eric Spears?

Jess: Helen Hunt

Dan: Josh Brolin

Lori: Jessica Alba

Chet: Michael Pena

Eric Spears:  Michael C Hall (Dexter)

 

Deb: Tell us about a great book you’ve read.

 

Becky:  There are so many great books available right now but I think the one that is really sticking with me right now is Real By Katy Evans. It’s about a boxer that loses his card because of some meds he is on and goes on to become an underground fighter that doesn’t lose. He keeps everything on the up and up and is taking very good care of himself and everyone in his camp. That is where Brooke comes in. Through the book we see the relationship grow into something more, but there are dark times in the story. And it’s really kind of refreshing to see a book where the hero isn’t perfect, he has real problems, and it isn’t something that can be solved with money, or sex, or love.

 

Deb : What book or movie from your childhood still haunts you?

 

Becky:  Not so much a book or movie, but when I was 5 or 6 the music video for Michael Jackson’s thriller came out, and I just remember every time it came on I would run out of the room.

 

Deb : If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

 

Becky: I would go to Bora Bora and stay in one of those huts that are over the ocean.

 

Deb : Tell us about your pets (now or past).

 

Becky: We have a Yorkie named Maggie that is almost 13 years old. She was a wedding present from my husband. She is a blue and Tan with more dark fur than tan. She, of course, has a bright Pink collar with Bling, and a few coats that are the same color.

 

Deb : Tell us about the best day of your life so far.

 

Becky: I know everyone says that it’s the day their kids are born, or the day they married their spouse. But since I married my husband twice I think the first time I married him was the best day. Since my husband is active duty military and was getting ready to move to his next duty station, we had to get married to put me on his orders. So we went down to the Justice of the peace in Sacramento, California and it was just the two of us, and our closest friends that were stationed there with us. We did have the big wedding with all the trimming about 6 months later but the first one was just us.

 

Thank you so much for being with us today, Becky! Come on now, leave a comment if you want a chance to win!

Have a great weekend! Happy Fathers Day to all!

Deb

Meet Marijane AND Exciting News!

Before I introduce this week’s amazing Faces of Evil Street Team member, I have a few announcements. First, I have a new romantic suspense short story available at Amazon, The Traitor, for only $.99. But the really big surprise is coming July 2! A box set that includes an amazing group of authors. Full length novels [image error]from CJ Lyons, Vicki Hinze, Vr Marks, Peggy Webb, and me AND two bonus novellas from Regan Black and Kathy Carmichael! The coolest part is you get the box set for only $.99! Yes, I said $.99! So, look for Dangerous Desires beginning July 2nd! Now, let’s get back to today’s amazing guest. Remember to comment because one lucky commenter will win signed copies of my novels EVERYWHERE SHE TURNS and ANYWHERE SHE RUNS!

Welcome, Marijane!

 

Deb: Tell us about you.

Marijane: I decided that I wanted to be a lawyer when I was in the seventh grade. In 1968, most people found my announcement amus[image error]ing with the exception of Sr. Patricia Thomas and, of course, my mother. My heroes, Abraham Lincoln and Bobby Kennedy, had been lawyers. Many of America’s Founders were lawyers as well. It was, and to me still is, an extremely honorable profession.

Then, Watergate happened and just about everyone involved in the debacle were lawyers. I remember reading an opinion poll ranking the most admired professions shortly after Watergate that placed lawyers just below used car salesmen. However, I knew in high school that to denounce an entire profession, based upon the illegal actions of some associated with the White House or not, was inane.

I persisted in my goal and graduated with honors from both college and law school. Then, I was fortunate to be chosen, with another female attorney, as a clerk to a Federal District Court Judge, a one year position.

While there were a fair number of women my age becoming lawyers, there were not that many ahead of us. I chose litigation, one of the last male bastions, of the profession. I learned quickly that sexism was alive and well, not just with some male attorneys but some judges as well. I remember one of my first court appearances. After my male counterpart on the other side had argued, the judge asked me “Do you have anything that you would like to say, dear?” I was stunned. I was in the superior court of the state. I had clerked with a Federal judge who had depended on me, trusted me, listened to my opinions, relied on my research, and had signed off on Opinions I wrote under his name, after any changes that he deemed appropriate. Of course, I ignored the comment of the state court judge and presented my argument.

It was very different than the experience of the generation of women lawyers younger than me. No one assumed when you arrived for a deposition at an attorney’s office that you were the stenographer.

Practicing law, without the sexism, was everything that I had envisioned that it would be. It was challenging and demanding. Working sometimes until midnight when you were on trial and straight through the weekend was taken for granted but the rush of adrenaline when you won was worth it. When you lost, you were just exhausted.

I am, hopefully, temporarily retired from practicing law due to personal matters but there is not a day that I do not miss it and pray to be able to return to it.

Deb: What does your reading library look like?

Marijane: I have very eclectic tastes in reading. Accordingly, my library reflects those tastes. Clearly, I like Romantic Suspense. I also enjoy Contemporary Fiction, Suspense, Historical Fiction, Shakespeare and Historical non-fiction.

I am very big history buff. When I was little I hated reading. I later figured out that I did not like reading because I was not selecting the books. When I was in the second grade, my sister brought home a book about Abraham Lincoln. I discovered that I loved reading historical biographies about prominent figures in The Revolutionary War and, subsequently, The Civil War.

It seems wrong somehow to have a favorite war, but mine is The Civil War. I have read extensively about it and the books are a sizable part of my library.

When I was in college, I had a Shakespeare class that focused primarily on the history plays. I loved it. My favorite Shakespeare play is “Henry IV: Part I.”

As explained below with respect to my favorite book, I broadened my reading to include fiction. This led me to reading classics by Jane Austen, who I believe started the romance genre as we know it, and Emily Bronte and her sisters which I enjoyed immensely. With respect to other classics by Hemingway, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Joyce, Conrad and the like, I found some to be enjoyable and others painful, but I read them all because I wanted to graduate from high school!

Between the actual books and e-books that I own, including those to be read, I cannot imagine finishing them all in this lifetime! Of course, adding new books with regularity is not assisting me in my efforts.

Deb: What real life villain do you consider the most memorable?

Marijane: I think that assassins of politically prominent persons who had so much more to give to society are the most memorable villains. Lee Harvey Oswald and Sirhan Sirhan may come to mind for some.

For me, the greatest villain was John Wilkes Booth. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln had a profound impact on the course of America’s history.

As Lincoln stated so brilliantly in his Second Inaugural Address, it would be necessary “to bind-up the nation’s wounds.”  I truly believe that had he lived, Lincoln would have undertaken to do so following the Civil War in a conscientious, tolerant and impartial manner.  Lincoln would have been far more compassionate toward the South. Reconstruction would not have consisted of Federal troops occupying the South provoking, among some, a growing resentment against and hatred of the North. The country remained divided in a plethora of ways for many years as a result of the loss by the South but also due to the disastrous Reconstruction. Moreover, I think that the horrors and injustices with respect to the treatment of blacks for another century, primarily in the South, may have been abated if Lincoln had begun the process of uniting North and South once again.

Deb: What aspect of a mystery or suspense novel keeps you reading in the genre?

Marijane: I think that I am intrigued by mystery and suspense novels because I enjoy trying to figure them out before it is revealed by the author. I am especially fascinated by authors who can write about a serial killer murdering thirteen people yet have a romance developing between the protagonists. Deb, you are very adept at balancing romance and suspense which is one of the reasons that I have enjoyed reading your books for years.

Deb: What do you like best about the Faces of Evil series? Who would you like to see play the roles of the characters in a TV series or movie?

Marijane: What first attracted me to the Faces of Evil, as is the case with most of the books that I read, is the author. When I read the synopsis of Obsession, I loved the fact that Jess and Dan are in their forties. As I age, I generally cannot relate to books in which the characters are in their twenties. I do have to read books about characters in their thirties or the books become limited.

I also liked the fact that Jess and Dan had a very long history. It was clear from the first book that they still had feelings, and probably had had them since they broke up twenty years earlier, because they had both failed so miserably in their personal lives.

Each book shows the progression of their relationship. Each one also shows their flaws which I like. They are more genuine and believable characters. For example, Jess repeatedly does things that she knows will upset Dan. While she keeps doing it, as the books continue, she tries to at least let him know, on occasion, what she intends to do! Likewise, Dan knows how much his protectiveness irritates Jess yet he keeps doing it. Although like Jess, he is trying to adapt his behavior for the sake of their personal and professional relationships. He now thinks about his protectiveness, but he usually does not voice it.

As I stated above, I like the fact that there is murder and mayhem occurring at the same time that Dan and Jess are trying to figure out whether they will take that rare second chance at love.

The books, further, have a tremendous cast of secondary characters who, not only assist in the non-stop action, but are well developed characters rather than props.

There are so many other things that I like about the Faces of Evil series that if I were to delineate them all, it would take pages to do it justice.

Deb: Tell us about a great book you’ve read.

Marijane: Without question, it is Gone With The Wind. Given my love for the Civil War, which came before I ever had heard of Gone With The Wind, I suppose it was inevitable that it would be my favorite book. Ironically, I saw the movie first during one of its anniversary releases when I was in the sixth grade. I immediately read the book and realized that it was much better than the movie. However, all of the characters, as I read, looked like the actors in the movie, not the least of which was Clark Gable! As a young girl, the first time that I read it, I thought of Ashley and Scarlett as star-crossed lovers, figuratively, of course. A few years later, I decided Rhett definitely was the choice she should have made from the time that she met him. I have since read the book a number of times and my opinion has not changed. Also, I remain convinced that Rhett and Scarlett share their lives until one passes on.

Deb: What book or movie from your childhood still haunts you?

Marijane: “Old Yeller.” I probably was about 5 years old and it was one of the first movies my mother allowed me to go to accompanied only by my nearly 9 year old sister. It never occurred to me that Old Yeller would be shot to death whatever his injuries! I was crying hysterically when my mother picked us up at the theater. My sister thought my reaction was rather funny since she had a better understanding that it was only a movie. I have not watched Old Yeller to this date. Bambi would be a close second. They killed Bambi’s mother! Later, it did give me some insight into first Walt Disney and now Disney with respect to being somewhat morbid in movies meant for children. Dumbo’s mother is locked up in a cage. The father in The Lion King dies. Need I go further?

Deb: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Marijane: Definitely, I would return to Ireland, which I am sure has changed greatly since the last time I was there with my mother, rest her soul, in 1990. We also had been on a tour in 1983 to Scotland, London and Ireland. It was during the fall. I do not think that I have seen anything as beautiful as the Highlands at that time of the year. I had planned to take my father to Italy the following year but he passed away before I could do so. At some point, I would like to go to Italy and see the country from which my grandparents came, albeit from different towns and times!

Deb: Tell us about your pets (now or past).

Marijane: Unfortunately, I have allergies and adult onset allergic asthma. My allergies, including those to cats and dogs were not diagnosed until I was in law school. Everyone just assumed that I had colds frequently as a child! So, growing up my family always had cats and dogs, generally both at the same time.

My favorite cat was the first one that was mine. I was about four years old and Butch or Butchie, an orange cat, adapted well to having such a young owner. His skin was a little stretched from me tugging on him! He let me dress him up in my baby dolls clothes, dress, bonnet and rubber pants with his tail sticking out one leg. I would put him in my doll carriage and push him up and down the driveway until he became impatient. Then, the neighbors became accustomed to seeing Butch running around the neighborhood in the doll clothes until he came home. What a sweetheart he was and, amazingly, lived a long life!

Deb: Tell us about the best day of your life so far.

Marijane: This is a very difficult question for me. When I was seventeen and my mother was forty-seven she had a stroke. She was my best friend for as long as I can remember and the rock of the family until she died at seventy-one. The day that she was moved from The Cardiac Care Unit to a regular room, which meant that she would live, was the best day of my personal life.

Professionally, it was the day that I was sworn in as an attorney, with my family present, and I signed the same book that Daniel Webster had signed. Clearly, not the same volume!

Wow! Thank you, Marijane! An amazing interview! Remember, folks, you have to comment to win!

Enjoy you weekend!

Deb

Showing the Love to the Most Amazing Folks!

I consider myself very lucky to have such a hardworking, loyal street team! For the next four weeks I’ll be featuring a member/members of my dedicated street team. PLUS, I’ll be giving away great prizes. Today, one lucky commenter will win a hard cover copy of Karin Slaughter’s CRIMINAL. So be sure to leave a comment. AND beginning June 28 I’ll be sharing a sneak peek into REVENGE! So stay tuned.

Without further ado, I’d like you to meet Vicki H.!

Deb: Vicki, tell us about you!Vicki: I’ve been married to Bradley for 25 years as of July 4th. I have three  children, Tiffany 29, Matt 22, and Mike 20 next month. I have one  Grandson, Trenton who is 4. I am disabled so I have lots of reading time. I am  going back to college to get my degree in the fall semester.  Going to  USU.  I have about a year and a half to go.Deb: What does your reading library look like?Vicki: Oh my heck.  If you only knew.  I have over 20,000 books on my  Kindle.  I have 3 bookcases full, 2 huge totes, and stacks everywhere of “regular books”.  My husband is on me to rid myself of the regular books  but it is not happening.  I just put him off.  How do I choose?   Besides I want my own personal library someday!!!!Deb: What real life villain do you consider the most memorable?Vicki:  I think the Zodiak killer.  He basically flaunted his murders and  got away with it.  There was one man they believed who was the Zodiak  Killer and was identified by his surviving victim but once he passed, his DNA  did not match.  Also Albert DeSalvo.  He confessed to it and loved the  notoriety but I don’t believe he was the Boston Strangler.  I believe he  raped women but some of the women killed were  exhumed and his DNA did not  match.  And finally Jack the Ripper.  I will never get how no one saw  anything.  I truly believe he was from a prominent family with medical  skills.  Any of those would be awesome to know the truth!!!Deb: What aspect of a mystery or suspense novel keeps you reading in the genre?Vicki: The thing I love about serial killers and reading about them is the  psychological aspect.  How did someone get to the point where they have no  respect for human life.  I always believed there had to be something in  their childhood that made them that way but have come to the conclusion that  some people are just born evil!!!!Deb: What do you like best about the Faces of Evil series? Who would you like to see play
the roles of characters if it were a tv series or a movie?Vicki: I love the books because I am a crime junkie.  I watch all the  shows, etc.  But I love The FOE because the books have such a flow. There is never a time in Debra’s books where you have to force yourself through  a few chapters. They all keep me mesmerized!!!!Deb: Tell us about a great book you’ve read?Vicki: The book I read lately that has stayed with me is The Light Between  Oceans. I am a historical fiction junkie too and it was such a haunting story.  Amazing!!!Deb: What book or movie from your childhood still haunts you?Vicki:  I don’t remember being haunted by a book when I was younger.  I  read and reread A Tree Grows in Brooklyn when I was younger.  I did read The Gainesville Ripper as an adult and it scared me more than any true crime  book I had ever read.  The randomness of it all and the way he easily got  in just absolutely terrified me.Deb: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?Vicki:  Europe.  France, England, Italy.  Because I love historical  fiction, I want to see the places mentioned in some of these books.  It  would be the dream of a lifetime.Deb: Tell us about your pets (now or in the past).Vicki: I have a dog, Bella.  She is my baby.  She is a Collie/Golden Retriever mix. She is as gentle as a baby.  Never hurt a soul and  plays with cats,. etc.  Not a mean bone in her body.  She is getting  old, 8 yrs and getting gray.  Can’t imagine ever not having her.  It  would take a piece of my heart!!!!Deb: Tell us about the best day in your life so far.Vicki: The best day of my life was April 8, 2009.  That was the day that  Trenton, my Grandson, was [image error] born.  It is amazing holding your own child for  this first time but to hold your Grandbaby?  Nothing like it.Thank you so much, Vicki! It was a pleasure having you here today! So, folks, leave your comments, ask your questions and be entered to win a copy of CRIMINAL by Karin Slaughter! Be sure to come back next Friday for another interview and an amazing giveaway!Have a great weekend!Deb

Meet a Real Life Character from a Future Faces of Evil Book!

Welcome to the Weekly Briefing! Be sure to leave a comment today! One lucky commenter will win a copy of Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places as well as an Arab, Alabama Polk Salat Festival t-shirt! So let’s talk people!

Life takes us on a journey. Of course it’s a different journey for everyone but there is one certainty on  most of our journeys–we meet lots of folks along the way. I have been very blessed. I’ve met many wonderful people on my path! I’ve had the opportunity to live in several states as well as in Europe (my husband was an Army man) and I’ve learned much from the folks I’ve come to know . Every move, whether across the ocean or across town, brings a new neighborhood and new faces. Each new acquaintance is a new adventure!

The same can be said for a fictional world. Each character has his or her own journey and it’s important to introduce new folks along the way, particularly in a series. Book four in the Faces of Evil series, RAGE, is out now and books five and six, REVENGE and RUTHLESS, will be out this summer! In each you will follow along in the journey of the charactesrs you have already come to know and you’ll meet new ones–good and bad! One upcoming character scheduled for book twelve, TORMENTER, is a real life person! We’ll call her Dr. Linda. You’ve seen her often right here as a commenter and on Facebook where she tells all how much she loves the Faces of Evil series!

[image error]Since it’s important that I know a character well before bringing her to life on the page, Dr. Linda has agreed to answer a number of questions for me and for you!

Deb: Tell us about you, Dr. Linda.

Dr. Linda: I have been a veterinarian for 17 years now and currently work in a predominantly small animal practice where I also do some rescue work.  My job takes up a lot of my time but I have managed to carve a few small niches into my life. I have recently taken up photography again as a hobby. I don’t get to go out as often as I would like but when I do I mainly photograph wildlife and nature. I really like to cook, which is good since I live with my aunt that does not like to cook. I have multiple pets that are all cats at this time but would like to get a dog again. I am not marriend and have no  human children, but I am close to my nieces and nephews.

Deb: What does your reading library look like?

Dr. Linda: My reading library is so varied. I have sci/fi fantasy that I have read since college and just finished an awesome series by Robert Jordan [image error]this year. I have a lot of mystery/suspense that range from Allison Brennan to Elizabeth George to Karin Slaughter. I have most of your books except the Colby series. I only have the last three of those. I have romance ranging from historical to paranormal. And there are some classics that shock people: Chauncer Cantebury Tales, Shakespere, Wuthering Heights and so on. Then there are the text books!

Deb: What real life villain do you consider the most memorable?

Dr. Linda: I think it is Ted Bundy. When he was the most active I was just old to follow and understand what all of the stories meant. As a young teen it fueled an active imagination and mind.

Deb: What aspect in a mystery or suspense novel keeps you reading in the genre?

Dr. Linda: It is the mystery itself and the puzzle of trying to figure it out that brings me back. Two other authors like to put a twist in their stories like you do, Karin Slaughter and Lisa Gardner. There are times when I think I have the story figured out and then the end turns me upside down with something I did not see coming.

Deb: What do you like best about the Faces of Evil series? Who would you like to see play the roles of characters if it were a tv series or a movie?

Dr. Linda: It is not just one thing about theFaces of Evil  books but a compilations of things. First the age of both Jess and Dan resonates with me. The flaws the two of them have and the struggles that they are going through to find their way back to each other makes me both root for them and want to slap them upside the head. Each book so far has had a mystery/crime that keeps me trying to figure it out. The first book had me guessing the whole way through and still did not see the twist coming! So each book makes me want to see where you are going and how you get there with the motives that you have chosen.

Deb: Tell us about a great book you’ve read.

Dr. Linda: You really want me to just pick one… hmmm for an avid reader like myself that might be a little hard to narrow down.  There are a few that stand out but one in particular that made me wish the next book was available right away was Roxanne St. Claire’s Barefoot in the Sand. Lacey’s story touched something in me and the friendships of the women in the book reminded me of two of my friends and myself.

Deb: What book or movie from your childhood still haunts you.

Dr. Linda: The one book that scared the every living daylights out of me was Stephen Kings Tommy Knockers. I don’t think even having read Edgar Allen Poe’s tales scared me as much as that book.

Deb: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Dr. Linda: If I could go anywhere? This is a toss up between touring Europe, starting in England and then going from country to country until I got to Italy, and Africa. The two places are different in so many ways but both have things I would love to see and photograph. Europe for all of the historical sites. Africa for all of the amazing natural sites and wildlife.

Deb: Tell us about your pets (now or in the past).

Dr. Linda: I cannot remember a time in my life that I have not had a pet. The majority of the animals that have come into my life in the last 20 years have been rescues of one kind or another. But there is one point in my life when I had to say goodbye to one and another that came into my life that sticks out to me as poignant and shows God will give you what you need. A couple of years ago Bengal, my 17 year old cat that had been with me since vet school, was not doing well. He had diabetes that was managed at that point but he was painful and still vomiting. So I took him to work to do some testing. He had a mass in his abdomen, that I could not tell if it was in his spleen or pancreas from the x-rays. So I decided to do surgery to explore and see if I could take out the mass. Once I opend him it became apparent that he had pancreatic cancer. The hardest thing I have ever done was to close him up because the cancer was all through the abdomen and there was nothing for me to do. I decided as tears ran down my face that I would not let him wake up from the surgery. But here is where God took care of me. Three weeks earlier one of my employees had brought in a young cat that someone had put a rubber band on his right front leg. This had cut off the circulation to the lower part of the leg and killed off the tissue and there was an infection where the band sat. I had to amputate the leg. My plan for Zippy, that is the name I gave him, was to find a home for him. He was still at the clinic when I brought Bengal in.  Zippy was accustommed to spending a lot of time with me in the office, so as I sat on the futon holding Bengal as he was given his last injection, Zippy came onto the futon. He did not try to displace Bengal from my lap instead he reached up with his remaining front leg and patted my face, then curled next to me. I decided then that Zippy was supposed to come into my life. He did not replace Bengal, he helped me heal from the loss of a dear friend. Oh and in case you think poor Zippy is handicapped or disabled, he would tell and show you differently.

Deb: Tell us about the best day in your life so far.

Dr. Linda: The best day in my life so far…that one has to be a tie for the day I got my acceptance letter into vet school and the day I got the results of my board exams (passed them on the first try!) Celebrated both times with champagne and did major happy dances and walked on cloud nine for most of the day/night. That could have been because of the champagne but will just say that I was exstatic both days.

Wow, is this lady a hero or what? I am so proud to have her staring in one of my books! Thanks, Dr. Linda! Feel free to give Linda a shout or to ask a question of your own about books or being a vet! Thank you so much, Dr. Linda!

Remember, you have to comment to win!

Deb

Meet George Louis from RAGE and Congratulations Winners!!!

I am thrilled to announce the Faces of Evil series is featured on the cover of the July edition of RT Book Reviews Magazine! This is AMAZING!!! Inside there’s a terrific article! They refer to moi as a “master thriller author”!!!! Picture me happy dancing! You can go here to see more: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-daily-blog/inside-issue-july-2013 

Today I’d like to introduce George Louis. Mr. Louis is a retired architect who lives in Birmingham’s lovely historic Forrest Park neighborhood. If you’ve read RAGE you know he was kind enough to offer the apartment above his garage to Jess. Mr. Louis attends the same church as Lily, Jess’s sister. He’s an avid gardener and an awesome cook. He’s a bit OCD when it comes to keeping things neat and in good repair. I’ve tried to prepare him for your questions. He’s a bit shy so be gentle!

I am pleased to say that RAGE, book four in the Faces of Evil series, continues to dominate many of the bestseller lists on Amazon! RAGE has twenty-five ★★★★★ reviews! If you’ve read the book please leave a review! That’s one of the best gifts you can give an author!

Last week I introduced you to my amazing Street Team. This week I’m happy to announce the winners of the RAGE Challenge!

The winners of the $50 gift cards to the online bookstore of choice are: Nicole Duykers and DeeAnn Garner Kline! Once again I don’t have a $100 winner which allows me to break that down into $25 gift cards so I can recognize four more wonderful ladies who rose to the challenge. Winners of $25 gift cards are Vicki Hancock, Maureen O’Neill Downey, Kathy Tuttleton Webb, and Tasha Garrison Clanton who reached out to folks about RAGE from her hospital bed!

Now, for two very special winners. These two ladies have gone above and beyond the call for both challenges. First, the winner who will be a character in book 12, TORMENTER, is Linda Hankins! And last but far from least, is the winner of the signed copy of the page proofs for REVENGE, Marijane Diodati!

I want to thank my amazing Street Team again. I could not do this without you! We will be preparing for the REVENGE challenge in early July!

Enjoy your weekend!

Deb

Success and the Street Team

I am so excited to announce that RAGE, book four in the Faces of Evil series, is soaring! As I write this briefing, it is currently #20 in Romance/Mystery & Suspense on Amazon! In fact, all six of the Faces of Evil books available for order or preorder at Amazon are on that same list! Also, RAGE has twelve ★★★★★ reviews already!

This is amazing and I am grateful to all of you who are helping to make it happen. In particular, I am so very thankful to my wonderful, hardworking Street Team! These ladies and gentlemen have worked (and continue to work) tirelessly to get the word out about RAGE’s release. Their support has been invaluable!

Thelma Banzhoff, Tami Bates, Becky Brown Bergeski, Tracey Berthiaume, Regan Black, Craig and Alysan Childs, Tasha Garrison Clanton, Marijane Diodati, Maureen O’Neill Downey, Nicole Duykers, Robert Ellis, Gail Fuhlman, Beverly Gordon, Bonnie Corbin Hanam, Vicki Hancock, Linda Hankins, Kellie Hirtle Harrington, Penny Turpen James, DeeAnn Garner Kline, Michelle Larson, Suzy Manning, V.r. Marks, Vanetta Quintana, Barbara Kaatz Thompson, Kathy Tuttleton Webb

These ladies and gentlemen are lovers of books. Among them are writers, a veterinarian, a nurse, an attorney, blogger, book seller, doctor, just to name a few. They are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, and all around hardworking folks. They have taken their time and gone way beyond the call of duty to help make the Faces of Evil successful and I am truly in awe of them. Next Friday I will be announcing the winners of the RAGE Street Team Challenge. In addition, we’ll be interviewing George Louis, Jess’s new landlord. So be sure to check back next Friday!

If you don’t have your copy of RAGE yet, be sure to pick it up this weekend! If you have  read RAGE already be sure to go to Amazon or BN.com or Goodreads and leave a review! Reviews really help promote sales! If you missed last week’s briefing go back and read the interview with serial killer Eric Spears!

Enjoy your weekend! And don’t forget Mother’s Day is Sunday! Here’s wishing all the Mothers out there a great day!

Deb