Airtight Case

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AIRTIGHT

CASE

 

A Lindsay Chamberlain Novel

 

by

 

Beverly Connor

 

 

SPECIAL GOLD EDITION

 

 

 

Copyright

AIRTIGHT CASE: SPECIAL GOLD EDITION

Copyright © 2013 Beverly Connor

All rights reserved

ISBN:978-1-939874-08-5

This Special Gold Edition has been edited and revised by the author from the original edition. Materials have been added, including a bibliography and links to web resources recommended by the author that are related to the subject matter and research behind Airtight Case.

Cover design by Charles Connor. Images licensed from Shutterstock.com

PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF AIRTIGHT CASE

Original hardback print edition Copyright © 2000 by Beverly Connor. ISBN 1-58182-123-9; Paperback edition Copyright © 2002 by Beverly Connor. ISBN 1-58182-295-2.

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the copyright owner of this book to use or reproduce any part of this work, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. The Gallows Farmstead site and the towns of Kelley’s Chase and Mac’s Crossing are fictional. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Connor, Beverly, 1948–

Airtight case : A Lindsay Chamberlain Novel / Beverly Connor.

1. Chamberlain, Lindsay (Fictitious character)—Fiction.

2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (N.C. and Tenn.)—Fiction.

3. Women forensic anthropologists Fiction.

4. Excavations (Archaeology)—Fiction.

5. Women archaeologists—Fiction.

6. Tennessee—Fiction. I. Title.

 

PUBLISHED BY

Quick Brown Fox

 

 

Book Reviews

“A wonderful, fresh and exciting mystery tale.” —
The Midwest Book Review

“A terrific job with historical clues that sound like jump-rope rhymes.” —
New Orleans Times-Picayune

‘‘Connor combines smart people, fun people, and dangerous people in a novel hard to put down. The excitement she generates from a pile of old bones and rags is amazingly compelling.’’ —Laurie Trimble,
The Dallas Morning News

“Ingenious plot, intriguing characters, and a mystery as well hidden as rubies on a beach.” —
Booklist

“A terrific mystery combining the professional experience of the author plus her knowledge of Southern culture which permeates the pages like kudzu.” —Troy Broadcasting Corporation

‘‘In Connor’s latest multifaceted tale, the plot is serpentine, the solution ingenious . . . chock-full of engrossing anthropological and archeological detail.’’ —
Publishers Weekly

‘‘Calls to mind the forensic mysteries of Aaron Elkins and Patricia Cornwell. However, Connor’s sleuth infuses the mix with her own brand of spice as a pert and brainy scholar in the forensic analysis of bones. . . . Chases, murder attempts, and harrowing rescues add to this fast-paced adventure.’’ —
Chicago Sun-Times

‘‘Crisp dialogue, interesting characters, fascinating tidbits of bone lore, and a murderer that eluded me. When I started reading, I couldn’t stop. What more could you ask for? Enjoy.’’ —Virginia Lanier, author of the
Bloodhound
series

‘‘Beverly Connor has taken the dry bones of scientific inquiry and resurrected them into living, breathing characters. I couldn’t put [it] down until I was finished, even though I wanted to savor the story.’’ —David Hunter, author of 
The Dancing Savior

‘‘Connor’s breathtaking ability to dish out fascinating forensic details while maintaining a taut aura of suspense is a real gift.’’ —
Romantic Times
, Top Pick

“[Lindsay] is one of the most fascinating characters to appear in a whodunit in several years.” —Harriet Klausner

“If you're in the mood for a deliciously twisty tale, look no further. Connor delivers in spades! This taut thriller pits two highly intelligent women against each other in an exceedingly dangerous chess match. When it comes to forensic thrillers, no one beats Connor.” —Jill M. Smith, for
RT Book Reviews

‘‘Connor grabs the reader with her first sentence and never lets up until the book’s end. . . . The story satisfies both as a mystery and as an entrée into the fascinating world of bones. . . . Add Connor’s dark humor, and you have a multidimensional mystery that deserves comparison with the best of Patricia Cornwell.’’ —
Booklist
(starred review)

‘‘Connor’s books are a smart blend of Patricia Cornwell, Aaron Elkins, and Elizabeth Peters, with some good deep-South atmosphere to make it authentic.’’ —
Oklahoma Family Magazine

 

 

Books by Beverly Connor

Murder In Macon

One Grave Less

The Night Killer

Dust to Dust

Scattered Graves

Dead Hunt

Dead Past

Dead Secret

Dead Guilty

One Grave Too Many

Airtight Case

Skeleton Crew

Dressed to Die

Questionable Remains

A Rumor of Bones

 

 

Acknowledgments

Thanks to my dentist, Carlos Wilbanks, for his advice on teeth, to Michael Bedenbaugh for talking to me about log cabins, Diane Trap, Judy and Takis Iakovou, Marie and Richard Davis, and Larry MacDougald for their criticism and advice. A special thanks to my husband Charles Connor for everything.

 

Gallows Farmstead Site

 

Gallows House

(Crew’s Quarters)

 

 

Dedication

In memory of my father, Charles Heth, for his belief in me. And my uncle, Arthur Heth, who told me Jack Tales and took me fishing and hunting for arrowheads in the mountains of Kentucky when I was a little girl.

 

 

Table of Contents

 

Title Page

Copyright Page

Book Reviews

Books by Beverly Connor

Acknowledgments

Gallows Farmstead Site

Gallows House

Dedication

PART I - APRIL 2

Chapter 1: A Stranger In The Mirror

Chapter 2: Make A Pretty Face

Chapter 3: Footsteps Of A Man

Chapter 4: Moon Pies And Dr Pepper

Chapter 5: The Black Stallion

PART II - JULY 5

Chapter 6: That Bitch Stole My Truck

Chapter 7: An Air Of Unease

Chapter 8: The Repo Man

Chapter 9: Drew Van Horne

Chapter 10: A Dinner Of Strained Nerves

Chapter 11: A Ghost Of A Girl

Chapter 12: Something In The Trench

Chapter 13: NASA And Old Air

Chapter 14: Lovely, Dark And Deep

Chapter 15: At The Sheriff’s Office

Chapter 16: Eda Mae Gone All Day

Chapter 17: Calling Dr. Boyd

Chapter 18: Tighty Whiteys

Chapter 19: A Little Poe

Chapter 20: Pig Teeth

Chapter 21: Witches And Old Letters

Chapter 22: Lewis’ History Lesson

Chapter 23: You Digging Up Bodies?

Chapter 24: A Fire And A Warning

Chapter 25: Elder Timon Moore

Chapter 26: Two Ghosts

Chapter 27: The Cat’s Meow

Chapter 28: Buried With The Trash

Chapter 29: Planting Pennies

Chapter 30: A Flat Tire

Chapter 31: The Grave Digger

Chapter 32: Is It Human?

Chapter 33: Cherry Belle

Chapter 34: The Guy Likes Gold

Chapter 35: Argon Is Good

Chapter 36: Shot Him Dead

Chapter 37: Alex Wrote A Letter

Chapter 38: Young Love

Chapter 39: Pieces Of Eight

Chapter 40: If Ghosts Could Talk

Chapter 41: Can’t Argue With Logic

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