Authors: Beverly Connor
Airtight Case
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
PART I - APRIL 2
Chapter 1: A Stranger In The Mirror
Chapter 4: Moon Pies And Dr Pepper
PART II - JULY 5
Chapter 6: That Bitch Stole My Truck
Chapter 10: A Dinner Of Strained Nerves
Chapter 12: Something In The Trench
Chapter 14: Lovely, Dark And Deep
Chapter 15: At The Sheriff’s Office
Chapter 16: Eda Mae Gone All Day
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 28: Buried With The Trash
Chapter 34: The Guy Likes Gold
Chapter 37: Alex Wrote A Letter
