Open Season for Murder (A Mac Faraday Mystery Book 10) (27 page)
Read Open Season for Murder (A Mac Faraday Mystery Book 10) Online
Authors: Lauren Carr
Tags: #mystery, #whodunit, #police procedural, #murder, #cozy, #crime
“Do you feel rich?” Mac held the front door open for David to pass through into the Spencer Manor’s foyer. The smell of freshly baked cookies greeted his nostrils.
As if he feared losing his seat, Gnarly raced in ahead of them to jump up onto the loveseat, which was his chair.
“Only temporarily,” David answered Mac. “All of that money you paid for my house will be gone as soon as Chelsea and I agree on a new home. But it will make a nice down payment.”
“Be optimistic.”
“Everything we like is out of our price range.” In the living room, David paused to study a thick brown envelope with a certified mail receipt on it. It was addressed to him. “What’s this?”
“I’m wondering the same thing.” Chelsea had come in from the kitchen in time to hear David’s question.
Carrying a plate of chocolate chip cookies, still hot from the oven, Archie came in behind them. “I told her to go ahead and open it, but she refused.” In a mocking tone, she said, “It’s a federal offense to open someone else’s mail.”
Unable to wait any longer, Chelsea picked up the package and thrust it out to David. As if he feared it was a bomb, David took it from her and studied the return address. It was from a lawyer’s office located on Wall Street in New York City.
“What did you do?” Mac asked in an ominous tone.
Archie slapped Gnarly’s snout when he moved in on the cookies. “We’re dying here.”
David ripped open the end of the envelope and extracted two envelopes from inside. One was an official looking letter with David’s full name typed on the front. The other envelope resembled a greeting card. Seeing that it was addressed to both of them, Chelsea snatched the greeting card and ripped it open while David read the letter.
“What is this?” David asked Mac who was reading the letter over his shoulder. Unsure if he had skimmed the contents correctly, David blinked to read it again.
“This has to be a joke,” Mac murmured.
Meanwhile, Chelsea let out a whoop that caused Molly to jump up onto the loveseat to hide behind Gnarly.
“What is it?” Archie grabbed the sheet of paper that Chelsea had found tucked inside the engagement card. Reading the top line, she gasped. “A deed to a
house?
”
“Then it is true?” David asked.
“But I just bought your house so that you could buy a house.” Mac took the letter from David and read through it a third time.
“Who gives someone a house for an engagement gift?” Archie asked.
“Carlisle Green,” Mac said. “She’s been liquidating her estate of holdings that she has no use for to concentrate on her mission work and was planning to sell the Green house on the lake. When she heard about your engagement and for your kindness and for saving her life, she decided that rather than sell it, she would sign it over to you two as an engagement gift.”
“So this deed is not a joke?” Archie waved the sheet of paper.
“I don’t think so.”
Chelsea threw her arms around David. “Our first wedding present.” She trembled with excitement. “I have never been inside that house before. I’ve only driven past it.”
“Her card says the keys are in the milk box next to the back door,” Archie said. “We may have to fight the squirrels for them.”
“But I just bought your house so …” Mac mumbled.
David kissed Chelsea on the lips. “Let’s go see our new home.”
“Actually, it’s pretty old,” Mac said. “Didn’t you say it was about fifty years old, David?”
“Technicalities.” Archie ushered Gnarly and Molly out the door.
Chelsea squealed with delight when David pulled his police cruiser into the driveway. Before leaving, Carlisle had made short work of the gardening and trimming of the overgrown trees. Upon climbing out of the cruiser and rushing up to the front door, she gushed. “I love it! It’s perfect.” She threw open the milk box to extract the keys. Her hands shaking with excitement, she had trouble unlocking the door until David took the keys from her to work the decades old lock.
“We’re going to need to do some updating,” he said. “Luckily, we have the money that Mac paid for my old place. That will bring this place into the twenty-first century.”
“I like the rustic décor.” Chelsea took in a deep breath at the sight of circular layout of the interior. From every angle there was a view of the lake and woods surrounding the house.
“We’re going to need to have it inspected,” David said. “I don’t know about the plumbing—“
“I love it!” Chelsea announced with a clap of her hands.
Like a guide giving a tour, Gnarly shepherded Molly around her new home. In her rush to get back to Africa, Carlisle had left the furniture and wall hangings.
“I always did love this house,” David said, “but I never in my wildest dreams thought I would end up owning it.”
“The lawyer’s letter said you got the house and all of its contents.” Mac took note of a box with a hodge podge of items resting in the middle of the dining room table.
“We can have a yard sale,” Chelsea said. “It will be fun.”
“Yay,” David said sarcastically.
Mac rummaged through the box. An external hard drive rested on top of the rest of the items that looked like knick knacks. A yellow stickie was attached to the side of the hard drive.
“The Greens were billionaires,” Archie said. “I would not sell anything without having it appraised first. There’s no telling what Carlisle left behind.”
Mac read the note written in Carlisle’s hand writing: “Guest Room. Bogie said he could read this to see what was on it. Don’t know whose it is or where it came from.”
“Hey, Archie,” Mac asked, “do you have your tablet?”
“Why?”
“Carlisle left a hard drive here that she says was in the guest room. She doesn’t know where it came from or what’s on it.”
Archie took her tablet from her purse. “Are there any cords for me to hook it up?”
Saying that he had some cords in his cruiser, David hurried outside.
“What are you thinking?” Archie examined the hard drive.
“Rachel Breckenridge said that Ashton had hardcopies of her grandfather’s book and his research,” Mac said.
“She also said Dr. Breckenridge shredded and burned them,” Archie said.
“But think about it,” Mac said. “Ashton was a young woman. Younger than you.”
“Your point?” Archie asked with a warning tone.
“Where did those hard copies originate?” Mac held up the external drive. “Digitally?”
“But why would that external hard drive be here at Carlisle’s house instead of the Piedmont house?” Chelsea asked.
Having rushed back inside with a power cord and a USB cord, David answered, “If Ashton was smart, she’d hide that evidence where Dr. Breckenridge would never think of looking for it.”
“Like her good friend’s house which was right next door where she could easily access it.” Archie attached the cords to the hard drive.
Mac plugged the power cord into the outlet while Archie attached the USB cord to her tablet. The hard drive powered on. Archie flipped though the folders until she located the drive. Upon opening the folder, she said, “These are old files that were created years ago in an old program.”
“How old?” Mac asked.
“According to the date, created late 1990’s.”
“Can you convert them?” Chelsea asked.
“There’s a notepad file here that I think I can open.” Archie clicked on the file. While the tablet worked with the file, she held up both hands to show her fingers crossed.
“Watch it be a cookbook,” David muttered.
“Let’s be optimistic,” Mac said.
“It’s open!” Archie held out the table for them all to see. “It’s a metadata file containing the front pages for what appears to be a book.”
Mac read the information written in plain sans-serif text.
Quantitative Medical Research of Three-Dimensional Printing for Organ Transplant and Prosthetic Limb Replacement
By
Dr. Ross Piedmont, MD
April 11, 2003
“He wrote this years before Dr. Breckenridge published it,” Archie said. “Once the medical community sees all this, she’ll be revealed for the thief, fraud, and killer that she is. She’ll be ruined.”
“Which will prove motive for killing Dr. Howard Wagner, A.J.’s father,” Chelsea said. “Between this and her daughter testifying against her, she’ll be convicted for sure.”
“Looks like your new home is lucky,” Mac told David and Chelsea.
“I’m liking it so far.” Chelsea wrapped her arms around David and kissed him on the lips.
“I love this kitchen.” Setting the tablet aside, Archie went into the kitchen to examine the granite countertops.
“We should go take a look at the pipes to see exactly how bad the plumbing is,” David told Mac.
“I wonder what else Carlisle left behind.” Chelsea reached into the box and let out a high pitched laugh that caused everyone to turn around. Her pale face bright pink, she held up a red thong. “Look at this! Why on earth would she leave this for us?”
David felt his cheeks turn as red as the undergarment that Chelsea was waving about.
She lied. She did remember that night—right down to the red thong she was wearing.
Joining in the laughter, Archie took the thong and held up to show them the broken strap. “Someone ripped this right off her body. No one was kidding when they said Carlisle was a bad girl.”
“David, look at you,” Chelsea giggled. “You’re blushing.”
With a glance over at Mac, David said, “Just trying not to look over my shoulder to the past while moving toward the future.”
On their way out the door, Mac whispered into David’s ear, “Pray that while you’re looking forward to the future that your past doesn’t come up to bite you in the butt.”
The End
About the Author
Lauren Carr
Lauren Carr is the best-selling author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland.
Open Season for Murder
is the tenth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series.
In addition to her series set on Deep Creek Lake, Lauren Carr has also written the Lovers in Crime Mysteries, which features prosecutor Joshua Thornton with homicide detective Cameron Gates, who were introduced in
Shades of Murder,
the third book in the Mac Faraday Mysteries. They also make an appearance in
The Lady Who Cried Murder
.
Three Days to Forever
introduces Lauren Carr’s latest series detectives, Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday in the Thorny Rose Mysteries. Look for
Kill and Run
, the first installment in this series, to be released September 1, 2015.
The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. This year, several books, over a variety of genres, written by independent authors, will be released through the management of Acorn Book Services, which is currently accepting submissions. Visit Acorn Book Services’ website for more information.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes.
She lives with her husband, son, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Visit Lauren Carr’s website at
www.mysterylady.net
to learn more about Lauren and her upcoming mysteries.
Check Out Lauren Carr’s Mysteries!
Order! Order!
All of Lauren Carr’s books are stand alone. However for those readers wanting to start at the beginning, here is the list of Lauren Carr’s mysteries. The number next to the book title is the actual order in which the book was released.
Joshua Thornton Mysteries
Fans of the
Lovers in Crime Mysteries
may wish to read these two books which feature Joshua Thornton years before meeting Detective Cameron Gates. Also in these mysteries, readers will meet Joshua Thornton’s five children before they have flown the nest.
Mac Faraday Mysteries
5)
Shades of Murder
(introduces the Lovers in Crime: Joshua Thornton & Cameron Gates)
8)
The Murders at Astaire Castle
9)
The Lady Who Cried Murder
(The Lovers in Crime make a guest appearance in this Mac Faraday Mystery)
14) Open Season for Murder
(June 2015)
Thorny Rose Mystery
15)
Kill and Run
(September 4, 2015) (featuring the Lovers in Crime in Lauren Carr’s latest series)
Kill and Run
A Thorny Rose Mystery (featuring the Lovers in Crime)
Five women of various ages and backgrounds are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together to be killed.
Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread between the victims, then he can not only find out why they were killed, but who is behind their horrible deaths.
The investigation takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to the late husband of his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates.
When the FBI reveals that a recently arrested hit man has confessed to killing her husband, Cameron sets out for Washington to learn the truth about why someone would put out a contract on a Pennsylvania State trooper working a night shift on the turnpike.
In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Murphy and Jessica Faraday to sift through the a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the Lovers in Crime and detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a ruthless killer bent on ambition?
Coming September 4, 2015!
(former working title
‘Til Murder Do We Part
)
