Shaded Light: The Case of the Tactless Trophy Wife: A Paul Manziuk and Jacquie Ryan Mystery (The Manziuk and Ryan Mysteries Book 1) (65 page)
Authors: J. A. Menzies
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“Annie, I hear what you’re saying. And I agree. When I say we need to give Rico time to adjust, I don’t mean just wait. We’re working with him—I am, his manager Blake Harrison is, and some others are. I know Ferdinand Ortes has taken him under his wing. But I still say the adjustment will take time. And let’s face it, Toronto is a bit of a fish bowl.”
Stasey interrupted. “Meaning?”
“Meaning professional athletes here get more than usual coverage from the media. And their personal lives go under more scrutiny.”
“What does all that have to do with our expecting him to show some team spirit and self-control?” Before Pat could respond, Stasey switched gears and asked, “Who’s our next caller? Wayne? What would you like to say to Pat?”
“Just this. I want a team that wins! So make sure this guy doesn’t mess it up. He should be grateful to us for giving him the chance to play here, and he’d better behave! And you’d better see that he does!”
“Okay, Wayne!” Stasey was grinning. She waited for a beat before saying, “Well, somebody has to pay the bills. We’ll be back after a sports update and a commercial.”
Stasey leaned toward Pat. “Looks like you’ve got some work to do.”
His nervousness seemed to have dissipated. “Do I get a rebuttal time?”
“We’ve got a few minutes,” Stasey said. “What the heck? Sure. You can say your piece.”
“Thank you.”
The update ended. Stasey read a commercial for suntan lotion. Then she said, “So, Pat, going along with your idea of giving people a lot of rope—if you could say anything you wanted, right here and right now, what would you say?”
“I’d say we often expect more from other people than we do from ourselves. I’m not perfect, and I don’t think you are either, Stasey. Sure, Rico makes mistakes, but most of our listeners do, too. It might be good to think about that old saying about not judging someone unless you’ve walked a mile or so in his moccasins.”
“Is that a tear in my eye? No, no, I’m okay. Nice recovery, Pat. And thanks for being on the show today.”
“Thank you, Stasey. Any time.”
Ted helped Pat remove the headset. After a weak smile at Stasey, he walked out of the booth, limping very slightly.
On-air, Stasey said, “Ever wondered why people have agents? Now you know. If you pay them well enough, your agent will do his or her best to make you look like a poor misguided young lad struggling to survive instead of the selfish jerk you are.”
Stasey made a throat-slashing movement to Ted. “I’ll be back in one minute.”
A commercial went on.
Ted’s voice came through her earphone, “You were a bit hard on him.”
“He’s a slimeball.”
“He’s just doing his job.”
“So am I.”
“When you treat guests like that, you make my job harder.”
“They always come back. They know any publicity is better than none.”
“You’re on air in three…two…one.”
“Let’s switch topics now from baseball to football for the next half hour….”
In his suite in the Diamond Hotel, which was situated next to the Diamond Dome, Rico Velasquez had listened to the Stasey Simon Show with the team’s shortstop, Ferdinand Ortes. Since Ferdinand spoke fluent English as well as Spanish, he was able to translate anything Rico didn’t understand. But Rico didn’t need Ferdinand’s help when Stasey called him a jerk.
Using his native Spanish, Rico called Stasey quite a few things.
Ferdinand laughed. “You did go overboard yesterday. I mean, breaking the TV was a bit much! And the wall—not exactly the brightest thing you’ve ever done.”
“Yeah,” Rico said. “I wasted my energy on that stupid wall. Next time I’ll choose a better target.” He smiled. “You know what I’d really like? One of these days, I’d like to take a bat to Stasey Simon’s head!”
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Glitter of Diamonds
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Shadow of a Butterfly
The Case of the Harmless Old Woman
Coming May 15, 2015
A luxury hire-rise in downtown Toronto. A group of artsy seniors. Caring staff. An idyllic scene? Or a setting for murder?
In her third Manziuk and Ryan mystery, J. A. Menzies once again delights readers with complex characters, tight plotting, and a satisfying conclusion.
Most of the residents of the 20th floor of Serenity Suites are enjoying their remaining years. The famous Broadway actress has just married a much-younger musician. The best-selling author and his wife are going strong. The character actor is still working.
But not all is well. The former host of a popular radio talk show is worried that his wife might be slipping into dementia. The ballerina with a shady past is in danger of being evicted. At least one resident is considering moving out.
Most of the staff seem content, although Audra Limson, manager of the 20th floor, has learned to smile and remain outwardly in spite of the constant turmoil in her personal life.
When a harmless elderly woman is murdered in the common room, residents immediately wonder if a deluded mercy-killer thinks he or she is doing them a favour by dispatching them.
Homicide detectives Paul Manziuk and Jacqueline Ryan, themselves dealing with personal issues as well as an unresolved working relationship, follow every rabbit trail that comes up, sorting through half-truths and long-buried secrets. They realize that those with opportunity had no motive, and those with motive, no opportunity. They know they’re missing something, but what?
Author
While I’d hate to stumble on a real body under any circumstances, I have a thing about noticing the “perfect” locations for finding mythical bodies. In order not to waste this fascinating (and hopefully, unusual) skill, I decided to write mysteries.
Truth is, I’ve been reading mysteries since I first discovered Trixie Beldon (I owned every book). Later, I discovered and devoured the work of Erle Stanley Gardner, John Creasey, Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy L. Sayers, Desmond Bagley, Raymond Chandler, Emma Lathen, Marjorie Allingham, and others far too numerous to list here.
I still go back and reread many of the authors of the British Golden Age—they’re my comfort-books. I also read a variety of contemporary authors, including Donna Andrews, Louise Penny, Alan Bradley, Sue Grafton, Peter Robinson, Rick Blechta, Vicki Delany, P. D. James, Marcia Muller, and T. Jefferson Parker.
I’m a member of various writers’ organizations, including Sisters in Crime and Crime Writers of Canada. I also teach workshops for writers. I especially enjoy sharing some of my secrets on developing plots. (One of my favorite reviews, from
Library Journal
, called me a “master of plotting.”)
By the way, in real life, people know me as N. J. Lindquist. And my first two mysteries were actually published under that name. Afterwards, I decided that I really needed to separate the mysteries from my other books, so—better late than never (I hope)—I made my birth name (J. A. Menzies) my alter ego.
Connect with me at:
W
ebsite - http://jamenzies.com/
Books and Stories by J. A. Menzies
Classic Mysteries in Contemporary Settings
Manziuk and Ryan Mysteries
Shaded Light: The Case of the Tactless Trophy Wife
Glitter of Diamonds: The Case of the Reckless Radio Host
Shadow of a Butterfly: The Case of the Harmless Old Woman
Short Stories
“The Case of the Sneezing Accountant: A Paul Manziuk & Jacquie Ryan Short Story”
“The Day Time Stood Still”
“They Can’t Take That Away From Me”
“Revenge So Sweet”
Publisher
Table of Contents
Major Players in Order of Appearance
