The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb (32 page)

“Please, Madame, stay still. The furniture isn't moving, you are. Ms. Pool is correct. If we wait a moment, I'm sure everything will be just fine.” Jimmy Green, the Diva Kharlamova's assistant, sounded testy, which was hardly surprising, given the way the woman had been acting toward him all evening.

Everyone in the private dining room heaved a sigh of relief when the backup lighting kicked in.

Everyone except Julie Pool, who screamed, “Oh, no . . . Look! Somebody's skewered Miss Shirley to her seat with a silver saber.”

My thanks to everyone I met on my travels in Bucerias, Mismaloya, and Puerto Vallarta who took the time to share their fascinating insights about life in their beautiful part of the world. To my mum and my sister, who, as ever, were the first to read and give feedback on my writing, as well as the sort of encouragement that can only come from those who truly love you. To my husband, who supports me in every way, through every day. To Ruth Linka, my publisher, who enables Cait Morgan to travel and solve mysteries. To every member of the TouchWood team, each of whom plays their unique part in allowing Cait to live, breathe, and get out into the world. To Frances, my editor, who has a true passion for, and impressive knowledge of, crime fiction, and always exercises a light, but effective, touch. Last, but far from least, my thanks to you for choosing to read this book and spend some time with Cait Morgan—as well as to all the printers, distributors, librarians, booksellers, bloggers, and reviewers who might have helped you find, and get your hands on, this book.

Welsh Canadian mystery author
CATHY ACE
is the creator of the Cait Morgan Mysteries, which include
The Corpse with the Silver Tongue
,
The Corpse with the Golden Nose
, and
The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb
. Born, raised, and educated in Wales, Cathy enjoyed a successful career in marketing and training across Europe, before immigrating to Vancouver, Canada, where she taught on
MBA
and undergraduate marketing programs at various universities. Her eclectic tastes in art, music, food, and drink have been developed during her decades of extensive travel, which she continues whenever possible. Now a full-time author, Cathy's short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies, as well as on
BBC
Radio 4. She and her husband are keen gardeners, who enjoy being helped out around their acreage by their green-pawed Labradors. Cathy's website can be found at
cathyace.com
.

A Quiet Kill
by Janet Brons

The head of the Canadian High Commission's trade section is found brutally clubbed and stabbed to death in the Official Residence in London, England. Scotland Yard's Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Hay is called in to investigate, while Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Liz Forsyth is dispatched from Ottawa. There are a number of suspects from the diplomatic community: the High Commissioner and his beautiful wife, the smarmy head of the political section, the charming military attaché, the high-strung Deputy High Commissioner, and a deeply troubled engagements secretary. After a second murder, the case takes a turn and radical environmentalist Dr. Julian Cox becomes a suspect.

A Quiet Kill
is the first in a new mystery series featuring Forsyth and Hay. Paired up for the first time, the two investigators must overcome insecurities and suspicions as they find themselves wading into the murky waters of the diplomatic community and navigating through a melee of international conspiracy, nationalism, and murder.

The Glacier Gallows
by Stephen Legault

Tragedy strikes during an expedition through Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. At the base of a windswept ridge that forms the border between Canada and the United States, Cole Blackwater finds the body of his business partner and former rival Brian Marriott, a bullet hole in his head. Cole's long history of violence and his antagonistic past with the deceased put him in the spotlight of the murder investigation.

The fourth Cole Blackwater Mystery,
The Glacier Gallows
is a gritty, fast-paced mystery that will catapult the reader across North America, from Canada's Parliament Hill to Alberta's Porcupine Hills to Montana's Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Cole, his brother, Walter, and reporter Nancy Webber must race against time to learn who really wanted Brian Marriott dead and why, before Cole himself ends up in the gallows.

Dark Moon Walking
by R.J. McMillen

It's been more than eight years since ex-cop Dan Connor put a troubled criminal named Walker behind bars, and a year since he handed in his badge after losing the woman he loved. The remote islands off the Pacific Northwest coast seem like the perfect destination for his retirement. That is until a wave of increasingly sinister events disrupts his peace.

When a mysterious boat drives Connor from his anchorage and a marine biologist working in the area goes missing, Connor is forced to team up with his former nemisis, Walker, who has been released from jail and is struggling with his own demons. They have little in common, but when a life hangs in the balance and others are threatened, the knowledge and skills of these two men from very different cultures are the perfect mix.

With an eclectic cast of characters and a riveting plot, the first Dan Connor Mystery,
Dark Moon Walking
, is a fast-paced, suspenseful thriller that will keep you turning the pages until its explosive conclusion.

Copyright © 2014 Cathy Ace

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (
ACCESS
Copyright). For a copyright licence, visit
accesscopyright.ca
.

TouchWood Editions
touchwoodeditions.com

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
Ace, Cathy, 1960–, author
The corpse with the emerald thumb / Cathy Ace.

(A Cait Morgan mystery)
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-77151-064-6 (html). ISBN 978-1-77151-065-3 (pdf)

I. Title. II. Series: Ace, Cathy, 1960- Cait Morgan mystery.

PS8601.C41C65 2014 C813'.6 C2013-905978-4

Editor: Frances Thorsen
Proofreader: Cailey Cavallin
Cover image: dbvirago,
canstockphoto.com
Author photo: Jeremy Wilson Photography (
jeremywilsonphotography.com
)

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support for our publishing activities from the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, and the province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.