Friday, September 30, 2016
$.99 Sale! January Black Ice
$.99 Sale January Black Ice http://tinyurl.com/zmv3jeq
First in the Ca Collier Mystery Series. Reminiscent of the 1940s detective novels.
Mary Catherine Collier is called to the penthouse apartment of the city’s very rich, most influential lawyer, Detrick Bittmor. He has a very personal assignment for her. It involves a mysterious young man who sits on a park bench every day at noon and stares up at Bittmor’s top floor apartment.
Mary Catherine, or Cat, as she’s better known, has a soft spot for this lawyer with a nasty reputation. There’s something about this old man she likes, and even finds charming.
Detrick Bittmor thinks the young man on the park bench resembles a younger version of himself. He thinks this young man could be his son from an affair he had many years ago with a beautiful New Year lawyer. This man could be his only heir.
And old man Bittmor isn’t getting any younger.
$.99 Sale! January Black Ice
Dear Gentle Readers,
January Black Ice, the first Cat Collier Mystery, is now on sale for $.99 at http://tinyurl.com/zmv3jeq at Amazon.com.
The Cat Collier mysteries has been called an exciting new series. It is a fast, funny, yet heartfelt read. It has been compared to the detective novels of the 1940's.
The Winter Collection, consisting of January Black Ice, February White Lies, and March Blues, is out now.
Pick up this first novella for $.99 from September 30 through October 3, 2016.
Hugs,
Carol
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Charming Deception, Page 18
“Ah, now you look like a princess
and not a street waif! Are you hungry, my dear?” gushes my father. A hearty soup and bread are served. Wine is
poured. There is a file on the table with the official Robesson seal on the
front.
“Yes, I am,” I smile and
smooth down the giant bubble of a satin dress I have on. “Father, I have so many
questions.”
“I imagined you would. How
is your head?”
“Better, thank you.”
“Tomorrow evening we will
have a wonderful dinner party to welcome you home, with many guests and all
your favorite dishes. But for now, it’s just you and me and soup and bread.”
“Oh, let’s skip the party
for now. I really don’t feel much like a party. Maybe later.”
“Isabella? You never turn
down a reason to have a party. Your head must still be hurting. You must feel
unwell. Very well, I’ll postpone the festivities until you feel more like
yourself.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“Tell me what you
remember, my dear.”
“I remember working for a
trucking company, in the office. I did some office work, but mostly worked out
truck routes, like shortest distance plus highest speed limit, miles per hour
times miles per gallon, lots of Math. It was a giant ever-changing puzzle with
many variables. I liked my work. I lived in a tiny, sparse apartment. I was all
by myself, Father. My co-workers were old, boring, married, forty-year old
people. There was no one my age, no one to talk to and laugh with. It was a
dull, lonely existence.”
“Yes, Bella, I hid you in
Demby, Ohio, the most remote, isolated place I could find.”
“Alone? You couldn’t send someone
with me? You stuck me in that cold, remote, dreary dirty, dust-hole all by
myself? How could you?”
“Our scientists said they could
dampen one signal, but two Robesson signals could have drawn our enemies
directly to you. Cora cried, pleaded, and begged to go with you, and Justin,
too. But I couldn’t. Why hide you and then attach a beacon signal to your back?
So, what happened after that?”
“A dull, boring, gray
life. I have no idea how long I was there, over a year, maybe two. One day was
just like another. Then one day I woke up in a private clinic in Tampa, Florida
with what I was told I had a memory loss caused by a virus. My head was aching.
When I was released, I went to my beautiful home, a condo on the beach. It was
like paradise. It was wonderful. And just when I thought my life couldn’t get
any better, I was kidnapped by some international terrorists, one named Werner.
They had me do some code breaking and encoding for them.”
My father nods as he
listens to me.
“Then we escaped. We jumped out of a window, we slid down an
awning, we ran down the street, and slipped into a little vintage clothing shop,
where we met a
very sweet older woman who
helped us find clothing to disguise us.”
“WE? Bella, who is ‘we’?”
“Me,” I fear telling my
father the truth, “and my husband, Jakson Blake.”
“Do you remember marrying
this man, this Jakson Blake?”
“Yes, Father, I do. It was
a lovely little ceremony on the beach with a few friends and some people from
work. My best friend Annette was my maid of honor. The weather was perfect. And
Jakson’s parents came in from London. Oh, they’re wonderful people, Father. It
was beautiful! I know that Jakson Blake is my husband,” she nodded.
“And what does this Jakson
Blake look like, daughter?”
“Tall, thin, dark hair,
dark eyes. An attractive man. Kind, funny, sweet.”
“How long has this man
been travelling with you as your husband?”
“I’m not really sure. A
year, a year and a half. Why?”
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Charming Deception, Page 17
“Please accompany Isabella
to her room, and stay close to her.” The three of us walk down the hall and up
the stairs holding hands with me in the middle.
I feel like a five-year-old.
“You’re safe now, Bella. Justin
and I will protect you. Are you okay?” Cora whispers as she hugs me.
“Yes, I’m fine. Confused,
tired, and I have a nasty headache. But I’m okay.”
“Good, I’ve missed you
very much, my friend.”
“I’ve missed you, too,
Cora, but I don’t think I’m …” Justin opens a door and Cora and I walk in what
appears to be my bedchamber.
“We were so worried about
you,” said Cora. “What can I get for you?”
“Nothing, Cora. Cora,
listen to me, I don’t think I am Isabella.” Cora blinks and looks shocked.
“Oh, of course, you are. Who
else could you be? You’ve just had your brainwaves jangled. Your father said
this was likely to happen. It’s the mirror transport. He would like you to
rest. You have been through a harrowing experience.”
“No, Cora. This is more
than brain jangles. I’m Samantha Blake. Sam. Do you know what happened to me?”
“Wouldn’t you rather rest
and hear the official royal Robesson version from your father?”
“No. I want to know what
you know first, the unofficial version that resembles the truth. Come on, Cora.
He’ll never know what you tell me.”
“Well, all right,” Cora
plops down on the sofa. “The high and mighty, smelly old Count James of
Henderson came to the king with news from spies in the north that you had been
targeted by the Galtari Nationals. They were going to kidnap and murder you. So
the king hid you on an off-planet, some bizarre modern place, Earth he called
it. These Earthites look just like us, I hear. I begged him to send me with
you. Justin and I both wanted to come with you, so you wouldn’t be all alone,
but he said no, something about signal dampening. I didn’t understand it. Then
he was informed that you had been abducted from your secret hiding place by the
Galt tracker who was sent to kill you. We all feared for your life. Many
thought you were already dead. But your father never gave up hope. The king has
been sending raiding parties to the planet Earth in search of you every day for
over a year.”
“Thank you, Cora. I think
I’ll take a nap now. I have a pounding headache.”
“Let me get you something
for that pounding headache. What you do want me to do with this poor little orphan
boy outfit? Throw it away?”
“No. Hang it in my closet,
in the back, please. I might need it. I like the freedom of that little orphan
boy outfit much more than all those puffy satin dresses with crinoline and
yards of lace and bows I’m seeing around here.” Cora left the room.
I crawl up on the big
comfortable bed and curl up in a ball. Cora comes back with headache medicine.
“Bella, um, Sam, here,
this will help you feel better. I’ll pick out your dinner dress, and stay with
you until you fall asleep. And Justin is right outside the door. And he’s
armed. Are you afraid?”
“Me? No. Afraid of what?”
“Nightmares? Panic? Anxiety?
Fear of being abducted by those dirty, filthy, murderous Galts again?”
“No. I have no
recollection of being abducted. I’m not even sure that really happened. But I’m
not too fond of mirrors.”
“Rest now. We’ll catch up,
later.”
“Thanks, Cora.”
Cora nod and picks out a
dress for dinner, a pale green satin with bows and a very wide full hip skirt
that tapered narrowly at the bottom. Then she sits in the chair next to me and
watches over me while I nap.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Charming Deception, Page 16
Jaks takes my hand as we
leave the shop and walk down the street.
“Sam, what the hell are we
doing? Those men are animals. They’ll kill us.”
“Who are they, Jaks?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. You know
them. They knew you by name. Now tell me. Who are they?”
“What did they ask you to
do?”
“Break a code. Decode a
message. And then encode their answer.”
“And you did it?”
“Yes”
“What did it say?”
“Asia. Something about
Asia, I didn’t understand it. Who are they, Jaks?”
“Very bad people, Sam. Thugs.
Murderers. International terrorists.”
“How do you know them?”
“I’m an international
mediator. I have to sit down with this kind of scum all the time and try to
resolve issues that they would rather not have resolved. But, Sam, honey, I
have to tell you something. Something bad, even worse than international
murdering thugs. Something I should have told you as soon as we got home. I
wanted to tell you before, but I didn’t know how you’d react. Remember that I
love you more than anything in the world, this world, and all worlds. Please
don’t be angry with me, or think that I don’t truly love you with my whole
heart and soul, because I do. Samantha, I’m not who you think I am. I’m your
Jaks, and I always will be your Jaks, but, honey, I’m…”
A shiny doorway of silvery,
opaque semi-liquid opens up on the brick wall as we walk by. Hands, many hands,
ten maybe, reach out of the silvery doorway and grab me, pulling me inside.
“Jaks!” I scream and
struggle to get free of all those hands grabbing at me.
“No! Sam!” Jakson holds on
to my hand as long as he could. “Sam, hold on to me! Don’t let go! Samantha! No!”
But I am pulled inside, away from him. I see his hand reach into the shimmering
semi-liquid for a moment, groping around for me as I am being pulled farther
and farther away from him. As I watch,
the silvery liquid solidifies into… a mirror.
“Isabella! Bella! Are you
hurt?” An old man with long grey-white hair dressed in a flowing white robe
over a green gown wearing a beautiful golden crown hugs me vigorously. “I
honestly felt that you were lost to me forever, my precious daughter. I feared
you were dead.”
“Father! No, I’m fine.”
“You look, uh, very bizarre,
daughter.”
I pull off the red wig,
tousle my hair, and smile up at him.
“Ah, there’s my girl! Tell
me, Bella, did you recognize any of your captors?”
“No, Father. But
everything is all confused. I feel like I’ve been tugged and dragged and pulled
apart. And I have a nasty headache.”
“That is to be expected. That
damn mirror transporter jangles up your brainwaves. Nasty piece of technology. It’s
not ours. It’s Galt in origin. Rest a bit, my child, and then we’ll have
something to eat. Cook made soup. And then, maybe I can help you unravel some
of your confusion you’re feeling. I’m sure you’ll want to dress in something a
little more, uh, um, appropriate.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Justin. Cora. Come here. Look!
Bella is home.” Justin and Cora come running.
16.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Charming Deception, Page 15.
“Jaks!” I scream. I glance
out the window as I run to him. I straddle him and sit on his lap in the chair
and put pressure on his lip wound with some tissues I find in my pocket. He
says nothing, but his warm brown eyes caress me lovingly. And there was something
else in his eyes I couldn’t quite read. Something sad, maybe? Shame?
“Werner, may I have a
private moment alone with my husband, please?”
“What?” laughs Werner. “You’ve
got to be joking! No. Absolutely not! No!”
“What do you think we’re
going to do? Jump out the damn window? You want my continued cooperation, don’t
you? I have no problem helping you. You could’ve just asked me instead of
playing ambush at the drugstore. Give me a few minutes alone with my husband.”
“Five minutes, Mrs. Blake.
And we will be standing right here outside the door.”
Werner closes the door. I
kiss this beautiful man in front of me, reach behind him and untie him.
“Are you okay, honey?” he
softly whispers to me and I just wait to hold him in my arms and rock him. He’s
been smacked around, his lip is bleeding, and yet he wants to know if I’m okay.
“Come on,” I whisper and
lead him to the window.
“What are you up to?” he
whispers. “What are we going to do?”
“Jump.”
“No, Sam. NO! This is
crazy. We’ll break our legs. And then, they’ll drag us back into the warehouse
and kill us.”
I grab his hand and jump,
pulling him down with me. We landed on the awning below and slide down to the
edge, jumping to the sidewalk.
“Samantha, have you lost
your mind? And how did you even know there was an awning?”
“Run! I’ve been here
before. There’s a great little vintage clothes shop up here on the left.” I take
off running, cross the street, and duck into a small shop. Jaks follows me.
“We need help. Clothes. Disguise.”
“Cops?”
“No. Abusive ex-husband. The
bastard just won’t leave me alone. And if he catches us, he’ll kill him, and he’s a very good man,” I say, nodding
toward Jakson.
“In here,” says the
sympathetic older woman who ushers us into a back room. She eyes Samantha.
“Size ten?” I nod and the
woman disappears. In a few minutes, she comes back with an outfit for me and a
long auburn wig, stretchy flats, and a big handbag.
“Now, you, you tall drink
of water,” she turns to Jakson, “you’re going to be a problem.”
I go into the dressing
room to change. Jaks follows me in.
“Do you have a credit card
on you?” He nods and pulls it out to show me.
“Good. Give it to her. And
I mean GIVE.”
He nods. “Got it.”
The woman comes back in
with a long coat, baseball cap, sunglasses, and a Beatles tee shirt.
“This is the best I could
come up with.”
“Thank you,” says Jakson,
handing her his credit card. “We can’t use it anymore. It’ll be traced. Use it.
Buy yourself something really nice. From us, as a little thank you for helping
us. We truly appreciate your help.” Jakson slides into a fitting room and
emerges looking very retro-cool.
“Here,” the woman jams
some cash into Jakson’s hand. “Lunch money. Take good care of her. And good
luck to you two.”
15.
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