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PROLOGUE
Whoever said life was a mystery to be lived and not a problem to be solved was only half right. Life should always be lived to the fullest but unsolved murders were most definitely both mysteries and problems to be solved.
CHAPTER 1
JESSICA
Mystery Readers of Maine Book Signing
Kennebunkport, Maine
Three Months Ago
The signing earlier in the day had become a non-event. Everything had been set up and ready to go. Ready that is, until someone from the other end of the room that had been set up for the event had shrieked loud enough to wake the dead. Christie Crofton, who was a retired homicide detective with the Baltimore Police Department and had become a media sensation with the publication of her debut novel, had gone to find out what had caused the bloodcurdling scream.
The police had been called and taken over the investigation into Sandy Parkinson’s murder. After everyone at the event had been herded back to their various hotels, the police had been clear about who could leave Kennebunkport and who couldn’t. The police hadn’t wanted to call it ‘murder,’ but it was, and it hadn’t taken long for all four women who had been at the other end of the room when it happened to become embroiled in solving the murder.
Having joined her new friends, Fiona Fowler, Christie Crofton, and Lori Sykes—all mystery writers of different genres and at different points in their careers—for dinner, she’d been surprised when Christie had produced a thumb drive she’d removed from the victim’s bag, placing it on the table as if it were a snake coiled and ready to strike.
Jessica had picked up the thumb drive with great care and looked at Christie. “What’s on it?”
Before Christie could answer, a strong, masculine hand reached out and plucked the thumb drive from Jessica. She’d spotted the man earlier, lurking in the shadows of the lobby as she’d crossed the wide expanse of marble and fine oriental carpets. She’d taken note of him, even though she had only glimpsed him from her peripheral vision. He was tall, muscular, gorgeous, and literally dripped authority. He’d seemed focused on her—almost as if he’d been waiting but had then faded back to only now reappear.
“I’ll take that,” he said. “The security cameras showed Ms. Crofton picking up something from outside the stairwell, but we couldn’t see what it was. I was hoping she’d bring it with her.”
“Hello, Detective Wilder,” said Lori, batting her eyes, “it’s nice to see you again.”
“I thought I was pretty clear that you and your friends needed to stick to writing about murders, not getting involved with one. And honestly, Ms. Crofton, as a veteran of the Baltimore police department, I would have expected better of you.”
There was something about men like him that just set Jessica’s teeth on edge. They assumed that since they were male and an authority figure, a bunch of female mystery writers would just do as they were told. She repressed a wry grin. Apparently, he didn’t know her reputation. She snatched the thumb drive back, surprising the detective.
“And you should know you can’t just seize someone’s property,” she said. “You don’t know what this is. I mean, obviously it’s a thumb drive, but it could be any thumb drive that Christie picked up anywhere.”
“The cameras…” he started.
“You just said they didn’t show you what I’d picked up,” added Christie with a grin.
Jessica almost felt sorry for the cop. He had no idea what he was up against. A good rule of thumb was never get involved in a war of words with writers—odds were the writers would win. Jessica may have thought getting involved with an active homicide investigation was a bad idea, but she was warming up to it.
The detective nodded. “That’s true, but it’s easy enough to figure it out.”
“Is it?” Jessica said, sliding the thumb drive down her cleavage until it was secured between her breasts and her bra.
“Give that back,” he said, staring at her boobs.
Jessica knew she had good boobs.
Glancing down, she said provocatively, “You want it? Come and get it.” The bantering tone of her challenge surprised her. Sure, she thought he was gorgeous, but she really wasn’t one to stick her nose into a murder investigation.
“I can have you arrested.”
“For what? Taking back property that doesn’t belong to you?”
“Hindering an investigation.”
Jessica watched as her new friends turned their attention from the dashingly handsome detective to her and back again to him. It was as if they were watching a verbal tennis game between two well-matched opponents.
“You can only arrest me if you have probable cause, and as you don’t know what’s on the drive, you have no way to know that. And as I don’t know either, I can’t be guilty of trying to hide anything from you.”
