Revenge at Peters Gate (eBook)

Barbara Siebeneick (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2021 | 1. Auflage
300 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-6678-0806-2 (ISBN)

Infos

Detective Brad Evans of the Monterey Police Department is faced with one of his most challenging cases. When the Mayor of Monterey is murdered, there are very few clues and many possible suspects. His life is constrained by the Covid pandemic and the restrictions it places on his relationship with Doctor Christina Velk, who is an ER doctor.

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Detective Brad Evans of the Monterey Police Department is faced with one of his most challenging cases when the Mayor is found murdered at his home in the Peters Gate neighborhood of the city. While there are many possible suspects for the crime, there are very few pieces of evidence. Detective Frankie de Colonia is brought in from San Francisco to help solve the murder. Their initial contact is contentious, but relaxes as they grow to know each other. While working on the murder, Brad and his girlfriend, Doctor Christina Velk, start to plan their wedding, despite the restrictions in place because of the Covid 19 pandemic. After witnessing a tragic drowning, they decide to go ahead with their marriage instead of waiting until the pandemic subsides. The history, beauty and mystery of the Monterey Peninsula provide a rich backdrop to the story and the life of our detective.

Textauszug

1

It’s only nine in the morning and my day is already ruined. Last year ended so well and then the pandemic hit. It’s amazing how fast things changed in just a couple of months. What did Dickens say in A Tale of Two Cities? Oh yeah, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” That’s a great opening line for a novel, but not so wonderful to live through.

Turning my car into the Peters Gate neighborhood of Monterey, I smiled at the name. It always sounded to me like the entrance to heaven. Unfortunately, today, it was the site of a cold-blooded murder. I sighed and paused for a moment to look at the gathering group of neighbors standing in their bathrobes and jogging suits in front of a modest Monterey-style house. Ducking under the yellow police tape and walking up the red tile sidewalk that led to the two-story home, I saw several police officers and the coroner leaning over a body in the entryway.

“Hi Doc. What can you tell me? Is it really the mayor?”

“Detective Brad Evans, it has been a while since we worked together! How have you been?”

“I’m doing well. Is this Mayor Robinson?”

“Sadly, it is. He was stabbed several times in the back and I am making an educated guess that the knife wound killed him. He has not gone into rigor, so I would say it happened in the last couple of hours. We did find a hair near him. I’ll take it back to the lab to analyze it. I will give you the final report after I do the autopsy.”

Nodding my head, I crouched down and looked at the face of the Mayor of Monterey, Clive Robinson. I said a little prayer and gently placed a gloved hand on the mayor’s forehead. Standing up, I saw Officer Tom Kent. It was hard to miss him, even with everyone wearing face coverings against the Covid-19 virus; Tom was the tallest person on the force and the only African American.

“Hey Tom, it’s good to see you back in action. I’m glad they finally released you for active duty. After the brain trauma you received last year, I was worried you might not come back.”

“Yeah, it’s good to be at work again. If I’d had to spend any more time on desk duty, I think I would have gone crazy, or as Susan says, crazier!”

“How is Susan? It seems like forever since we saw her. It has to be rough for medical professionals to deal with all these Covid cases. I know, Christina struggles with losing so many patients, so I imagine Sue feels the same.”

“Thanks for asking. She is doing alright. She tries to detach herself emotionally from the patients, but since they can’t have their families with them, it is hard to see them so alone when they are so seriously ill. The nurses are really heroes with the way they support the patients. The nurses see the patients much more than the doctors do. The patients who can still talk, share their fears and regrets with them. Susan can’t say enough about how much she admires their work.”

“Well, we aren’t here to chat.” Looking at the body on the ground, I said, “I can’t believe someone killed the mayor. He was so popular and had been mayor longer than anyone in the history of Monterey. Every time he ran for re-election, he was voted in by a huge majority. The townspeople loved him. What time did the report come in?”

“Judging by the wounds in his back, I’d guess not everyone loved him. We received a call about eight this morning. One of the neighbors went out to get the morning newspaper from his driveway and saw the mayor lying in his doorway. He went over to see if he was okay and realized he was dead. Then he called us. Uh oh, looks like you are needed over there.” Tom nodded his head toward the tape where a rotund, red-faced, balding man, was arguing with an officer.

I turned around to see what Tom was talking about. I adjusted my facemask, walked over, and faced the unruly spectator. The officer stepped back, but stood nearby as if I might need some backup.

“Hello,” I said. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Detective Brad Evans from the Monterey Police and I am in charge of this case. May I ask you to put on a mask and tell me who you are?”

“I am Vice Mayor Elton Melbe,” he said, ignoring Brad’s outstretched hand, but putting on a facemask. “Sergeant, I hear the mayor has been hurt. I want to see him.”

I dropped my hand and wondered if the Vice Mayor refused to shake because of his pompous attitude or because he was adhering to the Covid-19 regulations about touching others.

“It’s Detective Evans, sir. I’m sorry, but you can’t do that. This is now a murder case. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to contaminate the scene, would you? “

“Murder? You mean he is dead? Someone killed him?” Mr. Melbe visibly shrunk in stature upon hearing the news. Why would anyone do that?”

“That’s what we are going to find out. For now, I would just like you to answer some questions.”

“Why, do you think I had anything to do with this, Lieutenant?”

“Detective. It’s just routine. Anyone close to the mayor will be interviewed for elimination purposes.”

Taking a small notepad from my pocket, I asked, “How did you hear that the mayor was dead?”

“One of the neighbors is a friend of mine, so he called me.”

“I’d like his name, please.”

“That’s him over there. His name is Dave Canas. He lives directly across the street. He found Clive spread out in the doorway.” The Vice Mayor pointed at the mid-century-style home across the street. I looked where he was pointing and could see a middle-aged man, with his arm around a woman in her bathrobe, standing inside the front door of their home.

“Where were you when you heard the news?”

“I was at home. I had just gotten up and was having my breakfast. You can verify that with my wife. When Dave called me, I immediately got dressed and came over.”

“Okay, I will check with your wife. What time would that have been? Do you know where Mrs. Robinson is?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t know that Mrs. Robinson is dead. She died a few years ago from breast cancer. It was terrible. She suffered so much; it was almost a blessing when she died. Clive was devastated. My wife, too. They were very close friends. Dave called me around 8:30 to tell me the bad news about Clive.”

“I remember now. Mayor Robinson was really beat up about her death. How about you? How did you feel when she died?”

“Of course, I was sad. One always asks oneself, ‘What if that was my wife?’ I didn’t know her as well as my wife, though. We would get together once in a while for dinner, but Clive and I would mostly talk to each other. The ladies talked, but I didn’t pay much attention. Betty, that’s my wife, could tell you more about her, but I don’t see how that is germane to his murder, Officer.”

“Detective,” I said again, gritting my teeth. “Every little detail may lead to a clue that unravels the whole mystery. So, you got along well with Clive?”

“Sure, everyone did. He was a great guy. He was quiet, but could also be very funny. Clive loved Monterey and took his job seriously. He was always worried about what was best for the citizens of Monterey. “

“How did you get along at work?”

“Fine. He never treated me as an inferior and always included me in decisions. Of course, he had his own way of doing things, and that didn’t always agree with how I thought the town should be run. But, there weren’t any problems between us.”

“Does Clive have any children? We will have to contact them.”

“He has a grown daughter who lives in San Francisco. My wife has her contact information. Would you like her to call?”

“That would be very kind. It would be better to hear it from someone she knows. However, I will have to talk to her, too. What is her name?”

“Her name is Ronnie, short for Veronica.”

“Is she married?”

“Not yet. She had some serious boyfriends, but nothing came of it.”

“Can you give my contact information to her?” I handed a business card to the vice mayor.

“If you think of anything, anything at all, that might help us, please call me at my number. Like I said before, even something that seems insignificant may be very important. We will also need a copy of your fingerprints, for elimination purposes. Can you come over to the station later?”

Taking the card from Brad, the Vice Mayor said, “No problem, our office is just across the street. Look, I’m sorry about how I acted before. I was out of line. I didn’t mean to be so pushy.”

“That’s okay. I’m sure this is all upsetting for you. Please tell your wife I will be checking in with her later. Women often notice things that men miss.”

Seeing Dave Canas still on his front porch,...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 21.10.2021
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• ISBN-10: 1-6678-0806-0 / 1667808060
• ISBN-13: 978-1-6678-0806-2 / 9781667808062