Fault Line Murder (EBOOK)

Chapter 1

A hot summer wind blasted Brian Johnson’s country cabin. It was the worst summer Patricia McKay could remember in her small north Georgia town, but Brian kept his cabin as cold as an igloo. Patricia didn’t mind. What she did mind was his reluctance to help her choose a new RV. “I’ve decided on the twenty-eleven Four Winds Chateau thirty-one P. The dealer is going to knock the price down forty percent because the back end has a bad dent—”

“And because the RV isn’t selling,” Brian added as Patricia went through a magazine filled with fancy RVs. Her sleeveless sunflower dress matched her hair. He sometimes wondered why such a beautiful woman wasted her time with a gruff Georgia cop. Yet Patricia loved him. “I don’t mean to sound like a Grinch, Patricia, but the RV you have your heart set on could be a lemon.”

Patricia frowned and stood up from the old brown couch. “Brian, I’ve driven the RV. I had it checked by a certified mechanic. The light is green. The only negative is the bad dent in the back right corner. The dent can be fixed. I think you’re being difficult because I didn’t take you with me to pick out the RV.”

Brian folded his arms over his old gray running shirt. Patricia had struck a nerve. “Patricia, you might have saved my life, and I’m grateful, but don’t start insinuating that I’m trying to control your life. I have shown a great deal of tolerance, patience and understanding. Just because I think you’re rushing into a decision doesn’t mean I’m a monster.”

Patricia studied Brian’s face. He was being reasonable. “Yeah, okay, Brian. I’m sorry. I retract my earlier statement from the record. But I don’t believe I’m acting impractically. Maria is an experienced dealer. She allowed me to test drive over ten RVs, and I had a mechanic check each one. The RV I want has forty-one thousand miles on it. According to the mechanic, it’s in great shape. The last owner took care of it. That dent is the only drawback.”

“Forty percent off the asking price is curious,” Brian told Patricia. “I can appreciate a bad dent, but forty percent? There has to be another reason, Patricia.”

“Well...” Patricia tossed down the magazine and bit her lower lip. “Okay, there is.”

“I knew it.”

“Now hold on.” Patricia glanced around Brian’s cabin—a rough man’s domain only he could appreciate. “I have to replace all the tires. The last owner replaced them with bad tires. Why? Who knows? But come on, Brian, I received a fifty-thousand-dollar down payment for my book. I have the money. And since my last RV, my sweet baby, was burned to a crisp, I think it’s time I heal and buy me a new RV. What’s a bad dent and some new tires?”

“Will the replacement tires all be new?” Brian pressed.

Patricia nodded. “Yes, Scout’s honor.”

Brian studied Patricia’s eyes. There was more, and he knew it. “Patricia...”

Patricia winced. “Okay, Maria talked her boss into knocking forty percent off the asking price if I have Edna mention the dealership in her magazine. There. Happy?”

“A bad dent, bald tires, and a little publicity. Okay, I’m happy.” Brian grinned. “I knew there was more. You can be very sneaky.”

“I’m also very smart. I’m saving myself twenty-five thousand dollars.” Patricia plopped back onto the couch and picked up the magazine. “I was asked to write a murder mystery by a very prominent publisher that Edna is jealous of.” She smiled. “It’s good to see Edna sweating a little.”

“Yeah, especially after the way she acted when I was attacked and locked up in a dingy basement,” Brian complained. “Your boss isn’t exactly the type of woman I would trust with a piece of candy.”

Patricia giggled. “Yeah, Edna would sell the candy to a con man for ten cents.”

“Five cents,” Brian corrected her, leaning back in his favorite old green recliner. “Look, Patricia, if you want the RV, get it. It seems like you’ve done your homework. If the engine is good, that’s all that matters.”

“The engine is great. The mechanic was jealous of me,” Patricia promised. “He wanted to buy the RV out from under me, but Maria wouldn’t let him.” She didn’t need Brian’s permission, but she did want his blessing. “Well, I would like your blessing, Brian, because Maria is going to deliver the RV this afternoon at two o’clock. I sealed the deal last week.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Brian laughed. “Sure, Patricia, you have my blessing. You’re a sneaky woman, but you’re also a smart woman. I’m sure you haven’t bought a lemon.”

Patricia smiled. It was good to see Brian smile too. After his ordeal in Atlanta, he’d fallen into a depressed mood. She’d found him locked in a dark basement, severely dehydrated and nearly starved to death by the woman holding him captive. He’d spent a week in the hospital. Since he’d come home, Patricia had devoted herself to helping him recover. He was still withdrawn, but slowly emerging from his depression. She wanted to baby him. What he needed was normalcy. “I’m sure you’ll poke your nose under the hood in time.”

“Probably.” Brian nodded and smiled again. “Listen, I have to get to work in one hour. I need to shower and change. I smell like fish.”

“Is that your way of telling me to leave?” Patricia teased.

“Well, yes,” Brian said. “I’m sure you have stuff to do at your farmhouse. You have a book to write, remember?”

“I finished my book.”

“Really?” Brian asked. “But it’s only been three months, give or take a day or two.”

“Brian, Edna has not sent me on assignment since you and I returned home from Atlanta. She’s pouting because a very popular publisher knocked on my front door. I’m okay with that. During the last three months I’ve had all the time in the world to write my book.” Patricia beamed. “I dedicated myself to writing five days a week. I finished a few days ahead of my own schedule and still have three months before my publisher’s deadline. I’ll go back and change a few things here and there, I guess, but for now I have nothing but time on my hands.”

“Uh, time?” Something in her voice made Brian tense up. “Patricia, do you have something in mind?”

“A trip.” Patricia smiled. “Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham just returned from Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. They said they had a great time. Believe it or not, Brian, I’ve never been. And if I remember correctly, you once told me that you visited as a teenager with your parents.”

“Yeah, I did, but Patricia—”

“And if I’m not mistaken, our dear chief of police has been pressuring you to take a vacation.” Patricia flashed an innocent smile. “I didn’t come over to your cabin for nothing.”

Brian moaned. “I should have known you were up to something.”

Patricia giggled. “Well, I did want your blessing, but I also wanted to ask if you would drive to New Mexico with me and help break in my new RV. You can even do the driving.”

“Patricia, I can’t just up and leave—”

“You can apply for some vacation time,” Patricia begged, hurrying over to Brian. “I researched the RV parks. I like the Carlsbad KOA.”

Brian looked up into her pleading eyes. “Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt if I took some time off. I have been pushing myself pretty hard since Atlanta. Maybe some new scenery would help clear my mind.”

Patricia clapped her hands. “We’ll have a great time, Brian. The RV has the main bedroom. The couch pulls out into a bed. We won’t have to pay for any hotels. I’ll cover the gas and food. It’ll be an all-expense-paid vacation, on me.”

Brian felt at peace. Patricia wanted his company. She wasn’t scared, tracking down a killer, or on assignment. “I’ll talk to the chief when I get to work and ask if I can have two weeks off.” He smiled and gently touched her hand. “We’re going to need dishes, pots, pans, blankets, sheets, pillows, towels, toilet paper. You better get busy.”

Brian’s touch felt like home. Patricia smiled down at him. “When Maria brings the RV, I’ll drive it to the station for you to see,” she promised, checking the time. “I’ve got about three hours before Maria is due. I can run into town and buy a few things for our trip.” She hugged his neck. Brian hugged her back, breathing in her perfume. With her in his arms, he felt complete in ways he couldn’t explain. “I’ll see you about three or four,” Patricia said.

“I’ll see you then.”

Patricia grabbed her purse and waved goodbye. “Tonight we have dinner in town at the diner and talk about the trip, okay?” she called, rushing out into the summer heat. Brian and I are going to take a fun trip together, have a relaxing time, soak in some great scenery, buy a bunch of cheesy souvenirs and come back home even closer than we are now. She hurried down the trail that led to the gravel parking lot, jumped into her blue SUV, and drove away happier than she’d been in a long time. As she drove along the lake road, her cell phone rang. Edna. Patricia moaned and accepted the call. “Hello, Edna. Long time no hear.”

“Don’t be funny,” Edna fussed, pacing back and forth through a crowded airport terminal. “I’m still very upset with you, Patricia. You betrayed me.”

“I accepted a very generous book offer. I wouldn’t call that betrayal, Edna. If I remember correctly, you fired me for accepting it, too.” Patricia pulled over, looked through the summer trees toward the lake, and waited for Edna to explode.

“You know that Heather Moreson is my sworn enemy!”

“Edna, Mrs. Moreson made me a very generous offer,” Patricia said. “She asked me to write a fictional murder mystery book based on my life experiences. There is no crime or betrayal in that. Besides, what does it matter to you? I’m fired, remember? You haven’t sent me on assignment in three months.”

“Well, that can change,” Edna barked. “I’m ready to forgive you and take you back. I have an assignment for you.”

“Wait a minute,” Patricia said. “Brian and I are taking a two-week vacation. We’re driving out to Carlsbad, New Mexico, whenever Brian’s vacation time is approved. I don’t think he’ll have to wait long. Our local chief of police has been fussing at him to take some time off for a while.”

“I’ve been getting letters, Patricia. My readers, your fans, are wondering where you are at!” Edna gritted her teeth. She was hot and exhausted, waiting to board a crowded flight to Los Angeles. “The new writer I hired has caused me nothing but trouble. She’s been disastrous.”

“Serves you right.”

“I know it does!” Edna yelled so loudly that heads turned. “Patricia, I was wrong to fire you, okay? But when you accepted the book offer from my sworn enemy, I felt betrayed. I have always been there for you—”

“Edna, don’t feed me that bag of rotted cheese. You were mad because Mrs. Moreson offered me a book deal.” Patricia rolled her eyes. “I figured you would be calling me sooner or later. I accept my job back and will report to work when Brian and I get back from New Mexico, okay?”

“Patricia—”

“Edna, I know what you’re up to. You want to distract me so I can’t finish my book. Well, I’ve finished it, and now I’m going to take a relaxing two-week vacation with Brian. When I get home, I will return to work. Those are the terms. Take it or leave it.” Patricia knew she was pushing Edna, but she didn’t care. Edna needed to be taught a lesson.

“Oh, just call me when you get home, and be prepared to work. I want quality stories from you, Patricia. I want quality murder mystery stories. Is that clear?”

“I can’t guarantee that I’ll encounter a killer or a murder on whatever crazy assignment you have waiting for me, but I’ll try. Talk to you soon. But before I go, I need a favor.” Patricia told Edna about her new RV. “I kind of promised that you would feature the dealership in your magazine. Please.”

Edna rolled her eyes. “Send me the information, and I’ll help you out. It’s the least I can do after firing you.”

“Thanks, Edna. I’ll e-mail you the information when I get home. Talk to you soon.” Patricia ended the call. Now I want to focus on taking a relaxing vacation with Brian. A vacation that doesn’t involve a killer or murder. She stepped on the gas and drove along the lake road.

If only Patricia had known that a killer was waiting in New Mexico, she might have decided to postpone her trip.