Fall from Grace
Page 23
The phone rang. It was Cassandra, wishing him a happy birthday. “Oh, thanks,” said Alberg, trying to sound like he’d forgotten it was his birthday. Which Diana certainly had. And Janey. And he hadn’t heard from Maura, either.
“Have you been outside yet?”
“Nope.” He’d gotten cards from Isabella, and from Sid and Elsie, and Sanducci had given him one, too. And so had his parents. But not a word from his children, or his ex-wife who was supposed to still be so fond of him.
“When you’ve been outside, call me,” said Cassandra, and hung up.
“What the hell was that all about?” Alberg muttered. “Now Gillingham,” he said, picking up the doctor’s picture, “he swears he didn’t have anything to do with anything. He did, of course,” he said confidently to Diana. “He just doesn’t see it yet. Someday he’ll remember. And this one,” he said, tossing Gillingham away and picking up Annabelle, “she had a child with Bobby.” He scrutinized the photograph.
“Bobby Bobby Bobby,” said Diana. “I guess this photographer guy was in love with him, was he?”
Alberg looked at her, amazed.
“Pop,” said Diana. She got up and went to the living room window.
“Yeah? What?”
“Come over here,” she said.
“What for?” said Alberg. “What is it?” He joined her and peered outside. “Jesus Christ. What are those?”
“There’s fifty of them,” said Diana.
“They’re pink, for God’s sake.”
“They’re a present,” said Diana. “From Cassandra and me.”
“They’re flamingos. They’re plastic flamingos,” said Alberg, aghast.
“We’re making you dinner, too,” said Diana. “But this is your main present.” She kissed his cheek. “Happy birthday, Pop.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
There is a Sunshine Coast, and its towns and villages are called by the names used in this book. But all the rest is fiction. The events and the characters are products of the author’s imagination, and geographical and other liberties have been taken in the depiction of the town of Sechelt.
This book is for James Cardwell… and for his widow, Jewel
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author wishes to acknowledge the continuing advice, assistance and support of her family and friends, with particular thanks to John—facilitator; and to Elaine Ferbey, Katey Wright and Brian Appleby for sharing their specialized knowledge; any inaccuracies are her own.
You are reading a book in the Felony & Mayhem “Foreign” category. These books may be offered in translation or may originally have been written in English, but they will always feature an intricately observed, richly atmospheric setting in a part of the world that is neither England nor the U.S.A. If you enjoy this book, you may well like other “Foreign” titles from Felony & Mayhem Press.
“FOREIGN” TITLES AVAILABLE AS EBOOKS:
The Faces of Angels, by Lucretia Grindle, SET IN ITALY
A Good Death, by Elizabeth Ironside, SET IN FRANCE
The “Karl Alberg” series, by L.R. Wright, SET IN CANADA
“FOREIGN” TITLES AVAILABLE AS PRINT BOOKS:
The “Gianni and Guastafeste” series, by Paul Adam, SET IN ITALY
Missing, by Karin Alvtegen, SET IN SWEDEN
Betrayal, by Karin Alvtegen, SET IN SWEDEN
Shame, by Karin Alvtegen, SET IN SWEDEN
The “Faith Zanetti” series, by Anna Blundy, SET IN ISRAEL, RUSSIA, AND ITALY
The “Colin Burke” series, by Robert Cullen, SET IN RUSSIA
The “Inspector Peroni” series, by Timothy Holme, SET IN ITALY
The “George Sansi” series, by Paul Mann, SET IN INDIA
The “Inspector Ikmen” series, by Barbara Nadel, SET IN TURKEY
The Peking Man is Missing, by Claire Taschdjian, SET IN CHINA
Close-Up, by Esther Verhoef, SET IN THE NETHERLANDS
The “Feng Shui Detective” series, by Nury Vittachi, SET IN SINGAPORE
For more about these books, and other Felony & Mayhem titles, please visit our website:
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All the characters and events portrayed in this work are fictitious.
FALL FROM GRACE
A Felony & Mayhem “Foreign” mystery
PUBLISHING HISTORY
First Canadian print edition (Seal): 1991
First U.S. print edition (Viking): 1991
Felony & Mayhem print edition: 2010
Felony & Mayhem electronic edition: 2014
Copyright © 1991 by L.R. Wright
All rights reserved
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63194-009-5