Mystery Writers of America Presents the Rich and the Dead
Page 35
AFTER HER VOMITING and convulsions subsided, Daphne was taken from the emergency room and installed in an intensive care suite on the seventh floor. The unit lay on the other side of swinging doors, through which visitors needed an electronic pass to enter. Outside and to the right of the ICU door, a dazed Cory found himself sitting in a private, luxurious waiting room. He had no idea how many hours had passed. Alice, Edie, and a handful of Alice’s friends sat around him on the long sofas. Arrangements of flowers sat on every table, crushed together.
Abruptly Cory stood, like a diver lunging for air. “Too many flowers.”
Alice said soothingly, “Of course.” She signaled for the attention of a male aide. “Take these flowers elsewhere. The cancer ward will do.”
He said, “Yes, Mrs. Winchester,” and took two arrangements away.
At Cory’s look, Alice said, “What else are donations for?”
Then a doctor burst through the ICU doors and entered the waiting room. He stripped off his gloves and said directly to Alice, “Unconscious. She might last until tomorrow.” Everyone stood up and gathered close.
Cory said, incredulous, “She’s going to die? From what? How?”
“Accident, clearly. Still, the police will check, Alice. Have to look into any sudden death, and under the circumstances, youngish woman, good health.” He shrugged.
Alice said firmly, “Thank you, John. My nephew’s been called.” She said in an aside to Cory, “My attorney, darling.”
“What accident?” demanded Cory.
The doctor’s voice sounded aggrieved. “You can’t imagine how many deaths we get every spring. Ridiculous mushroomers so sure they’ll never make a mistake. Mr. Baughlander brought in morels from his estate, I hear. Who knows what Edie cooked in those tarts of hers. Madness, trusting amateurs.”
Edie, eyes popping, exclaimed, “I know mushrooms, good from bad, every sort! I’d never make a mistake like that! Never! Madam! You believe me, don’t you?”
Alice said, “Well, there will be publicity, but it’ll be controlled.” She touched Cory’s arm possessively.
The doctor left, striding toward the bank of elevators. Edie trundled after him, moaning.
Before Cory could collect his thoughts, raised voices came from the hall. Cory darted to the doorway and saw a man in a suit and a uniformed policewoman standing in front of the elevators, trying to hush the shouts of a tall nurse, who clutched Edie’s hands in both of hers. Edie sobbed where she stood.
“Those people!” the nurse exclaimed to the man, obviously a detective. “My Aunt Edie, never in all her years of service would she say a word against them, even when they more than deserved it. But this!” The tall nurse put an arm protectively around Edie. “My aunt could tell you plenty—if you could get it out of her.” She shot a venomous look at the waiting room. “After forty years of cooking mushrooms, calling this death an ‘accident’? As if she’d make a fatal mistake with mushrooms! Especially ones picked by that old loony! They think they’re above paying for their sins; they like to pretend they haven’t any. They use people like my Aunt Edie.”
Cory, trembling with rage, realized everyone had clustered at his back to watch. He heard Alice mutter in a low tone to her friends, “Edie won’t say a wrong word. We’ll be fine. I promised her—well, let’s just say she won’t be sorry, even if they send her somewhere for a while.”
Cory turned to face the group and blurted, “Take the blame, you mean.”
Alice touched his chest. “I meant poor, poor Edie will never lack for job security. Could you print that for us, Cory? Daphne would’ve wanted you to say it that way. Dear Cory. I’m so grateful you’re one of our own and not an outsider. Who else could understand people like us? People who matter.”
Alice continued, “By the way, Daphne’s book. Have you read it?”
After a pause, Cory said, “No. I didn’t get the impression she’d written it yet.”
“Are you sure?”
The Baughlanders at Alice’s side repeated, “Are you sure?”
Cory studied their faces. “I could look for it.”
“Yes,” Alice said. “Do. Go through her things.”
“Sure, if Max will let me in.”
Mrs. Baughlander chuckled. “She could inspire loyalty in some surprising people, our Daphne.”
“Darling Daphne,” said Alice, as if correcting her. Then she turned to Cory. “Let me know.”
“Ah,” said Cory. “Excuse me. I must speak to the detective with Edie, make sure he gets the details right. I am, after all, a reporter.”
CONTENTS
Front Cover Image
Welcome
Introduction, by Nelson DeMille
DEATH BENEFITS, by Nelson DeMille
THE PIRATE OF PALM BEACH, by Ted Bell
THANK GOD FOR CHARLIE, by Peter Blauner
THE SADOWSKY MANIFESTO, by Karen Catalona
KIDDIELAND, by Tim Chapman
ADDICTED TO SWEETNESS, by Lee Child
BLOOD WASHES OFF, by Michael Connelly
THE GIFT, by Frank Cook
BLING, BLING, by David DeLee
MURDER IN THE SIXTH, by Joseph Goodrich
THE PRECIPICE, by Daniel J. Hale
THE ITINERARY, by Roberta Isleib
LAMBORGHINI MOMMY, by Harley Jane Kozak
THE CONTROLLER, by David Morrell
POETIC JUSTICE, by Carolyn Mullen
HAPPINE$$, by Twist Phelan
ITERATIONS, by S. J. Rozan
RICHIE AND THE RICH BITCH, by Jonathan Santlofer
PAPARAZZO, by Elaine Togneri
DAPHNE, UNREQUITED, by Angela Zeman
About the Authors
Copyright
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Ted Bell, a native Floridian, is a graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. He has an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Kendall College in Michigan. Ted spent most of his career in the advertising business, located in New York, London, and Chicago. He was president of the Leo Burnett Company and retired as Chairman of the Board and Worldwide Creative Director of Young & Rubicam in New York, at that time the world’s largest ad agency. Subsequently, he began a career as an author. His Alex Hawke series of espionage novels have all been New York Times best sellers. He also writes historical novels for young adults, the Nick McIver series, which are also New York Times best sellers. Ted is on the Advisory Board of George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon, serving under former Secretary of the Army Togo West. He is married to political consultant Page Lee Hufty and lives in Palm Beach, Florida, and Aspen, Colorado.
Peter Blauner is the author of six novels, including the Edgar Award–winning Slow Motion Riot and the New York Times bestseller The Intruder. His most recent novel is Slipping Into Darkness. A native New Yorker, he has also been a crime reporter for New York magazine, a Good Humor ice cream salesman, and a staff writer for the Law & Order television franchise. He lives—within his means—with his family in Brooklyn.
Karen Catalona lives in San Francisco, California, with her husband and two children. As a Deputy District Attorney, she has prosecuted a wide range of criminal offenses, most recently felony gang crime. She is working on her first novel.
Tim Chapman is a former forensic scientist for the Chicago police department and currently teaches English composition and Chinese martial arts. He recently earned a master’s degree in creative writing from Northwestern University. His fiction has appeared in the Southeast Review and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. His story “Downsizing” was a finalist in the World’s Best Short Short Story Contest. He wishes he could play the saxophone. He lives in Chicago with his lovely and patient wife, Ellen.
Lee Child was born in 1954 in Coventry, England, but spent his formative years in the nearby city of Birmingham. He went to law school in Sheffield, England, and after part-time work in the theater, joined Granada Television in Manchester for what turned out to be an eighteen-year career as a presentation director dur
ing British TV’s “golden age.” But after being let go in 1995 as a result of corporate restructuring, he decided to see an opportunity where others might have seen a crisis, bought six dollars’ worth of paper and pencils, and sat down to write a book, Killing Floor, the first in the Jack Reacher series. It was an immediate success and launched the series, which has grown in sales and impact with every new installment. Lee spends his spare time reading, listening to music, and watching the Yankees, Aston Villa, or Marseilles soccer. He is married with a grown-up daughter. He is tall and slim, despite an appalling diet and a refusal to exercise.
Michael Connelly’s twenty-second novel, The Reversal, was released in October 2010 and reteamed lawyer Mickey Haller with LAPD detective Harry Bosch in another fast-paced thriller. His books have been translated into thirty-five languages and have won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho Award (Spain). Michael was the president of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004 and edited both the MWA anthology The Blue Religion and the Edgar Allan Poe anthology In the Shadow of the Master. He lives with his family in Florida.
Frank Cook’s mystery short stories have appeared in New England crime fiction anthologies published by Level Best Books, and his nonfiction pieces have appeared in print and Web publications worldwide. He has authored two business development books, including the best-selling 21 Things I Wish My Broker Had Told Me for real estate agents, and has coauthored two additional titles. He is completing his first novel. Frank resides in New Hampshire, where he serves on the board of directors for Portsmouth public television.
David DeLee is a native New Yorker. He holds a master’s degree in criminal justice and is a former licensed private investigator. His previous short stories have appeared in DAW’s Cosmic Cocktails anthology and consecutive volumes of Strange New Worlds, published by Pocket Books. He currently lives in New Hampshire, where he’s working on a novel featuring bounty hunter Grace deHaviland.
Nelson Richard DeMille was born in New York City on August 23, 1943, and moved as a child with his family to Long Island. In high school, he played football and ran track. He spent three years at Hofstra University, then joined the army and attended Officer Candidate School. He was a first lieutenant in the United States Army (1966–1969) and saw action as an infantry platoon leader with the First Cavalry Division in Vietnam. He was decorated with the Air Medal, Bronze Star, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. Upon his return to the United States, he went back to Hofstra University, where he received his degree in political science and history. He has three children—Lauren, Alexander, and James—and still lives on Long Island. DeMille’s earlier books were NYPD detective novels. His first major novel was By the Rivers of Babylon, published in 1978 and still in print, as are all his succeeding novels. He is a member of the Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America, and American Mensa. He holds three honorary doctorates: doctor of humane letters from Hofstra University, doctor of literature from Long Island University, and doctor of humane letters from Dowling College. He is the author of By the Rivers of Babylon, Cathedral, The Talbot Odyssey, Word of Honor, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, The General’s Daughter, Spencerville, Plum Island, The Lion’s Game, Up Country, Night Fall, Wild Fire, The Gate House, and The Lion. He also coauthored Mayday with Thomas Block and has contributed short stories, book reviews, and articles to magazines and newspapers.
Joseph Goodrich is an alumnus of New Dramatists and an active member of the Mystery Writers of America. His plays have been produced across the United States and in Australia and published by Samuel French, Playscripts, Applause Books, Back Stage Books, the Padua Hills Press, and others. His script Panic was awarded the 2008 Edgar Award for best play.
Agatha Award–winning author Daniel J. Hale holds degrees from Cornell University, Southern Methodist University, and the Bowen School of Law. A former French resident and a recovering attorney/mountain biking addict, Hale served as the executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America in 2007. He’s now an instructor with Southern Methodist University’s CAPE Creative Writing Program.
Clinical psychologist Roberta Isleib is the author of eight mysteries, including Six Strokes Under, Deadly Advice, and Asking for Murder, all published by Berkley Prime Crime. Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She lives in Connecticut with her family but is lucky enough to spend winters in Key West.
Harley Jane Kozak, a sometimes actress, lives with her family in California. Her debut novel, Dating Dead Men, won the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. Its sequel was Dating Is Murder, followed by Dead Ex and A Date You Can’t Refuse. Her short prose has appeared in Ms. Magazine, Soap Opera Digest, the Sun, the Santa Monica Review, and the anthologies Mystery Muses, This Is Chick Lit, A Hell of a Woman, Butcher Knives and Body Counts, and Crimes by Moonlight. She blogs on The Lipstick Chronicles (http://thelipstickchronicles.typepad.com/the_lipstick_chronicles/). None of Harley’s former husbands resemble the one described in “Lamborghini Mommy.”
David Morrell is the award-winning author of First Blood, the novel in which Rambo was created. He holds a PhD in American literature from Penn State and was a professor at the University of Iowa. His numerous best sellers include the classic spy trilogy, The Brotherhood of the Rose (the basis for an NBC miniseries that premiered after Super Bowl XXIII), The Fraternity of the Stone, and The League of Night and Fog. The protagonists in “The Controller” previously appeared in The Protector and The Naked Edge.
Carolyn Mullen works as a freelance health policy consultant after an almost twenty-year career in the federal government. She has long hoped for the chance to write something more compelling than the bureaucratic prose this career necessitated, and this story is her first foray into fiction. She lived in New York City, Atlanta, Reno, London, and San Francisco (where her heart still resides) before settling in Baltimore. She and her husband, who both have grown to love Baltimore, share their house with three bossy cats and a one-eyed dog.
A Stanford graduate and former plaintiff’s trial lawyer, Twist Phelan writes critically acclaimed short stories, suspense novels set in the business world, and the legal-themed Pinnacle Peak mystery series. While a lawyer, she asked a Ponzi scheme defendant why he’d done it. “I’d heard money doesn’t make you happy,” he said. “But I wanted to find out for myself.” Read more about Twist and her work at www.twistphelan.com.
S. J. Rozan, a native New Yorker, is the author of twelve novels. She has won the Edgar, Nero, Macavity, Shamus, and Anthony awards for best novel and the Edgar Award for best short story. She is a former Mystery Writers of America national board member, a current Sisters in Crime national board member, and president of the Private Eye Writers of America. In 2003, she was an invited speaker at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In 2005, she was guest of honor at the Left Coast Crime Convention.
Jonathan Santlofer is the author of five novels, including Anatomy of Fear, recipient of the Nero Wolf Best Crime Novel Award. He is a highly respected artist whose work has been written about and reviewed in the New York Times, Art in America, Artforum, and Arts and appears in many public, private, and corporate collections. He serves on the board of Yaddo, one of the oldest artist communities in the country. Santlofer lives and works in New York City.
Elaine Togneri has thirty published short stories in markets ranging from webzines and anthologies (Blood on Their Hands) to major magazines (Woman’s World). She has also published nonfiction and poetry. Elaine holds an MA in English from Rutgers University and has taught courses in English composition, technical writing, and short fiction. She is a member of the Florida Writers Association, Mystery Writers of American, and Sisters in Crime. The founder and
a past president of the Sisters in Crime–Central New Jersey chapter, Elaine relocated to Florida in 2007.
Angela Zeman’s short stories often appear in anthologies and magazines. In 2010, “Chanel, 1927” appeared in Adironacks Mysteries I (North Country) and “Skip Trace” appeared in Back Alley webzine. In 2011, “The First Tale of Roxanne” will appear in the International Association of Crime Writers anthology A World of Crime and Mystery, edited by Douglas Preston; and “May” will appear in Adirondack Mysteries II. “Green Heat,” first published in Jeffery Deaver’s anthology A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime, was selected by Nelson DeMille to be included in Otto Penzler’s annual collection Best American Mystery Stories of the Year (Houghton Mifflin).
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Compilation copyright © 2011 by Mystery Writers of America, Inc.
Introduction copyright © 2011 by Nelson DeMille
“Death Benefits,” copyright © 2011 by Nelson DeMille
“The Pirate of Palm Beach,” copyright © 2011 by Ted Bell
“Thank God for Charlie,” copyright © 2011 by Peter Blauner
“The Sadowsky Manifesto,” copyright © 2011 by Karen Catalona
“Kiddieland,” copyright © 2011 by Tim Chapman
“Addicted to Sweetness,” copyright © 2011 by Lee Child
“Blood Washes Off,” copyright © 2011 by Michael Connelly
“The Gift,” copyright © 2011 by Frank Cook
“Bling, Bling,” copyright © 2011 by David DeLee
“Murder in the Sixth,” copyright © 2011 by Joseph Goodrich
“The Precipice,” copyright © 2011 by Daniel J. Hale
“The Itinerary,” copyright © 2011 by Roberta Isleib