The Phantom Photographer: Murder in Marin Mystery - Book 3 (Murder in Marin Mysteries)
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“I suppose he used his brother for target practice?” Rob said.
“Seems that was the case,” Ted added.
“Have you been able to figure out why Milton Cook was murdered?” Holly asked.
“Almost certainly an innocent bystander. I’ve already collected information that, early on, Michael dropped Cook’s name as his insurance guy.”
“What does that mean?” Holly replied.
“Rob and I talked the other day about linchpins in extortion rackets. Michael had apparently told Christopher that Milton was his failsafe guy. He dies, and Cook spills everything to the press. Christopher waited a couple of days; I think he was trying to figure out how much of a potential risk it was leaving Cook alive. Then, he made the decision to eliminate the liability before heading back to Fresno. Having killed his brother, he was already facing a life sentence. Milton’s murder, in Christopher’s twisted view of the world, was simply free insurance. And, it offered one other advantage. It shifted suspicion toward Cook, which might have thrown me, if I wasn’t convinced that the guy was squeaky clean.
“But there is one more essential part of the Michael and Milton story that none of you have heard. Inside of Michael’s ledger, where all his financial transactions were tracked, at regular intervals of six weeks, Michael noted cash disbursements such as 8K then an arrow and the letters “MC.” That also threw me for a loop, thinking he was indicating Milton Cook.
“In spending time with Michael’s father reviewing the score sheets and records of their hunting club, the brothers were always designated as MM for Marks, Michael; and MC for Marks, Christopher. Now, Michael loved playing his deceitful games, and he might have suspected that one day, if found, this two letter code might be thought to be Milton Cook. After all, it was Michael who, to the best of our knowledge, first put forth the deceit to people like Fred Winters that Cook was his backup guy.”
“Clearly, Michael lived a double life,” Rob added. “The great guy who was everyone’s friend and the angry boy looking to get even with all those untrustworthy, misbehaving adults.”
“I suppose,” Ted added, “we’ll never know all his motives, but I do wonder why he flashed his money around the way he did.”
“You’re right; there are things we never will know,” Sylvia said, looking at Ted and then to the rest of the group. “But look at his behavior from a different perspective. He had an unhappy life for a variety of reasons, starting with his failure to have one lasting relationship. For a man of his wealth, he lived modestly. He might have felt that, given all the people he had victimized over the years, he was likely living on borrowed time. Certainly, there was a risk in spending a good deal more money than he logically would have, but his photo features for the Standard apparently made him a minor celebrity in Mill Valley, and he likely wanted to live up to the image he created. His generous spending just added to that mystique.”
“I think Sylvia has got a good start on her story,” Rob said. “Let’s talk about how we want to cover the rest of the life, times, and crimes of Michael Marks.”
“Sounds like my cue to exit,” Eddie said.
“Not until you answer one more question,” Holly said. “I understand how the pieces fit, I mean the how of Christopher’s actions, but we don’t know the why?”
“Christopher was in over his head with his Mexican drug pals. He had taken them into some investments in Baja that didn’t turn out as he promised. Less lethal clients would have severed their ties to his firm and gone in search of better advice. His friends don’t work that way. They gave him a choice, recover the money you invested for us, or take an acid bath and disappear forever. Christopher had one and only one card left to play, make the bad guys happy by taking his brother’s money and handing it over to them.
“So, most of Michael’s extortionist demands eventually went to cover the losses of Christopher’s drug cartel clients?” Rob said, holding back a laugh as he considered the irony of it all.
“That’s right, my brother,” Eddie said. “Christopher saw it as a clear choice; he died or his brother died. He chose the less noble of those two options.”
“You think Michael would have killed his brother when he found out what happened to his money?” Ted asked.
“Let’s just say,” Eddie said with a slight smile, “Christopher was unwilling to find out.”
Over the next few days, as Rob’s team pulled together the rest of the story, the final details fell into place. A court-ordered seizure of Christopher’s company records revealed that he had sustained significant losses in poorly timed real estate deals in several condominium developments throughout Baja California.
Naturally, Christopher’s clients, as Rob suggested, were not open to hearing any excuses. Over the years, he had done a good job growing his brother’s money into a multi-million-dollar nest egg. Handing that fortune over to his outlaw clients was Christopher’s only path to survival. Milton Cook was nothing more than collateral damage.
When fully revealed, the story rocked Mill Valley like no scandal even its oldest residents could remember. The man trusted to record the life of the community in pictures was revealed to be an extortionist. Equally shocking, he was murdered by his sharpshooting brother, who was all but certain to live out his remaining years in Marin County’s most infamous prison, San Quentin.
Barbara and Caleb’s grief over this twisted tale of fratricide knew no bounds. In the end, the two broken and aging parents found solace in each other’s company, and after a four-decade estrangement, reunited as a couple.
As for Walter Douglas, it was a tragic time that brought about an unexpected gift. He mourned the loss of both Michael and Milton. But the legend of Michael grew with each passing month, and it lifted the sagging fortunes of his aging and outdated business. Camera enthusiasts came from all over the Bay Area to buy supplies and to listen in amazement as Walt told and retold the tragic tale of the phantom photographer.
NEXT UP
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 2016!
In Book 4 of the MURDER IN MARIN Mysteries:
News that elderly Henrietta Hammer has died, Sausalito’s retired fifth grade teacher, who once terrified her students including Sheriff's Detective Eddie Austin, newspaper publisher Rob Timmons and his assistant Holly Cross, is greeted with bemused nostalgia.
But Hammer, who was left a very wealthy widow by her enterprising late husband, was the target of every one of the town’s charitable societies none of which could afford to await her natural death.
It all appeared to be a perfect plan until the secret Mrs. Hammer kept for half a century inconveniently appears.
NOVELS IN THE
MURDER IN MARIN SERIES
The Gossiping Gourmet
(Book 1)
Warren Bradley, renowned as the local gadfly In the picture-perfect community of Sausalito, California, is esteemed by his admirers and despised by his detractors. But for love of his caramel chicken and cherry fudge brownies, everyone has a story to share regarding their fellow citizens--
Stories that too often find their way into his weekly gossip-filled newspaper column, "Heard About Town."
When the great chef and his admirers, the Sausalito Ladies of Liberty, take offense to a newly arrived Manhattan power couple, their insular world of tasty sauces and stinging insults leads to deadly results.
Everyone has their own theory about who killed Warren. But it takes the combined efforts of Rob Timmons, the local newspaper publisher, and Eddie Austin, his childhood friend and Marin County’s top detective, to unravel this tale of delicious dishes and malicious deception.
The Wicked Wife
(Book 2)
When billionaire William Adams—Belvedere’s most eligible widower—marries international superstar model Willow Wisp, local society’s leading women are dismayed. After all, she half his age and, in their view, not interested in anything other than his money!
Like everyone else, newspaper publisher Rob Timmons, his assistant, Holly Cross, and hi
s childhood friend, Sheriff’s Detective, Eddie Austin, are baffled when Willow suddenly disappears.
Is she dead or simply hiding in some far flung corner of the world with one of her many rumored lovers? Or was she the victim of a cuckolded husband, who learned too late that his trophy bride was in truth, a very wicked wife?
The truth lies somewhere between the posh hotels of Paris, the dazzling parties of San Francisco, and the lush green hills of Marin.
The Phantom Photographer
(Book 3)
Michael Marks, the community-spirited volunteer photographer for the picture perfect town of Mill Valley, always has a smile on his face and a camera ready to capture his adopted hometown’s many community events.
Not only is Michael one of Mill Valley’s most popular citizens, he’s also a source of wonder to his neighbors. How can this camera store clerk, who lives year-round in sweatshirt and sweatpants, afford to dine in the town’s most expensive restaurants?
His sudden death puts Mill Valley’s rumor mill into overdrive. Was he just a generous eccentric with a particular passion for pleasing others? Or, was there another side to Michael Marks: a side that only his victims ever have the chance to see?
The Terrifying Teacher
(Book 4)
*Coming June 2016*
News that elderly Henrietta Hammer has died, Sausalito’s retired fifth grade teacher, who once terrified her students including Sheriff's Detective Eddie Austin, newspaper publisher Rob Timmons and his assistant Holly Cross, is greeted with bemused nostalgia.
But Hammer, who was left a very wealthy widow by her enterprising late husband, was the target of every one of the town’s charitable societies none of which could afford to await her natural death.
It all appeared to be a perfect plan until the secret Mrs. Hammer kept for half a century inconveniently appears.
ABOUT MARTIN BROWN
Martin Brown is the author of four Murder in Marin Mysteries, including:
- The Gossiping Gourmet (Book 1)
- The Wicked Wife (Book 2)
- The Phantom Photographer (Book 3)
- The Terrifying Teacher (Book 4)
As a journalist, Martin's articles on health and relationships have appeared in Redbook, Playboy, and Complete Woman magazines, as well as SingleMindedWomen.com. Martin, a native of New York City, is a graduate of the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He began his career as a community affairs writer with WCBS Radio. He also worked as the public affairs officer for the New York City police association; and later in the same capacity for the Atlanta and Georgia police associations. He began his work as a community news reporter in Atlanta with Creative Loafing.
Later, in Marin County, he founded Signal Newspapers, which were published in Sausalito, Tiburon, and Belvedere, California. He and his wife, novelist Josie Brown, live in the city of San Francisco, where their grown children also reside.
Connect with Martin on:Twitter: @MartinBrownCA or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MartinBrownCA
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
The Phantom Photographer
A Murder in Marin Mystery – Book 3
A Novel by Martin Brown
© 2016 Martin Brown.
All rights reserved. This book is for single owner purposes only.
No part of this book shall be sold, re-sold, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.
No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Additionally, you may not sell or share in any manner for it would violate International Copyright laws. This law overrides any other laws or permissions individuals or companies claim, such as Amazon Kindle, Adobe Reader and The Nook Proprietors. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The only exception is the use of brief excerpts for the use of reviews and promotional use, which is hereby given permission from the publisher or author.
Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein.
This is a work of fiction. All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical and public figures, are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Where real-life historical or public figures appear, the situations, incidents and dialogues concerning those persons are entirely fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or to change the entirely fictional nature of the work. In all other respects, any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Published by Signal Press / San Francisco, California, USA
For information, contact Signal Press via email:
info@SignalEditorial.com
THE PHANTOM PHOTOGRAPHER
Text, Content and Design are registered trademarks of Martin Brown.
© 2016 Martin Brown
V041216AMZ
ISBN# 978-1-942052-59-3
Fiction_ General 2. Fiction_General_Mystery 3. Fiction_Contemporary
Title produced in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request
Cover Design: Andrew Brown, ClickTwiceDesign.com
Digital Formatting: Austin Brown, CheapEbookFormatting.com
Cover Photo: Mill Valley's Dipsea Steps
© Frank Schulenburg via Wikimedia Commons