by P J Parrish
Table of Contents
Praise
Praise
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
Praise for P.J. Parrish and A KILLING RAIN
“A lean, fast-paced yarn . . . a worthwhile thriller.”
Publishers Weekly
“Truly compelling reading.”
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Praise for P.J. Parrish and ISLAND OF BONES
(Nominated for the Shamus Award!)
“The newest addition to Parrish’s Louis Kincaid series lures readers in from the outset. World-weary, contemplative Landeta is the perfect foil for Kincaid, a true man of action. Their camaraderie and unspoken understanding, combined with Parrish’s crisp dialogue and skill at stringing out the suspense, are what make this carefully constructed mystery so absorbing.”
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“A suspenseful read with some unusual twists and turns that mystery lovers will appreciate.”
The Pilot (Southern Pines, South Carolina)
“The sins of generations past haunt Louis Kincaid and the case he takes on in P.J. Parrish’s beautifully evoked, darkly moral tale Island of Bones, set in that coastal territory where even the elemental distinction between land and sea can be as blurred as that between good and evil.”
S.J. Rozan, Edgar-winning author of Winter and Night
“I’m hooked on P.J. Parrish. Nobody else creates such a compelling mix of real characters, genuine emotion, and fast-paced suspense. Island of Bones is her best yet!” Barbara Parker, New York Times best-selling author of
Suspicion of Madness
“Island of Bones opens like a hurricane and blows you away through the final page. It’s a major league thriller that’s hard to stop reading.”
Robert B. Parker, New York Times best-selling author
Praise for P.J. Parrish and THICKER THAN WATER (Nominated for the Anthony Award and the Shamus Award!)
“Crisp prose and evocative descriptions of southern Florida set the tone for this grim mystery, but it’s the story’s sympathetic characters and sudden twists that will leave readers hungering for more.”
Publishers Weekly
“Thicker Than Water is that kind of book that grabs you and won’t let go. I absolutely loved it. You’re going to be hearing a lot more about P.J. Parrish.”
Steve Hamilton, Edgar and Shamus Award-winning
author of Ice Run
“If you want to discover the hot new mystery writers, try the very best: P.J. Parrish.”
City Paper (Nashville, Tennessee)
Praise for P.J. Parrish and PAINT IT BLACK
(Nominated for the Anthony Award and the Shamus
Award!)
“If you haven’t read the previous books in this series, this one will send you scurrying in search of them. A deft, fast-paced plot, knowledgeable writing on police procedures and an interesting lead character propel you through the book.”
The Miami Herald
“Absorbing . . . Paint It Black offers interesting characters, some nifty action, a couple of unusual murder weapons and, most important, a thoughtful examination of racial attitudes. Louis Kincaid continues to evolve as an interesting young man trying to come to grips with his past and future.”
The Orlando Sentinel
Praise of P.J. Parrish and DEAD OF WINTER
(Nominated for the Anthony Award and the Edgar
Award!)
“Dead of Winter is a wild ride with a really fine writer.”
John Sandford, New York Times best-selling author
“A suspenseful tale . . . Parrish’s latest will appeal to those seeking a fast-paced thriller propelled by a cast of charismatic characters.”
Publishers Weekly
“. . . fast paced . . . well conceived . . .”
The Chicago Tribune
“. . . offers a couple of well-timed surprises . . .”
The Sun-Sentinel
“An entertaining read worth your time.”
Mystery News
Praise for P.J. Parrish and DARK OF THE MOON
“Full of intrigue and edge-of-the-seat suspense.”
Michael Connelly, New York Times best-selling author
“A promising debut.”
Publishers Weekly
“A taut page turner.”
San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle
“Absorbing.”
The Chicago Tribune
PINNACLE BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
850 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Copyright © 2006 by P.J. Parrish
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.
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For all the mad housewives who weren’t
The wind doth blow today, my love,
And a few small drops of rain;
I never had but one true-love;
In cold grave she was lain.
I’ll do as much for my true-love
As any young man may;
I’ll sit and mourn all at her grave
For a twelvemonth and a day.
The twelvemonth and a day being up,
The dead began to speak:
‘Oh who sits weeping on my grave,
and will not let me sleep?’
—The Unquiet Grave
Arthur Quiller-Couch
CHAPTER 1
The Christmas lights were already up. He had the top down on the Mustang and he could see them as he drove up, a cluster of small white lights that someone had strung on the coconut palm in his yard. A stiff breeze was blowing in from the gulf, moving the fronds and sending the lights bobbing and dancing like fireflies on a hot summer night.
Louis Kincaid turned off the engine and just sat there, looking at the lights.
Fireflies. July Fourth. Michigan.
But there were no fireflies here. It was November, not July. And he was in South Florida.
His mind was playing tricks on him.
He reached over and popped the glove box, pulling out his Glock. Grabbing his overnight bag, he got out and headed to the cottage.
Maybe he was just tired. The job up in Tampa had been dull and drawn out. Surveillance of a woman who was suing a big trucking company because a semi had clipped her Honda and left her “permanently disabled and in extreme mental stress.” He had spent four days tailing her with a video camera, finally getting a shot of her banging her car floor mats against the fender of her car—after she had come home from the beauty salon. The film was played in court. The woman got two grand for medical bills. He got five grand for his pay. Good money for a P.I., he supposed. At least it was enough to keep him in grouper sandwiches at Timmy’s Nook for the next few months.
The mailbox was stuffed. He dug out the fliers and envelopes and opened the door.
“Honey, I’m home,” he said, throwing down his bag.
Issy came trotting out of the bedroom. The cat looked up at him, its tail swishing on the terrazzo.
“Okay, okay,” he said with a sigh.
He headed to the kitchen, tossing the stack of mail on the counter. He shook a bag of Tender Vittles into the bowl on the floor. The other bowl was filled with clean water. At least his weasel landlord Pierre had been taking care of things like he promised. He had half expected to come home and see a cat carcass lying on the floor.
He pulled open the fridge. One Heineken and a carton of Chinese takeout probably left over from the Ice Age. He stood there for a moment, letting the cold air wash over his sweaty face, then grabbed the beer and closed the fridge.
There was one lamp on in the living room, but the small cottage seemed dark and stale from being closed up. He went to the TV and punched the remote, unleashing a rainbow of light and sitcom laughter into the shadows. Finally, after a moment, he muted the sound and tossed the remote aside.
He cranked open the jalousie windows, and the warm gulf breeze wafted in. He stood there, breathing in the salt and night-blooming jasmine, holding the cold beer bottle against his forehead.
He still wasn’t used to it—even after three years of living in Florida. September would come and he would be waiting for that cool kiss in the air, yet the temperature stayed in the nineties. October would come and he would be expecting the first frost on the windows, but there was nothing but the cloud of humidity. And then came November, when the trees should have been turning brown and gaunt. But here . . . here in Florida, everything was green and lush and sultry.
He hated the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas. Back-to-back reasons to give in to that small but powerful part of him that wanted to slide into silence and solitude.
His eyes drifted to the answering machine on the counter. The red light was blinking. Ten messages. He rewound the tape.
The first one was a time-share come-on. Three hang-ups. A man wanting to hire him to spy on his “whore wife.” Two more hang-ups. Then a familiar voice with its unmistakable Mississippi drawl.
“Oh! My . . . a machine! I didn’t know you finally got one. Oh dear . . . how much time do I have? Louis, this is Margaret.”
Louis took a drink of beer.
“I’m calling to invite you to Thanksgiving dinner. We’re fixing to have a real feast this year—I’m making my sweet potato pie—and I know you don’t have any family to go to—”
Louis could hear Sam Dodie yelling in the background, telling his wife what to say. She hung up, forgetting to leave a number. But Louis knew the Dodies’ number by heart; he had spent many an evening at their table, eating Margaret’s cooking, listening to Sam’s war stories. Now that his ex-boss had retired to Florida, Sam Dodie’s need to talk about his years spent as a Mississippi sheriff seemed to grow. It was either listen to it or go fishing.
The next voice came on, the thin soft voice of a boy.
“Hi, Louis. It’s me. I guess you’re not home yet.”
Louis leaned closer to the machine.
“I wish you could come over for Thanksgiving, but Ma says we gotta go see Grandma Cockran up in St. Augustine. Chewbaca is getting real big, but Ma says he can’t sleep with me ’cause I got allergies.” A long pause. “Okay, I gotta go. I love you. See ya!”
Louis smiled. Chewbaca was one of Issy’s kittens, conceived last winter during Ben’s kidnapping. Ben had needed a lot of time to recover from his experience, and Louis believed the kitten somehow helped him do that. He still worried about the boy, worried about him being twelve and not having a father in his life, worried about his being able to ever trust people again. That was why he tried to see Ben as often as he could. But work had been demanding lately and there didn’t seem to be enough time.
The last message. Another familiar voice. Female, deep, deeply familiar.
“Hey there. It’s me. Just wanted to let you know I pulled some strings and got Thanksgiving and Friday off. I’ve got two Swanson’s turkey dinners and a good bottle of French Chablis on ice, so get your sweet ass over here as soon as you can. Call me as soon as you get in.”
She hung up.
Louis just sat there, staring at the machine. He took a drink of the beer, then replayed her message just to hear her voice.
He hadn’t seen Joe in weeks. She was a homicide detective for Miami PD. He had met her when she came over to help work the homicides connected with Ben’s kidnapping. They had started an intense affair, and for Louis, it was just what he needed.
Louis finished off the beer. Two invitations to Thanksgiving dinner. Not bad. But now he had to choose. A great feast at Margaret Dodie’s table. Or two days in bed with Joe. A slow smile came to his face. Well, maybe Margaret would save him some leftovers.
His eyes went to the pile of mail near his elbow. He began sifting through it. The blue envelope with the familiar Michigan address made him stop.
His birthday—he had forgotten again. But Frances never did.
He slit open the envelope and pulled out the birthday card from his foster mother. He opened it and a crisp twenty-dollar bill fluttered to the counter.
November 18, 1988
Dearest Louis.
Well, here you are at 29! How the years have flown by! Though you are far, far away, always know that our thoughts and love are with you on this special day. We hope you can find some use for our little gift!
Love and kisses,
Frances and Phillip
It was written in Frances’s frilly hand. The card came as regular as the sun every November 18, written by Frances, signed for them both, and always with a twenty tucked inside.
He picked up the twenty. It was only then that he noticed the piece of white paper that had fallen to the floor. He stooped to pick it up and unfolded it.
The note was in black ink, the handwriting heavy and unfamiliar.
Dear Louis,
Frances does not know I am writing this to you, and for now I would ask that you don’t mention it to her. I suppose I should have called you about this, but every time I picked up the phone, I couldn’t quite figure out what to say. Writi
ng things down has always been easier for me. Although nothing about this is easy really.
I have a friend whose grave I have been tending for sixteen years. The cemetery is being relocated and since my friend has no family, I made arrangements to move the coffin. But I was told it is empty. As you can imagine, I am quite upset and do not know where to turn. No one will help me and I feel I owe this to my friend. There is no way I can fully explain all this in a letter, so I hope you will just trust me when I say I need help. I am sorry to have to burden you with this, but I am quite desperate.
Please don’t tell Frances anything about this. If you were able to come home for Thanksgiving, she wouldn’t suspect anything and I could explain it all to you then. But if you have other plans, I understand.
