Third Strike

by Kathi Daley

  Table of Contents

  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

  Third Strike

  by

  Kathi Daley

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 by Katherine Daley

  Version 1.0

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Books by Kathi Daley

  The Writers:

  Townsfolk:

  The Victim

  The Suspects and Witnesses

  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

  Books by Kathi Daley

  Giveaway:

  Acknowledgments

  I want to thank the very talented Jessica Fischer for the cover art.

  I so appreciate Bruce Curran, who is always ready and willing to answer my cyber questions, Jayme Maness who takes charge of book clubs and other reader events, and Peggy Hyndman for helping sleuth out those pesky typos.

  And, of course, thanks to the readers and bloggers in my life, who make doing what I do possible.

  Thank you to Randy Ladenheim-Gil for the editing.

  And finally I want to thank my sister Christy for always lending an ear and my husband Ken for allowing me time to write by taking care of everything else.

  Books by Kathi Daley

  Come for the murder, stay for the romance.

  Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:

  Halloween Hijinks

  The Trouble With Turkeys

  Christmas Crazy

  Cupid’s Curse

  Big Bunny Bump-off

  Beach Blanket Barbie

  Maui Madness

  Derby Divas

  Haunted Hamlet

  Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies

  Christmas Cozy

  Alaskan Alliance

  Matrimony Meltdown

  Soul Surrender

  Heavenly Honeymoon

  Hopscotch Homicide

  Ghostly Graveyard

  Santa Sleuth

  Shamrock Shenanigans

  Kitten Kaboodle

  Costume Catastrophe

  Candy Cane Caper

  Holiday Hangover

  Easter Escapade

  Camp Carter

  Trick or Treason – September 2017

  Reindeer Roundup – December 2017

  Zimmerman Academy The New Normal

  Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook

  Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries by Henery Press

  Pumpkins in Paradise

  Snowmen in Paradise

  Bikinis in Paradise

  Christmas in Paradise

  Puppies in Paradise

  Halloween in Paradise

  Treasure in Paradise

  Fireworks in Paradise – October 2017

  Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:

  Romeow and Juliet

  The Mad Catter

  Grimm’s Furry Tail

  Much Ado About Felines

  Legend of Tabby Hollow

  Cat of Christmas Past

  A Tale of Two Tabbies

  The Great Catsby

  Count Catula

  The Cat of Christmas Present

  A Winter’s Tail

  The Taming of the Tabby

  Frankencat – August 2017

  The Cat of Christmas Future – November 2017

  Seacliff High Mystery:

  The Secret

  The Curse

  The Relic

  The Conspiracy

  The Grudge

  The Shadow

  The Haunting – September 2017

  Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:

  Murder at Dolphin Bay

  Murder at Sunrise Beach

  Murder at the Witching Hour

  Murder at Christmas

  Murder at Turtle Cove

  Murder at Water’s Edge

  Murder at Midnight – October 2017

  Writers’ Retreat Southern Seashore Mystery:

  First Case

  Second Look

  Third Strike

  Fourth Victim – October 2017

  Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mystery

  Finding Justice – November 2017

  Road to Christmas Romance:

  Road to Christmas Past

  The Writers:

  Jillian (Jill) Hanford

  Jillian is a dark-haired, dark-eyed, never-married newspaper reporter who moved to Gull Island after her much-older brother, Garrett Hanford, had a stroke and was no longer able to run the resort he’d inherited. Jillian had suffered a personal setback and needed a change in lifestyle, so she decided to run the resort as a writers’ retreat while she waited for an opportunity to work her way back into her old life. To help make ends meet, she takes on freelance work that allows her to maintain her ties to the newspaper industry. Jillian shares her life with her partner in mystery solving, an ornery parrot with an uncanny ability to communicate named Blackbeard.

  Jackson (Jack) Jones

  Jack is a dark-haired, blue-eyed, never-married nationally acclaimed author of hard-core mysteries and thrillers, who is as famous for his good looks and boyish charm as he is for the stories he pens. Despite his success as a novelist, he’d always dreamed of writing for a newspaper, so he gave up his penthouse apartment and bought the failing Gull Island News. He lives in an oceanfront mansion he pays for with income from the novels he continues to write.

  George Baxter

  George is a writer of traditional whodunit mysteries. He’d been a friend of Garrett Hanford’s since they were boys and spent many winters at the resort penning his novels. When he heard that the oceanfront resort was going to be used as a writers’ retreat, he was one of the first to get on board. George is a distinguished-looking man with gray hair, dark green eyes, and a certain sense of old-fashioned style that many admire.

  Clara Kline

  Clara is a self-proclaimed psychic who writes fantasy and paranormal mysteries. She wears her long gray hair in a practical braid and favors long, peasant-type skirts and blouses. Clara decided to move to the retreat after she had a vision that she would find her soul mate living within its walls. So far, the only soul mate she has stumbled on to is a cat named Agatha, but it does seem that romance is in the air, so she may yet find the man she has envisioned.

  Alex Cole

  Alex is a fun and flirty millennial who made his first million writing science fiction when he was just twenty-two. He’s the lighthearted jokester of the group who uses his blond-haired, blue-eyed good looks to participate in serial dating. He has the means to live anywhere, but the thought of a writers’ retreat seemed quaint and retro, so he decided to expand his base of experience and moved in.

  Brit Baxter

  Brit is George Baxter’s niece. A petite blond pixie, she decided to make the trip east with her uncle after quitting her job to pursue her dream of writing. She’s a
MIT graduate who decided her real love was writing.

  Victoria Vance

  Victoria is a romance author who lives the life she writes about in her steamy novels. She travels the world and does what she wants to who she wants without ever making an emotional connection. Her raven-black hair accentuates her pale skin and bright green eyes. She’s the woman every man fantasizes about but none can ever conquer. When she isn’t traveling the world she’s Jillian’s best friend, which is why when Jillian needed her, she gave up her penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park to move into the dilapidated island retreat.

  Townsfolk:

  Deputy Rick Savage

  Rick is not only the island’s main source of law enforcement, he’s a volunteer force unto himself. He cares about the island and its inhabitants and is willing to do what needs to be done to protect that which he loves. He’s single man in his thirties who seldom has time to date despite his devilish good looks, which most believe could land him any woman he wants.

  Mayor Betty Sue Bell

  Betty Sue is a homegrown Southern lady who owns a beauty parlor called Betty Boop’s Beauty Salon. She can be flirty and sassy, but when her town or its citizens are in trouble, she turns into a barracuda. She has a southern flare that will leave you laughing, but when there’s a battle to fight she’s the one you most want in your corner.

  Gertie Newsome

  Gertie Newsome is the owner of Gertie’s on the Wharf. Southern born and bred, she believes in the magic of the South and the passion of its people. She shares her home with a ghost named Mortie who has been a regular part of her life for over thirty years. She’s friendly, gregarious, and outspoken, unafraid to take on anyone or anything she needs to protect those she loves.

  Meg Collins

  Meg is a volunteer at the island museum and the organizer of the turtle rescue squad. Some feel the island and its wildlife are her life, but Meg has a soft spot for island residents like Jill and the writers who live with her.

  Barbara Jean Freeman

  Barbara is an outspoken woman with a tendency toward big hair and loud colors. She is a friendly sort with a propensity toward gossip who owns a bike shop in town.

  Sully

  Sully is a popular islander who owns the local bar.

  The Victim

  Trey Alderman

  Trey Alderman was probably Gull Island’s most important claim to sports fame. He was the starting pitcher for the Gull Island Seagulls and went on to stand out nationally among college players while attending the University of South Carolina. It was assumed he would be a top draft pick and it seemed the sky was the limit in terms of his career until he died of a heart attack when he was only twenty-two. It was later determined there was a drug mixture in his system that could lead to a heart attack when combined with extreme stress.

  The Suspects and Witnesses

  Friends from Gull Island who attended the party:

  Heather Granger

  Trey’s girlfriend all through high school. Everyone assumed they would marry one day, but when he left his small town behind in his search for national recognition, he left Heather behind as well. She is now engaged to a chef and opening her own restaurant.

  Hudson Dickerson

  Trey’s best friend in high school, who stayed behind to work on his father’s fishing boat when Trey went off to college. The two were still close. Hudson married his longtime girlfriend, Candy, and still lives on Gull Island.

  Candy Baldwin

  Heather’s best friend and Hudson’s girlfriend. Many felt Candy was angrier at Trey for dumping Heather than even she was. The two couples had been inseparable at one time and Candy had dreamed of a shared future.

  Dexter Parkway

  Trey’s nerdy friend who attended Boston College but, like Trey, was home on spring break. In high school Dexter had idolized Trey, although Trey treated him more like a faithful dog than a friend. He’s currently working on his doctorate at Harvard.

  Coach Cranston

  Trey’s high school coach, who helped him hone his skills. Trey had promised him that if he made it big, he would hire him as his agent, but as his fame grew, so did his ambition. It was rumored Trey had left Coach Cranston in the dust in favor of a flashy agent with proven experience.

  Friends from college who attended the party:

  Rena Madison

  Trey’s college girl and a cheerleader at the University of South Carolina. Rena had big plans that would be more easily accomplished with a professional baseball player on her arm. Unlike Heather, who seemed to love Trey for who he was, Rena was in it for what he could do for her modeling career. Rumor had it that Trey planned to dump her as soon as he graduated from college.

  Jett Strong

  Trey’s biggest rival for the top spot in college baseball. Trey and Jett had traded the number one and two spots the entire four years they played. Most assumed one or the other would be the number one draft pick and college MVP. After Trey’s death, Jett moved into the number one spot and currently plays for the Florida Marlins.

  Parker Wilson

  Trey’s teammate, who would have had an outstanding college career of his own had he managed to get out from under Trey’s shadow. After Trey’s death, he married his college girlfriend, Quinn, and was drafted to the New York Yankees.

  Quinn Jenkins

  Quinn Jenkins also attended the University of South Carolina and was Parker’s girlfriend. An assertive woman majoring in microbiology, she felt Parker was getting a raw deal and had been campaigning hard with the coach to offer him more playing time and a starting position. She knew Parker had what it took to live in the spotlight if only Trey wasn’t in the way.

  Chapter 1

  Wednesday, November 15

  Trey Alderman was Gull Island’s most important claim to sports fame. He was the starting pitcher for the Gull Island Seagulls and went on to stand out nationally among college players while attending the University of South Carolina. It was assumed he would be a top draft pick a year and a half back, and it seemed the sky was the limit in terms of his career. Trey came home on spring break during his senior year and, while on the island, agreed to play in a charity event in Charleston. The game, which featured other draft hopefuls, came down to a single run. It was the bottom of the ninth, the tying run was on third, the bases were loaded, there were two outs, and the tension was high. The pitch was thrown fast and down the middle and the crowd held their breath as Trey swung his bat with all his might before falling to the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene. It was later determined he died of a heart attack. He was twenty-two, healthy, and, as far as anyone knew, had no preexisting heart condition.

  It was later revealed that Trey had arrived at the game feeling dizzy and disoriented. He’d elected to suit up but wasn’t in the starting lineup. He’d begun to feel better as the game progressed, and by the ninth inning he was feeling amped and ready to play, so the coach put him in as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth. The autopsy revealed that Trey didn’t have an undiagnosed heart condition, as everyone had believed, but had been suffering the ill effects of a drug mixture in his system that could have led to a heart attack when combined with extreme stress. The local investigators determined that he had most likely engaged in recreational drug use at a party he’d attended the previous evening.

  Alex Cole, a twenty-eight-year-old, fun and flirty millennial who’d made his first million writing science fiction when he was just twenty-two, had decided to write a book about Trey’s life and death and had brought the mystery of Trey’s death to the Mystery Mastermind group made up of people who lived and worked at the Gull Island Writers’ Retreat, which my brother, Garrett Hanford, owns, and I, Jillian Hanford, operate.

  “On the surface, it seems as if Trey’s death was the result of his own poor choices,” I pointed out. “I guess my question is: Where’s the mystery?”

  “There are those, including Trey’s parents, who believe he didn’t knowingly consume the
drugs that led to his death,” Alex answered.

  “They think someone slipped him the drugs without his knowledge?” I clarified.

  “Exactly. It’s my intention to dig into the twenty-four hours leading up to his collapse and try to determine if Trey’s death really was nothing more than a terrible accident or if he was murdered.”

  “You’re suggesting whoever slipped Trey the drugs, if that’s even what happened, knew they would cause his heart to fail?” I asked.

  “Not necessarily. Trey’s heart attack seems to have been the result of a very specific set of circumstances that couldn’t have been planned or predicted, so my use of the word murdered is probably a bit more melodramatic than the situation warrants. Still, I do believe someone could have slipped Trey the drugs with the intention of making him ill enough that he’d miss the game.”

  “Have you had a chance to narrow down the lists of suspects and witnesses we need to follow up with?” Brit Baxter, a twenty-six-year-old chick lit writer and the newest member of our group asked.

  “I have nine names I think should give us a starting point,” Alex said as his long blond hair fell over his bright blue eyes. “Everyone on the list attended the same party Trey did the night before he died, all attended the game, and all had at least somewhat of a motive for wanting Trey out of the way.”

  I grabbed a bright red marker and stood in front of whiteboard, prepared to take notes as the discussion unfolded. We’d found that writing everything down permitted us to look at situations from a variety of perspectives and, in the end, helped us make sense of what usually began as a lot of unrelated information.