The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb
Page 24
Bud stepped back, holding on to my arms as he looked into my eyes. “When I was born in Sweden, which is where I grew up until I was all of ten months old, I was named Börje Ulf Dyggve Anderson.”
“That’s quite a mouthful,” I replied.
Bud smiled. “Exactly. In my first Canadian school I was known as Bud, using my three initials, and I have always thought of myself as Bud. But it’s not my real name.”
“And what about the work you’ve been doing for CSIS since you ‘retired’? Jack, with Sheila’s help, let the cat out of the bag.”
Bud paused. “I can tell you that CSIS sees me as a resource. I’ve got a lot of knowledge in this old noggin of mine,” he said, patting his messy hair. “Of course, I’m not the brain-box that you are, but they do like to keep using what I know. But as for the details—you know I can’t tell you.”
“Is it over? Are they done with you? Or will you keep running off to foreign countries without me knowing about it?”
“Maybe after this they’ll take more notice when I tell them I’d like to stop. After all, I’m pretty well known in these parts now.”
I nodded. “Bud. We need to talk. Not today, maybe, but soon. There’s a lot I don’t know about you. And that doesn’t feel good. Understand?”
Bud nodded. “Cait, we will talk. And, yes, very soon. Right now, I need to decompress a bit, and . . . I don’t know . . . have the holiday we’ve been looking forward to for weeks?”
We hugged again. It felt like I was home.
“Want a ride, you two? Then we can tell you some more background on our case against ingratiating Greg, domineering Dorothea, and slippery Juan.” It was Dean George’s unmistakable voice.
I didn’t wait for Bud to answer. “Yes, please. Could we go to Henry’s place, so we can check on how Jack is doing back at home, clean up, and collect our stuff? Then I suggest we take ourselves to one of those big hotels on the seafront in Puerto Vallarta for the next few days, get some sun, drink lots of cocktails with little umbrellas in them, and feast our faces off! I want to find some good food to eat—I know there must be a lot of it in the area. I want local snapper, fresh salsa, chicken with a light mole sauce . . .”
Bud smiled. “Hey, hold your horses! Getting clean to start with sounds great, and, of course, I’m anxious to know how Jack’s coming along!” He hugged me tight. “As for your suggestion about staying in Puerto Vallarta and hunting down some excellent food, I’m all for that. My diet since we arrived has been, shall we say, ‘bland’? Let’s do it, Cait! Let’s indulge for the time we have left before our flight home.”
It was only as we were being driven toward the shimmering sea at the bottom of the hill that I remembered the promises I’d made to my mirror-self that morning about everything I’d give up if only Bud and I managed to survive our ordeal. But I told myself that what happens through a looking glass doesn’t really count, especially if it happens in a world that’s full of fake . . . everything. So I would allow myself to indulge for the next few days, then I’d make a fresh start when we got home. I’d make a list of things about myself that I could work on. I like lists.
An excerpt from The Corpse with the Platinum Hair, the next book in the Cait Morgan mystery series
House Lights Down
The past few hours had been an indulgent blend of delicious food, engaging conversation, Bud’s wonderful company, and some exciting wines, all in a setting I’d never dreamed I’d get the chance to visit—the owners’ private dining room at the fabulous Tsar! Casino and Hotel on The Strip in Las Vegas. I’d left our table for a moment and had just finished using the washroom’s fancy, if deafening, hand dryer, when there was an ominous clanging noise. The subtle lighting in the washroom cut out. Luckily, the pulsating neon beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass end wall provided some illumination. I pulled open the washroom door to check whether the restaurant, too, had been plunged into darkness. It had. Even the piped operatic arias that had accompanied our dinner had fallen silent.
A woman called out, “Everybody stay where you are, please. The emergency generator will come on in just a few seconds.” It was Julie Pool, head of the legal department at the casino, to whom I’d been introduced before dinner.
“I not afraid of dark; I afraid of furniture. Is moving.” Svetlana Kharlamova’s operatic Russian tones had been heard and praised around the world for decades, but now she was simply whining.
“Please, Madame, stay still. The furniture isn’t moving, you are. Ms. Pool is correct. If we wait a moment, I’m sure everything will be just fine.” Jimmy Green, the Diva Kharlamova’s assistant, sounded testy, which was hardly surprising, given the way the woman had been acting toward him all evening.
Everyone in the private dining room heaved a sigh of relief when the backup lighting kicked in.
Everyone except Julie Pool, who screamed, “Oh, no . . . Look! Somebody’s skewered Miss Shirley to her seat with a silver saber.”
Acknowledgments
My thanks to everyone I met on my travels in Bucerias, Mismaloya, and Puerto Vallarta who took the time to share their fascinating insights about life in their beautiful part of the world. To my mum and my sister, who, as ever, were the first to read and give feedback on my writing, as well as the sort of encouragement that can only come from those who truly love you. To my husband, who supports me in every way, through every day. To Ruth Linka, my publisher, who enables Cait Morgan to travel and solve mysteries. To every member of the TouchWood team, each of whom plays their unique part in allowing Cait to live, breathe, and get out into the world. To Frances, my editor, who has a true passion for, and impressive knowledge of, crime fiction, and always exercises a light, but effective, touch. Last, but far from least, my thanks to you for choosing to read this book and spend some time with Cait Morgan—as well as to all the printers, distributors, librarians, booksellers, bloggers, and reviewers who might have helped you find, and get your hands on, this book.
Welsh Canadian mystery author CATHY ACE is the creator of the Cait Morgan Mysteries, which include The Corpse with the Silver Tongue, The Corpse with the Golden Nose, and The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb. Born, raised, and educated in Wales, Cathy enjoyed a successful career in marketing and training across Europe, before immigrating to Vancouver, Canada, where she taught on MBA and undergraduate marketing programs at various universities. Her eclectic tastes in art, music, food, and drink have been developed during her decades of extensive travel, which she continues whenever possible. Now a full-time author, Cathy’s short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies, as well as on BBC Radio 4. She and her husband are keen gardeners, who enjoy being helped out around their acreage by their green-pawed Labradors. Cathy’s website can be found at cathyace.com.
MORE MYSTERIES FROM TOUCHWOOD EDITIONS
A Quiet Kill
by Janet Brons
The head of the Canadian High Commission’s trade section is found brutally clubbed and stabbed to death in the Official Residence in London, England. Scotland Yard’s Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Hay is called in to investigate, while Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Liz Forsyth is dispatched from Ottawa. There are a number of suspects from the diplomatic community: the High Commissioner and his beautiful wife, the smarmy head of the political section, the charming military attaché, the high-strung Deputy High Commissioner, and a deeply troubled engagements secretary. After a second murder, the case takes a turn and radical environmentalist Dr. Julian Cox becomes a suspect.
A Quiet Kill is the first in a new mystery series featuring Forsyth and Hay. Paired up for the first time, the two investigators must overcome insecurities and suspicions as they find themselves wading into the murky waters of the diplomatic community and navigating through a melee of international conspiracy, nationalism, and murder.
The Glacier Gallows
by Stephen Legault
Tragedy strikes during an expedition through Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. At the base of a
windswept ridge that forms the border between Canada and the United States, Cole Blackwater finds the body of his business partner and former rival Brian Marriott, a bullet hole in his head. Cole’s long history of violence and his antagonistic past with the deceased put him in the spotlight of the murder investigation.
The fourth Cole Blackwater Mystery, The Glacier Gallows is a gritty, fast-paced mystery that will catapult the reader across North America, from Canada’s Parliament Hill to Alberta’s Porcupine Hills to Montana’s Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Cole, his brother, Walter, and reporter Nancy Webber must race against time to learn who really wanted Brian Marriott dead and why, before Cole himself ends up in the gallows.
Dark Moon Walking
by R.J. McMillen
It’s been more than eight years since ex-cop Dan Connor put a troubled criminal named Walker behind bars, and a year since he handed in his badge after losing the woman he loved. The remote islands off the Pacific Northwest coast seem like the perfect destination for his retirement. That is until a wave of increasingly sinister events disrupts his peace.
When a mysterious boat drives Connor from his anchorage and a marine biologist working in the area goes missing, Connor is forced to team up with his former nemisis, Walker, who has been released from jail and is struggling with his own demons. They have little in common, but when a life hangs in the balance and others are threatened, the knowledge and skills of these two men from very different cultures are the perfect mix.
With an eclectic cast of characters and a riveting plot, the first Dan Connor Mystery, Dark Moon Walking, is a fast-paced, suspenseful thriller that will keep you turning the pages until its explosive conclusion.
Copyright © 2014 Cathy Ace
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (ACCESS Copyright). For a copyright licence, visit accesscopyright.ca.
TouchWood Editions
touchwoodeditions.com
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
Ace, Cathy, 1960–, author
The corpse with the emerald thumb / Cathy Ace.
(A Cait Morgan mystery)
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-77151-064-6 (html). ISBN 978-1-77151-065-3 (pdf)
I. Title. II. Series: Ace, Cathy, 1960- Cait Morgan mystery.
PS8601.C41C65 2014 C813'.6 C2013-905978-4
Editor: Frances Thorsen
Proofreader: Cailey Cavallin
Cover image: dbvirago, canstockphoto.com
Author photo: Jeremy Wilson Photography (jeremywilsonphotography.com)
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support for our publishing activities from the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, and the province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either 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.