by Nora Kane
Fatal Stance
Jade Pearson Mystery Series Book 1
Nora Kane
Fatal Stance by Nora Kane Copyright © 2021 by Nora Kane.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This book is a work of fiction. Any reference to real people or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors imagination and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Books by Nora Kane
1. Secrets of Woodcrest Manor
2. Wolverine Harbor Novellas Series
Book 1 - The Veil of Deceit
Book 2 - The Veil of Envy
Book 3 - The Veil of Vengeance
3. Emmy Grimm Series
Book 1 - Lured
Book 2 - Chased
Book 3 - Blindsided
4. Margot Harris Series One
5. Margot Harris Series Two
6. Margot Harris Series Three
Book 1 – On The Prowl
Book 2 – On The Money
Book 3 – On The Lam
Book 4 – On The Loose
Book 5 – On The Edge
7. Jade Pearson Series One
Book 1 – Fatal Stance
Book 2 – Fatal Conceit
Book 3 – Fatal Delusion
Book 4 – Fatal Deception
Book 5 – Fatal Mission
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When the Patriarch of the Woodcrest Family was found dead in the flowerbed under his bedroom window, the local police department called it suicide. His son hired Private detective Emmy wanting to uncover the real truth behind his father's death. Surrounded by so many individuals who could benefit from his death, now the responsibility is on Emmy to figure out who was responsible. When Emmy starts to talk to the heirs the Woodcrest family's secrets begin to emerge.
Table of Content
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
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Prologue
It had been a humid day and was still a humid night. Mr. Yates was due on the boat in a few minutes. Walking down the dirty docks was not what he really wanted to be doing, but he had a job to do. It was an unsettling night. The lamp posts were dim and barely lit. The dock creaked beneath his every step. And everything smelled of fish. He hated fish. Couldn’t stomach it.
Passing along closed fishing and tackle shops, he reminded himself of his comfy home: his sleek leather chairs and his woman who would be happy to see him again. He was reminded of air conditioning and fans to battle against the heat of the day. Sweat was gathering on his brow. He hated to sweat. He hated anything connected to the lower class including manual labor, hard work, and most of all, sweating. In fact, he hated this part of his job, but he liked the money it brought and the leisure it afforded him.
Mr. Yates walked past the last of the small, smelly shops and continued down the dock out on the open water of the bay. He didn’t like walking on the dock, with the water swaying beneath him. It made him dizzy despite the calming sound of the waves. His stomach swirled inside him. Clutching his stomach for a second, he regained his composure and tried to ignore the water. He enjoyed his small burbling waterfall in his home but hated being by the sea. He hated being on the boat even more, but it couldn’t be helped. His job relied on it.
The boat was ahead of him, lit up brightly against the darkness of the night. It was like a shining beacon calling out to Mr. Yates to hurry up and get on board. The crewman welcomed Mr. Yates aboard for his night trip into the bay. Mr. Yates climbed the metal stairs up to the highest deck, a small platform at the front of the ship. Tonight, he only had himself and his phone. He stood by the edge of the railing listening to the rolling waves and the sleepy gulls.
Before long, Mr. Yates pulled out his phone. Aiming the camera out into the darkness, he snapped a few pictures. Then, he made a hurried phone call to a stranger he trusted. He didn’t notice the shadow creeping along the side of the deckhouse. Or the creaking of footsteps coming closer. He did note the heavy breathing right before he was hit on the head and dropped to the floor of the deck.
The shadowy figure picked up the body with relative ease and threw it overboard. Then they stole away into the night. Mr. Yates could barely keep his eyes open. He felt the cold water seep into his bones. With a haggard breath, he drew in seawater. It scorched his throat and he coughed violently. Still barely above the surface of the water, he tumbled and fought to breathe. But the waves were ruthless. They swept him under and didn’t let go. Mr. Yates saw nothing but the darkness of his closed eyelids. He felt nothing but the pain of trying to draw in air. After a few minutes, Mr. Yates floated back up to the surface, face down in the water. That was the end of Mr. H. Robert Yates.
Chapter 1
It was so early in the morning that the sun had barely peeked over the horizon when the first fishermen walked down around the beach, heading to the marina and their shabby boats. It was only by chance that a young lad, new to the fishing business, went exploring that morning by the rocks at low tide. And it was only by circumstance that a body washed up on shore that morning.
Jade hadn’t been up for very long when she got the call. She’d barely had time to make her coffee and take a quick shower. She had a feeling that today would be a workday so she’d already pulled her hair back into a tight, smart bun. She had gotten her first sips down when the phone rang.
“Hello?” she asked, gulping down her morning coffee. Jade Pearson wasn’t one to speak before her caffeine. The voice on the other end of the phone was her good friend, Edna Mann, the head detective of the Camden Police Department. She had been just a regular officer when Jade arrived in Camden, but over the years had worked her way to the top. Jade couldn’t be prouder of her friend.
“We need you down on the beach by Steamboat Landing. Got an unidentifiable body. Chief knows you’re good at stuff like this and has agreed to let you in,” Edna said. She sounded tired. Jade was sure she sounded the same way.
“How could I refuse a good man like the Chief?” Jade asked sarcastically. She and the Chief were far less than friends.
“Look, I know you two don’t get along, but I really do need you on this one. I’m swamped with an armed robbery and I don’t need another high profile case taking up my day,” Edna said.
“Only for you, Edna. I’ll be there in twenty.”
“Thank you,” Edna said.
Jade hung up the phone and looked out the window. It was going to be a sunny, warm day just like the entire summer had been so far. The trees were swaying gently in the breeze full of bright, green leaves. If she had any desire to open the windows to the dreaded warmth Jade might have heard birdsong, but she preferred the cool air conditioning of her house. Despite the weather, Jade put on a sharp pantsui
t. She stuffed half a donut in her mouth and got into her car.
It was far too early for murder in Jade’s opinion. She usually liked to sleep in, but she’d been up early due to the nightmares she’d had in the night. Already missing her coffee mug, she drove down to the beach and a dead body. Hopefully, this would prove to be a simple accident, but with unidentified bodies, only time could tell. Camden, Maine was generally a sleepy fishing town. Not much in the way of crime happened. In fact, Camden was 95% safer than most of America. To have two high profile cases at once was rare. While the armed robbery intrigued her, it wasn’t her case, so Jade dismissed it from her mind.
The drive to the beach was long. It was on the other side of the bay from her house. The sun was peeking into her windows and clouding her eyes. Jade squinted and continued driving. She’d forgotten her sunglasses at home.
Pulling up to the beach, there was barely a place to park. A crowd was already gathered together trying to catch a glimpse of the action. There were reporters and fishermen alike, as well as the general public and interested tourists who’d chosen a particularly bad time to visit. The officers guarding the scene recognized Jade and let her slip through the crime scene tape. She gave them a small nod and headed down to the body. CSI was already there taking in samples of evidence and collecting pictures of the scene. Edna beckoned Jade forward.
“What? No coffee?” Edna joked.
“As much as I’d love a cup right now, I think we have bigger things to focus on,” Jade said. She could already tell that one cup was not going to be enough for today.
“There’s no ID on him and no good way to identify him, given the damage to the body. My initial thought was an accident on some fishing boat but look at how he’s dressed,” Edna commented.
“Yeah, no fisherman would go out in a suit. It looks custom-made. This is someone who has money. I’d be looking for wealthy vacationers staying in town or with corporations holding big meetings around here. This was someone important.”
“I’ll check it out. CSI hasn’t found much evidence. There are no footprints or fingerprints anywhere,” Edna said.
“Then the death didn’t occur here on the beach. If he fell off a boat, the company would’ve reported it, unless it wasn’t an accident,” Jade surmised.
“So, it’s murder then. Great. Just what I need right now. Are you on the case?” Edna asked, her eyes pleading like a small child.
“An important man washes up on the shore unable to be identified, most likely murdered? Of course, I’m in,” Jade replied. This was definitely an intriguing case and she intended to solve it.
“Thank God. The van is here to take the body away. You good with that?” Edna asked.
“Yeah. I’m gonna take a look up and down the beach. See if anything else washed up onshore,” Jade said.
“We’ve already combed the entire beach as best we can, but the tide is coming in making it difficult. You’re welcome to look, but I doubt you’ll find anything.”
“Thank you for being so positive about it,” Jade replied, rolling her eyes.
“Sorry. I would tell you good luck and to do better than my people, but you usually do, so I’ll just leave it where we’re at.”
“Thanks, Edna.”
“No, thank you, Jade. I really need help with this one,” Edna said sincerely.
“Well, where would the Camden Police Department be without their number one private detective?” Jade asked.
“Still solving the Cabrero case of ‘05,” Edna remarked.
Jade smiled and left Edna and her team to finish their work. Trying to solve a case in the police department with all the restrictions and pressure was never easy. Edna had become a personal friend after Jade’s first case over ten years ago. She was never afraid to ask for Jade’s help, even if the Chief didn’t want it.
Jade set out to walk along the shoreline. It was covered in gray and black rocks worn down over time. Muscles and seaweed draped over the rocks elegantly like a sparkly dress in the early morning sunshine. Despite being next to the ocean, the air was already getting warm. The smell of dead fish was evident in the air. Jade’s shoes crunched over the rocky shore as she walked. There was evidence that others had been here before her, likely CSI and other police officers. Even though they tried to be careful, the police somehow always managed to mess up a perfect clue right in front of them, leaving no trace that there had been a clue in the first place. Their footprints were all over; they’d scattered rocks out of their way. It was no wonder they hadn’t found anything.
But Jade wasn’t going to give up. They’d made a mess of things, but she could still spot when something was off. Bending down to search through the rocks, Jade intently examined the ground. Amidst the smaller rocks were tons of little pieces of trash, such as cigarette butts and pieces of paper. Nothing too important. Then she spotted it. Her first real clue to solving this case: a small spot of white sticking out amongst the sea of gray. Squatting down close to the earth, she dug into the rocks a little. Pulling out a bright white and yellow keycard to the Grand Harbor Inn, she stood up, prize in hand. She’d just found her first lead.
Jade slipped the keycard into her pocket and walked back along the beach. The police would likely be gone by now. She didn’t want to share what she’d found yet. If they were sent into the hotel room, they’d likely mess up the scene. She needed to see it first and that meant keeping this clue a secret.
The walk back along the beach wasn’t as long. Jade wasn’t scrutinizing every detail this time. Up ahead, she could see the crowd had all but dispersed. She’d been right that the police were gone. Only a couple of reporters and fishermen stayed behind.
Jade approached the few onlookers and asked, “Were any of you the one to find the body?”
“I was, ma’am,” a young man said, stepping forward. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. He didn’t look old enough to commit murder. Jade set that aside and continued.
“I’d like to talk to you.” Jade pulled him aside and introduced herself, saying, “I’m Private Detective Pearson.”
“Samuel Caldwell, ma’am. I saw you with the police earlier. Are you working on this case?” Mr. Caldwell asked.
He was a young man who looked like he had the strength to kill someone but he did not have the face of a killer. Then again, these days, one could never tell. Everyone was a suspect.
“I am, Mr. Caldwell.” Jade took out her notepad and pen and said, “I’d like to ask you a couple of questions.”
“Fire away,” he responded excitedly, as if he hadn’t just found a dead body that morning. In his defense, it was probably the most exciting thing that had ever happened to him. Especially if he’d lived his whole life in Camden.
“What time did you find the body?” Jade asked.
“Around four-thirty,” he replied.
“Did you see anything or anyone suspiciousat the time?”
“Can’t say I did. It’s mostly just us fishermen up this early in the morning,” Mr. Caldwell explained.
“So, you didn’t notice anybody acting strange or out of the ordinary?” Jade asked.
“No, ma’am. I did see someone in the tackle shop over there. It’s usually closed on Monday mornings, but I guess they opened it up for today,” Mr. Caldwell said.
“That tackle shop over there?” Jade asked, pointing to Johnson’s Bait and Tackle.
“That’s the one.”
“Thank you, Mr. Caldwell. You’ve been a great help,” Jade said, letting the young man go.
He’d looked her in the eyes for the whole interview, hadn’t seemed nervous at all, and was friendly enough. He definitely didn’t play the part of a cold-blooded murderer.
Jade walked over to Johnson’s Bait and Tackle and found the lights to be off. She tried the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. She called out to see if anyone was inside, but it appeared to be very empty. The shop was certainly closed. She’d have to come back later. It was time to check out the hotel. Ja
de got into her car and put away her notepad.
Chapter 2
It wasn’t a terribly long drive to the hotel. On the way, the case was stuck on Jade’s mind like flies to honey. Only she didn’t have the flies: no suspects…yet. Maybe the hotel room would reveal some of the victim’s secrets. If anything, she could try to find out who had checked in.
The Grand Harbor Inn was one of the most popular hotels in Camden. It had a near five-star rating and it was no surprise that, if the victim was important, he’d have ended up there. It was on the waterfront and led out to a sweeping view of the bay. Jade had stayed there once with her family when she was younger. She’d come to visit her ailing grandmother. It was, in fact, her grandmother who was the reason she’d moved to Camden. She’d shown Jade all the beauty of the natural bay. The glistening waters and squawking seagulls were nothing like Jade’s midwest hometown. Now she worked on the dark side of Camden, finding out its secrets and darkest plots. How times had changed.