So was Lottie, I thought, as the newlyweds swept out of the sanctuary to the joyous strains of Mendelssohn. The world has so few happy endings.
Love and decency still survive, though my belief was briefly shot down by a subpoena server who recently nailed Lottie and me in the News lobby. He grinned and skittered off like a cockroach.
We had been summoned as witnesses for depositions in a civil lawsuit filed by “Janet and Stanley Buckholz as the natural parents and guardians on behalf of the plaintiff, Raymond Buckholz, a minor child.” A Miami Beach hotel, a travel agency, and the city’s chamber of commerce were named as defendants.
“Hell-all-Friday.” Lottie furrowed her freckled brow. “Who the heck—”
“Raymond!” I said. “The little boy who spotted the body at the beach that day!”
The New York couple alleges that, as a result, Raymond suffers from “post-traumatic stress disorder, mental anguish, psychiatric trauma, and emotional distress.” They are seeking damages based on “false and deceptive advertising” that lured them to Miami Beach for a family vacation.
Otherwise, Kaithlin’s story is old news. She haunts me still. I believed that, with persistence, I would learn who and what she really was. But the more I reported, the more I learned, the less I knew to be true. Was she victim, villain, or simply human, caught up in passions and events that spun out of control? I realize now I’ll never know. All those who are still alive have different, conflicting stories, and the dead don’t talk. The past is an unsolved mystery and the truth a moving target.
I jog the boardwalk at dawn, swim, and then sunbathe on golden sand along my favorite stretch of beach. I daydream and contemplate the comfort of a limitless horizon despite the long shadow cast by another landmark. Each time I am there, I can’t help but turn away from the bright sailboats that dart beyond the breakers, their colors etched against flawless blue sky, and look up to a high window overlooking the sea. I always wave.
Acknowledgments
I am grateful to the usual suspects, generous as always with their expertise, friendship, and support, especially Dr. Joseph H. Davis, real live hero and the world’s best pathologist; real friend and true seeker, Renee Turolla; my own dream team of super lawyers Joel Hirschhorn, Arthur Tifford, and Ira Dubitsky, along with the Honorable Judge Arthur Rothenberg; and high-flying jet pilot Captain Tom Osbourne. Thanks, too, to ace photographer Jared Lazarus; my longtime accomplice Arnie Markowitz; Jerry Dobby; Bill Dobson and his beautiful Amalia; Douglas A. Deam, D.M.D.; Dr. Howard Gordon; Patty Gruman, who manages to always be in the right place at the right time; Brooke and Dr. Howard Engle; my agent, Michael Congdon; my patient editor, Carrie Feron; and those stalwart men of the FBI, Terry Nelson and David Attenberger. Janet Baker keeps me honest, and I am blessed to have the ebullient Cynnie Cagney and Dr. Garth Thompson in my corner, along with my true sisters Molly Lonstein, Karen McFadyen, Ann Hughes, and Charlotte Caffrey, who share their friendship, insight, and efforts to keep me out of trouble. It’s my good fortune to have co-conspirators like Pam Stone Blackwell, the best emergency room nurse in the world; and William Venturi, ace private detective, and, as always, I am ever indebted to the cool and resourceful Marilyn Lane, my getaway driver.
My life does have a sterling cast of characters.
Resounding praise for Pulitzer Prize winner
EDNA BUCHANAN
and
YOU ONLY DIE TWICE
“BUCHANAN’S NOVELS SPARKLE…She is familiar with the worlds of crime and newspapers. And for the last several years she has been writing novels that effortlessly—or so it seems—capture the essence of both…Buchanan’s lively prose moves the plot forward with dispatch.”
Chicago Sun-Times
“ENGAGING AND COLORFULLY TEXTURED…A lively and always reliable series…Buchanan is as shrewd and meticulous as ever.”
Washington Post Book World
“WILL KEEP READERS GUESSING…Combining a tough but appealing detective with quirky supporting characters, Buchanan has painted a vivid picture of crime in Miami. A twisty plot makes her novel a compelling read with surprises at every turn.”
Dallas Morning News
“EDNA BUCHANAN IS OUTRAGEOUS AND UNRIVALED.”
Patricia Cornwell
“A SUPREMELY EXPERT YARNSPINNER.”
Los Angeles Times Book Review
“A JUICY STORY…Just when readers worry that there’s nothing left to learn about South Florida’s best breaking news reporter, Buchanan manages to pull out a surprise…Fans of Montero are likely to enjoy this novel, and newcomers to the series will have no trouble using YOU ONLY DIE TWICE as a jumping-off point.”
Boston Globe
“SUDDENLY, YOU’RE HOOKED. Buchanan writes killer prose.”
Austin American-Statesman
“COMPELLING, IRONIC STORYTELLING…The plot unfolds relentlessly…YOU ONLY DIE TWICE is one of Buchanan’s best, for three reasons. First, character development. Second, plot development. Third, authenticity…She shares trade secrets galore.”
Portland Oregonian
“BUCHANAN, WHOSE BOOKS ARE THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS, OUTDOES HERSELF.”
Kirkus Reviews (*Starred Review*)
“THIS IS BUCHANAN AT HER BEST…A whodunit for the dedicated mystery fan…She uses her knowledge of police procedure to paint a technically correct tale that she peoples with utterly fascinating characters.”
Tampa Tribune
“A PAGE-TURNING THRILLER THAT WILL KEEP A READER GUESSING.”
Buffalo News
“FAST-PACED…FINELY TUNED…A classically molded whodunit…Buchanan’s trademark one-liners are in fine form.”
People
“ENJOYABLE…With a series of twists in the tale that consistently pull the rug out from underneath readers who think they have the plot all figured out, Buchanan crafts a narrative that careens at a fierce pace to its violent conclusion…Her obvious knowledge of police procedure and how cops think and operate lends an air of authenticity.”
Toledo Blade
“ONE OF CRIME FICTION’S NATIONAL TREASURES.”
Newsday
“A MYSTERY FAN’S NOVEL TO ‘DIE’ FOR.”
Chicago Tribune
“ONCE AGAIN, BUCHANAN SHOWS HER MASTERY OF THE FLORIDA MYSTERY GENRE with a well-crafted plot, believable characters, and a real feel for the Miami area.”
Washington Times
“MIAMI’S OWN MISTRESS OF MAYHEM…Few writers can capture the vibrating intensity of that city with the same energy and style.”
John Katzenbach
“NO ONE CAN BUILD A BETTER PLOT THAN EDNA BUCHANAN. She knows murder. She knows Miami…Her books are defined by a wry style and crystal-hard accuracy. She knows how cops and criminals act and react…The inconceivable plot twist that infects many novels in this genre is unheard of in a Buchanan book.”
Palm Beach Post
“A GREAT STORY…A top mystery writer with plots right out of the headlines.”
Orlando Sentinel
“A FIRST-RATE STORYTELLER.”
Michael Connelly
“AN ENGROSSING WHO-WAS-IT that soon becomes an equally intriguing whodunit…Drawing on her own experience as a Miami reporter, Buchanan charts Britt’s determined pursuit of the truth. The reader is along every step of the way.”
Publishers Weekly
“EDNA BUCHANAN IS SO GOOD that the Miami Chamber of Commerce should start banning her books…Buchanan portrays Miami with such realism…that readers may decide to bypass it when choosing a destination for the family vacation.”
Cleveland Plain Dealer
“IN THE CATEGORY OF FLIGHT-DELAYED AIRPORT FICTION, THIS IS ONE TO PACK FOR THE TRIP. Buchanan…obviously knows her way around a newsroom and a police station.”
San Antonio Express-News
“YOU ONLY DIE TWICE SPINS A GOOD STORY…The kind of tangled tale that this intrepid journalist relishes.”
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Al
so by Edna Buchanan
CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE
MIAMI, IT’S MURDER
SUITABLE FOR FRAMING
ACT OF BETRAYAL
MARGIN OF ERROR
GARDEN OF EVIL
THE CORPSE HAD A FAMILIAR FACE
NOBODY LIVES FOREVER
NEVER LET THEM SEE YOU CRY
PULSE
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
YOU ONLY DIE TWICE. Copyright © 2001 by Edna Buchanan. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Digital Edition April 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-194375-1
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