A Note Before Dying

Book One in the Mara Solomon Series

Adam Cole

Part three

(C) 2020 Adam Cole

Published by Nuncici Press, an imprint of Adam Cole Works LLC

“I can ask him to turn it down…”

“No!”  Mara rose quickly to her feet.  Forgetting for the moment about Cybil, she moved down the hall past the reporting officer in order to get closer to the stereo on Detective Randle’s desk.  

“Mitch,” said the officer, coming out from behind her table.  She seemed obligated to warn her colleague that a crazy woman was coming his way.

The mustached man, Mitch Randle, looked up at Mara through his doorway, one of his eyes irritated with the interruption, the other unfocused.

“Mitch, could you turn it down?  This young lady…”

“No, don’t turn it down,” Mara said.  She moved through the doorway to the chair on the other side of Detective Randle’s desk, her round hips negotiating the little room’s obstacles effortlessly, as if she were dancing to the music.

The Detective had been wary of her arrival.  “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I’m sorry,” said Mara.  “But who is that composer?”

“What?”  The Detective’s expression turned as sour as the pickle sitting on the wax paper next to his chili dog.

“I’m having trouble identifying the composer of that piece of music you’re playing.”

Mitch Randle’s eyes flitted towards the box.  Then they returned to Mara’s face.  She wasn’t registering his annoyance at all.  Her eyes were far away, years away.  Behind her, the first officer was making helpless gestures.

“I wouldn’t know that.  I’m not a musician.  I’m sure we could find out for you at a later—“

“It’s just that there’s something not right about it.”

“What?”  Detective Randle’s mustache twitched as though it had been tightened from behind.  Something about the way Mara had said the word “right” had struck a chord with him, and now he was interested against his better judgment.  “What do you mean?”

“I think it’s Purcell,” Mara Solomon explained, her eyes darting left and right as the music cascaded along.  “but for some reason I’m having trouble telling exactly.”

“Well—“ Randle didn’t know exactly how to respond, but Mara saved him with her next question.

“Why are you listening to it?  It’s obviously not for fun.”

“Ma’am,” The first officer with whom she had been speaking had pulled herself together.  She was now approaching from behind to assert herself and recapture Mara.  But Randle intervened with a wave of his hand.  “Go help the other woman,” he said to the officer.

“I sometimes need help,” Cybil repeated from the desk.

“It’s evidence,” Randle said, looking into Mara’s eyes.  She was not looking back, her own gaze focused distantly on the music.  “It’s actually an alibi.”

“An alibi?”  Mara mumbled to herself, as though she had no idea what the word meant.

“Yes.  It’s a recording of a studio file that’s been timed and dated.  The time and date the file was saved are supposed to provide proof that the performer of this music was actually at the studio when the crime occurred.”

“That’s fascinating!”  Mara said, her mouth opening a little.  The nail of her index finger came to rest upon the outside of her teeth.

“Yes,” replied Randle, who obviously didn’t think so.

“And who is the performer?”

“Ordinarily I’d tell you, but...”

“I was just curious, because I think they’re fooling you.”

More about A Note Before Dying

Mara Solomon is a musicologist, not a detective.  She has no idea that she’s about to take on a murder case.  

In an unexpected visit to the Decatur Police Station she discovers that her estranged friend, the harpist Reanne Adastra, has been brutally beaten to death, her body left to rot in the South River.  The only clue to the movie seems to be a piece of music, scrawled by Adastra before her death and left behind.  The police have no idea what to make of that.

But Mara thinks she knows.

Adam Cole is the host of TruerMU where he interviews celebrities and up-and-coming musicians and creatives.  His guests have included Shawn Mullins, Liberty Devitto and Rick Beato, among many others.  A jazz and classical pianist, Adam’s numerous fiction and non-fiction titles engage readers with the truth about music.  Visit Adam at www.acole.net

Can’t wait til next Wednesday?  You can get the whole book at  https://booklocker.com/books/7164.html .  (Just don’t post the ending, please!)

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