A mini-break at a scientific conference in California turns out to be anything but relaxing for the R&P Labs staff.
The five R&P Labs staff members travel south for a three-day scientific conference in San Diego, expecting nothing more exciting than sunshine, salsa and swimming pools. At least, they certainly aren’t expecting one staff member to disappear and another to become a murder suspect when a controversial and unpopular scientist is found dead in his hotel room. Although the R&P staff have traded the rainy Northwest for sunny California, they haven’t lost their ability to stumble over homicides, and now they’re caught up in a mystery whose solution is closer to home than they realize.
Excerpt
“There’s something going on out there,” Mitch said, gesturing to the window. The rear doors of an ambulance were just visible by the hotel’s entrance. Because of its position, they could see its occupants only from the knees down, and they watched with interest as the owners of four legs slid a gurney out of the back and wheeled it around the far side of the ambulance toward the hotel door.
“Someone must have been taken ill,” Ellis said.
“That wouldn’t involve the police,” Virginia said. “It must be something more serious.”
Four more feet joined the ambulance workers on the far side of the vehicle. These feet wore neatly polished shoes and were topped by dress slacks.
“Oh, oh,” Phil said. “That looks to me like more cops. Plainclothes ones.”
Another vehicle pulled up on the far side of the ambulance.
“That’s much more than a response to a false fire alarm,” Ellis announced. “I’m going to go inquire.”
His colleagues watched as he crossed the room and approached the police officer stationed by the door. The officer seemed to think he was going to dismiss Ellis’s inquiry with a few brusque words, but he had never met Ellis. A discussion ensued and a few minutes later Ellis returned to the table.
“We have to stay here because there’s been what the officer euphemistically calls an ‘incident’,” he reported. “Given the ambulance and the police presence, I think it’s probably a death, and furthermore, not what you might call a ‘normal’ death. I say that because not only are we being asked to stay here for the moment, but I’m told we will all need to give our names and home addresses before we’ll be allowed to leave.”
Professional Reviews
Entertaining Series
The R & P Labs series is entertaining, has well developed characters who remind us of people we know, uses humour and a bit of science to keep the our interest and develops quirky plots which never disappoint. I will look forward to the further adventure of Rob, Phil, Ellis, Virginia, Mitch and their growing families.
J. Geddes |(Reviewed on Kobo)
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