Kindle Edition
Amazon
Amazon
Category:
Mystery/Suspense
ISBN-10: B085SZGXD3
ISBN-13: 9781925574708
Price: $6.15 (eBook)
Jane is no ordinary detective. She can communicate with the ghosts of murder victims. Not wanting to be dismissed as mentally unstable, she must keep her secret from all but her husband and her senior officer, using each victim’s information to subtly direct her team in the right direction on each case.
Detective Chief Superintendent Jane Doe has a formidable list of cold cases on her desk. This latest one involves an unidentified person, murdered seventeen years earlier.
It is not only a perplexing case, but also an exploratory challenge for all involved as the squad try not only to identify the victim, but sort out suspects who are involved in money laundering, drugs and family feuds.
Jane’s team are challenged to find solid forensic proof to use against the main suspect, so he doesn’t get away with a cold-blooded murder.
Excerpt
Prologue
(Monday)
Jane was up bright and early. The weather was slowly getting warmer, and spring wasn’t far away. Oliver walked with her and Spunky and Sassy, their two Cavalier King Charles’ through the lush green grass in the back paddock at 6.30 am, before breakfast.
Oliver put his hands in his thick parka. Oliver put his hands in his thick parka. “It’s cold!”
“Yes! Brr! But it’s nice to see the sun rising…and our Alpacas.”
Oliver grinned. “Their wool clip will be great later this year. They’ve grown lots of wool this cold winter. The mill will get good yarn from them.”
Jane replied, “Jenny at the local market, loves our Alpaca wool, to spin and make into sweaters, beanies and scarves for her stall.”
Oliver nodded his head. “Good old Jen. I love the sweaters that she made for us last year.”
Jane laughed and said, “Especially as they were free. The country ‘barter’ system between friends and neighbours is great.” Jane glanced at her watch. “Heck, we’d better get back and have breakfast. My next cold case is a fifteen-year-old unsolved murder. There’s lots of setting up and reading for the squad to do first.”
“More ghostly encounters, my love?”
“I can’t promise,” Jane shook her head. “A man’s body was found in a hollow trunk of a huge red gum tree. He carried no wallet or personal ID, but there was some jewellery; a gold signet ring and gold neck chain with a pendant, engraved with the initials P.G. They also found tattered clothing and battered sneakers. At the time, the local police put photos of the jewellery in the press, to no avail. There’s no missing person file for the area…” Jane mused to Oliver as they made their way back to the house. Jane thought, Telling Oliver about a case, always helps! She paused briefly, then added, “The tree isn’t very far away from here, actually.”
“Oh, where?”
“Just twenty minutes up the road, in Hesket, near the Hanging Rock Reserve.” Jane shook her head, and thought, A murder so close to home, even so long ago…gives me chills!
Jane and Oliver had now reached the back door of the ‘Wyndales’ homestead. They went inside to the warmth of the kitchen.
Jane went straight to the fridge and pulled out some eggs. “Scrambled eggs, dear?”
“Jane, that sounds delicious. I’ll put the toaster on and grab two plates. That walk has made me hungry… Oh, you’d better feed our two furry friends first.”
Jane fed the dogs, while Oliver set the table. Then Jane whisked the eggs with milk and put them in the microwave.
He poured two mugs of hot coffee and put them on the table. “Hmm, that smells yummy. Hurry up, wench! I’m starving.”
Jane laughed as she served the breakfast and joined Oliver at the table.
Oliver sat down with a sigh as he started to eat. “I presume that you already have a case file name?”
Jane grinned. “You know me only too well, Oliver. Yes, I do. I’m calling this one The Ghostly Gum.”
“Nice.”
“I’m not banking on getting ghostly encounters to help me on every case, Oliver. It should be good old-fashioned police work.” She paused, then grinned. “Mind you, it would be very helpful to our enquiries, should I meet this man…”
“How was his body found?”
“Ten-year-old twin boys from a nearby farm were in the area. They came upon the tree, and decided to climb it. One of them looked down inside the hollow trunk and saw two empty eye-sockets of a whitened skull, staring up at him from among the branches. At first he didn’t realise what he was looking at. He thought it might have been an animal. But as he pulled the skull out of the gnarled branches and saw a small patch of some hair, and crooked front teeth, he realised what he’d found.” 1
“Hell, that would have scared the pants off them!”
“It nearly did. They initially left it, and told their father, who took them back to the tree. The rest is obvious. The police were notified and the murder investigation began, without any results. Hence the reason the file is on my desk…or I should say in my bag here.”
Jane got up from the table and stacked the dishwasher. She rushed to the en-suite bathroom, cleaned her teeth, and then grabbed her warm jacket and briefcase. She went through the kitchen again, patted the dogs and gave Oliver a quick kiss, before rushing out the door in the front hall, and disappeared into the garage.
Oliver smiled as he heard her car as she drove down the driveway and onto the road and headed to the city of Melbourne.
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