Pressing The Message Home

By Linda Rae Blair

It is spring of 2012. A brilliant, young law student is found dead in Virginia Beach and Press is not happy. Murder in his town always makes him unhappy. He'd much rather he was put out of business.

This case becomes very convoluted. One murder after another has led to today. But, there is great danger in this for Press and the other cops involved.

This isn't just any young man. No, his father is the lawyer for no less than four mob families. Unusual, to say the least! Dangerous, without a doubt!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda Rae Blair
• Release date: Dec 29, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465944856

Linda Rae Blair

Raleigh artist, Linda Rae Blair was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She has used her knowledge gained during extensive travel throughout the United States and her passion for art, history, mysteries, and scenery to create compact novels with rich characters so real you'll miss them when they're gone and places you'll swear you've been. She has lived in Seattle, WA, Monterey Bay, CA, Cincinnati, OH, and retired five years ago in the Raleigh, NC area.Her love of history is well-earned. She is a direct descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins of Mayflower fame. She is also descended from a strong line of Scots-Irish immigrants to America in the 1700s. She even had a great uncle who was robbed by the infamous outlaw Belle Starr.Her Scottish love story, “Elusive”, spans 200 years of Scottish history and intrigue via setting in 1700s Scotland and early 1900s Paris and Scotland.An avid reader who inhales novels by Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown and others in the romance/mystery genres, her imagination takes you to a variety of places and times all in the same story.Her travels to the beautiful southwestern states inspired her more modern historic romance combined with mystery, “100 Years of Brotherly Love”.Her mystery series, The Preston Andrews Mysteries now has 12 published entries, beginning with “Hard Press’d” which now claims over 50,000 downloads and, most recently, the softcover print version of the series in compilation form.Ms. Blair has spent many happy hours in Virginia Beach during off-season, when the winds blow cold and hard and the salty air whips at the weather-protected palms. This is the locale chosen for her Preston Andrews series. Locals and visitors alike find many familiar frames of reference in this series.Her homage to her love for Poirot is via her teeny tiny mystery, “The Board Game Murders”.Her newest series is aimed at a slightly younger and more female audience from that of The Preston Andrews series but begins in the backstory in “Pressing Reunion”.The Samantha Hartley, PI series is lighter and features a very young and not terribly experienced private investigator just beginning her career—with a slight assist from the Director of the FBI.One thing is for certain, she combines her passions into stories interesting to history buffs, travelers, and lovers of romance and mystery.

Book preview

PRESSING THE MESSAGE HOME

Linda Rae Blair

The characters, names, and events as well as all places, incidents, organizations, and dialog in this novel are either the products of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Published by Linda Rae Blair at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Linda Rae Blair

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4659-4485-6

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Tamany Coleman who provided valuable information on Starbucks. Tamany is one of those unique people who always has a smile on her face and something nice to say.

She is amongst very good company. The ladies there keep yours truly from falling asleep at the computer by mixing those great lattes and fraps I love so much! (You knew Press and Gladys got it somewhere—right?)

To Mark Coker and the other wonderful folks at Smashwords who support Indie writers so brilliantly!

Chapter 1

Marriott Hotel Parking Lot

Virginia Beach, VA

Day 1

The wedding and honeymoon were over. Things were getting back to normal. Both Rachel and Press were back at work. Rachel was now assigned to the Norfolk Bureau Office; Press was back at VBPD Homicide.

In Press’s mind, nothing was the same, would never be the same again. He was amazed at just how damned happy he could be. He and his bride had spent a blissful time on a secluded beach. They did nothing but make love and eat gourmet food prepared by an expert chef. Their every need was met by a staff that appeared only at appointed times and then immediately disappeared.

If only life could always be that simple, he grunted as he knelt down to view the body. Reminder to self, put a damned pair of sneakers in the trunk of the unmarked, so you don’t ruin another pair of Italian loafers, you idiot!

Suddenly, his partner’s voice broke through his thoughts. …damned shame.

What? Press hated to admit he’d missed what his partner was saying, but best to just admit it and get on with their new case.

* * *

Daydreaming, were we? Trace looked down at his partner squatted down next to the body. Press had been drifting off ever since getting back from the South Pacific. Who wouldn’t have a hard time re-adjusting after two weeks in paradise?

I said, looks like he’s just a kid. Can’t be more than twenty. It’s a damned shame. The teasing tone to his voice just shriveled and fell to the ground like a deflated balloon at the glare he got from his senior partner.

I see we’re not in the mood for levity this morning, Trace tossed back at the glare. He was amazed at himself, at how brave he’d become with his partner, since he and Steffi had become engaged.

He knelt down on the other side of the body of a young white male, in high-end jeans, William & Mary t-shirt, expensive sneakers, and blue, lightweight, nylon jacket.

Poor kid. He was going to miss so much.

* * *

Now who’s daydreaming? Press took his turn.

Oh, yeah. I was just thinking that he’s going to miss so much. Good looking kid, looks like he might be a W&M student.

Well, I think I just heard Gladys’s van pull in. The State of Virginia really needs to get that muffler fixed.

Once she takes a look, we’ll check for ID, see what we’ve got. Press looked further down the hotel parking lot and saw his favorite rotund coroner, Gladys Williams, jumping down out of the driver’s side of the Tidewater Branch coroner’s van. Her short legs worked overtime as she ran to the back of the van, pulled out her kit and the gurney, then slammed the doors shut.

Moving toward them, she said, Well, good morning, boys! Which of life’s mysteries have you got for me this fine spring morning?

Press took in the view of Gladys Williams at her absolute best—some would say her most outrageous, but Press just loved the quirky little coroner. This morning’s costume included a pair of jeans, a bright green t-shirt with rhinestones in the pattern of huge, toasting, martini glasses across her very ample breasts, and little, green, plastic bows fastened to the end of umpteen corn rolls. Her face black, shining, rosy cheeks, glossed pink lips, and broad smile absolutely tickled Press to death.

"Morning, beautiful! Glad you could