Lollapalooza - The Case of the Woman in Black: The Whodunnit Series, #6

By Sidney St. James

Lollapalooza

The Case of the Woman in Black

Another Detective Vincent James Gideon Novel

 

In this continuing Whodunnit Series, Vincent James Gideon is walking on Broadway in downtown Black Rock Cove when a three-alarm fire burns a three-story building. He rushes to the scene and stares up and sees a young girl standing on a window ledge with smoke billowing out on all sides. The detective doesn't hesitate. After all, he is now a world-famous detective and a natural-born brave man!

The novel continues as he packs his bags and heads out to a small community north of BRC known as Rock Island. There, he begins investigating supernatural powers at work in the O'Dell Mansion.

 

Before he leaves to return from a first visit and gets knocked into unconsciousness, he runs into Stoney Wright, the District Attorney, and Doctor Jeremy Thomas, a well-respected surgeon in the city.

 

He calls on them to assist him in investigating several deaths that have gone unsolved and a town that is on edge. On his return, he goes undercover as Charlie Johnson.

 

All clues and evidence point to a Woman in Black that has been seen at the exact location where three murders have taken place. Who is she? Why is she always seen at the murder scene? Why have two men who witnessed the murders suddenly been found dead of a heart attack? Is there any truth to what the servants say about blaming the murders on the supernatural?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BeeBop Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215239759

Sidney St. James

Sidney St. James is an extraordinary author who has made his mark in the world of science fiction suspense. With a creative mind that knows no bounds, St. James weaves captivating tales that transport readers to thrilling and otherworldly realms. His unique ability to blend the elements of science fiction with heart-pounding suspense has garnered him a dedicated following of readers eager to embark on their next exhilarating adventure. Born with an insatiable curiosity and a love for all things speculative, St. James found his calling in the realm of science fiction. From a young age, he was drawn to the limitless possibilities and unexplored frontiers of the genre. Influenced by literary greats and inspired by the wonders of the cosmos, St. James embarked on a writing journey that would push the boundaries of imagination and captivate readers with their visionary tales. St. James' science fiction novels are a testament to their boundless creativity and meticulous attention to detail. With each page, readers are transported to intricate and fully realized worlds, where technological advancements, extraterrestrial encounters, and moral dilemmas abound. His skillful storytelling keeps readers on the edge of their seats, as they navigate through a maze of suspense, intrigue, and thought-provoking concepts. In addition to his literary accomplishments, St. James is an avid pickleball player. This dynamic sport, which combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, serves as a source of balance and inspiration for St. James. The strategic gameplay and the camaraderie of the pickleball community provide a welcome respite from the boundless realms of science fiction that occupies his mind. As St. James continues to push the boundaries of the science fiction suspense genre, his unique blend of imagination, suspense, and pickleball prowess sets him apart as a true force to be reckoned with. With each new novel, readers eagerly anticipate the next thrilling journey that St. James will take them on, whether it's unraveling the mysteries of distant galaxies or engaging in a high-stakes match on the pickleball court. Sidney St. James is a true visionary and an author whose stories and pickleball skills will leave readers and opponents alike in awe.

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Published by BeeBop Publishing Group

Georgetown, Texas

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of the publication, neither the publisher nor the author assume any responsibility for errors or changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher has no control over and does not assume any responsibility for the author or third-party websites or their content.

Copyright © 2023 by Sidney St. James

All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials violating the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. Published simultaneously in Canada.

FIRST EDITION

Detective Mystery and Suspense

This novel's jacket format and design are protected trade dresses and trademarks of Sidney St. James and the BeeBop Publishing Group.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

COMING SOON IN PAPERBACK

and

AUDIO

Dedication

For my good friend Stoney, on the Pickleball court and off, who always wanted to be a character in one of my books. Done!

*Waves*

Introduction

Everyone Confesses Everything

Detective Vincent James Gideon is a master in handling confessing codes. Unfortunately, these codes can’t be interpreted by an amateur detective or even a wanna-be detective like our District Attorney, Stoney Wright.

Everyone confesses their most severe crimes and fears in their everyday language. Many of the detectives at the station were always amazed at how Gideon could expose them all. Many saw what he did as magic, yet in truth, he was partnered with the positive universe, a tool of divine force, and saw nothing extraordinary in himself other than lots of years of hard work and knowledge.

Vincent Gideon was as natural as the trees and the fish in the oceans. However, in the junk that criminals’ speech, the ad-libs, and the stories people tell, in their creative flourishes, there are lots and lots of clues.

Much of what they say is junk, fears of nothing, and want to a whole lot of misplaced guilt, yet a master detective like Gideon could tell what was real because there were flags only he could detect... only lights that he could see.

It was as though his soul shimmered a black light, and the bad guys were marked in some kind of invisible ink. In this story, Gideon is the ultimate detective, the one who is sent to uncover the hidden world of evil sent to restore true virtue. A good detective like our own, Vincent James Gideon, sees the clues and logic, can immerse himself in the emotional complexity of the social ether, and help make life better.

Chapter ONE

The Child Hung on for Dear Life

Today, the light is oddly bright, casting the seagulls into dark shadows against a sky of the palest blue. Their wings beat, hugging the air as they drifted on unseen thermals. For a few moments, they had his eye, keeping him spun into some sort of daydream. Then, for a few hours, Stoney Wright left the confines of the courtroom to spend a few hours playing Pickleball, changing from such a stressful environment to relax and get his mind off the tension of another murder case.

Walking down a side street, he saw a young man rush out from the tall White House Hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean, not more than seventeen or eighteen.

The boy shouted, Help! Help! His yell was an ironic display of strength because he realized that losing control was weakness, and yelling was the auditory version of tears!

Stoney stopped and looked up. A curl of smoke was coming from the third floor of the hotel. There was a fire! Stoney was among the first people to arrive on the street below. A crowd began to come up on the scene as they always do in this circumstance.

Stoney found himself mingling now in a crowd as it grew larger and larger.

The police arrived and helped get the tenants out of the building as fast as possible. To heck with all the calls to Defund the Police. These men were all heroes working from a sense of love and duty, a desire to protect others, and a willingness to take on suffering if it keeps others safe. They use their aggression for noble purposes and develop self-control to do the more difficult thing when it’s the right thing to do.

The flames rose into the late afternoon as if they were challenging the heavens to stop their consumption of many tenants’ homes and places of sanctuary while traveling the road. The fire was spreading quickly as if it was impatient.

Then, as the large crowd looked upward at the flames pouring out the many windows of the building, a window was raised. A young girl appeared to be standing on the window sill. However, seeing how she could lift the window was difficult as she was not over eight or nine years old.

The young girl was on the edge of the window to escape her room, consumed by fire and smoke. There was no exit for her. She looked back into the room, then down to the street below.

The firetrucks had not arrived yet. Stoney stood there; the sirens' scream could be heard in route to the large fire. He knew help was on the way. After all, we are a society that picks one another up. There are always emergency services that come day or night. And in the screaming siren is the sound of our love for one another... and this is why it so very often brings us to tears.

Everyone in the crowd was shouting. You could hear them simultaneously saying, Don’t jump! Don’t jump!

Stoney advanced closer to the building, as did so many more, to be nearer. Everyone could easily see as they got closer that fear took total possession of the child and that she was edging ever so close to the edge of the window sill, about to slide outward and fall to the street where they were standing... indeed to inevitably disaster!

Stoney stood and was just about to say to Hell with it all and rush to the side of the building to help and catch the girl, although the fall might kill him. But then, a husky voice spoke in confidence and assurance. Hold on, little one! You’re gonna be all right! the ma shouted while breathing hard, having just arrived in haste.

Even as the man spoke, the little girl’s head moved from one side to the other. She was very much in distress. Stoney knew the fear was his challenge and his demon to slay! The only way out was to order his brain to function and make a decision now to save the poor girl who obviously was going to jump!

Then, Stoney was almost knocked down like an avalanche coming from behind... pushing the crowd and him out of the way.

A hand fell on his shoulder. She’s going to faint! His quick eye detected what the others didn’t, and the fall was inevitable.

The limp body of the young girl went lifeless and fell forward. A groan came from the bystanders on the street as they knew the girl was falling to her death.

The stranger’s rush was timed to the exact instant, and as the girl’s body, heading downward in its flight, found his strong body reached the spot, and his arms caught the child. The stranger fell to his knees, but the young girl’s body never reached the pavement below.

The crowd erupted into cheers! They all began to close in on the stranger. Those who escaped from the blazing inferno took the little girl away.

Stoney looked at the man and began to speak to him and find out his name, but before he could ask, the stranger turned to him and said, Sorry to have smashed into you, fella.

Stoney replied, No problem. I was glad you did.

He looked a second time at the man, but he was gone as fast as he arrived. Stoney looked in all directions and saw the man was turning the corner at the end of the street, avoiding further notice.

There was kindness in the man’s smile as he departed... a gentleness. It was a smile of a man who laughed with ease. He was the type of person who lived how he believed people should. The stranger was a calm sea, dancing birdsong and the new buds of spring. Yet, most of all, he was a hero!

Many in the crowd said simultaneously, Who was that man?

Suddenly the firetruck arrived, and Stoney and the others were rushed to depart the area so the firemen could do their work.

Any chance of identifying the stranger vanished with the arrival of the emergency services.

Another good act of kindness to be credited to an unknown!

Stoney stood in the crowd at a distant location across the street and watched as the blaze became under control. Then, he renewed his walk down the street and turned the corner onto McCarty Avenue as nightfall rapidly approached.

Suddenly, Stoney saw the stranger. It was him walking across the street on the other side. The attorney quickened his pace. The lawyer intended to get closer to him and notice him better.

Although Stoney had quickened his pace, the stranger’s pace was quicker than his own. He thought, The graceful carriage and the fine cut of his clothes impress me. That’s an expensive suit he’s wearing with a white dress shirt. So what? The policeman just walked up and talked to him like he knew him. Who is he?

Stoney continued to watch the man’s movements. Finally, other men stopped and turned in his direction. Then, as the attorney turned the corner, the man disappeared. There was a hotel nearby, and Stoney could only think the man must have entered the building, and that was where he lived.

During the rest of the late evening, Stoney regretted not making a more vigorous effort to learn the man’s name. He even laughed at being so impressed by a stranger’s appearance.

For days afterward, the man’s actions that day of the fire and his personality affected Stoney so strongly that he found himself going back and thinking about the fire and the stranger’s rescue of the young girl who fell from the window.

For days, every time Stoney went for a walk to clear his mind, he found himself in a vague hope of seeing the handsome stranger... a clear-cut face of a man who had acted so promptly but so unostentatiously.

Little did the attorney know at the time how great a factor the stranger would play in the molding of his future. Just how the circumstances shaped, to link his active nature with his career. It would lead him to one of the most unusual adventures ever.

THREE MONTHS PASSED.

The autumn had dressed for the coming season, donning her most vibrant hues. She swept into the streets and surrounded the woods outside Black Rock Cove with humble boldness, inviting any eye to see more than they otherwise might.

Early in October, Stoney found himself with Doctor Jeremy Thomas, his good friend, standing in a popular theater downtown. They had dropped in for a showing of James Bond in Goldfinger.

At first, the two men were engrossed in the movie that they paid no attention to the audience. Then, when it was finished, the heavy curtain covered the screen, and the lights were turned up in the theater.

Stoney couldn’t help but notice some women on the roll in front of them talking up a storm. There were two blondes, both stunning, and an older woman, obviously, a relative, as there was some resemblance in features.

The two younger ones were most definitely sisters, so much so they could easily pass for twins. Their same complexion, face, and figures made such an assumption certain.

Doctor Thomas was beaming all over his face. Obviously, he knew the ladies, but they were far enough away that they could be admired without any impoliteness.

Wow, they are gorgeous ladies, Stoney said. You seem to know them, Doc?

Actually, yes, I do. I haven’t seen them in quite some time. They’re old patients of mine. He replied while pausing and stretching his neck. Do you see anyone with them? I can’t be mistaken. He’s surely somewhere close by, continued Doctor Thomas.

He? What do you mean he? questioned Stoney and then suddenly was shocked. He looked toward the ladies, and a man stepped out behind them. His face came into full light, and the attorney immediately recognized him! However, his brain stuttered momentarily, and his eyes absorbed more light than expected. It’s him! I’ve found him at last!

Found who, Stoney? His eyebrows raised inquiringly.

Him! The man! He stood momentarily speechless in his surprise.

Good God, man, you must be sick. What’s wrong with you? Have you had too much to drink?

Stoney turned toward his friend and said, Doc, I’ve finally found him. That man over there with the three women.

What are you saying, Stoney. What man are you talking about?

Jeremy, I’m talking about that man over there with the three women we’ve been talking about...  dressed up in the nicest suit.

The doctor only turned his head back and forth. Then, finally, he seized Stoney by the arm and led him away to the café next door to the theater. He ordered coffee for the two of them.

Stoney reached down, lifted the cup to give a toast, and said, Here’s to the man in the theater! I’ve found him.

Okay, enough is enough, friend. What is it about the man? Is it love at first sight?

Hell no, Jeremy. I want to know who he is. He has been in the back of my mind for almost three months since that awful inferno at the White House Hotel.

Is that all? Jeremy heaved a sigh of relief.

Have you run into him before?

Stoney, it’s time you calm down. Now tell me, what in Heaven’s name has got into you, old man?

Very well. I just wish to know what that man’s name is. I saw him rush to save that young girl back at the hotel when there was that terrible fire three months ago.

Indeed. Well, calm down. His name is Gideon... Vincent James Gideon. You should remember that. He left college just a year or so after you and I started. Don’t you remember the fella who saved those two boys from drowning in the harbor here in Black Rock Cove?