Sanctuary in the Stream

By P.D. Workman

From Award-winning and Bestselling Author, P.D. Workman!

A dam violent scene

Detective “Parks Pat” Patenaude is called to an idyllic scene in the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Where the scene is marred only by the body of a man who apparently got in the way of beaver construction.

Nature can be cruel and beavers have been known to attack. This national symbol can be rabid and vicious.

Yet that does not appear to be the case this time, and Parks Pat is on the case, hoping to uncover the truth in this unexpected death.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ P.D. Workman is an incredibly versatile writer. No matter which of her books I read I am drawn into a great story and honestly, I don’t think I’ve followed another author that could go from cozy mystery to YA to a PI series dealing with mental health issues. Really enjoy her books!

Looking for a police procedural set in picturesque Canada? Let Award-winning and Bestselling Author P.D. Workman take you to her favourite Calgary parks, as Métis detective Margie Patenaude investigates a murder in this fast-paced new series.

These short mysteries are just right for those days when you could use a break from your busy life. Take a walk in a Calgary park with Parks Pat.

Jump into in a new mystery today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: P.D. Workman
• Release date: Jun 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9781774684610

P.D. Workman

P.D. Workman is a USA Today Bestselling author, winner of several awards from Library Services for Youth in Custody and the InD’tale Magazine’s Crowned Heart award. With over 100 published books, Workman is one of Canada’s most prolific authors. Her mystery/suspense/thriller and young adult books, include stand alones and these series: Auntie Clem's Bakery cozy mysteries, Reg Rawlins Psychic Investigator paranormal mysteries, Zachary Goldman Mysteries (PI), Kenzie Kirsch Medical Thrillers, Parks Pat Mysteries (police procedural), and YA series: Medical Kidnap Files, Tamara's Teardrops, Between the Cracks, and Breaking the Pattern.Workman has been praised for her realistic details, deep characterization, and sensitive handling of the serious social issues that appear in all of her stories, from light cozy mysteries through to darker, grittier young adult and mystery/suspense books.

Book preview

Sanctuary in the Stream

SANCTUARY IN THE STREAM

PARKS PAT MYSTERIES

BOOK NINE

P.D. WORKMAN

ABOUT SANCTUARY IN THE STREAM

Another great addition to this series. Great characters and very interesting story line. Perfect for when you don't have time to read a long book.

KANDY, GOODREADS READER

I was thoroughly invested in this well-written police procedural involving relatable and believable characters, some of which seem like old friends at this point. 

KIM, GOODREADS READER

A dam violent scene

Detective Parks Pat Patenaude is called to an idyllic scene in the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. The scene is marred only by the body of a man who apparently got in the way of beaver construction.

Nature can be cruel and beavers have been known to attack. This national symbol can be rabid and vicious.

Yet that does not appear to be the case this time, and Parks Pat is on the case, hoping to uncover the truth in this unexpected death.

Looking for a police procedural set in picturesque Canada? Let Award-winning and Bestselling Author P.D. Workman take you to her favourite Calgary parks, as Métis detective Margie Patenaude investigates a murder in this fast-paced new series. 

These short mysteries are just right for those days when you could use a break from your busy life. Take a walk in a Calgary park with Parks Pat.

Explore this new mystery today!

Publisher imprint P.D. Workman

Copyright © 2023 by P.D. Workman

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 9781774684566 (KDP Paperback)

ISBN: 9781774684573 (KDP Hardcover)

ISBN: 9781774684580 (Large Print)

ISBN: 9781774684597 (Lulu Paperback)

ISBN: 9781774684610 (ePub)

ISBN: 9781774684603 (Kindle)

ISBN: 9781774685754 (Accessible Audio)

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For those seeking peace in green spaces

CONTENTS

Style Note

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

About Inglewood Bird Sanctuary

Preview of Unlawful Harvest

Unlawful Harvest

Chapter 1

Also by P.D. Workman

About the Author

STYLE NOTE

Since my largest readership is in the USA, I have chosen to use US spellings throughout this series. That includes the Americanization of centre to center, even where it is an actual place name, just for consistency’s sake. I apologize to my Canadian readers for this.

I have chosen, however, to use Canadian grammar, particularly for Canadian voices. If you see what you think is a grammar error, it may just be Canadian, eh?

CHAPTER ONE

Margie rolled over, fighting her way through the fog of sleep. It was dark out, so she should still be able to sleep, but her phone was ringing, and she couldn’t ignore it. She wasn’t on standby, but sometimes they called her even if someone else was on the list. She squinted, trying to get her eyes open, and reached out to her side table, feeling for the phone that was flashing, vibrating, and ringing.

If it was a wrong number, she was going to be really ticked off.

Her fingers wrapped around the phone, and she turned it around and brought it up to her face to read the name on the caller ID. It was the dispatcher. Margie sighed.

Not a wrong number.

She wished it had been.

Hello?

Detective Parks Pat, the dispatcher greeted cheerfully, using Margie’s nickname. Which was probably a hint about why she was getting a call. Another murder in a park. It was surprising how often she was called for her area of expertise.

Really, she didn’t have any more expertise than any other homicide cop in Calgary in the area of homicides in parks and green spaces. She just had the luck to have been branded as Parks Pat after a couple of similar cases, the detective who would thereafter be called to each and every murder in a Calgary Park.

I’m here, Margie said. Where is it?

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.

Inglewood. Margie knew where Inglewood was, just down the hill and across the river from where she lived with Christina. She shouldn’t get lost on her way to this one.

You ever been there? the dispatcher asked.

No. Should have been. Margie wiped her eyes. She sat up and tried to blink herself awake. It’s close enough. But it’s been quite the year.

Yes, it has, the woman agreed. Do you need geographic coordinates?

Please.

I’ll send them to your phone.

What am I going to find out there?

Man deceased during the night. Signs of violence. Found by an early morning walker.

Margie looked at the window. What time is it?

Five-thirty.

Margie groaned. How can people get up that early? And how do they find a body in the dark? Can’t they wait until it’s light out?

Sorry about that.

Yeah. Medical Examiner’s office?

I’ll be calling them next. But they had another call an hour ago, so it might be a couple of hours before they get out there.

And in the meantime, Margie would need to babysit the crime scene. She needed to make herself a coffee first. Something to keep her warm. And maybe put some of those HotShots in her shoes and gloves too. Though Calgary was experiencing a very mild autumn, Margie knew from experience that standing around when the temperature was just a few degrees above freezing could get uncomfortable very quickly. A temperature that was comfortable while running or walking was not pleasant when standing still for long periods.

Margie checked her braids after hanging up the phone. They were still tightly woven with few escaped strands, so she wound them into a bun and pinned it in place and didn’t have to worry any more about that. Bathroom, coffee, and clothes, and she could be on her way.

She scribbled a note to Christina and stuck it to the coffee maker. Her daughter had made it clear that she preferred not to be woken up whenever Margie got a call-out. It wasn’t like Christina was going to panic if she got up in the morning and her mother wasn’t there. She was a teenager and old enough to prefer sleep to saying goodbye to her mom.

Margie was pleased when the GPS told her it would take fewer than ten minutes to get to the Bird Sanctuary. It wasn’t quite true that she had never been there before. She had been once or twice as a child visiting Calgary over the summer. But she hadn’t been there since moving to Calgary the previous year and had never driven there. She followed the directions from the electronic voice on her GPS. The roads were quiet and dark. A little vehicular traffic, but not much. The GPS guided her into the parking lot in front of a small building. There were a few civilian cars parked, a couple of marked Calgary Police Service black and whites, and an ambulance.

The only person Margie saw initially was one of the paramedics, getting something out of or putting something away in one of the side panels on the ambulance. The woman turned at the sound of Margie’s footsteps.

Hello?

I’m Detective Patenaude. Homicide.

Well, it didn’t look like a homicide to me. But they’ll fill you in. The visitor’s center isn’t open yet, so you need to go around to the side gate, the paramedic pointed to the right side of the building.

Great. And how far in is it?

Not far. Right-hand trail. There should be a cop there to guide you.

Okay. Paramedics declared death?

She nodded. No signs of life.

Following the paramedic’s directions, Margie was able to get through the gate and followed the pathway behind the visitor’s center, across a grassy field, to a small bridge that set her heart pounding. Margie could only see black shadows in the stream bed below the bridge. She turned on her phone flashlight and shone it into the shallow ditch. It was completely dry. She took a few deep breaths and walked across the bridge. Continuing on the pathway, she reached a T intersection, where a uniformed CPS officer was keeping watch. He nodded at her. I’m afraid the park is closed, he advised gravely.

Detective Patenaude. Homicide. Margie pulled out her identification and showed him.

To the right, he advised and pointed. Did you find something?

Sorry, what?

Over there, he motioned back at the bridge. You turned on your flashlight. Get spooked by a skunk? he suggested.

No. I was just looking to see if there was water or not. Margie shrugged and didn’t explain further.

Oh. He nodded and threw a glance over his shoulder to the pond behind him. The left- and right-hand trails circled around the pond. As long as Margie didn’t have to cross any bridges, she was fine. She could stand being beside the water.

How far around is it?

"Just