Knows the Hills

By P.D. Workman

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

Death by Coyote?

An accidental death like the one in Nose Hill Park is always tragic, but what can a homicide detective be expected to do about it?

Detective Margie “Parks Pat” Patenaude is called to the gruesome scene, and despite what she can see with her own eyes, does not believe that this is an open-and-shut case of the victim being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The more questions Margie asks, the stranger the case seems. What started off as a tragic accident turns out to be something much more.

Sometimes, a cop just has to follow her instinct.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 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: 9781774684498

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

Knows the Hills

KNOWS THE HILLS

PARKS PAT MYSTERIES

BOOK SEVEN

P.D. WORKMAN

ABOUT KNOWS THE HILLS

this quick read will provide a riveting story that will leave you emotionally wrung out but wanting more. I truly enjoy this original series not only for the intriguing mysteries but for the amazing settings and the wonderfully unique characters.

KIM, GOODREADS REVIEWER

There are vivid and scenic descriptions of the park where the crime has taken place along with a lot of nature, whether animals or plants. There are clues galore, some of which are unexpected due to the nature of the crime, and each is important

JOANNE, GOODREADS REVIEWER

Death by coyote?

An accidental death like the one in Nose Hill Park is always tragic, but what can a homicide detective be expected to do about it?

Detective Margie Parks Pat Patenaude is called to the gruesome scene, and despite what she can see with her own eyes, does not believe that this is an open-and-shut case of the victim being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The more questions Margie asks, the stranger the case seems. What started off as a tragic accident turns out to be something much more.

Sometimes, a cop just has to follow her instinct.

Praise for the series:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is another well-written, briskly-paced mystery featuring great characters, lots of interesting glimpses into Canada’s Indigenous culture, and a satisfying resolution all wrapped up in delightful quick-read police procedural by an author who could make a description of drying paint sound fascinating.

Looking for a police procedural set in picturesque Canada? Let Award-winning and Bestselling Author P.D. Workman take you to her favorite 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.

Venture into 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: 9781774684443 (KDP Paperback)

ISBN: 9781774684450 (KDP Hardcover)

ISBN: 9781774684467 (Large Print)

ISBN: 9781774684474 (Lulu Paperback)

ISBN: 9781774684498 (ePub)

ISBN: 9781774684481 (Kindle)

ISBN: 9781774685716 (Accessible Audio)

Sign up for my mailing list at pdworkman.com and get Gluten-Free Murder for free!

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For good neighbors

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

About Nose Hill Park

Preview of Spanning the Creek

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

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 glanced at the phone on her desk again, even though it hadn’t rung. She had an unsettled feeling. Something was in the air. Something was going to happen.

She wondered whether the feeling had been triggered by Christina. Her daughter hadn’t seemed quite her normal self since going back to school. It had been a good summer for her. Her first summer in Calgary, finally able to go out with her friends since the social distancing and masking rules had been dispensed with. She had attended the Calgary Stampede, GlobalFest fireworks, Peters’ Drive-In, and other places that Margie used to enjoy going to with her cousins when she had visited Calgary as a teen.

Of course, the kids were also into going to the mall shopping or staying home and streaming video, things she had not spent her summers doing, but it was nice for them to be able to spend the time with each other, whatever they decided to do.

Except then the delta variant had shut things down again, and Christina was once again wearing a mask at school and had been moody and sullen lately, walking around with a little storm cloud over her head. Margie hoped it was just because of the new rules and not because of anything personal Christina wasn’t telling her about. She always worried about whether Christina was spending too much time with her friend Tracy—a boy, not a girl—and Margie wasn’t sure yet whether he was Christina’s boyfriend or just a friend she liked to hang out with. Margie hadn’t been much older than Christina when she had gotten pregnant, and that had changed the course of her life. She’d had to grow up pretty fast, and she wanted Christina to be able to grow up at her own pace, a little more slowly, taking the time to enjoy herself before she had to face adult responsibilities.

Pat? Detective Patenaude…

Margie was startled out of her thoughts of Christina. The phone still hadn’t rung. Christina was in school; they hadn’t called to say that she was absent or had gotten in any trouble. Margie would just have to wait and see how things turned out. She looked at Detective Jones, standing in the space between their desks in the bullpen. Jones’s blond hair was pulled back into a bun, as usual, though there were a few curls escaping, also as usual. She held a Tim Hortons coffee cup toward Margie.

You looked like you could use a little pick-me-up, Jones told her with a smile.

Margie took the coffee. You didn’t need to do that! But thank you. She took a sip of the piping hot coffee and swallowed, savoring it. This is wonderful.

Jones sat down in her chair. What’s going on today? You seem worlds away. One of these cases bothering you? She gestured to the files Margie had been working her way through. Cases that they had run out of leads on. She was hoping to find some thread that no one had thought to follow before. Some tip that had been called in that had not been followed up on, some theory that had not been pursued—anything to get one of them moving again and get them closer to the killer. Calgary Homicide had an excellent clearance rate, and she wanted to keep it up or even improve it if possible.

No. Just thinking about the kid, actually.

Jones looked at the picture of Christina on Margie’s desk. She had grown so much over the summer, topping Margie by a couple of inches now. Her long, sleek black hair and bronzed skin were gorgeous. She was much better looking than Margie had ever been. Margie suspected she got a lot of attention from the boys at school. Tracy probably had to beat them off with a stick.

What’s up with Christina? Jones inquired.

Nothing. Something. I don’t know. She’s moody, but she’s a teenager, so what does that mean? Margie shrugged. If something is wrong, I wish she would talk to me about it. But kids don’t go to their parents with their problems, do they? It’s probably just hormones. Or having to go back to school and back to wearing a mask. It’s scary, thinking that we were homefree and the danger was past, and now having to face it again, hospital ICU numbers climbing every day.

She has to put up with stuff at school that we never had to, Jones agreed. Imagine having all of this added on to the school stresses that we went through. It’s not just homework, peer pressure, and weird teachers; they have to worry about not getting too close to anybody or catching this virus that could put them in hospital. A lot more young people are getting it this time around.

Margie shook her head. She couldn’t put her finger on why, but she thought something else was wrong. Something that she should know about but didn’t.

The phone rang, and it was a good thing that there was a plastic top on the coffee cup. She startled so violently the coffee would have been all over Margie’s desk. As it was, she still managed to get a splash on her shirt through the drinking hole. Margie put the cup down on her desk and picked up the phone receiver with one hand while pulling several tissues out of the box on her desk with the other and dabbing at her uniform front and the edge of her desk. She was so distracted by the near catastrophe that she didn’t even look at the caller ID before picking up the phone.

Calgary Homicide, Detective Patenaude here.

Detective Pat, Staff Sergeant MacDonald’s tone was slightly amused by her formal answer, join me in my office, please. Bring Jones with you.

Yes, sir.

Margie hung up the phone and stood. She looked at Jones. He wants both of us.

Jones stood. Are we in trouble? She gave Margie a mischievous smile. What did you do?

It’s not me. It must be you. Maybe he’s on to your covert trip to Tim’s.

Nah. I already gave him a cup.

If MacDonald already had a cup of Tim’s, Margie figured