Secrets and Lies by P.H. Turner
Secrets and Lies: A Claire Callahan Mystery
by P.H. Turner
About Secrets and Lies
Secrets and Lies: A Claire Callahan Mystery
Private Investigator Mystery
2nd in Series
Summit Peak Publishing (September 23, 2019)
Paperback: 270 pages
ISBN-10: 1695142470
ISBN-13: 978-1695142473
Digital ASIN: B07Y8QPRZ6
Shot to death in his home, Morgan Tutwiler leaves behind a multimillion-dollar business and a daughter who hasn’t spoken to him in years. And she isn’t alone in wanting him dead. Plenty of people wanted the most hated man in Denver dead in P. H. Turner’s latest novel in the Claire Callahan series.Reminiscent of the finest gumshoe storytelling, Secrets and Lies, would not be complete without Turner’s signature quirky characters and inventive plot.
Excerpt
Rafe called in a BOLO on the car while he and Claire walked over to Officer Keller. Rafe handed Nicole the keys. “There’s a laptop in the guard hut. I need you to get it. What did you get from the neighbors?”
Nicole pocketed the keys and looked down at her notes.
“There are four houses in the cul-de-sac. Starting from the east, the first house is the Osborn’s. Mr. Osborn and his ten-year-old son were the only two home. They were eating dinner in the back of the house and they couldn’t see the street, and the first thing they heard was the sirens.
“Next house is Ms. Beverly Bryant’s.” She pointed to the house next to Tutwiler’s. She’s divorced, lives alone, and was upstairs practicing yoga. She said she never knew anything was going on until she came downstairs and saw the cop car.” Nicole looked up from her notes and frowned. “She asked a lot of questions about Mr. Reynolds—it was weird.”
“Weird how?” Rafe asked.
“Her neighbor had been shot to death, and she keeps asking if Hawkins—she didn’t call him Mr. Reynolds, is going to be all right, and what hospital he went to, and did I see him before the ambulance took him away. Just a bit off considering the circumstances.”
Rafe wiped his hand across his mouth. “Did she give you any reason why she has a personal interest in Mr. Reynolds?”
Nicole shook her head
“Okay, good catch, I’ll follow up with her. Who lives on the other side of Tutwiler?”
“Joe and Helen Bautista. Both are in their mid-seventies. They were in the backyard grilling, and they said they weren’t wearing their hearing aids.” She looked up at Rafe. “They’re deaf as posts without those hearing aids, and the shrubbery around their property is so thick I couldn’t see into the backyard.
“Okay, so the Osborn house and the Bryant house have security cameras, and I told them we’d need to see the footage.”
“Thanks. Good work. Get the cards from their cameras and sign for it.”
“Sir,” Officer Keller said tentatively. “I’d like to be assigned to work on this case. I’m taking the detective exam soon and I need some real-life experience.”
Claire could see Rafe was weighing the pros and cons before he said, “I’ll put a word in with Captain Beekman.”
“Thank you, sir,” Nicole said.
Once they were out of earshot, Claire said to Rafe, “Captain Beekman still hasn’t filled the open position?”
“No, and she’s got a lot of potential. Working with Herbst pulls her off her game. He was busted down to patrol for anger problems. Turns out he was a steroid abuser.”
“Did someone upstairs not like Nicole to saddle her with Herbst as a partner?” Claire asked.
“I don’t know that anyone has an issue with her. What do you think about the Bryant woman asking about Reynolds?”
“They’re about the same age, both single and live next door to each other. Maybe they were friendly, or more than friends.” Claire checked the time. “I have to go. After I get Amanda checked into the Marriott, I have Kirwin to deal with, so I’ll be up. Text me if anything breaks.”
“When did Kirwin show up?”
“A couple of hours ago.”
“Better buy him a pack of cigs on your way home.” Rafe grinned, then turned serious. “I assume he has money troubles again?”
“Probably.”
Rafe ran his hand over his face. “The man needs help.” He held up one palm to stop her from interrupting. “I know a psychologist he could talk to.”
“I don’t know if Kirwin can afford that.”
“Kirwin’s old enough to be on Medicare and he has his VA benefits. He’ll be fine.”
“He won’t admit he has a problem.”
“You’re throwing up roadblocks. You have to draw a line in the sand.”
Claire put her hands on her hips. “You’re saying I enable him?”
“I’m saying Kirwin has all his marbles. He knows he has problems and as long as he has a place to crash, he’s going to do what he wants.”
Claire wondered if she just got her answer to whether she owed Kirwin or not.
Rafe walked off, saying over his shoulder. “Think about it.”
Nicole pocketed the keys and looked down at her notes.
“There are four houses in the cul-de-sac. Starting from the east, the first house is the Osborn’s. Mr. Osborn and his ten-year-old son were the only two home. They were eating dinner in the back of the house and they couldn’t see the street, and the first thing they heard was the sirens.
“Next house is Ms. Beverly Bryant’s.” She pointed to the house next to Tutwiler’s. She’s divorced, lives alone, and was upstairs practicing yoga. She said she never knew anything was going on until she came downstairs and saw the cop car.” Nicole looked up from her notes and frowned. “She asked a lot of questions about Mr. Reynolds—it was weird.”
“Weird how?” Rafe asked.
“Her neighbor had been shot to death, and she keeps asking if Hawkins—she didn’t call him Mr. Reynolds, is going to be all right, and what hospital he went to, and did I see him before the ambulance took him away. Just a bit off considering the circumstances.”
Rafe wiped his hand across his mouth. “Did she give you any reason why she has a personal interest in Mr. Reynolds?”
Nicole shook her head
“Okay, good catch, I’ll follow up with her. Who lives on the other side of Tutwiler?”
“Joe and Helen Bautista. Both are in their mid-seventies. They were in the backyard grilling, and they said they weren’t wearing their hearing aids.” She looked up at Rafe. “They’re deaf as posts without those hearing aids, and the shrubbery around their property is so thick I couldn’t see into the backyard.
“Okay, so the Osborn house and the Bryant house have security cameras, and I told them we’d need to see the footage.”
“Thanks. Good work. Get the cards from their cameras and sign for it.”
“Sir,” Officer Keller said tentatively. “I’d like to be assigned to work on this case. I’m taking the detective exam soon and I need some real-life experience.”
Claire could see Rafe was weighing the pros and cons before he said, “I’ll put a word in with Captain Beekman.”
“Thank you, sir,” Nicole said.
Once they were out of earshot, Claire said to Rafe, “Captain Beekman still hasn’t filled the open position?”
“No, and she’s got a lot of potential. Working with Herbst pulls her off her game. He was busted down to patrol for anger problems. Turns out he was a steroid abuser.”
“Did someone upstairs not like Nicole to saddle her with Herbst as a partner?” Claire asked.
“I don’t know that anyone has an issue with her. What do you think about the Bryant woman asking about Reynolds?”
“They’re about the same age, both single and live next door to each other. Maybe they were friendly, or more than friends.” Claire checked the time. “I have to go. After I get Amanda checked into the Marriott, I have Kirwin to deal with, so I’ll be up. Text me if anything breaks.”
“When did Kirwin show up?”
“A couple of hours ago.”
“Better buy him a pack of cigs on your way home.” Rafe grinned, then turned serious. “I assume he has money troubles again?”
“Probably.”
Rafe ran his hand over his face. “The man needs help.” He held up one palm to stop her from interrupting. “I know a psychologist he could talk to.”
“I don’t know if Kirwin can afford that.”
“Kirwin’s old enough to be on Medicare and he has his VA benefits. He’ll be fine.”
“He won’t admit he has a problem.”
“You’re throwing up roadblocks. You have to draw a line in the sand.”
Claire put her hands on her hips. “You’re saying I enable him?”
“I’m saying Kirwin has all his marbles. He knows he has problems and as long as he has a place to crash, he’s going to do what he wants.”
Claire wondered if she just got her answer to whether she owed Kirwin or not.
Rafe walked off, saying over his shoulder. “Think about it.”
About P.H. Turner
P.H. Turner writes mystery and suspense novels set in the mountains and canyons of the West where she grew up and spent most of her working life. Pat worked in broadcast journalism on both coasts, the Midwest, and the Rocky Mountains. With roots to a Texas farm homesteaded in the 1850s, she’s returned to live within miles of the old farm.
Author Links
Website – https://www.phturner.com/
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8135186.P_H_Turner
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/P.H.TurnerAuthor
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/P.H.-Turner/e/B00NZ8RW0K
Purchase Link – Amazon
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