STRANGE MARKINGS
by
Janet
Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger
Summary
The Pacific breezes blow many
things in from the ocean, this time its power, greed, and murder. At the dawn
of the television age in 1955, Skylar Drake is called to identify the remains of
a fellow movie stuntman found buried in a shallow grave. While there he is
shown mysterious wounds and strange tattoos on two additional bodies.
A wealthy Bel Air matron sends her enticing
niece to enlist Drake’s help in locating a missing nephew. The search takes him
back to pre-statehood Hawaii where he stopped off on his way to the hell of the
Korean War. Unexplained deaths, politics and superstitious locals turn the
tropical paradise into a nightmare where nothing is what it seems and no one
can be trusted.
Contact information: www.janetlynnauthor.com
Contact information: www.janetlynnauthor.com
Excerpt
The two men looked directly at me. “I’m Drake.
Can I help you?”
Dolan stood right behind me.
“I’m Agent Miller, this is Agent Tanner.”
They flashed their badges, “We want to talk to you Mr. Drake.” Miller looked
past me and frowned at Dolan.
“I’ll just wait out...” Casey moved
toward the door.
I put my hand on Casey’s shoulder. ”This
is my partner Casey Dolan, anything you have to say to me you can say to him.”
They shrugged and stepped inside. “Let’s go in your office.” I showed them inside, as sweltering as it was.
Miller put his hat on top of the file
cabinet. Tanner kept his on.
“We are investigating the disappearance
of a Mr. Ted Stone. You're a known
associate of his. Is this true?”
“Sure, I know Teddy. We worked on a few films together.” I sat
back in my chair while Casey stood by the door, “His sister Florence and I used
to do stunts for Prestigious Studios a while back. Teddy started about a year later... you say
he’s missing?”
“His sister reported him missing a year
ago. Our records show you were one of
the last people to see him before he disappeared.”
“You said a year ago?” I thought for a
moment, “Yeah, that sounds about
right. It was a war movie. There was a battle scene and we had to fall
out some windows and off a moving truck like we’d been shot, y’know. This was before...” I stopped myself. They didn’t need to know about my law suit
with the studio brass.
“Before what?” Agent Tanner asked.
“Before my last stunt gig with Flo.”
“And the victim?”
“Victim?
I thought you said he was missing.”
“Just tell us about your last job.”
“Well, Teddy and I shared a dressing
room. It was about midnight when we
finished the night scenes. After we
changed and dropped our costumes off at wardrobe, we left for breakfast. That was about two in the morning. I took the bus home, and I guess he
drove. I never saw him again after
that. Flo and I did a shoot at the
studio the following month. She told me
she was going to Washington to get married.
That was that.”
The two agents took notes on everything I
said.
Casey spoke up, “Do you mind if I ask
what prompted this recent investigation?”
Miller put his pencil in his ear, “We
found a man’s remains in the Arizona desert.
Our medical people said he was buried for about a year, so we only have
bones, clothes, few personal items and his wallet. There was nothing in it except for his SAG
membership card.” He paused, “The Union said you worked with him. We found you in the phone book.”
Agent Tanner pulled a cellophane envelope
out of his pocket containing the card.
There was Teddy, staring back at me. “Yes, that’s Teddy and that is what
he looks like.” I showed it to
Casey. He took a look and handed it back
to Tanner.
“We’re unable to locate his sister, do
you know her married name?”
I thought hard, “I don’t believe she told
me. No.
She never mentioned it. Flo just
said she was leaving the business to get married and move to Washington.”
“The remains are at the LA County Coroner’s office. Since we can’t locate next of kin, we’d like
you to stop by and ID what you can.”
I looked at Dolan. “What do you think?” He nodded.
Pineapple
Haupia
Ingredients
1-1/2 c. coconut milk
1/1/2 c. water
1/2 c. +2 TB sugar
1/2c. +2 TB cornstarch
1 c. crushed pineapple, drained
In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine
coconut milk, water, sugar and cornstarch, stir until thickened. lower heat,
continue to cook 5-10 minutes. Transfer mixture to 8-inch pan. Stir in
pineapple. Refrigerate until set about 2 hours.
To serve, cut into 2-inch squares. Serves
8-10
I have added this book to my TBR list. I really enjoyed the excerpt, and it's the vintage aspect that draws me right in, as well as the Korean tidbit. Love that recipe too; thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the post.
DeleteThank you for leaving a comment, Flossie!
A very interesting looking tale. I love the cover and I'd very much like to know how this mystery is solved.
ReplyDeleteThank you for checking the post, Daisy!
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