Deadly Dance (Scott Drayco Mysteries, Book 6) by B.V. Lawson
About Deadly Dance:
Some secrets refuse to stay buried...
When
Scott Drayco's ex-girlfriend begs him to prove her rich fiance, Harry
Dickerman, is innocent of murder, Drayco's torn; he's suspicious of
Harry's motives for wanting to marry a much younger woman, but on the
other hand, the man seems to be a paragon of virtue. The police think
it's an open-and-shut case — the victim was Harry's ex-wife, killed in
Harry's home with his own letter opener, and only Harry's prints were on
the murder weapon.
But as Drayco digs deeper, he starts to find cracks in that "open-and-shut" case and investigates whether corporate espionage was involved and how a shady attorney figures into the mix. Most puzzling of all, why was the victim living in an mysterious, out-of-the-way commune for Wall Street refugees? And why does the commune seem to be less about peace, love, and brotherhood and more about drugs, sex, and blackmail?
With help from his former FBI partner, "Sarg" Sargosian, Drayco uncovers a possible Russian connection that may be key to the mystery. But as he plunges deeper into a cesspool where everyone seems to be guilty of secrets and lies, he's not sure who he can trust ... or whether a deadly dance with the devil will be his undoing.Excerpt:
The first sign of trouble came at eleven when Scott Drayco’s cellphone rang. Attorney Benny Baskin’s voice chirped in his ear, “Just giving you a heads-up, boy-o. I’m sending over someone who wants to talk with you.”
“Who?”
“A client of mine. You’ll see.”
“Can’t you give me any more details than that?”
“I predict you’ll have a sudden desire to stop by my office afterward. Say tomorrow, about this same time?”
“Benny, what in the world—”
“Oops, there’s another incoming call. Gotta go.”
The attorney hung up, leaving Drayco with a surprising uneasiness to go along with his unanswered questions. Maybe he should blame it on a friend who’d sent a teasing text with the horoscope for Sagittarians, Today’s a good day to prepare for the unexpected.
He shrugged it off, tossed the phone aside, and slid onto his piano bench to tackle an engrossing Beethoven sonata. He’d only managed a couple of minutes of the first movement when the doorbell rang. Yet, even knowing someone was coming over thanks to Benny’s warning, Drayco almost jumped out of his skin. With a sigh, he gave the shiny Steinway a little pat and headed toward the front door.
When he opened it, a figure stood framed against a backdrop of rain so thick, he could barely see the sidewalk across the street. It was the last person he’d expected after Benny’s call—but he now realized why Benny was so cagey on the phone. The universal karmic gods certainly had a very dark sense of humor, and the score was horoscope, one, Scott Drayco, zero.
Darcie Squier pushed her way in, shook the rain off her red umbrella, and slid it into the stand by the door. He had to grudgingly admit she looked as good as ever, wearing a form-fitting turquoise knit dress that set off her dark hair nicely.
What the hell could she want? And what did Baskin have to do with it? When she’d told Drayco about her engagement months ago, Darcie said she still craved the physical relationship they’d shared. Was that why she was here?
He started to formulate a polite, but firm, “No,” when she shocked him. “You have to help him. Please say you will. I don’t trust anyone else.”
Her eyes were moist and not from the rain. Drayco helped her wriggle out of her raincoat and guided her into the den where he settled her on the sofa, heading to the kitchen long enough to make a cup of hot Earl Grey tea he handed over.
“What’s this all about, Darcie? Who do you want me to help?” He parked on the chair across from her.
“It’s Harry.”
“Harry Dickerman? Your fiancé?”
She gulped some of the aromatic tea before replying. “He’s been arrested and is in jail. But he didn’t do it.”
“Arrested on what charge?”
“Suspicion of murder.”
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About B.V. Lawson:
A four-time Derringer Award finalist and 2012 winner for her short fiction, BV’s Scott Drayco series (novels and stories) has been honored by the American Independent Writers, Maryland Writers Association, named Best Mystery in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, chosen as a Featured Library Journal Self-e pick, and been a finalist for the Shamus, Silver Falchion, and Daphne Awards. BV's story "And Down We Go" was also part of the Anthony Award-winning anthology Blood on the Bayou.
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