After returning
home from her service as a United States Army Signal Corps operator in the
Great War, Arabella Stewart’s goal, to save her family’s resort, seems within
reach as the summer season progresses. She and her business partner, Mac
MacLendon, look forward to re-establishing a successful championship golf
tournament, once the signature event of the resort’s year. Problems arise when
one of the contestants, an overbearing snob who has created problems at other
competitions, clashes with more than one person. When he is found dead, the
victim of a suspicious automobile crash, Bella once again helps Jax Hastings,
the town constable and her childhood friend, investigate. As they pursue
answers, Bella and Jax find several suspects who might have wanted to make the
victim suffer for his lethal arrogance.
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Excerpt
In A Lethal Arrogance, the
third book in my Arabella Stewart Historical Mystery series, amateur sleuth Bella
once again assists Constable Jax Hastings in investigating a suspicious death
in Moreley, their hometown. Cecil Lahey, a wealthy and arrogant snob, is found
dead in his roadster after crashing into a ravine. Was it accidental? Or did
another driver run him off the road? Bella’s best friend, Ida Byington, and the
victim were courting but had a major contretemps only hours before his death. In
Jax’s eyes, she is a suspect. However, Bella disagrees. In this scene, Bella
accompanies him to interview Ida.
When
they arrived at their destination, Jax hurried to open the driver’s door for
Bella before following her up the front walk. He stopped on the first porch
step as Bella rang the bell. When the door opened, Jax moved to stand behind her
as his gaze went to Ida. A tentative smile touched her lips, but she was
clearly nervous. Was her reaction due to anxiety or guilt?
“Please
come in,” she said in a voice that wobbled. “Can I get either of you anything?
Coffee? Tea? Lemonade?”
Both
Bella and Jax declined the offer and followed Ida into the small, but tasteful,
parlor. A loveseat faced the fireplace, now fronted with a pretty needlepoint
screen. Two Queen Anne chairs, their upholstery faded with time, flanked it.
Ida sat
on the loveseat. “Please make yourselves comfortable.”
Jax
took one of the chairs while Bella settled next to Ida. She patted her friend’s
hand. “I’m sure all of this came as a terrible shock.”
“Yes,
it did,” the other woman replied in a low murmur. “Someone called this morning
to say there had been an accident.” Her gaze went to Jax. “When you phoned
later and said it might be intentional, I was stunned. The rain was heavy, and
the roads must have gotten slippery. Luckily, I made it here before the worst
of it, but I’m sure it would have been easy to slide off if a driver was
speeding, and Cecil loved to drive fast no matter what the conditions were.”
The
words tumbled out in a rush, which only reinforced Jax’s conclusion about Ida feeling
anxious. Not only that, much of her statement also seemed rehearsed. If Ida had
gotten here before the worst weather set in, why was she so sure conditions
contributed to the crash? Summer storms were often hit-or-miss. Even if heavy
rain had fallen here in her aunt’s area, how could Ida be certain the same was
true around Moreley? Since he didn’t want to ask her outright, Jax made a
statement. “The evidence at the scene leads us to think it might not be an
accident, but we won’t make a final determination right away.” He paused for a
moment. “As I said on the phone, I have a few questions for you, and Bella is
going to take notes for me,” he concluded in what he hoped was a pleasant,
non-accusatory tone.
Ida
looked at her friend with a weak smile. “All right.”
Bella
retrieved the pad and pencil from her bag. She patted the other woman’s arm
again. “Don’t worry, Ida. Everything will be fine.”
Jax
frowned. While he didn’t consider Ida the best suspect, he wished Bella hadn’t
offered what could be false encouragement. “You left Ballantyne shortly before
Lahey. According to Thaddeus Copper, you arrived at the hotel a while after he
did and went up to Cecil’s room right away. At least one person heard the two
of you arguing in the hall before you went in the room. Is that right?”
A slight
tremor rippled through the redhead. “I got partway here and turned around. I
wanted to talk with Cecil. After what happened at the resort, I knew I couldn’t
continue courting with him. When I got to the hotel, I went upstairs because
he’d already told me his room number.” Pink surged into her cheeks as she
glanced from Jax to Bella. “I know that seems improper, but I didn’t want our
discussion heard by everyone in the place. Cecil can be so loud.”
Bella
patted Ida’s hand. “I understand. No one will think poorly of you.”
When
Bella shot him a look, Jax added to the reassurance. “No, of course not.”
Having people gossip about her lack of decorum should be the least of her
worries right now.
Ida
nodded, but the flush remained on her face. “Cecil acted awful when he and Floyd
finished their round. Neither of them played well. Even so, they managed to
stay in the match. Cecil put all the blame on Floyd. He was so nasty.”
Jax
nodded. Lahey had been vile to more than one person, which was why he had
several suspects.
D.S.
Lang, author of the Arabella Stewart Historical Mystery series
Author Bio
–
D.S.
Lang, a native Ohioan, has been making up stories since she was a little girl,
and she still is! Along the way, she studied English and social studies as an
undergrad. After graduate school, she went on to teach government and American
history in high school. She also taught English at the junior high, high
school, and college levels. In addition, she has worked as a program
coordinator, golf shop manager, and online tutor.
Now,
she spends much of her time reading, researching, and writing. Most recently,
she has delved into the Great War era and the years immediately after it. Her
Arabella Stewart Historical Mystery Series was inspired by her Great Uncle
Brice who served in the American Expeditionary Force during World War One, and
by her love of historical mysteries. In her spare time, she loves to spend time
with family and friends, including her dog Izzy.
Social
Media Links – https://www.facebook.com/Author-DS-Lang-106722091331345
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