EXTRACT FOR
Murder At Cold Springs
(Jack Coleman)

        It is often said that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I sat at my nearly empty desk, and considered how to best make some lemonade. I wasn't having much success. Right at that moment my life just sucked.

        I'm Marc Rich, and until a few weeks ago I had a happy life. Okay, maybe not happy, but it was a comfortable life. I was married, and I was the director of corporate security for a large chain of department stores. At thirty-nine I had the world by the tail.

        I use the past tense because my wife announced that she didn't love me and wanted out of our marriage. If that wasn't enough my company announced that it was merging with another, and I discovered that they came with their own security department. Oh, they indicated that they should be able to find something for me to do, but I wasn't buying it. I knew that as soon as they had picked my brain, I would be gone. All this came within the same two week period of time. Try to make lemonade out of that.

        I started out in the Albright Company right after I got out of the Navy. After college I went into Uncle Sam's floating force and begun to do wondrous and interesting things. I worked in naval intelligence, and yes, I am aware that is considered an oxymoron. 

        Actually, there is a lot of intelligence in the military. Most of it is totally ignored by the brass, but it is there. I spent most of my time working in the CID. Criminal investigations department was a great training ground. During my four years doing that, I had been exposed to almost every crime there is.

        After six years, I discovered I didn't want to make a career of the Navy. Actually I wouldn't have lasted very much longer anyway. I had foolishly believed that the U.S. government had hired me to think, but my superiors seemed to think otherwise. In fact on several occasions, I had been ordered to stop thinking. More importantly I discovered that I work best when left alone to do the job.

        With this major difference in opinions, the Navy and I parted ways just as soon as my obligation was finished. I met Janie, and we got married.

        If I had been paying attention I could have foreseen the matrimonial problems. Janie and I had not gotten along for over a year. Nothing big. I mean no fighting or anything like that. Not even harsh words. Just the drifting apart in interests. She had risen from entry level to full senior partner in a very prestigious law firm. I think on some level we both saw it coming, but neither knew what to do about it until Janie figured it out.

        So there in my office I sat, looking off into space and trying to formulate some plans. I had made arrangements to cash in my company stock. The experts advised me to hold on to the stock. They said it would only become more valuable as time went by. I said "sell the damned stuff. I don't want stock in a company that doesn't want me." What is it they say about pride going before a fall?

        I had considered cashing in the 401k, but Janie told me that I would only get a bit more than half after taxes. While I thought Janie was crazy to cast me off, I still respected her advice. It's really hard to knock success, and she had succeeded very well. So anyway, I sat and pondered my future. The new security folks had all arrived, and I was all but ignored. I was left alone in my office to do a lot of pondering.

        "Knock-knock," I heard a voice say. I looked up, annoyed that some lout would interrupt my contemplating.  It was James Winslow, the third. "Mind if I come in?" he said with a huge grin.

        "Can you not see that I am extremely busy?" I responded, matching his grin.

        "Oh yeah," he said reaching out his hand. "I can see that all right. You, my man, are just covered up."

        Jimmy Winslow, the third, is one of those people you can not forget. The bastard would show up every few years just to remind you of him. Jimmy and I served together in the Navy. I had not seen him in several years, but he hadn't changed all that much. Like me, a little thicker in some places, but he still had a head full of red hair. His forehead seemed to be a little longer than I remembered. I hadn't actually seen him but twice since Janie and I had gotten married. We had kept in contact by phone, fax, and e-mail, and I was surprised at how pleased I was to actually see him.

        "Where on earth did you come from?" I asked taking his hand. 

        "I spring from the center of the universe and from places that mortals like you can only try to imagine." he said falling into a chair and putting his feet on my desk.

        "Still full of crap, I see," I said. "Good that some things don't ever change. Get your dammed feet off my desk."

        He smiled at me and ignored my order. "Why do you care? It won't be your desk for long. How they hanging, ol' buddy?"

        I leaned back and put my feet on the desk, too. "Hanging low, sport," I answered. "Mighty low. How did you know?"

        Jimmy didn't even pretend to not know what I was talking about. "Janie called me," he said waving his hand about. "She thought you needed someone of enormous intellect to discuss the issues with. Of course she though of me."

        "Of course," I acknowledged. "Presumably never crossed her mind to tend to her own business."

        "Of course not," Jimmy replied laughing, "She's a woman. They never tend to just their own business. Seriously, Janie is worried. Maybe she doesn't love you any more, but that doesn't mean she doesn't like you. I, on the other hand, don't really like you, but I have this bizarre need to love you. Fraternally that is."

        "That's a load off my mind. I wouldn't want to think you had gone queer on me. When did she call you?"

        "Yesterday, well she had left a message a few days ago, but I just got it yesterday," he said bouncing to his feet. "Let's grab a bite of lunch. Can you get away?"

        "I guess I can tear myself away," I said with a short laugh. "Not as if I'd be missed. So what took you so long to get here if you got the message a whole day ago?"

        Jimmy took my arm and steered me toward the door. "Had a few loose ends to tie up first. Drinks or lunch?"

        "Drinks first," I said. "Then if there is time, we'll consider food."

        "I see you haven't misplaced your priorities." he said. "Lead on, sir." At the bar and grill we ordered a round of drinks.

        "So, what is happening in your world?" Jimmy asked.

        "You know perfectly well what's going on in my crappie world," I responded. "It sucks."

        "Yeah, I guess it does. How long are you going to be working for you new masters?"

        "I don't know." I said "Week, two weeks, maybe longer. I guess they'll shove me out as soon as they figure they have a good handle on the company's security."

        "I have something that might interest you," he said slyly. "Are you interested in doing a little private investigation?"

        "I doubt it," I replied. "I been away from the stoop and snoop business a long time. I don't have a current PI licenses."

        "Well, the license is no problem and the pay's mighty good."

        "Tell me about it," I said. Maybe just hearing about someone else's problem would take my mind off my own.

        "The wife of Jay W. Grant has disappeared. Grant is a mover and shaker in the financial world. He is president and CEO of one of the nation's largest private banks. Grant is a close personal friend of presidents, past and present," he began, taking a notebook from his inside jacket pocket. "Mrs. Grant is actually the third Mrs. Grant and is considerably younger than the mister. Lori Anne Grant. You know the type, cheerleader and prom queen. Lori is twenty-nine and looks eighteen. The Grants just celebrated their second anniversary of what friends say was wedded bliss. No apparent reason for her to leave the comforts of their Jackson County, Tennessee home and no contact from her or anyone else about her disappearance. Hubby came home on Saturday from his golf game as usual and she was gone which, apparently, was unusual." He paused and took a sip of his drink and consulted his notebook again.

        "From all reports she had been happy and there had been no discord within the Grant household. There are no children from this union, but there are two, a boy and a girl, from the second marriage and one from the first marriage. Alton Boyce Grant, the son from marriage number one, works with his father in the banking empire. He holds the title and presumably the pay of a senior vice president. Some have indicated that Alton Grant and Lori Grant didn't get along so well."

        "The offspring from the second attempt, Anthony Grant, is a college student, he is twenty-two and Marlene, 'we call her Marty', is twenty. Marty doesn't have employment, but when daddy is a very rich man one shouldn't have to work. Rumor is that Alton Grant thinks highly of Anthony and poorly of Marty." Jimmy continued, "Alton has gainful employment and resents Marty who lives the good life and toils not. That's one theory, but maybe he just simply doesn't like the little bitch." 

        He paused and looked at me for a moment then continued. "Marty has had several confrontations with the law, but nothing that her considerable charm, or daddy's money couldn't get her out of. She runs with the young and the rich. Jay W. Grant would very much like to have his young wife back and he is willing, and eager to pay handsomely for that service. You interested?"

        "How handsomely? And where on earth is Jackson County, Tennessee?"

        "Fifty thousand up front plus reasonable expenses and another fifty grand when you find the wife. Jackson County is a neighboring county to Knoxville. It's where some of the better class have their estates. You know, swimming pools, tennis courts, and horses for all. The only city to speak of is Grantville. Grantville is named in honor of Jay W.'s Grandfather who brought a bunch of old English money to the area. Opened the first bank there in nineteen ought something. Beautiful Hill County, moonshine whiskey, and all the country music a person could want."

        "A hundred thousand dollars? That's ridiculous! He could buy a whole investigative company for that."

        "You are thinking as if they are normal people. That's chump change to somebody as rich as Grant. He wants the best his money can buy."

        "Maybe, but I have a couple of questions," I said giving him a close look. "What's in it for you and if this is such a great deal why don't you do it yourself? I'd say you're qualified. What's the rest of the story?"

        He returned my gaze for a moment before he smiled at me. "I see you're still a skeptic. First of all, I still work for our beloved Uncle, so I couldn't do it, even if I wanted to. My boss asked me to find someone to do this job, and lucky for you, I got his orders and Janie's message all within the span of a few minutes. You just happen to be one lucky son of a bitch." He laughed. "God's truth, buddy. My boss, who shall remain nameless, has some sort of relationship with Jay W. Grant. Maybe business, maybe personal, I don't know. You have to remember that Jay W. Grant is a powerful man. Powerful men have powerful friends."

        "Who do you work for these days?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

        "A little known government agency," he said grinning at me. "I'm legitimate, ol' buddy. I can help you some if you need me. Hells bells, with your luck you'll probably find her within an hour or two after you get to Grantville."

        "You said find the wife. Find and not return? Just locate her, right?"

        "Well...I guess some discretion would be needed here. I..."

        "No ifs, ands, or buts," I said. "If I look for her, and hopefully find her I'll have no part in forcing her to return. If she left voluntarily then she can stay gone for all I care. That's got to be understood, and agreed on before I start."

        "I don't see a problem. Nobody wants her kidnapped. So you'll take the job? You got to move quickly."

        I didn't really need to think about it. I didn't have a whole lot going for me right then, so why not? Fifty grand for looking fifty more for finding some woman sounded real good to me. I had never been in that part of Tennessee so I was looking forward to doing something new in a new place.

        "Sure," I said, finishing the drink. "Nothing holding me here anymore." 

        Things begun to move quickly. Jimmy made a call, and told me I had the job, and by two o'clock I was fifty thousand dollars richer. The funds had been wired to my checking account.

        I drew out some expense money in cash and travelers checks and made my travel arrangements. I then went back to my old office. I cleaned out all my personal effects without encountering any problems. In fact, no one paid any attention to me.

        I finished carrying the things out to my car, and went back to see the boss man. He seemed relieved when I told him I was going to take some of my vacation, and get away for a few days. I wondered just how long it would take them to figure out that I had no intention of returning to work.