The Accused Coroner, page 35
“Good. As long as we’re mostly on the same page.”
“Hey,” McVie said, “I never got my key to your apartment back.”
“Yeah, well, after I found out that Ivanovich made a copy of my key, I’m having the locks changed. You can wait till then.”
“Okay.” McVie idly rubbed the back of Fenway’s head like he was running his fingers through her absent hair. “Do you want to do anything today?”
“Oh, man.” Fenway buried her head in McVie’s chest. “My Accord. It’s still in L.A. Probably in an impound yard by now.”
“You’ve got the Porsche.”
“Well, at some point, I’ll have to go down there and pick it up.”
“Oh, right. I’ll be happy to go with you.”
“We were just down there.”
“I don’t mind going again. Maybe we can make a day out of it.”
“After we’ve already wasted half the day in bed?”
McVie grinned. “I might want to waste a little more of it.”
Fenway held her hand up to her mouth. “Why, Mr. McVie, whatever do you have in mind?”
McVie laughed and pulled himself into a sitting position. “I am kind of hungry. Maybe some food is in order.”
“You know where I feel like going?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes. I know exactly where you feel like going.”
She threw a pillow at him. “I’ve been on the run for days. Have pity on me and take me to Dos Milagros.”
McVie nodded. “And then we’ll call to see where your car is. I hope the impound lot is open on weekends. Maybe we can get some dinner or even half-price same-day theater tickets. If we can pick up your car today, we can take the train down and drive back.”
Fenway flinched.
“Something wrong with the train?”
“It’s a story for the trip.” Fenway grinned. “I should go see my dad in the hospital, but after that, let’s go. Even if we do have to spend another six hours in the car.”
He stood. “I’m taking a quick shower.” He looked down at Fenway. “You want to join me?”
“What? And mess up my hair?” Fenway smirked. “Yes. I’ll see you in a minute. You remember where I put my phone?”
McVie pointed at the bedside table as he walked into the bathroom and closed the door.
Fenway rolled over and picked up her phone. A text from Dez.
Two cases of PermaChalk found in Sullivan Morse’s garage
One of them was open
They’re adding your grandmother’s murder to the charges
Fenway stared at the screen for a moment. There was still the matter of Nell’s storage unit, too.
She clicked the phone app and dialed.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Lyric.”
Lyric paused.
“Are you there?” Fenway asked.
A sharp intake of breath. “Is this—is this Fenway?”
“Yes.”
“You made it?”
“I sure did.”
“I caught something on the radio this morning but not the whole thing. You’re not calling me from jail, are you?”
Fenway laughed. “Nope. They dropped all charges.”
“See?” Lyric said. “Didn’t I say you would beat this thing?”
“Yes, you did. You were right, too.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a long story.”
Lyric chuckled. “I’ve always got time for family.”
Fenway grinned. “Well, I guess I can tell you all about it, then. What are you doing tonight? You free for dinner?”
“Tonight? You going to be in L.A.?”
“I sure am,” Fenway said, hearing the shower turn on. “And I’d like you to meet someone very important to me.”
Cast of Characters
Fenway Stevenson: A former nurse practitioner with a master’s degree in forensics, she moved to Estancia in April after her mother, Joanne, lost her battle with cancer. Fenway has a rocky relationship with her father. Appointed to fill out the coroner’s term, she decided to run for election—and won. Her official four-year term started January 1.
Her family
Joanne Stevenson: Fenway’s mother, who passed away from cancer about nine months ago. Fenway has recently discovered that she had a secret past.
Nell Godwin: Fenway’s maternal grandmother, whom she never met. She died a few days ago.
Maurice Godwin: Fenway’s maternal grandfather, whom she never met. He passed away over a decade ago.
Lyric Godwin: Fenway’s long-lost cousin who lives in the Los Angeles area and was close with her great-aunt Nell.
André Godwin: Another long-lost cousin, he now owns the shop that Maurice used to co-own in the 1980s.
Nathaniel Ferris: The richest, most powerful man in the county, the oil magnate founded and owns Ferris Energy. After his first wife, Joanne, took away the then-eight-year-old Fenway to Seattle two decades ago, he threw himself into his work, but has hardly seen or talked to Fenway during the last twenty years. Two months ago, he took a bullet for Fenway and just awoke from a coma.
Charlotte Ferris: The former beauty pageant winner married Nathaniel a decade ago when she was 25 and he was 50—the weekend of Fenway’s high school graduation.
Co-workers and law enforcement personnel, past and present
Sergeant Desirée “Dez” Roubideaux: A detective in the coroner’s office, Dez has worked for the county for 25 years. She’s a dedicated, determined investigator despite her wisecracks.
Craig McVie: The former sheriff of Dominguez County, he lost the mayoral race in November. Recently divorced from Amy, he’s now a private investigator. He and Fenway officially started dating after the election.
Piper Patten: Formerly in the county’s IT department, this willowy redhead is a whiz at forensic accounting and data gathering. She likes the command line interface almost as much as she likes her boyfriend, Migs. She helped Nathaniel Ferris prove his innocence in a murder case, and now works for McVie.
Melissa de la Garza: A CSI tech from neighboring San Miguelito County, de la Garza’s team is a shared forensic resource with Dominguez County.
Donald Huke: An uptight, by-the-book rookie deputy in the Dominguez County Sheriff’s Office.
Dr. Barry Klein: The former optometrist and county supervisor was expected to run against Fenway for coroner in November. Instead, he ran for mayor against Sheriff McVie—and won. His feud with Nathaniel Ferris has bled over into a caustic relationship with Fenway.
Sarah Summerfield: The newly hired coroner’s assistant.
Rachel Richards: Fenway’s former assistant, she was promoted to be the county’s youngest public information officer in a century.
Detective Sullivan Morse: A veteran detective of the Thirty-Third Precinct, assigned to the Ladera Heights area of Los Angeles where Maurice and Nell Godwin lived.
Detective Ben Brandenberg: Another veteran detective of the Thirty-Third Precinct.
Theo Jones: An officer from the Santa Barbara police department who is in Estancia taking a class on identity theft.
Sheriff Gretchen Donnelly: The new sheriff who replaced McVie when he ran for mayor.
Suspects, witnesses, and persons of interest
Catherine Klein: The first lady of Estancia, Barry’s wife has been involved with several previous murder investigations.
Dr. Richard Ivanovich: He was Fenway’s opponent for County Coroner in the November election.
The Admiral: A shadowy figure who runs a wireless store in Los Angeles.
Jared Daugherty: The subject of a search warrant from a drug bust gone wrong thirty years ago.
Darren Ellsworth: An established P.I. in Estancia, he took on Craig’s ex-wife as a client—and may have received a large check from Joanne Stevenson many years ago.
Karen Ordridge: Ellsworth’s long-suffering administrative assistant.
Julia Knowles: A nurse at the assisted-living facility where Nell Godwin lived.
Acknowledgments
A million thanks to my readers, who have stuck by Fenway through the last seven books. I couldn’t have done this without you.
Many thanks to my editors, Max Christian Hansen and Jess Reynolds, my proofreader Lisa Lee, and my cover designer Ziad Ezzat of Feral Creative. The Fenway series is much better because of you.
Thank you to all the early readers and reviewers, including (but not limited to) Dana Luco, Siobhan Ordorica, Blair Semple, Beverly Ange, Michelle Damiani, Dr. Christina Bellinger, and the critical mass of the Wordforge Novelists group in Sacramento.
Special thanks to Cheryl Shoults, who has been invaluable creating, organizing, and maintaining the Fenway newsletter, website, reader teams, promotions, and a million other items.
To my wife, my children, and my mother: I’m deeply grateful for your encouragement and support, without which Fenway Stevenson would never have seen the light of day.
More by Paul Austin Ardoin
The Fenway Stevenson Mysteries
Book One: The Reluctant Coroner
Book Two: The Incumbent Coroner
Book Three: The Candidate Coroner
Book Four: The Upstaged Coroner
Book Five: The Courtroom Coroner
Book Six: The Watchful Coroner
Book Seven: The Accused Coroner
Murders of Substance (coming soon)
Ceremony
Everything’s Gone Green
Temptation
Blue Monday
* * *
Collections
Books 1–3 of The Fenway Stevenson Mysteries
Books 4-6 of The Fenway Stevenson Mysteries
Dez Roubideaux
Bad Weather
* * *
To get more books in the Fenway Stevenson series, go to
www.books2read.com/rl/fenway
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www.paulaustinardoin.com
I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, I’d sincerely appreciate a review on your favorite book retailer’s website, Goodreads, and BookBub. Reviews are crucial for any author, and even just a line or two can make a huge difference.
Paul Austin Ardoin, The Accused Coroner
