BLURB
Retired homicide detective Michaela McPherson and the aging Countess Dorothy Borghase team up again-this time to match wits with two serial killers stalking children, women and the elderly.
When Dottie Borghase's friend Camilla Rothrock collapses at a lunch gathering of old friends, the countess's only concern is to dial 911 for help. But Camilla's subsequent death has authorities buzzing about international safety and retaliation, because her son is decorated U.S. Army General Stuart Rothrock.
As other restaurant patrons in Richmond meet similar fates, Michaela and Dottie join forces with the Richmond Police and the FBI to track down the pair of heinous murderers. But in order to catch the killers, they will put their own lives and the lives of others in in serious jeopardy.
What Price Must a City Pay to Keep its Citizen's Safe?
EXCERPT:
Dottie
turned off the main highway and headed south to Blackstone Virginia. Madame
Toulescent lived just outside of Blackstone and that's where she conducted her
psychic readings. She wished away the
butterflies that cramped her stomach. She had a sense that what she was going
to hear wasn’t good. She wished she didn't believe in the value of psychics or
the unknown but she did, and that was that. She’d seen psychic readings and
prophecies come true time after time during her life. Mic wasn’t a believer at all but had
grudgingly admitted psychics had helped them in a case about ten years ago.
The
speedometer on her car registered over sixty miles an hour on a forty-five mile
limit stretch of highway. I'd better slow down. The last thing I need is a
Virginia state trooper on my tail. She braked and her car skidded but she
handled it skillfully. The Cadillac was a big, monster car but she really liked
it. Since Dottie had lived in the US, she had always preferred German-made cars
and previously owned multiple Mercedes Benz. Of course, when Count Borghase had
been alive, they’d always driven Italian cars, mainly Ferraris. But now she was
pretty much American and she loved her Caddy. There was something about the
Cadillac that was so plush and so American that she bought a new one every
couple of years.
She
saw an old gray mule in the pasture out of the corner of her eye and saw the
fence that was lying on the side. Dottie didn’t know what she’d do if they ever
repaired that fence. She’d been looking at that fence on the ground for years
and it was her landmark just before she turned onto Madame’s private road. She
knew her turn was just up ahead. She slowed for a farmer carrying a load of hay
in an old truck. He was hogging the entire road. Now where in the hell am I
supposed to go? She steered her big car
to the side of the road as far as she could without falling into the ditch. She
cursed and held her breath as the farmer passed her. She swore the farmer
missed her by less than an inch. The old codger hadn't even looked her way. She
shook her head and cursed again softly. She threw her white Caddy into first
gear and roared out of the ditch spewing gravel, dirt, and mud all over the
road. She saw three rabbits running for their life and hoped she hadn’t interrupted
their nest. Dottie drove a little further and made her left turn. She turned
right on the first road and started the difficult trip along the horrible,
rutted road to Madame Toulescent’s tiny home. The road was almost a mile long.
Dottie's tall, thin frame bounced all over her plush leather seat and her hair
fell out of her neatly arranged bun. I'm going to have to take a pain pill. All
this jumping around is killing my hips. Secretly Dottie new she needed to have
her hips replaced but there was no way she was willing to do that, at least not
while she could walk. I wouldn't be able to help Michaela. And then, what would
she do?
Madame
Toulescent waved at Dottie from her front porch filled with flowers and
beautiful hanging baskets of petunias and begonias. Her small white cottage was
immaculate. Madame Toulescent watched her painstakingly steer her huge Cadillac
down her battered road. Dottie brought the iron beast to a stop, looked in her
rearview mirror and re-pinned a piece of white hair that had worked its way out
of her perfect updo. Even though the Madame lived in a house that was little
better than a house trailer, Dottie had been trained from birth to always look
perfect when visiting. This task had become monumental at age 82. She reached
for her purse and checked to make sure her Glock was nestled in its special
pocket. She checked her lipstick in the mirror, pinched her lips together,
cursed the fine lines around her mouth and got out of the car.
"Hello
Madame Toulescent. Thank you for seeing me today on short notice." Dorothy
smiled her gracious smile at the psychic, showing her beautiful white veneers,
once available for a large price from the famous, dentist-to-the-stars Dr.
Michael Smirkowitz.
"You
are so welcome, Countess Borghase." Madame Toulescent looked around the
empty fields and through the trees and gestured with her arm. "As you can
see, there is no waiting line. Please come in. I've made us some tea." She
paused for a moment and said, "Watch the steps. They're in need of
repair," she cautioned.
In
need of repair, my butt, they need to be rebuilt Dottie climbed the rickety
steps dodging rusty nails and wood splinters. She grasped the loose railing and
posts that held up the old front porch. The last thing she wanted to do was
fall and break something. She followed Madame Toulescent into her small but
neat and cozy home. There was a wonderful scent in the air and Dottie’s mouth
watered.
"Please
have a seat in the easy chair," the Madame offered. "I'll bring us
some tea and sweet bread."
Dottie
nodded and smiled her thanks as she carefully studied Madame Toulescent. She
wasn't sure of her nationality. She thought she was Eastern European but she
seemed very much like the French and her house had several amazing pieces of
French country furniture. In years past, she had asked the Madame about her
former life, but the psychic seemed unwilling to share her past. Her voice had
a strange accent Dottie couldn't identify which frustrated her. Dottie had
traveled the world and she knew the languages and dialects of most ethnic
populations. But she couldn't figure out Madame Toulescent’s origins. That
puzzled her.
Madame
handed Dottie a cup of herb tea. The aroma alerted her senses and she
immediately felt more awake and inspired. The tea had given her energy and
awareness. She took a sip. It was delicious.
"Oh
my, Madame Toulescent. Whatever is in this tea? I feel a million times better
just from smelling it. You’ve got to tell me where you got it because I know
Cookie would love it too," Dottie gushed as she sipped her tea.
Madame
Toulescent smiled and said. "I made the tea. It's a blend of ginger, mint,
lemon verbena and a few other things I grow in my herb garden. I'll send some
home with you. It's sweetened with honey I collected from my bees
yesterday." She smiled briefly, and her lips stretched over teeth that
could benefit from a cosmetic dentist. "That's probably what you love so
much."
Dottie
nodded and studied the Madame. The years hadn't treated her so well. Dottie
didn't know her age but her face was a mass of wrinkles that blended one into
the other. Dottie guessed each wrinkle had its own story. Her skin appeared
soft but deeply creased. Her jet black hair was streaked with gray and hung
freely past her shoulders. She wore a simple blue shift with a silver belt and
wore tennis shoes and socks. She smelled of lemon and freesia.
Dottie,
as usual, smelled of Chanel #5. "It's so lovely out here, Madame. Do you
ever come to town?"
Madame
Toulescent shook her head. "Very rarely. My neighbor collects my groceries
for me when I need them and as you know, I have a huge vegetable garden and I
can and freeze most everything I need. I like it here and I like to stay with
my animals - my dogs, cats, cow, mules and horses. It's quiet here and my love
is nature."
Dottie
nodded. She couldn't imagine staying in these four walls every single day. She
supposed she didn't have the patience and gentleness of spirit that the Madame
had. But that was okay. Dottie was very happy in her own way.
The
two women shared a comfortable silence and continued to sip their tea until the
Madame asked, "How can I help you today, Countess?" She smiled at her
and said, "I can tell you have some significant things on your mind and
that you are troubled."
Dottie
put her teacup down and said, "Yes, I do. Have you been watching the
news?" Dottie saw the woman pale under her sun-darkened skin.
Madame
Toulescent nodded. "You’re here about the poisonings, aren't you?"
Dottie
held Madame’s dark eyes with her own and said, "Yes, I am. Camilla
Rothrock was one of my dearest friends and I need to know who poisoned
her."
Madame
shifted her gaze to the floor and said, "Countess Borghase, this is a very
bad business that is happening. I've had some visions and they are upsetting.
It reminds me of the evil work of Hitler in Germany."
This
time it was Dottie who paled, her heart beating so hard she could hardly
breathe. "Oh my God, Madame. We both remember his devastation in Europe
and the millions of people he murdered."
Madame
Toulescent rubbed her hands together, her face grim. "Indeed we do. A sad
and sorry time. Let's move into the back where I work and see what we can
see."
Dottie
stood and followed Madame to the room in the far back of her modest home. It
was a glass room with beautiful views into the forest. She left her teacup on
the coffee table. Her heart thumped dangerously in her chest and she was short
of breath. She was so terrified she almost lost her balance. She gripped her
purse and cell phone in her hand. She was scared and just the idea of having
the Glock made her feel safer. Could the evil be so strong it permeated her
soul?
“Countess,
why are you so upset? What can I do to help you?” Madame Toulescent looked at
Dottie with concern.
Dottie
stared at her but her eyes said it all.
“Let
me get you something to calm you down so we can have a good reading. Please
stay in the chair and I’ll be right back,” Madame Toulescent said as she left
Dottie and walked to her kitchen.
Chapter
35
Dottie
sat quietly in a large wing-backed chair in the calm serenity of Madame
Toulescent’s solarium. The herbs Madame Toulescent had given her had done the
trick. She could feel herself calming down. She could hear the rushing of the
James River in the distance and she was mesmerized by the cattle grazing in the
field in the distance. Perhaps all was right with the world. She supposed she’d
know soon enough.
Madame
motioned her to a simple wooden table on the side of the room. Dottie arose
from her chair and took the seat facing the psychic. Madame Toulescent's eyes
glazed through the glass window out into the fields. Dottie wondered what she
was seeing but sat quietly and watched.
"Countess
Borghase, you know I'm a psychic. Generally, when we meet, I do psychic
readings. But, I also function as a spiritual medium. Would you like for me to
see if I could talk with your friend, Camilla?"
Dottie's
stomach knotted up and she felt nauseous. She stared at Madame Toulescent and
said, her voice hesitant, "I... I don't know. I've never done that before.
Will it help?"
Madame
Toulescent could sense her hesitation. "You seem frightened to talk with
your friend or at least have your friend communicate with us. Let's see what
else we can do."
“I
didn’t know you talked with spirits,” Dottie said. “Can you tell me how that
works?”
“Well,
there are quite a few things I can do,” Madame Toulescent said gently. She
could see Dottie was upset about channeling Camilla. “We’ve mostly done psychic
readings when you’ve visited. The psychic readings are about getting advice,
guidance or direction around things that are happening in your life. There’ve
been a couple of times when you’ve been here in crises and you wanted some help
or direction. It is my belief that a reading is getting confirmation on what
our own intuition is already telling us. Most of the time, I’ve simply
confirmed what your intuition had already suggested. I’ve validated what you
already knew. Often as a psychic, I only teach and help people confirm their
own wisdom.
Dottie
nodded, “Yes, I agree with that. Most of the time you’ve validated what I’ve
thought and believed and have helped me decide what to do next.”
Madame
nodded. “Yes, this is true.”
“But,
Countess," she said taking Dottie's cold hand into her warm one, "I
also work as a medium and I can contact your friend Camilla and we can learn
about the last few moments of her life."
Dottie's
eyes filled with tears, "But I don't know if I want to know about
Camilla’s last few minutes. She looked so horrible and I think she was scared
and in pain,” she ended with a choked sob.
Madame
Toulescent nodded. "I understand what you are saying. I just want to tell
you that it's possible we can learn from Camilla. Perhaps she can help us solve
the poisonings."
Dottie
was silent for a moment as she considered the possibilities. Certainly, she
could be uncomfortable and upset for a few moments, particularly if she could
help Michaela and the police solve these horrible murders. Besides, that would
prove to Mic that she wasn’t old and helpless... although she really didn’t
think Michaela thought that. That was her insecurity popping up. "Um,
okay. I'll do it. But first, could we just look at the murders in general.
Could you tell me what you see and perhaps give me some direction that I can
share with the authorities?"
"Of
course I can, Countess. In no way do I want to upset you or frighten you, but
I’m sure your friend wants to send us a message. I can feel her trying to get
though," Madame Toulescent said. “In the meantime, let me focus on the
poisonings. Give me a few moments to think and commune.”
It
was a lovely day. The birds were singing, the cattle were grazing contently in
the field. Dottie smiled and focused on a mother deer and her fawn that grazed
in the grass about twenty yards from the back window. They were beautiful. The
fawn was young and still had its spots. She watched as the mother nudged her
and encouraged her to eat the grass, but the fawn just wanted to play. She
smiled as she saw them frolic in the sunshine.
She
heard a low moan come from deep in Madame's throat. The sound sent shivers up
Dottie's back. She wondered what Madame Toulescent saw in her vision. The
moaning became worse and Dottie could hardly sit still. Her eyes returned to
the view outside. The mother and fawn were staring into the window. The birds
were no longer chirping. I think they know something is about to happen here.
Madame
Toulescent was in a trance and her body swayed from left to right as she moaned
and said ‘no’ over and over. She had a conversation with someone, smiled gently
and said, "Yes, yes. I will."
Dottie's
eyes returned to the bucolic scene in front of her. Everything was okay now.
The mother deer and her baby were gone, and she could see several cardinals
feasting on the seed in the birdfeeder. She could hear other birds chirping in
the distance. The cows chewed their cud contentedly in the fields and the sun
was bright on the early spring wild flowers. Something must be right with the
world, she thought. Yes, all is right with the world, at least for a moment.
It
seemed forever before Madame Toulescent rose from her trance. She looked at
Dottie and asked, "Are you okay?"
Dottie
shrugged her shoulders and said, "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Can you tell me what
you saw?"
A
dark shadow flashed across Madame’s face and she said, "I saw a lot. I
felt the fear of Camilla and the three young women at the bar. I could feel the
pain the women endured as the poison struck their internal organs."
Dottie
nodded and waited for more.
"Regrettably,
I heard the screams and felt the fear of the school children. I talked with the
children that had died and wiped their tears."
Madame
Toulescent paused for a moment to rest. Dottie watched as her shoulders relaxed
and her breathing returned to normal. She went into the living room and
returned with the teapot. She refilled their cups and said, "There are two
men who are killing these people. One man has an agenda to kill, but the other
man kills for sport. They are evil and will stop at nothing to reach their
goal." Madame Toulescent was silent for a moment and sipped her tea.
Dottie
waited patiently which was one of the most difficult tasks ever for her. She
was simply not patient and wanted what she wanted the second she wanted to have
it. As she waited for Madam to continue, she found herself replacing the bobby
pins in her hair and picking at her nails. She crossed and uncrossed her legs
several times until Madame Toulescent reached under the table and put her hand
on Dottie's knee to quiet her.
"Please
stop that, Countess. I can't focus. I'm trying to remember things. We’ll talk
in a moment."
Dottie
fell like a child in kindergarten. She hung her head in shame because she had
interrupted Madame. A couple of minutes later, Madame said, "The two men
will continue to kill as they have for a few more days. Then they plan to
poison a large number of people, possibly thousands at a major event. I don't
know where but it is coming soon."
Dottie's
heart jumped into her throat. She was so frightened she could hardly speak and
beside herself with anxiety and fear. She stared at Madame Toulescent until she
found her voice.
"But
wait… when and where will they attack?"
Madame
Toulescent repeated, “I do not know when the attack will be. Perhaps the men
have not planned a date and they do not know.”
Dottie
could feel fear and anxiety creep up her spine and she asked, her voice
quavering, "What else, what else is there that you won't tell me?"
Madame
Toulescent stared into Dottie's ice blue eyes and said, "Camilla said to
tell you the poison was in the tea. She said when she drank the tea she began
to feel sick and then she couldn’t talk or see anymore. She also said to tell
you that she is okay now. She wants you to tell the General she’s fine and not
to worry."
Dottie
nodded slowly and said, "I guess that's good, if you have to be dead,
right?"
Madame
Toulescent nodded as she watched Dottie pull herself together and gather her
purse. She stood up and offered the Madam her hand. "Thank you. Thank you
for seeing me on such short notice. I truly appreciate it."
Madame
Toulescent nodded and said softly," There's one more thing, Countess. Do
you want to hear it?"
Dottie
nodded and said, "I suppose so."
"Michaela
is in grave danger. You must watch out for her carefully."
Dottie's
spine stiffened and she stood even straighter as she looked down at the
psychic, "Danger how? What kind of danger?" Dottie’s heart fluttered
in her chest and she held on to the back of the chair for support. She couldn’t
let anything happen to Michaela.
Madame
shook her head and said, "I don't know. I could not see her danger but I
can feel it and it's real. Please watch out for her. These men are cruel and
evil. They will stop at nothing."
Dottie
said simply, "I will. I always do."
“And,
Dottie,” Madame Toulescent, “I believe you are in danger as well. So I urge you
to take no chances and to stay safe.”
Dottie
grinned and flashed Madame Toulescent her favorite aristocratic smile. “I’ll be
fine, Madame. I’m always in danger. After all, I’m eighty-two years old.”
Madame
smiled, “I am serious, Dottie, please watch yourself and stay safe.”
“I
will, I promise, thank you.” Dottie’s voice sounded a lot stronger than she
felt as she left Madame’s modest home and walked the short distance to her car.
She opened her door and sat down, grateful for the softness of the plush, soft
leather cushions. She closed her eyes and a million rays of light invaded her
head. She was stressed, deeply scared and worried. These were different
feelings for Dottie who usually only feared forgetting something or losing her
memory. I’ve got to take care of Michaela.
Madame Toulescent watched Dottie
back up her big car and continue carefully down the deeply rutted road. She
felt intense fear for the Countess but she feared mostly for Michaela
McPherson. These were evil men.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Judith Lucci is a bestselling Amazon author and the author of the Alex Destephano Medical Thriller series set in New Orleans and the Michaela McPherson Mystery/Suspense series set in her hometown on Richmond, Virginia. Lucci also has a volume of short stories, Black Magic Bayou, a collection of moralistic tales based on Cajun superstition and lore and a novella, Beach Blanket Murders: The Ocean Can be Deadly. She has contributed to three anthologies and collections, and is the creator of Author 911: The Authors Guide to Writing and Medical Information. She is a registered nurse and college professor and holds graduate degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Virginia.
"Before I wrote fiction, I was an academic writer who published research, theoretical works, authored text books and just about anything a college professor needed to publish to survive." The differences in academic and fiction writing are dramatic. Writing what I know encourages me to pull from my clinical experiences, some good, some not and use popular fiction as a means to teach and advocate for others.
Dr. Lucci's books have three purposes, to engage the reader, to entertain them and to educate about healthcare and perhaps, the darker side of hospital life and life in general. Her books are described as contemporary novels that focus on and describe current social, moral and ethical issues in present day society. Judith is a true advocate for social justice and that theme is often prevalent in her work. She's an avid reader and loves making stuff up and writing it down. She's a member of the Virginia Writers Club, The Gulf Coast Writers Club, The Shenandoah Valley Writers group and Sisters in Crime.
When I'm not writing I am probably teaching, painting on silk as I am a multi-media artist or playing with my many dogs. Please feel free to contact me at judithlucciwrites@gmail.com. I am always excited to meet new people!
Author Links:
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