Stolen

“The bandits obviously robbed the train seventy years ago for the fortune carried aboard it. Very few of those stolen goods have ever shown up, and the gold bullion never did.” He paused.” Some say that treasure has never left Blackpool.

“Maybe, ladies and gentlemen, maybe we’ll be the ones to find out what happened to all those valuables seventy years ago. Maybe we’ll find out who robbed that train and killed those people so callously.”

The double doors leading into the theater suddenly banged open. A rectangle of fluorescent light from the lobby fell into the room. A woman stood silhouetted in the doorway.

“Inspector Paddington!”

“Here.” Paddington heaved himself up and whipped a torch from his equipment belt. He snapped it on and a bright blue-white beam shot out.

The woman in the doorway flinched, shielding her eyes with one hand. The inspector’s light revealed the blood spread across her fingers and wrist. “Come quick. There’s been a murder.”

Michael and Molly Graham—The young couple have come to Blackpool for a simpler life…only things in the small town are anything but simple.

Iris Dunstead—The elderly housekeeper knows everyone and everything that happens in town. But with so many pokers in the fire, is she in for a bad burn?

DCI Paddington—The stolid inspector has a laid-back approach to investigation—so laid-back that it’s fueled rumors he’s only in Blackpool to bide his time until retirement.

Simon Wineguard—The recent behavior of the director of Molly’s documentary suggests he could be the subject of an exposé himself.

Synthia Roderick—With the nickname of Syn and the lifestyle to support it, her sudden appearance in a small coastal town is very suspicious….

Joyce Abernathy—The responsible and organized assistant of Simon Wineguard, her motto seems to be “always the assistant, never motto seems to be “always the assistant, never the bride.” It doesn’t seem to bother her…or does it?

The Crowes—The members of the Crowe family are reputed to have more secrets than they have money. And they keep both very well.

The Sterlings—Another wealthy family whose name keeps coming up around the train robbery. The family lost a fortune and a child that day. Seventy years later, justice has yet to be served.

Greed, jealousy, betrayal, trickery, murder—

Blackpool is a town built on secrets and danger.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

EPILOGUE

“LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE IN TOWN showed up.” Michael Graham peered through the tinted window of his vintage limousine at the crowd gathered in front of the Magic Lantern Theatre. Chinese-style lanterns in bright colors hung over the marquee that announced, “Special Announcement Plus Showing of Peter Pan 2: Return to Neverland.”

“That was the point.” Molly leaned in over her husband’s shoulder.

For a moment, Michael grew distracted by her perfume and the heat of her body pressing against his. They’d been married three years, but her sheer physical presence still made a tremendous impact on his senses. He knew that would never change, and he was glad for it. He grinned in spite of himself and kissed the back of her neck.

Molly shivered, as he knew she would, and pulled back. She held up a forefinger in warning. “Don’t even think about that.”

Michael laughed, but he let her have her space and returned his attention to the festivities filling downtown Blackpool. His newly adopted town was still fascinating to him and constantly inspired his creative juices. The mixture of old and new strewn throughout the hills and up to the cliffs overlooking the sea enthralled him.

Normally on a Friday night, Blackpool’s streets remained relatively desolate. Truly there wasn’t much to do in town. Most of the action took place out on the sea, or on the beaches where the teens met up to drink out of sight of their parents.

But tonight the throng gathered all along the police barricade in front of the movie house, filling the thoroughfare and making traffic all but impossible. A few people slapped the limousine or waved as it passed. Not everyone in Blackpool knew the Grahams, but all of them had heard of them.

And even without the limo they would have stood out. Most Blackpoolers walked or biked as the narrow streets downtown and twisty switchbacks up the hills made driving impractical. Tourists and visitors usually arrived by boat and tied up in the harbor.

But the limo had come with the house they’d purchased when moving to Blackpool, and Irwin Jaeger—the house-man—had come with both. They seldom used the car, which often disappointed Irwin.