The fleeing man sped toward the parked cars.
Drawing closer to his quarry, Michael launched himself forward and grabbed for the manâs feet. He succeeded in wrapping an arm around his knees and the two of them went down in a sprawl. Just before they hit the ground, Michael heard a sudden, harsh crack.
He knew immediately something was wrong. The man fell too loosely. Normally a person would tighten up a little, even if heâd been trained professionally to fall.
Rolling to his feet, Michael kept one hand locked around the manâs ankle so he wouldnât get away. One glance assured Michael that wouldnât be the case.
A trickle of blood slid down his attackerâs cheek and dripped off his nose from a round wound on his temple.
Michael and Molly GrahamâThe young couple have come to Blackpool for a simpler lifeâ¦only things in the small town are anything but simple.
DCI PaddingtonâThe stolid inspector has a laid-back approach to investigationâso laid-back that itâs fuelled rumors heâs only in Blackpool to bide his time until retirement.
The CrowesâThe members of the Crowe family are reputed to have more secrets than they have money. And they keep both very well. Especially those of their most notorious ancestor, Charles Croweâ¦.
Rohan WallaceâMichaelâs friend clings to life in the hospital, shot by Aleister Crowe for trespassing on his land. But what was he doing there? What was so important that Rohan would risk his very life?
Stefan DraghiciâThe head of the gypsy clan that has come to Blackpool to reclaim the fortune in gold they say was stolen from their ancestors by Charles Crowe. Their search for the gold has come up empty, however, and the gold has come up empty, however, and the Draghicis are becoming desperateâ¦.
Lockwood NightingaleâAleisterâs devoted attorney. How far will he go to protect his clientâs interestsâand his own?
Greed, jealousy, betrayal, trickery, murderâ
secrets are the heart of Blackpool.
HOW CLOSE COULD A MAN COME TO death before he gave up the fight and slid into that dark abyss? Michael Graham stared down at the still, unresponsive figure in the white field of the hospital bed. He didnât know how many times the question had filled his mind during the past five days.
âHe hasnât quit fighting.â The middle-aged nurse jotted notes on the clipboard she held. She didnât look at Michael but he knew she had sized him up as closely as she had the patient. âThatâs a good sign. You have to take hope in that, Mr. Graham.â
âI know. I do take hope in that, Mrs. Guilder. Thank you.â Michael leaned against the wall near the roomâs slatted window. Merciful Angels Hospital conducted business within an old building in Blackpool, but the interior had been gutted and refitted with modern equipment and dutiful personnel like Nurse Guilder.
The woman shot Michael a measuring glance. âHave you been taking care of yourself?â
âI have.â Michael lied easily, but he had the suspicion that the nurse instantly saw through him.
âSometimes the sickness of a friend is hardest on those around them. At least the people in the hospital are getting rest and being monitored. You might try getting a little more sleep.â
Michael couldnât argue. He felt bone-tired and twitchy, the way he did in the final stages of putting a video-game project together, almost ready to go gold and turn a new game loose on the public. Those times had always been particularly draining. But theyâd been nothing like watching over Rohan Wallace these past five days since heâd been shot by Aleister Crowe, who claimed Rohan had been trespassing on his property. Michael blamed himself for the near-death of his friend. Hadnât he dragged him into all this?
Truth to tell, though, it was the late hours spent trying to figure out his latest puzzle, one that Rohan had helped him discoverâ¦
âI will try to get more sleep, Nurse Guilder.â
The nurse nodded in satisfaction, made a final notation and hung up the clipboard. âAre you going to be here awhile longer?â
âIf thatâs all right.â
âOf course.â
Even if Michael left, his thoughts wouldnât stray far from Rohan Wallace. His guilt had kept him from accompanying his wife, Molly, to the harbor where she was picking up Rohanâs grandmother.
âI was told that Detective Chief Inspector Paddington has managed to find this poor soulâs family,â Nurse Guilder said.
âHe has.â Michael knew she was pumping him for information. Part of him resented that, but he realized that gossip and stories were the lifeblood of a little town like Blackpool.