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Writing Unique Island Mysteries
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Published: September 2001 Oak Tree Press Trade paperback: ISBN# 1-892343-15-0 A Callie McKinley Outer Banks Mystery
CALLIE AND THE DEALER AND A DOG NAMED JAKE
Summer on the Outer Banks: warm summer
breezes, sunburned tourists and sun-crazed locals. After
starting her new job as restaurant manager, Callie McKinley is
occupied with finding her niche among a staff of culinary
oddballs at the Seahorse Cafe inside the Holiday House Hotel.
Callie soon discovers that her predecessor left under a cloud of
suspicion and that items are disappearing out of the storeroom
as fast as they are put in. As a hurricane bears down on the
Outer Banks, Callie is horrified when she stumbles across a dead
body in the walk-in freezer. One of her coworkers is willing to
kill to keep his or her secret!
As the Outer Banks are evacuated in preparation for the
hurricane, Callie finds herself trapped in the lonely, dark
hotel with a murderer. Callie must overcome her own personal
demons to stop a killer before it's too late!
EXCERPT
Dead Men and French Fries
There was a dead man in the freezer.
I had quite enough on my plate already, thank you, with a
hurricane blowing and fifty journalists hungry for stories and
filet mignon sitting upstairs in my restaurant. But it's pretty
hard to ignore a dead body stuck to the floor of your walk-in
freezer.
Sprawled in wide-eyed abandon, the man looked, if anything,
surprised. I didn't blame him. I was pretty surprised myself. I
stepped back, choking down a flood of hot bile that flooded the
back of my throat. And sorrow, because I knew the man. I worked
with him. Had worked with him. How had this
happened?
All I had wanted was a box of French fries. I suddenly
wished I had told the pushy journalists that we were out of
French fries, but we've got some real nice long-grain rice. It's
better for you.
This wasn't getting me anywhere. I stepped forward into the
swirling mist of the subzero freezer, kicking an empty box aside
as I went. I leaned down to check the pulse on the dead man. I
knew he was dead, there were bloody icicles hanging from his
nose, for God's sake, but I had to be sure. His skin was
ice cold. He was dead.
I moved back, and accidentally brushed against one of his
legs. I heard a crackling noise as the leg came unstuck from the
floor. Oh Jesus.
I suddenly felt the intense cold of the freezer,
especially on my exposed hands and face. My stomach was
flip-flopping, and I closed my eyes as I swayed. I will not
pass out, and I will not cry, I told myself sternly. No
way.
The dizziness passed, and I opened my eyes to find that the
body was still there, dammit. He lay stretched out on the cold
metal floor, one frozen hand grasping the side of an upturned
steak box lying beside his head. Incongruously, individually
packaged frozen steaks lay scattered around his body.
The box of French fries was on a shelf right beside my
head. I looked down at the body stuck to the floor of the
freezer, and then thought about the fifty people sitting in my
restaurant, probably banging their forks on their tables by now.
So I did what any self-respecting restaurant manager in my
situation would do. I grabbed the box of French fries, and got
out of there, making sure I locked the door behind me.
Then I went upstairs to face my hungry customers.
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Reviews I Love a Mystery: “…a cleverly plotted mystery with plenty of suspects -- chefs, kitchen personnel, waiters, suppliers, even the loud mouthed general manager, Lily. A very auspicious debut. RECOMMENDED.” Over My Dead Body! : “The mystery aficionado's introduction to Wendy Howell Mills is a smashing success…Mills is a mystery author worth cultivating... a mystery I couldn't put down.” MyShelf: “…a very readable book...fast moving and suspenseful. " About.com Mysteries: “I would recommend this book for a fun afternoon on the beach." Cozies, Capers and Crimes: “…spine tingling suspense... intriguing…”
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