The House of Lies by Debra Burroughs

Author:Debra Burroughs [Burroughs, Debra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: A Paradise Valley Mystery - Book 7
Publisher: Lake House Books
Published: 2016-10-01T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

As Emily focused on the target, squeezed the trigger, and controlled the powerful recoil of her pistol, she began to relax her body and her mind, freeing herself to think things through—the murder case, finding Kinsella, dealing with Colin, and helping her friends. With so much to mull over, this distraction was just what she needed.

Memories of her unconventional wedding to Colin drifted through her mind as she continued to take her shots, saying their vows as Colin lay recovering from a gunshot wound. Overwhelming love for him welled up in her heart at the memory and a light sheen of tears blurred her vision. They’d had to conquer numerous obstacles to finally get married, hurdles they’d overcome together.

She lowered her weapon and blinked the mist away. Then she raised the gun and took a few more shots, clustered in the heart of the target. She took aim again and let her mind wander.

After their wedding, she and Colin had spent two glorious weeks in New York City. A thrill rippled through her as she remembered it. Some days they’d hardly left their room, but they saw enough of the sights to feel like they’d had a good taste of the Big Apple. The staff at the Hilton Hotel had bent over backwards to make sure these honeymooners were not disturbed and gave them top-flight service, thanks to Emily’s friend Trudi.

Trudi. Emily smiled to herself as she thought of what her friend had done for them. Trudi worked at the front desk of the Hilton in Paradise Valley for the past few years, and she had recently become the assistant manager. When she heard Colin and Emily were honeymooning in New York City, she had connected with the New York staff and practically begged them to give her friends the five-star treatment, she had said.

Sweet, sweet Trudi.

Releasing shot after shot, Emily recalled how Trudi had helped her in the past to keep an eye on certain people coming and going from the hotel. Once she had even loaned Emily her uniform to pose as hotel staff to catch a philandering husband—another time to help rescue a young woman from prostitution and a local drug trafficker.

Drug trafficker?

Eric Kinsella.

Her jaw tightened at his name, bringing her thoughts back to the present. She lowered her weapon as she mulled over the possibilities.

The Hilton. Could he be hiding there?

Maybe she hadn’t been able to find him because he was registered under an assumed name, using a credit card with a different name. There weren’t many hotels in Paradise Valley. From what Judith Crawley had told her, Kinsella liked to fancy himself a high roller. The Hilton was the nicest hotel in town, so if he had checked in there, even under an assumed name, perhaps Trudi could tell her. She’d need a photograph of him, but she could manage that pretty easily on her cell phone.

Exhilarated by this new direction, Emily felt her tension dissipating. Target practice had done its job and cleared her mind.

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