The Nutcracker Conspiracy by Lauren Carr

Author:Lauren Carr [Carr, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, mystery book, murder mystery, whodunit, Suspense, Thriller, political thriller, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Published: 2020-01-29T16:00:00+00:00

Exhausted, they had fallen asleep. The sun set and it was late in the night when Murphy’s cell phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Too tired to open his eyes, Murphy groped the table until his hand landed on the phone and he put it to his ear. “Thornton here.”

“Lieutenant,” Boris said, “I assume I woke you.”

“Something like that. What’s up?”

“I took your advice about Emily Hudson. I looked up the roommates she had before moving in with Sharon and Wendy, and you’re going to want to hear what I found out.”

“What was it? One of them stole Emily’s boyfriend?”

“Worse than that,” Boris said. “They’re all dead.”

Murphy sprang up in his bed. “Dead?”

“D-E-A-D. Do you remember that horrible car accident in Baltimore a while back? Three women who worked at the CIA. One of them was the director’s secretary.”

The fog lifted in Murphy’s mind. “They had gone to a concert in Baltimore. The SUV drove past a line of cars waiting to get on the beltway’s on-ramp and plowed into a concrete barrier under the overpass. Authorities were never able to explain how the accident happened.”

“That’s the one,” Boris said. “Emily Hudson was their roommate. She was planning to go to the concert with them that night but had decided not to because she had a headache or something like that. When they were all killed, Hudson had to move because her name wasn’t on the rental agreement. She was subletting for another woman who had an overseas assignment. That’s how she ended up at Sharon’s place.”

In silence, Murphy’s mind spun. Emily’s late roommates were three of The Nutcracker’s thirteen.

Gnarly trotted into the bedroom and sat next to the side of the bed. He stared at Jessica—willing her to tend to his needs.

“Thornton?” Boris asked. “Are you still there?”

“Yeah.” Murphy swallowed. “Emily Hudson’s previous roommates died under mysterious circumstances the same as Wendy.”

“The director’s secretary could have just fallen asleep at the wheel.”

“Then, less than two years later, Emily’s next roommate is murdered in what is staged to look like a suicide? I don’t think so.”

Jessica threw back the comforter and grabbed her robe. Gnarly spun around and led the way down the stairs to the food bin in the kitchen. Aware of Gnarly watching her as if to ensure she didn’t make any false moves, she took out the dogs’ food bin and doled out pellets into their bowls. In contrast to the dignified German shepherd, Spencer hopped around her bowl like a child waiting to open her birthday present.

With a heavy sigh, Jessica placed the bowls on the floor.

“Hungry?” Murphy entered the kitchen and went to the fridge. He yanked open the door.

“Not really.” She dropped into a chair at the table.

The time on the oven’s clock read ten-eighteen.

“We didn’t eat any dinner. I didn’t have time for lunch.” He took a carton of eggs from the fridge. “How about some scrambled eggs?” When she started to rise from her seat, he urged her to remain seated. “I’ll cook them.” He took a carton of almond milk and cheese from the fridge.

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