Laura Caldwell: Red Blooded Murder

Izzy McNeil- main character. Unemployed lawyer who takes a job at an upstart legal news station and also moonlights as a private investigator to help out her friend John Mayburn.

Sam Hollings-Izzy’s ex-fiancé. Izzy and Sam have had their problems and although their wedding is off for now, they are dating again, trying desperately to rekindle their strained relationship.

Q (Quentin) Briscoe-Izzy’s former assistant and dear friend. Previously a struggling actor, now unemployed and living with his new wealthy boyfriend.

Maggie-Izzy’s best friend and a criminal defense lawyer known for representing alleged drug runners and mobsters. Her grandfather, Martin Bristol, is a famous Chicago Assistant State ’s Attorney.

Grady Fischer-A lawyer from Izzy’s old law firm, who handles mostly medical negligence cases. Since Izzy’s relationship with Sam has been on the fritz, Grady is trying to step up and show Izzy what a great catch he is.

Charlie McNeil-Izzy’s younger brother. He is unemployed and lives off an insurance settlement after he was injured in a work related accident. He spends most of his days napping, drinking red wine, and reading, hence his nickname, “Sheets.”

Victoria McNeil-Izzy’s mother. She’s a beautiful elegant woman, always impeccably dressed with strawberry blonde hair. She runs the Victoria Project, which helps widowed women with children. After her husband, Izzy’s father, died, she moved to Chicago and married Spence.

Bunny Loveland -The housekeeper Victoria hired when Izzy was a child. She is cranky and mean spirited, but the McNeil’s love her and she always manages to give good advice, help, and encouragement when it is most needed.

John Mayburn-A sought-after Chicago PI often hired by Izzy’s firm. He is currently working a case for a friend who thinks her lingerie boutique is being used as something unlawful. He hires Izzy to go undercover. He is currently dating Lucy Desanto. His is in his forties with a medium build and prides himself on being able to blend into his surroundings.

Lucy Desanto-Currently dating John Mayburn. Beautiful, sweet and the nicest woman Izzy has ever met, she is a stay at home mom.

Jane Augustine-A famous newscaster in Chicago, known for digging deep to get her stories. She is leaving her current position for a national start-up legal station. She is married, but has affairs, which she refers to as “dalliances”. She is beautiful and always gets what she wants.

Zac Augustine-Jane’s husband. He accepts Jane for who she is, though he’s not exactly happy about her regular affairs.

C.J. Lyons-Jane’s producer at her previous news station.

Theo Jameson-A hot young entrepreneur Izzy meets at a club.

Mick Grenier-A writer doing an article about Jane. He is known for digging deep into the personal lives of his subjects.

Josie-The manager of “The Fig Leaf”, a lingerie boutique Mayburn in investigating. When Izzy goes undercover to find out what’s going on in the store, Josie is her boss.

Three days earlier

T he bar, on the seventh floor of the Park Hyatt hotel, had its doors propped wide, as if boasting about the suddenly dazzling April weather.

We stepped onto the bar’s patio-an urban garden illuminated by the surrounding city lights.

“Spring is officially here,” I said. “And God, am I ready for it.”

The thing about spring in Chicago is that it’s fast and fickle. A balmy, sixty-eight-degree Friday like tonight could easily turn into a brittle, thirty-five-degree Saturday. Which is why Chicagoans always clutch at those spring nights. Which is why a night like that can make you do crazy things.

The maître d’, a European type in a slim black suit, spotted the woman I was with, Jane Augustine, and came hustling over. “Ms. Augustine,” he said, “welcome.” He looked at me. “And Miss…”

“Miss Izzy McNeil,” Jane said, beaming her perfect newscaster smile. “The best entertainment lawyer in the city.”

The maître d’laughed, gave me a quick once-over. A little smile played at the corner of his mouth. “A lawyer. So you’re smart, too?”

“If so, I’m a smart person who’s out of a job.” I’d been looking for six months.

“Maybe not for long,” Jane said.

“Meaning?”

Jane shrugged coquettishly as the maître d’ led us over the slate floor to a table at the edge of the patio.

“Our best spot,” he said, “for the best.” He put two leather-bound menus on the table and left.

We sat. “Do you always get this kind of treatment?” I asked.

Jane swung her shiny black hair over her shoulder and looked at me with her famous mauve-blue eyes. “The treatment was all about Izzy McNeil. He’s hot for you.”

I turned and glanced. The maître d’ was watching us. Okay, I admit, he did seem to be watching me. “I think I’m giving off some sort of scent now that I’m single again.”

Jane scoffed. “I can’t stop giving off that scent, and I’m married.”

I studied Jane as the waiter took our drink orders. With her long, perfect body tucked into her perfect red suit, she looked every inch the tough journalist she was, but the more I got to know her, the more I listened to her, the more I was intrigued by the many facets of Jane. When I was lead counsel for Pickett Enterprises, the Midwest media conglomerate that owned the station where Jane worked, I’d negotiated her contract. And while she was definitely the wisecracking, tough-talking, shoot-straight journalist I’d heard about, I had also seen some surprising cracks in the veneer of her confidence. And on top of that was the sexiness. The more I knew her, the more I noticed she simply steeped in it.

“Seriously,” Jane said. “I know you’re bummed that you and Sam had that little problem-”

“Yeah, that little problem,” I interrupted her. “We’re seeing each other occasionally, but it’s just not the same.”

Six months ago, my fiancé, Sam, disappeared with thirty million dollars’ worth of property owned by my client, Forester Pickett, the CEO of Pickett Enterprises, and it happened on precisely the same night Forester suddenly died. After nearly two agonizing weeks that seemed like two years-weeks in which my world had not only been turned upside down, but also shaken and twisted and battered and bruised; weeks during which I learned so many secrets about the people in my life I thought I’d been dropped into someone else’s life-the matter had been resolved and Sam was back in town. But I’d lost all my legal work in the process and essentially had been ushered out the back door of my law firm. As for Sam and me, the wedding was off, and we weren’t exactly back together.

“Whatever,” Jane said. “You should enjoy being single. You’re dating other people, right?”

“A little.” I rubbed the spot on my left hand where my engagement ring used to rest. It felt as if the skin were slightly dented, holding a spot in case I decided to put it on again. “There’s a guy named Grady, who I’m friends with, and we go out occasionally, but he wants to get serious, and I really don’t. So mostly, I’ve been licking my wounds.”

“Enough of that! Let someone do the licking for you. With that red hair and that ass, you could get anyone you want.”

I laughed. “A guy at the coffee shop asked me out the other day.”

“How old was he?”

“About forty.”

“That’ll work. As long as he’s eighteen, he’s doable.”

The waiter stepped up to our table with two glasses of wine.

“Would you go out with her?” Jane asked him.

“Uh…” he said, clearly embarrassed.

“Jane, stop.” But the truth was I was thrilled with the randomly warm night, with the hint that the world was somehow turning faster than usual.