Joanna Wayne - Justice for All

Courage Bay Sentinel

Avenger Linked to Latest Murder

Courage Bay’s serial killer appears to have struck again.

Businessman Bernie Brusco, who survived a recent murder attempt at a private fundraiser for the Courage Bay Hospital, was found dead Sunday night at the base of a cliff backing onto his home in the exclusive neighborhood of Jacaranda Heights. Brusco’s death has been labeled a homicide by police, but so far Chief Max Zirinsky will not confirm that this case is being treated as yet another killing by the Avenger.

Brusco, who moved here recently from Los Angeles, collapsed from an apparent heart attack at the society fundraiser last Friday night. Chief of staff Callie Baker, who was also in attendance, applied CPR on-site until the ambulance arrived. Doctors at Courage Bay Hospital discovered Brusco had been given a drink laced with the drug ephedra. Once Brusco was released from hospital, it appears that his killer came back to finish the job.

Chief Zirinsky keeps assuring the public that there is no need for alarm, but the citizens of Courage Bay can’t help asking the question “Who will the Avenger hit next?”

JOANNA WAYNE

was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, and received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from LSU-Shreveport. She moved to New Orleans in 1984, and it was there that she attended her first writing class and joined her first professional writing organization. Her debut novel, Deep in the Bayou, was published in 1994.

Now, dozens of published books later, Joanna has made a name for herself as being on the cutting edge of romantic suspense in both series and single-title novels. She has been on the Waldenbooks bestseller list for romance and has won many industry awards. She is also a popular speaker at writing organizations and local community functions and has taught creative writing at the University of New Orleans Metropolitan College.

Joanna currently resides in a small community forty miles north of Houston, Texas, with her husband. Though she still has many family and emotional ties to Louisiana, she loves living in the Lone Star State. You may write Joanna at P.O. Box 265, Montgomery, Texas 77356.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Dear Reader,

The world is always in need of heroes. That’s why I was so excited about participating in a series that concentrated on the heroic efforts of firefighters, police officers, medical personnel and other citizens of Courage Bay. Max Zirinsky and Callie Baker are the epitome of true heroes to me, in that they risked extreme danger to themselves to do what had to be done to stop the Avenger.

And I especially liked that the series was set in California. As a Southerner, I don’t get to the West Coast nearly often enough, but I was fortunate enough to spend several summers there a few years back. Many moments stand out in my mind from those visits, but some of my favorites involve sunsets and moonlit walks on the beach—as romantic a spot as I could ever wish for. I could almost feel the sand between my toes and hear the roar of the surf when Max and Callie took their first walk along the beach. I hope you do, as well.

I love to hear from readers. Please visit my Web site at www.joannawayne.com.

Happy reading,

Joanna

In memory of my good friend Linda West,

I aka Linda Lewis and Dixie Kane,

I who warmed many a heart

I with her tales of love and laughter.

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

EPILOGUE

THE GALA WAS IN FULL SWING, as glitzy an affair as socialite and heiress Mary McGuire Hancock, III, was known for. White canvas canopied the spacious grounds, strands of miniature lights twinkled like stars in every tree and music from a jazz combo played backup to conversations and laughter.

And like all gatherings of the Courage Bay elite, fashion was on parade. Sequined gowns clung to gorgeously slinky bodies and stretched across paunchier ones. Men in tuxedos lined up at the open bars, while waiters in stiff white shirts and creased black pants wandered the crowd with trays of recherche hors d’oeuvres.

It was a night for visiting old friends and making new ones, a night for schmoozing and soliciting checks for impressive sums of money.

A night for murder.

His pulse quickened at the thought, but he was careful not to show any sign of his excitement. This had to be just another charitable function until the perfect moment presented itself. The night had just started. He had plenty of time.

But once he struck, justice would be swift and merciless. Most importantly, justice would be served.

CALLIE BAKER FINISHED a conversation with one of the councilmen and turned to find District Attorney Henry Lalane at her elbow.

“You look lovely tonight, Callie.”

“Thank you, Henry.”

“This must be a big event for the hospital’s chief of staff.”

“Bigger for the children who’ll benefit from the donations we raise,” she said. “The money’s earmarked to purchase new equipment for the pediatric wing.”

“It’s a great turnout.”

“You have to love that about Courage Bay. Rich or poor, the residents are always ready to support a worthy cause.”

“There’s not a lot of poor people here tonight.”

“No, but there have been so many other fund-raisers across the city. The latest was sponsored by the students at Jacaranda High. They raised over a thousand dollars for the hospital at their spring carnival.”

“So I heard. My niece goes to school there.”

And his daughter probably would have been a student there, too, if she hadn’t been killed a few years before in a random drive-by shooting. No one was ever apprehended for the crime. Callie was sorry she’d mentioned the school now, though Henry didn’t seem upset by the comment. Still, she knew how devastated he and his wife had been at the loss of their daughter.

Henry sipped his drink. “Bernie Brusco seems to be enjoying himself,” he said, letting his gaze settle on the man who was laughing and tangoing across the portable dance floor with their hostess.

“Not the best of dancers,” Callie observed, “but he’s generous. I hadn’t met him before tonight, but he wrote out a very substantial check for the hospital.”

“He should. He’s probably one of the richest men here.”

“Really. I wouldn’t have guessed that. What does he do?”