Luke Murphy - Dead Man's Hand

“Another smooth lookin’ suit, Calvin,” Jimmy said. “You have great taste, Rachel.”

She flashed a grin. “Thank you, Detectives. It’s so nice to see you again. Especially here.”

Calvin looked at Dale. They shared a special bond, as deep as the one between Dale and Jimmy.

Dale motioned toward the big building. “It’s not much, but we knew your budget. The rent’s affordable and it’s in a decent part of town. We prioritized getting the office ready so you could open for business right away and we’ve had it somewhat furnished. But I’m sure you and especially Rachel will want to put your own personal touches on it. I’m sorry we couldn’t do more for you, Calvin.”

“What do you mean?”

“What you put yourself through. I’m sorry the department couldn’t compensate you in some way for the work you did.”

“I didn’t do what I did for money or a reward. You’ve given me… us —” he put his arm around Rachel “—our lives back. The fact that the four of us became friends is a bonus.”

Dale didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to.

“Have you registered for training yet?” Jimmy asked.

Calvin nodded. “I’ve signed up online and I start next week. I’m taking the complete package—interviewing skills, fraud and insurance investigations, surveillance and criminal investigations. I can have my PI degree in eighteen months. But legally I’m allowed to practice, as long as there’s proof I’m in session. I have up to three years to acquire my license.”

“That sounds great. I know you’ll do it. Like everything else you attempt.”

Rachel elbowed Calvin’s ribs. “See.”

“Well, I’m sure you want to have a look,” Dale said. “As promised, once your business is set up and running, we’ll send as much work as we can your way. Let us know when you apply for your PI license.”

“Good luck to both of you,” Jimmy said. “You deserve what you have now and we couldn’t be happier for you.”

With that, the veteran partners turned and got into their vehicle.

As they drove away, Calvin glanced at Rachel. “Are you ready?”

She took a deep breath. “I’m right behind you, Mr. Calvin Watters, PI. It sounds just right.”

He could only smile.

♣

Message from the Author

Dear Reader,

Thank you for picking up a copy of Dead Man’s Hand . I hope you enjoyed reading this novel as much as I did writing it. My goal was to please anyone who loves thrillers, sports, or a walk on the wilder side of Las Vegas. I hope that I succeeded.

According to Wikipedia, “The dead man’s hand is a Two-pair Poker Hand, namely ‘aces and eights.’ This card combination gets its name from a legend that it was the five-card-draw hand held by Wild Bill Hickok, when he was murdered on August 2, 1876, in Saloon No. 10 at Deadwood, South Dakota.”

This is a work of fiction. I did not base the characters or plot on any real people or events. Any familiarities are strictly coincidence.

There is not a single moment in time when this idea came to be, but circumstances over the years that led to this story: my hockey injuries, frequent visits to Las Vegas, my love of football, crime books and movies.

Dead Man’s Hand became real from mixing these events, taking advantage of experts in their field and adding my wild imagination. The internet also provides a wealth of information, available at our fingertips with a click of the mouse.

For more information about my books, please visit my website at www.authorlukemurphy.com. You can also “like” my Facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Luke-Murphy and follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/#!/AuthorLMurphy.

I’m always happy to hear from readers. Please be assured that I read each email personally and will respond to them in good time. I’m always happy to give advice to aspiring writers, or answer questions from readers. You can direct your questions/comments to the contact form on my website. Please let me know what you thought of the book. I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Luke

About the Author

Luke Murphy was born in Shawville, a small rural community in Western Quebec.

He played six years of professional hockey before retiring in 2006.

His road to novelist began in the winter of 2000, after sustaining a season ending eye injury. He continued to hobby write through the years, honing his craft, making time between work and family obligations.

He constantly read, from novels in his favorite genres to books written by experts in the writing field. He made friends (published and unpublished authors), learning what it took to become successful.

Feeling that he was finally prepared, in the winter of 2007, Murphy started to write Dead Man’s Hand . It took him two years to complete the first draft of his novel.

He hired Ms. Jennifer Lyons, of the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency, and in 2012, signed his first publishing contract with Imajin Books.

Murphy lives in Shawville with his wife, two daughters and a pug. He is a teacher who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Education (Magna Cum Laude).

For more information on Luke’s books, visit :www.authorlukemurphy.com and join his Facebook page and Twitter account.

DEAD MAN’S HAND

Copyright © 2012 by Luke Murphy. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. And any resemblance to actual persons, living, dead (or in any other form), business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

www.authorlukemurphy.com

FIRST EDITION ebook

Imajin Books - www.imajinbooks.com

October 12, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-926997-88-9

Cover designed by Ryan Doan - www.ryandoan.com

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