Fourth Victim Read online

  Fourth Victim

  by

  Kathi Daley

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 by Katherine Daley

  Version 1.0

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  Table of Contents

  Books by Kathi Daley

  The Writers Retreat Residents

  Townsfolk:

  The Victim

  The Other Players from 1964

  The Suspects and Witnesses

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  A New Series from Kathi Daley Books

  Books by Kathi Daley

  Giveaway:

  I want to thank the very talented Jessica Fischer for the cover art.

  I so appreciate Bruce Curran, who is always ready and willing to answer my cyber questions, Jayme Maness, who helps out with my book clubs and special events, and Peggy Hyndman, for helping sleuth out those pesky typos.

  And, of course, thanks to the readers and bloggers in my life, who make doing what I do possible.

  Thank you to Randy Ladenheim-Gil for the editing.

  And finally I want to thank my sister Christy for always lending an ear and my husband Ken for allowing me time to write by taking care of everything else.

  Books by Kathi Daley

  Come for the murder, stay for the romance.

  Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:

  Halloween Hijinks

  The Trouble With Turkeys

  Christmas Crazy

  Cupid’s Curse

  Big Bunny Bump-off

  Beach Blanket Barbie

  Maui Madness

  Derby Divas

  Haunted Hamlet

  Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies

  Christmas Cozy

  Alaskan Alliance

  Matrimony Meltdown

  Soul Surrender

  Heavenly Honeymoon

  Hopscotch Homicide

  Ghostly Graveyard

  Santa Sleuth

  Shamrock Shenanigans

  Kitten Kaboodle

  Costume Catastrophe

  Candy Cane Caper

  Holiday Hangover

  Easter Escapade

  Camp Carter

  Trick or Treason

  Reindeer Roundup – December 2017

  Zimmerman Academy The New Normal

  Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook

  Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries by Henery Press:

  Pumpkins in Paradise

  Snowmen in Paradise

  Bikinis in Paradise

  Christmas in Paradise

  Puppies in Paradise

  Halloween in Paradise

  Treasure in Paradise

  Fireworks in Paradise – October 2017

  Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:

  Romeow and Juliet

  The Mad Catter

  Grimm’s Furry Tail

  Much Ado About Felines

  Legend of Tabby Hollow

  Cat of Christmas Past

  A Tale of Two Tabbies

  The Great Catsby

  Count Catula

  The Cat of Christmas Present

  A Winter’s Tail

  Taming of the Tabby

  Frankencat

  The Cat of Christmas Future – November 2017

  The Cat of New Orleans – February 2018

  Seacliff High Mystery:

  The Secret

  The Curse

  The Relic

  The Conspiracy

  The Grudge

  The Shadow

  The Haunting

  Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:

  Murder at Dolphin Bay

  Murder at Sunrise Beach

  Murder at the Witching Hour

  Murder at Christmas

  Murder at Turtle Cove

  Murder at Water’s Edge

  Murder at Midnight

  Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mystery:

  Finding Justice – November 2017

  A Tess and Tilly Mystery:

  The Christmas Letter – December 2017

  Road to Christmas Romance:

  Road to Christmas Past

  Writers’ Retreat Southern Mystery:

  First Case

  Second Look

  Third Strike

  Fourth Victim

  Fifth Night – January 2018

  The Writers Retreat Residents

  Jillian (Jill) Hanford

  Jillian is a dark-haired, dark-eyed, never-married newspaper reporter who moved to Gull Island after her much-older brother, Garrett Hanford, had a stroke and was no longer able to run the resort he’d inherited. Jillian had suffered a personal setback and needed a change in lifestyle, so she decided to run the resort as a writers’ retreat while she waited for an opportunity to work her way back into her old life. To help make ends meet, she takes on freelance work that allows her to maintain her ties to the newspaper industry. Jillian shares her life with her partner in mystery solving, an ornery parrot with an uncanny ability to communicate named Blackbeard.

  Jackson (Jack) Jones

  Jack is a dark-haired, blue-eyed, never-married, nationally acclaimed author of hard-core mysteries and thrillers, who is as famous for his good looks and boyish charm as he is for the stories he pens. Despite his success as a novelist, he’d always dreamed of writing for a newspaper, so he gave up his penthouse apartment and bought the failing Gull Island News. He lives in an oceanfront mansion he pays for with income from the novels he continues to write. He does not live at the retreat at this point, but his relationship with Jill brings him to the retreat on a daily basis. He is also an integral part of the Mystery Mastermind Group, a name he came up with to describe the writers who join together to solve mysteries.

  George Baxter

  George is a writer of traditional whodunit mysteries. He’d been a friend of Garrett Hanford’s since they were boys and spent many winters at the resort penning his novels. When he heard that the oceanfront resort was going to be used as a writers’ retreat, he was one of the first to get on board. George is a distinguished-looking man with gray hair, dark green eyes, and a certain sense of old-fashioned style that many admire.

  Clara Kline

  Clara is a self-proclaimed psychic who writes fantasy and paranormal mysteries. She wears her long gray hair in a practical braid and favors long, peasant-type skirts and blouses. Clara decided to move to the retreat after she had a vision that she would find her soul mate living within its walls. So far, the only soul mate she has stumbled on to is a cat named Agatha, but it does seem that romance is in the air, so she may yet find the man she has envisioned.

  Alex Cole

  Alex is a fun and flirty millennial who made his first million writing science fiction when he was just twenty-two. He’s the lighthearted jokester of the group who uses his blond-haired, blue-eyed good looks to participate in serial dating. He has the means to live anywhere, but the thought of a writers’ retreat seemed quaint and retro, so he decided to expand his base of experience and moved in.

  Brit Baxter

  Brit is George Baxter’s niece. A petite blond pixie and MIT graduate, she decided to make the trip east with her uncle after quitting her job to pursue her dream of
writing. Her real strength is in social networking and understanding the dynamic behind the information individuals choose to share on the Internet.

  Victoria Vance

  Victoria is a romance author who lives the life she writes about in her steamy novels. She travels the world and does what she wants to who she wants without ever making an emotional connection. Her raven-black hair accentuates her pale skin and bright green eyes. She’s the woman every man fantasizes about but none can ever conquer. When she isn’t traveling the world she’s Jillian’s best friend, which is why when Jillian needed her, she gave up her penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park to move into the dilapidated island retreat.

  Nicole Carrington

  Nicole is a tall and thin true crime author with long dark hair, a pale complexion, and huge brown eyes. She has lived a tragic life and tends to keep to herself, which can make her seem standoffish.

  Garrett Hanford

  Garrett isn’t a writer, but he owns the resort and is becoming one of the gang. He had a stroke that ended his ability to run the resort as a family vacation spot but seems to be on the mend and has plans to move back to the resort. He has lived on Gull Island his entire life and has a lot to offer the Mystery Mastermind Group.

  Townsfolk:

  Deputy Rick Savage

  Rick is not only the island’s main source of law enforcement, he’s a volunteer force unto himself. He cares about the island and its inhabitants and is willing to do what needs to be done to protect that which he loves. He’s single man in his thirties who seldom has time to date despite his devilish good looks, which most believe could land him any woman he wants.

  Mayor Betty Sue Bell

  Betty Sue is a homegrown Southern lady who owns a beauty parlor called Betty Boop’s Beauty Salon. She can be flirty and sassy, but when her town or its citizens are in trouble, she turns into a barracuda. She has a Southern flare that will leave you laughing, but when there’s a battle to fight she’s the one you most want in your corner.

  Gertie Newsome

  Gertie Newsome is the owner of Gertie’s on the Wharf. Southern born and bred, she believes in the magic of the South and the passion of its people. She shares her home with a ghost named Mortie who has been a regular part of her life for over thirty years. She’s friendly, gregarious, and outspoken, unafraid to take on anyone or anything she needs to to protect those she loves.

  Meg Collins

  Meg is a volunteer at the island museum and the organizer of the turtle rescue squad. Some feel the island and its wildlife are her life, but Meg has a soft spot for island residents like Jill and the writers who live with her.

  Barbara Jean Freeman

  Barbara is an outspoken woman with a tendency toward big hair and loud colors. She is a friendly sort with a propensity toward gossip who owns a bike shop in town.

  Brooke Johnson

  Brooke is a teacher and mother of two who works hard in her spare time as a volunteer coordinator for the community. She first met Jack and Jill when she was a suspect in the first case they tackled.

  Sully

  Sully is a popular islander who owns the local bar and offers lots of information about the goings-on in the community. When Blackbeard manages to escape for a day on the town, one of the first stops he always makes is to see his buddy Sully.

  Quinten Davenport

  Quinten is a retired Los Angeles County Medical Examiner who is currently dating Gertie. Although retired, Quinten is more than happy to help the Mystery Mastermind Group when they need a medical opinion, and his presence provides stability to them.

  The Victim

  Francine Kettleman

  Frannie lived in a cabin at the Turtle Cove Resort from April 1963 to August 1964. She moved there after her husband, Tom, was drafted and sent overseas during the Vietnam Conflict. During her stay at the resort she received love letters from a man named Paul, who was also stationed in Vietnam. Fifty-three years later, the letters, which she tied in a ribbon, placed in a metal box, and hid in the wall of one of the cabins, were found by the contractor in charge of the remodel of the resort. In August 1964 Tom was injured and sent back to the States. On August 14, 1964, Frannie became the fourth victim of the Silk Stocking Strangler, who murdered thirteen women over a ten-month period. All the victims were strangled with a pair of women’s silk stockings, their bodies found in cemeteries along the East Coast from Florida to Massachusetts. The Strangler was never caught and the murder cases were never closed by the FBI.

  The Other Players from 1964

  Tom Kettleman

  Frannie’s husband at the time of her death. He has since passed away, but those who remember him say he came back from Vietnam not quite right. It is rumored that if Frannie hadn’t been killed, she may very likely have died at the hands of the man to whom she was married.

  Paul Kettleman

  Tom’s brother and believed to be the man behind the letters. As far as anyone knows he is still alive, but no one knows his current whereabouts.

  The Silk Stocking Strangler

  The person believed to have murdered thirteen women over a ten-month period from 1964 to 1965, all with a pair of women’s silk stockings, all found in cemeteries along the East Coast from Florida to Massachusetts. The Strangler was never caught and the murder cases were never closed by the FBI.

  The Suspects and Witnesses

  Ned Colton

  Ned was the deputy in charge on Gull Island when Francine Kettleman went missing. Because Frannie was believed to be a victim of a multistate mass murderer, the FBI was the lead agency in the investigation. The FBI was certain Frannie was the fourth victim of a killer who would ultimately kill thirteen women, but Ned found some irregularities in her case that led him to question whether she died at the hands of the Strangler or a very clever copycat.

  Sherry Pierce

  Sherry was a friend of Frannie’s who still lives on the island. She knows a secret about Frannie no one else does, a secret she has kept to this day.

  Edna Turner

  Edna is a retired librarian who knew Frannie when she lived at the resort and still lives on Gull Island.

  Roland Carver

  Roland was the mayor of Gull Island at the time Frannie was living at the resort and still lives on the island. While on the surface he seems to be willing to share what he knows, it seems obvious he is guarding a secret.

  Clint Brown

  Clint owned a local real estate agency at the time of Frannie’s murder. He seems willing to cooperate but, like Roland, he seems to have a secret.

  Wes Gardner

  Wes is a lifetime Gull Island resident who once owned a used bookstore. He often sat and chatted with Frannie when she came in each week to check out the new inventory.

  Chapter 1

  Monday, December 11

  “Fifty-three years ago, Francine Kettleman—Frannie K for short—lived at the Turtle Cove Resort while her husband, Tom, was away in Vietnam. Frannie, who was just nineteen when she arrived on Gull Island, lived there from April 1963 to August 1964. During her stay, Frannie received love letters from a man named Paul, who was also stationed in Vietnam. Years later, the letters, which Frannie had tied together with a ribbon, placed in a metal box, and hidden in the wall of the cabin where she was living, were found by the contractor in charge of the remodel of the resort. After a cursory investigation, we know that on August 14, 1964, Frannie was found dead in a cemetery fifty miles from here. It’s believed by most that Frannie was the fourth victim of the Silk Stocking Strangler, a mass murderer who was never caught or identified. The Strangler was credited with killing thirteen women over a ten-month period from 1964 to 1965. All the victims were strangled with a pair of women’s silk stockings, and all were found in cemeteries along the East Coast from Florida to Massachusetts.”

  I paused to look around the room at the people who had gathered to hear my proposal. I could see this case had everyone’s attention. Love, intrigue, and tragedy all wrapped up in
one package. We’d stumbled upon the letters Frannie had left behind before Thanksgiving, so we were familiar with the specifics, but in the interest of tradition, it was the task of the submitting author, who in this case is me, Jillian Hanford, to officially present the case to the other members of the Mystery Mastermind Group.

  “Are you asking us to track down a serial killer?” Alex Cole, a fun and flirty millennial who made his first million writing science fiction when he was just twenty-two, asked.

  I turned to answer him. “Not at all. If Frannie was indeed killed by the Strangler, finding her killer is beyond our ability to research.”

  “Is there any doubt Frannie was a victim of this madman?” Brit Baxter, a blond-haired pixie and aspiring writer of chick lit, asked.

  “While I haven’t yet come up with any hard evidence that would indicate Frannie wasn’t the fourth victim of the Silk Stocking Strangler, I do have reason to question that assumption. I recently met with Ned Colton, who was the deputy in charge on Gull Island when Frannie was murdered. Given the fact that her body was found fifty miles away, and the FBI was already investigating the Silk Stocking Strangler, Ned wasn’t asked to take an active part in this investigation. Ned shared with me that he took the liberty of looking in to things on his own. He admitted that, on the surface, it appeared Frannie had been murdered by the Strangler, but there were some anomalies he found interesting.”

  “Anomalies?” Victoria Vance, a romance author who lives the life she writes about in her steamy novels and my best friend, asked.