MOTIVE FOR MURDER
June smiled and patted her husband’s hand. “My husband is going to do everything he can to keep Mystical Feather going.”
“Thank you for being so candid with me. I have one last question. There are rumors that Royal killed certain members in order to make room for new people who could replenish the money he bled from the Mystical Feather Trust. Do either of you know anyone who disappeared?”
June looked at the table and sighed. “Well, of course there was Natasha’s mysterious death.”
Claytie squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them with his fingers. Then he looked up with fatigue written in the crevices around his mouth. “We heard rumors. The first one we know of was Royal’s twin sister, Eugenie. She disappeared right after their mother’s death.”
“Do you think Royal killed her, too?” I asked.
“I asked, but Natasha’s spirit was never specific,” June said. “At first, everyone thought Eugenie had gone away to grieve for her mother. But she never returned, and nobody knows, to this day, where she went. Between you and me, I’m sure Royal killed her, too, and buried her body somewhere in these mountains.”
After the Tollivers told me their story, I said, “That brings us right back to my original question. Who do you think killed Royal St. Germain?”
Books by Mary Marks
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KNOT OF THIS WORLD
A QUILTING MYSTERY
MARY MARKS
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Table of Contents
MOTIVE FOR MURDER Also by Title Page Copyright Page Dedication ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 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 CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CHAPTER 18 CHAPTER 19 CHAPTER 20 CHAPTER 21 CHAPTER 22 CHAPTER 23 CHAPTER 24 CHAPTER 25 CHAPTER 26 CHAPTER 27 CHAPTER 28 CHAPTER 29 CHAPTER 30 CHAPTER 31 CHAPTER 32 CHAPTER 33 Teaser chapter
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Copyright © 2020 by Mary Marks
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I can’t believe this is my eighth book. None of them would’ve seen the light of day without my writing group and their valuable feedback—Jerrilyn Farmer, Cyndra Gernet, and Roger Cannon. I couldn’t write a decent story without them. Thanks also to my reader Nancy Jane Isenhart Holmes for her comments and ideas.
I did a lot of research for this book. The best experience came from an interview with Captain Eric Buschow, Public Information Officer for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Captain Buschow was very generous with his time. By the end of our conversation I knew a lot more about police procedure.
And what would I do without John Scognamiglio, Editor in Chief at Kensington Books? He always gives positive feedback and support. Also, Lou Mal-cangi is the super cool artist at Kensington