Murder by the Book

About the Book

When Tess Neeley was four years old, she saw her dad keel over and die at his desk. In a dream, she thought. The next day, she begged him not to go to work and was ignored. Her dream came true, just as subsequent dreams did. After her mother recovered from the shock, found that he had left her a wealthy widow, she parked Tess in a convent boarding school and played, subsequently getting married several times. Tess never recovered from losing both her parents; one to death, the other to follow her own selfish interests. Consequently, a part of Tess never developed. She didn’t know what it was to have someone care enough to be there for her during the good times or the bad. Over the years, she hardened her heart against the loneliness. But her visions increased and soon, everyone looked at her strangely. So Tess kept her thoughts to herself. But she knew when a person told a lie; knew whether the person she was talking to had a good heart or not. And there were times when she was overcome with swirling pictures of past events or events yet to come. Such was the case one morning in New York when she saw bold headlines that read that Doctor Spencer Turnbuckle had killed his wife, Pat. Tess didn’t see the killer in her vision. What she did see were the eyes of a madman. And she saw Pat as she lay dying; her last thoughts of her son and husband. Tess had to do something. Doctor Spence, a famous and brilliant, world-renowned heart doctor had been framed for murder. She flies to Houston and confronts the man who has accused and will prosecute the doctor. Tall, good-looking assistant DA, Leo Lakowski, with his trademark Stetson sitting squarely on his head, his feet planted in cowboy boots, ignores her pleas. She has no proof. Every scrap of evidence points to the doctor’s guilt. Daily visits and constant reproach that he is prosecuting the wrong man, both anger and intrigue him. Tess Neeley is nothing if not persistent and Leo finds himself admiring her determination. Day by day Tess sits through the trial as Leo pounds facts at the jury that will bring about a conviction. As a freelance journalist, she does all she can to counter those accusations and uses every skill she possesses to write article after article claiming the doctor’s innocence. It doesn’t work. And she can’t tell anyone how she knows the truth. It’s too out of the ordinary. The jury brings in a guilty verdict. The next day, she runs into Leo, tries again to get him to see that the doctor is not guilty. Leo refuses to listen. When he leaves, Tess encounters a small, elderly, bag lady named Annie Magee who insists they talk. As they sit in a small coffee shop, Tess learns that Annie is a kindred spirit. Annie is convinced of the doctor’s innocence and also has the gift of sight. She warns Tess that she will see the real killer and future events will lead to danger. Then she tells her to look for the parallel. Tess is convinced that Annie is right. Before she can question her further, Annie leaves. Encouraged, Tess intends to find her again and learn more about Annie and what she knows of the killer. Only the next morning Annie is found dead in the tunnels beneath downtown Houston. Leo basks in his newfound celebrity. He has just presided over the biggest jury trial since OJ’s and won. If only he could straighten out his family, life would be good. But nothing is that easy. His mother’s arthritis has made her a cripple. He helps in every way he can. Three months earlier, his only brother and his wife were killed by a drunken driver, leaving their fifteen-year old son, Scooter in his care. And Scooter isn’t adapting well at all. Now the trial that had taken so much of his time is over, Leo vows to spend more time with his nephew and help him deal with the loss of his parents. But Scooter is already heading for serious trouble. He sneaks out the window to meet a couple of friends. While scouting out the tunnels in downtown Houston, they en

About the Author

Mitzi Pool Bridges resides in College Station, Texas with her husband. She would like to hear from her readers and can be reached at mitzipb@verizon.net