Stardust in Gretna’s Eyes
Author
CJ Carr
Author Bio
CJ Carr is the author of the young adult series, BARCIE LUCAS MYSTERIES, about a teenage super sleuth who stays a step ahead of police investigations.
Seemingly born with gypsy blood, CJ took her first breath in England and by the time she was nine years old, she’d lived in and/or visited numerous places in Europe before moving to the U.S.
She has four grown children, one grandchild, one lovebird and a husband, all of whom she adores. CJ, her husband and Tweetie have given up the confines of a ‘normal’ house (i.e. one that’s permanently attached to the ground!) to explore the United States in a motor home.
CJ writes faithfully, six days a week, between breakfast and lunch. Never lacking ideas, she has several more young adult series percolating in her mind, so keep in touch.
Description
Meet Stony Meadow’s teenage super sleuth on her first case, STARDUST IN GRETNA’S EYES, Case #1 in The Barcie Lucas Mysteries!
When a neighbor dies of an apparent heart attack in a sleepy town in southern Colorado, little does sixteen-year-old Barcie Lucas suspect that she and her two best friends will soon be investigating a possible murder!
Comedy overlaps drama as Barcie’s nutty aunt, a dear friend of the deceased, points to the strange sparkle in the victim’s eyes as proof of wrongdoing. The trail leads Barcie to an ancient manuscript buried for years underground by her gypsy ancestors, and now belonging to Barcie’s wealthy family. In its pages, Barcie discovers spells that hint at a possible reason for the strange glitter in the dead woman’s eyes, and the murderous consequences that might include Barcie’s own family. And what will Barcie do when asked to take over the scepter of wisdom and The Book of Secrets, passed down through generations to her maternal grandmother and rejected by her own mother, Stony Meadow’s eccentric meteorologist?
Drawn into the gray shades of the paranormal, Barcie searches for clues that take her from a cold morgue, through a funeral parlor and into the dangerous world of a possible serial killer, while time ticks away and the perp, if one exists, is a step closer to remaining a free man. Or is the supposed criminal a woman? And what will our clever detective do if her suspicions point to a beloved family member?
Follow Barcie as she slips behind the scenes to sift quickly through hunches and profiles, racing to discover the truth–is this a death from natural causes, as the police and medical examiner believe, or is it a homicide?
Book excerpt
Dr. Avery says to all of us, “We like to prepare friends and family for what to expect,” and directly to Aunt Clara, he says, “Your loved one’s face will be pale, perhaps slightly blue. I haven’t examined her yet, so I’m not certain.”
My aunt’s voice is timid when she asks, “Will you be doing a… will you be cutting into…”
“Will we be doing an autopsy? No, not in a case like this. From the EMS report, the cause of death is obvious. She died of a heart attack.”
“Oh!” Clara whimpers. “I don’t understand. She never complained of a heart condition.”
“As you might know, Ms. Beal was my patient, but because of privacy issues, I can’t reveal anything she and I discussed, but people often don’t accept a condition if they feel no symptoms. Did you notice any shortness of breath in your friend, any complaint of chest tightness or pain?”
“No. Except, she did have problems walking up steps. She had hip surgery last year. If she’d kept her wheelchair, we could have wheeled her up the ramp at the Garden Club. She so loved her roses… ”
Aunt Clara chokes back a sob and says, “She insisted on walking up the steps. Three steps… Poor Gretna, poor, poor Gretna…”
Her voice trails away while Dr. Avery politely listens to his first introduction to my aunt’s ramblings.
By this time, we’re past the gurney and the steel door. Dr. Avery stops at an ordinary wooden door. He glances at each of us, probably checking our readiness before he holds open the door and steps aside, allowing us to file into a room softly lit with globe lamps. Its tile floor looks polished, its pale blue walls trimmed in white. There’s a sofa, a side table with more Kleenex and another water dispenser. Everything is very clean, very serene. Soothing music plays quietly in the background.
My gaze freezes on a narrow, wheeled table sitting in the center of the room. A light blue sheet drapes what is obviously a body.
I can’t look away, even when my aunt pushes in front of me to be nearest the table’s head. I stand close to Nana, our shoulders touching. I feel her hand searching for mine and we clasp our fingers together. Hers are warm and dry now. Mine are cold and damp.
I notice all these things as if with sharpened senses. I know they’re going into my brain’s permanent files where time deletes nothing.
Dr. Avery lifts the sheet just enough to reveal the face. I feel his eyes on us, watching for stress.
The eyes in the plump face are closed. She looks peaceful as if she’s sleeping. I don’t recognize her features. I’m certain I’ve never seen her before, or maybe, I just never noticed her. Her lids look bruised, very dark in comparison to the pasty skin.
“I want to see her eyes!” Clara suddenly cries.
Author Website
http://cjcarrcjcarr.wordpress.com/
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Stardust in Gretna’s Eyes
