Read The Murders at Astaire Castle (A Mac Faraday Mystery) for Free Online Page A

Gnarly to bring the ball to him for a round of fetch.
    Mac searched David’s face for a sign of emotion, in particular remorse over the possible demise of his relationship with the former U.S. Marshal. “How are you doing?”
    David threw the ball across the yard to send it over the flower bed and roll down toward the lake. Gnarly gave chase. “Fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
    “Well … I kind of thought you cared about Randi.”
    “I do care about her,” David said. “I’m also realistic about getting involved with women like her, and Katrina and Yvonne, and all the rest of them—women passing through Spencer on their way to the next chapter in their lives. I cared about every one of them. Maybe even loved some of them—but I’ve learned that the likelihood of any of them giving up their dreams of seeing the world to be a small town police chief’s wife is nil.” With a shrug, he tossed the ball that Gnarly was pawing at him to throw. “So I just suck it up when they say it’s been fun and I hope we can still be friends. No hard feelings? Sure, no hard feelings.”
    Mac took the ball when Gnarly brought it back to him. “That’s no way to have a love life.” He tossed it to David.
    “Of course, you’d say that.” David caught the ball. “You’ve got the perfect woman.”
    Mac laughed. “Don’t tell her that. It’ll go to her head.”
    “I wouldn’t dream of it,” David said. “I can’t expect Randi to put her romantic life on hold in hopes of the unlikely possibility that she’ll be assigned back here.” He threw the ball back to Mac. Before Mac could catch it, Gnarly intercepted the ball and ran off into the bushes with it.
    “I’m going in to get some sleep,” David said. “What are you and Archie doing today?”
    He was turning around to take the stone walkway around to the rose garden when Mac answered, “Hector’s taking us up to Astaire Castle.”
    David stood up straight. His shoulders tensed. He turned back around to Mac. The only time Mac had seen that expression on his face was when the police chief was directing it at suspects whose cocky demeanor had pushed him over the edge. “Tell me that’s a joke.”
    With his ball clamped in his jaws, Gnarly jumped up onto the porch and scurried under a chaise.
    “No,” Mac replied, “Hector should be here any minute. Archie’s inside getting ready.”
    “You’re taking her with you?” David stepped in so close that Mac could feel the heat of his breath on his face. “Listen, if you want to do something stupid, do it alone. Don’t be dragging Archie in on it with you.”
    Mac stood up tall to push David back with his own forceful demeanor. “I’m not dragging anyone. Archie wants to go. Turns out Robin never told her about the castle either. We want to see it. Forgive us for being curious. It isn’t every man who owns a castle. If it was—”
    “Did it ever occur to you that no one told you about the castle for a reason?” David’s face screwed up with emotion. “This is all a game to you! A joke! Well, it’s not some scare each other and scream and laugh later type of fun house. Real people, nice people, people with hopes and dreams for the future have disappeared up there. Damian Wagner lost his mind and killed two innocent people—and then he disappeared. Robin had the good sense, and was responsible enough, to order that the castle be shut down—the doors locked and allow no one else near it again. She wouldn’t even sell it—and she had lots of offers, but she knew that as long as she owned it, she could protect anyone else from getting hurt.”
    Mac was gazing at David’s face. He tried to recall any other time that he had seen such earnestness in his face. Riley Adams was at the party—David’s party. Of course, he would feel responsible for his friend’s disappearance. Not to mention Genevieve—Damian’s daughter. How close was he to her?
    “I’m ready to go!” Archie trotted down the porch steps