Aaron Paul Lazar [Lazar - Double FortГ©

After four lonely years, music professor Gus LeGarde is stillreeling from the death of his wife Elsbeth. To deal with the loss, he plays endlessChopin etudes on his piano and lavishes love on his grandson and dog, butnothing lessens the pain.

Life spirals out of control when Gus heads for thesnow-covered hills on an early morning skiing excursion to find a mute childshackled to a bedpost in a cabin. Gus rescues the child but the kidnapper, Baxter,escapes into the woods to stew in hot revenge.

Unexpectedly thrown together withCamille, a social worker who takes the child into her own home, Gus falls hard.The first woman whos stirred his soul since his Elsbeth, Camille is politeenough toward him -- but her own dark secrets have her pulling away despite themutual attraction.

When Guss little grandson goes missing, he fears the worse.Does Baxter have the little boy? Does he want to trade for the mute child? Gusbraces for the fight of his life, struggling to protect Camille and his familybefore time runs out.

Double Fort

A Gus LeGarde Mystery

Book 1

Aaron Paul Lazar

This is a work of fiction. All concepts, characters and events portrayed in this book are used fictitiously and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.

Copyright 2012 by Aaron Paul Lazar. Previous edition published by Publish America, Maryland 2004. Revised and expanded edition published by Twilight Times Books, February 2012.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, without the permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

Revised Edition, October 2015

Cover art by Kellie Dennis, Bookcoverbydesign.uk.co.

Published in the United States of America.

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Devils Lake

Bittersweet Hollow, book 1

Two years ago, Portia Lamont disappeared from a small town in Vermont, devastating her parents and sister, who spent every waking hour searching for her. When she suddenly shows up on their horse farm in a stolen truck with a little mutt on her lap, they want to know what happened. Was she taken? Or did she run away?

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Fictional series by Aaron Paul Lazar:

LEGARDE MYSTERIES (country mysteries set in the Finger Lakes)

GREEN MARBLE MYSTERIES (mysteries with time travel and a ghost)

TALL PINES MYSTERIES (sensual womens mysteries set in the Adirondacks)

PAINES CREEK BEACH SERIES (love stories by the sea)

BITTERSWEET HOLLOW SERIES (romantic suspense involving kidnapping)

Dedication

To my sweet wife, Dale, who has displayed tremendous courage in the face of adversity and who continues to fill my soul with longing and laughter.

To my three beautiful daughters, in order of their birth: Jennifer, who is a most devoted mother, and whose sense of playfulness sparkles and is reflected in the big eyes of her adorable children. Melanie, whose lyrical, powerful voice induces chills of delight, and who is a great mother to Luke. Allison, whose artistic talent and spiritual depth fill my heart with pride, and who is a wonderful mother to her two boys.

And to my six grandchildren: Julian and Gordon, who have always been my little buddies, my two precious grandsons who have enriched our lives beyond imagination. And dear little Bella, my little princess. My heart sings when I see you, little one! And to Christopher, the funniest and sweetest little guy on the planet. And to the youngest two of my six grandbabies: Luke, who I see too rarely (since he lives with his mother in Boston) but oh how I love his sunny disposition and big blue eyes; and to Joey, the beautiful boy who lives with us with big brother Chris. His calm and easy-going ways have been a blessing in our lives, and he is also quite the character who keeps us laughing all the time.

To Bobbi, who passed last year, for her constant and unwavering support, for the many dishes of tomato scallop and apple pie, and whose sense of family history has been inspirational. We miss you and love you.

To Max, for being the best mutt on Earth and for providing a terrific dog model. Although you are now gone, my wonderful canine friend, you will always live on in our hearts.

To my beloved parents, the best parents in the world, who taught me to appreciate fine music, art, literature, gardening, country life, bountiful family meals, and a good mystery. I lost them in 1997 and 2015, but look forward to our eventual reunion some day.

Finally, to my four beloved grandparents who have found their way into the series in one way or another. ( 'Til we meet again )

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Cast of Characters

Primary Characters

Gus LeGarde: Music Professor at Conaroga University. (Father to Freddie, grandfather to Johnny.) Gus mourns the loss of his first wife, Elsbeth and plays endless Chopin etudes to soothe his soul.

Siegfried Marggrander: A giant of a man, deprived of his enormous mental ability early in life by an accident. He survived as a genial, fearless and loyal companion to Gus.

Elsbeth (Marggrander) LeGarde: Siegfrieds twin sister who died four years before the events of this story, but survives as an unforgettable memory in Guss mind. Elsbeth was Guss first wife.

Camille Cot: Social worker/teen therapist and troubled victim of a brutal ex-husband.

Maddy Cot: Camilles flamboyant mother and Guss secretary in the Music Department at Conaroga University.

Freddie (LeGarde) Delano: Guss adult daughter who runs a veterinary clinic in town. Married to Harold Delano and mother of Johnny, a precocious two-year old.

Harold Delano: lawyer, husband to Freddie.

Johnny Delano: Freddie and Harolds son; Guss grandson. Two-year-old and one of Guss best pals.

Adelaide Pierce: Housekeeper of the LeGarde household.

Joe Russell: Lieutenant of the local police.

Adam Knapp: Joe Russells partner.

The Stones: Oscar and Millie took the bereaved Gus under their wings as he suffered one loss after another. They are his adopted parents and long-time family friends.

The Animals (and owners)

Max (Gus): Half husky/half wire-haired dachshund.

Sheba (Siegfried): Golden retriever rescued from hunters trap.

Boris (Camille): A longhaired mini-Dachshund.

Tristan (Gus): A Himalayan cat with the instincts of a thief.

Diablo (Gus): A Morgan gelding with visions of a steeple-chasing career.

Maggie (Gus): A dainty Morgan mare.