Sharon Pape - To Sketch a Thief

Table of Contents

Fast-paced and spirited, Sharon Papes mystery... introduces police sketch artist Rory McCain and her cranky, ethereal housemate Ezekiel Drummond.

Julie Hyzy, national bestselling author of
Grace Under Pressure and the White House Chef Mysteries

Police sketch artist Rory McCain, moonlighting as an amateur detective, assisted by the ghost of an 1870s federal marshall. Sharon Pape takes this improbable premise and makes it workand how! Rory is memorable, her sidekick intriguing. Exceptionally well-written, a standout mystery. Im looking forward to more.

Susan Witting Albert, national bestselling author of
The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies

The fun in this lighthearted frolic is figuring out who the killer is before the heroine and her poltergeist partner do. Readers will admire and adore the intrepid heroine.

This is the first in a new series, and it looks like its going to be a fun ride.

Sharon Papes debut novel, Sketch Me If You Can (the first in her Portrait of Crime Mysteries), is part mystery, part paranormal and all spine-tingling suspense. This promises to be a great beginning to a dynamic ongoing series that both mystery lovers and paranormal fans will enjoy.

SKETCH ME IF YOU CAN
TO SKETCH A THIEF

Id like to thank:

Michelle Vega, for seeing the forest as well as the trees. I couldnt ask for a finer editorial eye.

Mike Farris, for helping me navigate the publishing world. Im fortunate to have him in my corner.

Dr. Doreen Acuff, for the skilled and gentle care shes given the canine members of our family. If not for her, we would have missed those wonderful last years with our amazing Jesse.

Dr. Alexander Mauskop and Lynda J. Krasenbaum, for giving me back my eyes.

My husband, Dennis, the first to read each chapter, for picking up on inconsistencies and flaws in logic, since logic and I have only a nodding acquaintance.

All the readers who were kind enough to write and let me know how much they enjoyed Sketch Me If You Can, the first book in this series.

And as always, my family and friends for their loving support.

I invite everyone to visit my website at www.sharonpape.com.

Any liberties Ive taken with regard to veterinary care were solely for the purposes of the story.

Ezekiel Drummond, federal marshal for the Arizona Territory, was discovered dead of gunshot wounds to his back yesterday in the house belonging to Winston Samuels. Mr. Samuels has stated that upon returning from a trip into town to purchase feed for his horses, he found his thirteenyear-old daughter lying unconscious in the parlor with a gash to her head and bruises on her arms. The body of Marshal Drummond was lying nearby. Samuels further stated that the room was in disarray, as if there had been a scuffle, and that his hired hand, John Corbin, was missing along with one of his horses. A trail of blood led from the parlor through the kitchen and out to the barn, leading authorities to conjecture that Corbin had been wounded. The only weapon recovered at the scene was a Colt Single Action .45, favored by lawmen in the western part of the country. The Colt, which had not been fired, is believed to have been the property of the marshal.

When the young Miss Samuels regained her senses, she told a chilling tale of being overpowered by Corbin, who was determined to have his way with her. She remembers struggling to break free of his clutches, but claims to have no recollection of the events beyond that point. After a complete and careful examination of the young woman, Dr. Edmond Stuart has pronounced her quite fit, given the horrific nature of her experience. He has additionally stated that a bout of amnesia is not uncommon in a victim of such a tender age and sensibilities.

Upon contacting the office of the territorial governor in Arizona, it was learned that Marshal Drummond had left his post without notice two months earlier. It was believed that he was on the trail of a fugitive by the name of John Trask, who had raped and murdered several young girls, but this could not be corroborated. The authorities in Arizona are convinced that the hired hand, John Corbin, is in fact an alias of the above-mentioned Trask. Should anyone have additional information regarding this case, they are asked to present themselves at the office of the Suffolk County sheriff.

As Marshal Drummond was not known to have any kin, he will be laid to rest at The Burying Ground Cemetery tomorrow morning at eight oclock with all rites and respects due any brave member of the United States Marshals Service.

Ghosts dont make the best business partners. The thought scrolled through Rorys head like the news crawl on CNN. It was an old loop of news that found its way to the forefront of her mind at least once a day. Some days a lot more often. What had cued it up this time was the latest e-mail to pop into her in-box: You fixin to live out there? The note was signed Zeke, as if she might have received similar questions from any number of people.

Ill be in soon, she wrote back, stopping herself before she could add, You need a hobby. The problem was that she was his hobbyshe and the investigative firm shed started that bore both their names. Whenever her patience with him was wearing thin, she reminded herself that Mac believed without reservation that the success of his PI firm had been due in large measure to the experience and canniness of Ezekiel Drummond. And to be fair, she had to admit that the marshal had been helpful, maybe even pivotal, in breaking the double murder case that had launched their strange partnership.

The trouble with Zeke sharing her business life was that he also shared her domestic life in the old Victorian home Mac had left her. She could hardly blame him, since he seemed to be pretty much stuck in that haunting ground. Yet whenever shed suggested he look for the light that might lead him out of his limbo, hed become enraged and would say only that he wasnt going anywhere until he knew for sure whod shot him in the back more than a hundred years earlier. Rory had given up trying to convince him that having such information would be worthless, given that whoever the player or players might have been, they were all long dead themselves. Since Zeke was not without common sense, she was sure that there had to be another, more profound reason why he was hanging around. A reason he hadnt as yet felt inclined to share with her.

She brushed her hair back. It was definitely past due for a cut. The short, low-maintenance style that had framed her face and accentuated her wide hazel eyes was now often concealing those eyes. Somehow since shed opened her own business, there simply werent enough hours in the day to take care of everything.