COLLATERAL CASUALTIES (The Kate Huntington mystery series) (38 page)
Read COLLATERAL CASUALTIES (The Kate Huntington mystery series) Online
Authors: Kassandra Lamb
The Coast Guard captain helped his passengers down a set of steps onto the pier.
Rob swallowed Kate up in a bear hug. “Let’s never do this again,” he whispered in her ear. He snagged Rose, who was sporting a blanket shawl, as she tried to maneuver past them. She only gave token resistance when Rob dragged her into a three-way hug. Skip stepped up behind the two women and wrapped long arms around them.
Judith and Dolph were the last to disembark.
Dolph held out his arms. The blanket slid from his damp shoulders.
Sue ignored the open arms and grabbed him by a cold ear instead. “Retired, huh?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Kate was incredibly nervous. Outgoing person that she was, she did not normally get nervous just because she was meeting someone new. But then again this wasn’t just any someone she was about to meet.
She rubbed a sweaty palm on her skirt. Skip reached over and took her hand.
Kate said a silent prayer for the souls of Miller, Janice, Jamal and Senator Robinson. She added Juan Garcia to the list. Her eyes filled.
She blinked hard, then once again rehearsed in her head the words she’d prepared. She hoped she wouldn’t get tongue-tied.
Rob was sitting on her other side in the small waiting room. Liz was beside him. The Randolphs, with Mac and Rose, were across the room. Rob circled his arm around Kate’s shoulders. “Deep breath. You’ll do fine,” he whispered. Skip squeezed her hand just as the door opened.
“Come this way, please,” the woman standing in the doorway said.
They filed after her, down a short hallway and through a room containing several desks. Trying not to gawk, they entered the Oval Office.
The President stood behind his desk, smiling, as they trooped in. The woman nudged them into a line, then left the room.
The President went down the line, listening carefully as a thirty-something aide gave a quick and not always completely accurate summary of each person’s role in foiling the plot to undermine the United States’ relationship with an ally and assassinate that ally’s leader. The President shook each person’s hand and expressed his gratitude. His words were tailored to each of them.
When he got to Skip, the President said, “Your bravery is remarkable, Mr. Canfield. I don’t know that I could have rushed a woman holding a gun, even if I was wearing a bullet-proof vest.”
“Mr. President, there is no bravery greater than yours,” Skip replied. “Only the very brave or the very crazy are willing to be President of the United States.”
The President threw back his head and laughed. “If those are my only two choices, Mr. Canfield, then I accept your compliment.”
The President stepped to his left and his aide began his spiel. Kate looked up into the face of the leader of her country. She reached out her hand and he took it.
Interrupting the aide, Kate said, “Mr. President, there is someone else who deserves to be honored as much as we do. His name was Miller Dawson and he served his country in so many ways. He was an operative for the CIA, a soldier in Desert Storm and an employee of the National Security Agency. The coroner’s report says that he suffered a heart attack that precipitated a fatal fall, but he was killed because he recognized Ambassador Garcia at a cocktail party.”
Kate swallowed hard. “He left a widow, and two children who deserve to know that their father was a hero. Mr. President, I ask that you please give Miller Dawson a Purple Heart posthumously.”
The aide cleared his throat, then whispered in his boss’s ear. With a nod, the President returned his attention to Kate. “I’m not sure that he would be eligible for a Purple Heart.”
Kate’s heart sunk.
The President enveloped her hand in both of his. “Would the Presidential Medal of Freedom do instead?”
~~~~~~~
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misterio press
, we take pride in producing top quality books for our readers. All manuscripts are proofread several times, but proofreaders are human. If you discover any errors in this book, please e-mail me at
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. Thank you!
Author’s Notes
Just a few quick comments and expressions of gratitude, and then I will share with you a peek at the next Kate Huntington mystery.
As Kate points out to Miller, the therapist is not responsible for the client’s success in therapy, the client is. Most of my clients worked extremely hard in therapy to put to rest the traumatic events that were holding them back in life, and most achieved most or all of their goals. But a smaller group did more than just put the past behind them. They totally transformed themselves and their lives. The fictional character, Miller Dawson, is meant to exemplify and honor those clients.
I always saw my role as that of tour guide on a very critical and difficult journey. I walked the path with my clients–mostly beside them, sometimes a little ahead, leading them–and always trying very hard to point out the road signs (options), roadblocks and potholes. I felt then and still feel today that it was a great privilege to be a part of their healing process.
If only we could put a country into therapy. Poor Colombia has been torn by violence and unrest for decades. I tried very hard to research the history and politics of the country and portray them accurately. Hopefully any errors are minimal. There is now, theoretically, peace between the left-wing rebels, right-wing paramilitary groups and the government. The current regime is trying to maintain that peace and make some efforts to help the poor, but bribery, corruption, unemployment and poverty are still rampant.
Despite that dismal backdrop, the Colombian people are known for their open and friendly nature, which speaks to the resiliency of the human spirit. I personally know two immigrants from Colombia and they are delightful individuals.
On a lighter note, I want to thank the many wonderful people who helped me make this book happen. I will be eternally grateful to my good friend and primary beta reader, Angi, who handed it back saying, “It’s got the potential to be the best one yet, but it needs a lot of work;” to my other betas, Gina, Sue and Ralph, who helped me make it better and better, and then better still; to
misterio press
author, Catie Rhodes, for her thorough and incredibly valuable critique and to my editor, Marcy Kennedy, both of whom not only helped me put a final polish on this book but helped me become a better writer; and last but not least, to
misterio press
author, K.B. Owen, who did the final read-through and proofread to make sure my revisions made sense.
Also a big thank you to all the wonderful people who support me in my writing endeavors, especially the members of my Facebook writers’ group, WANA1011, and my fellow authors at
misterio press
. A special thanks to my friend and partner at
misterio
, Shannon Esposito, who has talked me off the ledge more than once during this writing journey. And I’d better not forget my long-suffering husband who proofreads my manuscripts and puts up with my writerly ways (such as staying up until 3 a.m.) Kisses and hugs, sweetie!
And now without further ado, a preview of Book 6,
ZERO HERO
–– >
Preview of ZERO HERO, A Kate Huntington Mystery (Book 6):
First responder Peter Jamieson saved many lives on 9/11, including several children. For the next ten years, the reserved firefighter pursued the only career he had ever wanted.
Then on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the media replays the videos again and again–the smoke against the blue sky, the towers coming down, the aftermath at Ground Zero... and Pete starts having nightmares and flashbacks. His world quickly spirals out of control as he turns to drugs and alcohol in an attempt to block the images and feelings. He hits bottom when he is suspended from the job he loves.
Seventeen months later, Pete is slowly recovering the life he once had when the insurance companies cut him off.
Psychotherapist Kate Huntington is afraid that her lawyer friend, Rob Franklin, has lost his professional objectivity with regard to Pete’s case. Are the
pro bono
client’s symptoms stirring up Rob’s memories of his own past struggles with PTSD? When she meets Pete, she soon finds herself sucked in as well. How can they not do everything possible to help this man who risked his life to save others?
Pete’s circumstances go from bad to worse when he is accused of murdering his best friend and former drug dealer. As Kate and her private detective husband try to clear him, they find themselves caught up in a lot more than they bargained for–drug dealers, pimps, and the Mafia. Can they save Pete from the system, and himself? And keep themselves and their friends alive in the process?
About the Author –– >
About the Author
Kassandra Lamb was a psychotherapist for over two decades, specializing in trauma recovery. She has also taught psychopathology at Towson University and at other colleges. Now retired, she devotes the majority of her time to her other greatest passion besides psychology... writing. There are two portals to the fictional world of Kate and friends (i.e. computers), one at her summer cottage in Maryland and the other at her home in Florida, where she lives with her husband and her dog, Amelia.
She has completed five books in the Kate Huntington series and one Kate on Vacation novella. She is currently working on book six in the series and a second novella.
You can read and see more about Kassandra and the Kate Huntington series (including photo galleries) at
www.kassandralamb.com
. Please sign up for the newsletter to get updates regarding future releases and other interesting tidbits about the series.
Kassandra blogs at
www.misteriopress.com
about psychology, relationships, and a variety of other topics. Please check it out.
She also hangs out on
Facebook
and her Twitter handle is @KassandraLamb, or you can contact her at
[email protected]
.
Please check out these other great
misterio press
series:
Karma’s A Bitch: The Pet Psychic series
by Shannon Esposito
Multiple Motives: The Kate Huntington series
by Kassandra Lamb
Maui Widow Waltz: The Islands of Aloha series
by JoAnn Bassett
The Metaphysical Detective: The Riga Hayworth series
by Kirsten Weiss
Dangerous and Unseemly: The Concordia Wells series
by K.B. Owen
Forever Road: The Peri Jean Mace series
by Catie Rhodes
Tin God: The Delta Crossroads series
by Stacy Green
plus even more great mysteries/thrillers in the
misterio press
bookstore
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