"Q" is for Quarry

Table of Contents

 

 

Back in 1969, a lot of young people were hitting the road and disappearing. More than one of them wound up dead—including the girl in daisy-patterned pants who was found in a quarry off Highway 1 in Lompoc, the victim of multiple stab wounds. Eighteen years later, she’s still a Jane Doe—and the cops who found her are still haunted by the case. Anxious to solve it, but no longer in their prime, they turn to Kinsey Millhone for help. If nothing else, they’d just like to identify the body. But this ice-cold case heats up more quickly than they expect. And for Kinsey, it will lead to a lot of dangerous discoveries—including some about her own past . . .

“D is for Dependable. Sue Grafton returns with
Q is for Quarry
, the seventeenth spoonful—and one of the tastiest—of her mystery alphabet soup . . . Based on an actual, unsolved murder . . . [the book’s] foundation in fact is apparrent throughout and provides a grounding in procedural detail . . . that is convincing . . . cunning . . . one of the most satisfying stories to come from the ever-dependable Grafton in years.”
—The Washington Post Book World

“Q is for quite a good read. Sue Grafton’s alphabet thrillers just keep getting better . . .
Q
is quintessential Grafton. It is so well written that many readers might consider it her best . . . Fans will love
Q
because there’s a strong focus on Kinsey’s past . . . tasty tidbits for those of us who know that Kinsey is still trying to come to terms with her parents’ deaths . . . One of Grafton’s most admirable traits as a writer is her respect for the victims of a crime as well as the people who solve them. Solid methodology and a straightforward writing style are the groundwork for Grafton’s two decades of success.
Q
is so neatly and superbly unraveled, it’s sure to inspire many a fan to return to
A is for Alibi
and begin the series again.”
—USA Today

“Well written . . . wonderfully realized . . . Kinsey plumbs the closeness and isolation of these tiny desert towns . . . This faint poignancy is intensified once the reader learns that Grafton has built her book on an actual unsolved case, extrapolating a fictional solution from available evidence. Her final bare account of this young girl who remains unidentified provides its own haunting epilogue.”

“Involving . . . It’s narrated by Kinsey with her usual wry humor and eye for telling detail.”
—The Orlando Sentinel

“Sue Grafton still spins a wicked mystery.”
—Marie Claire

“Another class act from Grafton . . . Should a contest be held to name the credible private eye in mystery fiction, Kinsey Millhone would certainly rank at or near the top. The central figure in Sue Grafton’s long-running series conveys a verismilitude, in both her professional and private lives, that makes most of her competitors seem like cartoons. Believability is once again the cornerstone of Grafton’s latest and most ambitious novel, fiction founded on fact . . . an intriguing story, convincing in detail and satisfying in development. Still, what lifts this above the crowd is the character of her protagonist Kinsey Millhone, who rings true both as a detective and as a woman.”

“
Q is for Quarry
is a different approach for Grafton, who now has the name and the clout to try some real-life crime-solving . . . This book was inspired by real unsolved homicide in 1969 . . . and readers are encouraged to come forward with any information . . . one of Grafton’s best.”

Q is for Quarry
was inspired by a real case in which the body of a young woman was found in Santa Barbara County, California, in 1969. The victim remains unidentified; however, with such advancements as forensic reconstruction, it is still possible that someone may recognize this Jane Doe, and that the case might even be solved. A reconstruction of the victim’s face, created by Betty Gatliff, an internationally recognized forensic artist who is a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, appears on the final page of
Q is for Quarry
. It is the hope of the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department and Sue Grafton that, even after all this time, a reader or two may recognize Jane Doe and come forward with her identity.

Kinsey Millhone Mysteries
A is for Alibi
B is for Burglar
C is for Corpse
D is for Deadbeat
E is for Evidence
F is for Fugitive
G is for Gumshoe
H is for Homicide
I is for Innocent
J is for Judgment
K is for Killer
L is for Lawless
M is for Malice
N is for Noose
O is for Outlaw
P is for Peril
Q is for Quarry

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

While inspired by a real case, this is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product
of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business
establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Q IS FOR QUARRY

A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with
the author

Copyright © 2002 by Sue Grafton.

All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet
or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal
and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic
editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of
copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
For information address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

eISBN : 978-1-4406-2019-5

BERKLEY®
Berkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY and the “B” design
are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO

Bill Turner and Deborah Linden

Bob and Nancy Failing
and
Susan and Gary Gulbransen.

Thank you for making this one possible.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author wishes to acknowledge the invaluable assistance of the following people: Steven Humphrey; Dr. Robert Failing; Retired Sergeant Detective Bill Turner and Retired Chief Deputy Bruce Correll, Criminal Investigations Division; Sergeant Bob Spinner, Forensics Science Unit, and Diana Stetson, Jail Administration and Custody Operations, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department; retired Coroner’s Investigator Larry Gillespie, Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Office; Betty Pat Gatliff, Forensic Sculptor; John Mackall, Attorney-at-Law; Lucy Thomas and Nadine Greenup, Reeves Medical Library, and Anna Bissell, R.N., O.C.N., Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital; Martin Walker, M.D.; Robert Sorg, Bob’s Canvas Shop; Chuck Nation, Nation’s Auto Upholstery; Linda Perkins, DeBrovy’s Custom Canvas; Richard Madison; Anita Donohue, Julian Ranch; Lamar and Cheri Gable; Jay Schmidt; Maggie Harding; and Joe B. Jones.

Special thanks, also, to Joe Mandel, Gregory Spears, and Chris Kovach for the use of their names.

It was Wednesday, the second week in April, and Santa Teresa was making a wanton display of herself. The lush green of winter, with its surfeit of magenta and salmon bougainvillea, had erupted anew in a splashy show of crocuses, hyacinths, and flowering plum trees. The skies were a mild blue, the air balmy and fragrant. Violets dotted the grass. I was tired of spending my days closeted in the hall of records, searching out grant deeds and tax liens for clients who were, doubtless, happily pursuing tennis, golf, and other idle amusements.

I suppose I was suffering from a mutant, possibly incurable form of spring fever, which consisted of feeling bored, restless, and disconnected from humanity at large. My name is Kinsey Millhone. I’m a private detective in Santa Teresa, California, ninety-five miles north of Los Angeles. I’d be turning thirty-seven on May 5, which was coming up in four weeks, an event that was probably contributing to my general malaise. I lead a stripped-down existence untroubled by bairn, pets, or living household plants.

On February 15, two months before, I’d moved into new offices,having separated myself from my association with the law firm of Kingman and Ives. Lonnie Kingman had purchased a building on lower State Street, and though he’d offered to take me with him, I felt it was time to be out on my own.