A Murder Without Motive – Colette Clark

She allowed her eyes to wander his office. “It seems you now have rent to cover.” “I’ve made my way in this town. A few cases with very nice paydays have come my way. Apparently, I’m the go-to man for Hollywood indiscretions of every ilk. I suppose I have you to thank for that. As you implied, studios do have the deep pockets these days. And this case is high profile enough that it should put another tidy little feather in my cap. Now do you feel better about my meager pay?”

She offered a begrudging smile. “I suppose I’m in no position to look a gift horse in the mouth, am I? You’re good at what you do and I need all the help I can get.” “So you really think Miss Vance is trying to frame you for this?” She nodded. “Okay, then tell me everything that happened this weekend, in detail. Include conversations you had, reactions, moods, everything.” Lisette related the entire weekend as she had for Herbie earlier, giving far more detail.

Even when she paused to ask if she was telling him more than he needed to know, he simply shook his head and encouraged her to continue. When she got to the part where Troy was pawing at her face, she was pleased to note a sudden hardness come to Byron’s expression. By the end, Byron seemed convinced she had reason to be concerned.

“I think if we can find out the real reason why Verity wanted Troy dead —all the better if it was planned—then all this nonsense about accidents, or worse, framing me, will be harder to swallow. The only obstacle seems to be that, if Betts and Patti are any indication, then no one will be willing to talk, not if Franklin already got to them.

At this point, I think even Leroy might just forget we had an entire conversation on the upper deck while the murder was taking place.” “Not to worry, Lisette, finding secrets is my specialty.” Byron offered a grin. It disappeared as he became serious again. “Now then, who do you suspect is the weakest link, one with the greatest armor against Franklin’s meddling, and the least to be swayed by the thirty pieces of silver he may offer?”

“I would say Patricia, but only if she’s somehow separated from the pressure of Bethany’s influence. Cynthia was the one to actually exclaim that Verity had shot Troy. She didn’t seem particularly fond of her even before that.

Lisette Darling doesn’t know why she’s been invited to Franklin Winthorpe’s yacht for the birthday celebration of his latest love interest, Verity Vance. But with a guest list that includes a nice slice of Hollywood royalty, she’s happy to hop aboard for a weekend trip along the Pacific Coast. At least until a shot rings out, and one of the guests is murdered.

Verity is the one holding the smoking gun and doesn’t deny shooting it. The only question is…why? Lisette is perfectly fine leaving it to the police to figure out the motive. That is until Franklin begins using his influence to suggest those on board didn’t see what they think they saw, and the actual shooter may have been Verity’s doppelgänger…Lisette Darling.

A Murder Without Motive is the third book in the Lisette Darling Golden Age Mysteries series set in 1930s Hollywood. Take a trip along the Pacific Coast aboard a yacht in this twisty, cozy mystery amid the glitz and glamour reminiscent of classic films. 1kitap1.com/en CHAPTER ONE THE LOS ANGELES POST Murder or Tragic Accident on Winthorpe Yacht? Hedley Harper July 17, 1935 In Hollywood, fiction is occasionally used to wildly embellish the truth. This is sadly the case with the rumors regarding the death of a certain individual aboard a certain yacht this past weekend.

Yes, there was a tragic death. However, the stories surrounding the unfortunate event have ranged from inaccurate to outright delusional, considering the outlandish leaps made and liberties taken with regard to the facts of the matter. This reporter won’t name names, but a certain scribbler who claims to accurately depict stardom today should learn to be more judicious with both the paintbrush she uses to artfully color the truth in her stories and the source of her paint.

As someone who was aboard the yacht at the time, it behooves me to set the record straight. After all, what better resource for the unvarnished truth than someone with a firsthand account of the events? For the sake of justice, it is my duty to lend a note of honesty and gravitas to the death, which has been garishly bandied about by loose lips in the most tawdry manner.

All when there hasn’t even been a name attached to the supposed victim of murder. Out of concern for the family of the deceased, and by order of the authorities, I too shall refrain from naming the individual who tragically passed this weekend. I can, however, attest to the fact that, from what I witnessed, the death seemed to be a terrible accident, nothing more. Yes, the young and lovely Verity Vance has been taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: b4fc2ec28a2a4f2b
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 1,449,019 bytes (1.382 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 180
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 285.31 minutes
• Total Words: 57,062
• Total Characters: 320,198
• Average Words per Page: 317.01
• Average Characters per Page: 1778.88

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