Spurred Ambition
by Twist Phelan
Summary
Attorney Hannah Dain heads for the cliffs of Pinnacle Peak, Arizona to rock climb, where she winds up in the middle of a violent anti-Indian protest. She escapes, but makes an enemy. This is the least of her worries as a recent family revelation sends her on a hunt for a missing person. Attraction to a co-worker jeopardizes Hannah’s romantic relationship and enmeshes her in a kidnapping tied to a securities fraud. Murder ups the ante, compelling Hannah to unravel the scheme and the mystery of her past.
Excerpt
Hannah Dain parked her Subaru behind a stand of sun-faded palo verde. She didn’t know much about breaking and entering, but figured that hiding the getaway car was probably a good idea.
Dressed in black athletic tights and long-sleeved top, she reached into the rear seat for her rock-climbing shoes. The rubber soles would be quiet and provide good traction if she had to make a run for it. Slipping on her backpack and largest pair of sunglasses, Hannah checked out her reflection in the car’s side mirror.
All I need is a balaclava to complete the burglar look, she thought. But a woolen hood would attract too much attention, especially in the middle of a hot Arizona afternoon.
Head down, she zigzagged through the chaparral toward the lone building. Two single-story wings stretched out from a high central section, stucco walls bright white against the sharp blue sky. The windows were covered with iron grilles that Hannah suspected were more functional than decorative. A pergola draped with vines led past well-groomed lawns to tennis courts and a lap pool.
Once in the parking lot, Hannah continued to work her way forward, using the cars as cover. Thirty feet from the building’s main entrance, she crouched in the shade of an oversized SUV to survey the scene.
She had timed her visit for the afternoon, when the “guests”—Hannah thought the term ridiculous—were confined to their rooms and the staff spent more time in their offices. So far, the only person in sight was the security guard standing next to the front door.
White and in his mid-thirties, the guard wore mirrored sunglasses and a duty belt heavy with billy club, mace, and gun. He remained nearly as stationary as the building itself for the twenty minutes Hannah watched him.
Maybe he’ll go to the bathroom soon, she thought. She toyed with the idea of plying him with a Coke from the gas station down the road.
Walking past the guard was Hannah’s only option. There were alternative means of entry—climbing in through an air-conditioning vent, prying open a window, picking a lock on a side door. But they all required equipment and skills that Hannah didn’t have. She wondered if the penalty was less severe for entering sans breaking.
On the street side of the parking lot, Hannah heard an engine rumble, then downshift. She squatted lower behind the SUV as a truck displaying a nursery company’s logo rolled up to the building’s main entrance. The driver’s side window was down, and Hannah heard the blare of mariachi music.
Two Hispanic men wearing dark green shirts and matching baseball hats got out of the cab, slid open the door in the back, and started unloading plants. Hannah didn’t know what kind they were, but it didn’t matter. They were tall and leafy and just the thing to get her into the lobby past the security guard.
Author's Biography
Twist Phelan is a world traveler and endurance athlete. Success as a plaintiff’s trial attorney suing corporate scoundrels enabled her to retire in her thirties. Author of the legal/sports-themed Pinnacle Peak mystery series, Twist also writes short stories set in the financial world.