Triple Cross
by Kit Ehrman
Summary
Steve Cline is working at Churchill Downs for the Derby when a chance encounter triggers a series of events that spiral out of control and plunge Steve into the world of the ultra rich, where greed and revenge and ambition lead to a power play that culminates in a bloody triple cross . . .
Excerpt
A metallic click dragged me from the depths of a dreamless sleep.
I had no memory of falling asleep. Couldn’t, in fact, remember slipping between the sheets. I was lying on my back with an inadequate pillow flattened beneath my head. My skin felt cool, and I realized I’d flung off the bedspread sometime during the night.
Another click. The sound hadn’t come from the air-conditioning unit as I’d first thought, or the thermostat on the wall directly to my left. It sounded like it had come from the other side of my door.
I held my breath and listened. Had I flipped the . . . what had Fortman called it? The fliplock? I couldn’t remember.
Another softer click was followed by a subtle shift in the room’s air pressure and a definite change in the background noise. A yellow shaft of light telescoped across the ceiling, then collapsed back onto itself and disappeared as the door to the hallway opened, then closed.
Someone had stepped into my room. One person, judging from the length of time the door had been open.
I could hear his breathing as I eased my arms from beneath the sheet. The top corner of the bedspread lay curled over like a wave rolling onto a beach. My jeans were buried somewhere beneath it, and the only weapon I owned was tucked inside the front right pocket. I slipped my arm between the folds, and my fingertips brushed cool denim.
The guy at the door hadn’t moved. He’d stepped from a brightly-lit hall into a pitch black room. I pictured the layout as it must have appeared to him. Thanks to the crack under the door, he would have a good bit of light around his shoes, but I doubted it stretched beyond the foyer. I’d drawn the drapes, and the token nightlight incorporated into the hairdryer holder in the bathroom had burned out. The faint green glow from the clock’s digital readout and an occasional flash of red from the smoke detector wouldn’t help him much.
I’d found my jeans’ waistband. I inched the material through my fingers until I felt the snap. Curled my fingers around the knife’s casing. Withdrawing the knife, I struggled to control my breathing. My only chance of getting the upper hand was to convince him that I was asleep.
The sound of a shoe pressing into carpet reached my ears.
I unfolded the blade . . .
Reviews
"Highly recommended for all public libraries." ~Library Journal
"This book's a win straight through to the finish." ~ Mystery Scene Magazine
"Smooth style, intriguing characters, and an inventive plot.” ~ Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
Author's Biography
Award-winning mystery author Kit Ehrman pens the equine-oriented mystery series featuring barn manager and amateur sleuth Steve Cline. The series has received outstanding reviews in The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, The Denver Post, and the Chicago Tribune among others. To learn more, visit http://www.kitehrman.com.