A new Vegas mystery
Writer Cathy Ace’s heroine, criminologist and foodie Cait Morgan, visits Vegas in The Corpse with the Platinum Hair (TouchWood Editions, $14.95). The book unfolds in the private dining room of a Strip hotel.
Everyone in the private dining room heaved a sigh of relief when the backup lighting kicked in.
Everyone except Julie Pool, who screamed, “Oh, no … Look! Somebody’s skewered Miss Shirley to her seat with a silver saber.”
“A gun range?” Now it was Bud’s turn to sound puzzled.
Tom smiled. “Yeah, maybe you’ve seen the ads on those trucks that drive up and down the Strip. You can go there and shoot all sorts of cool stuff. It’s a real tourist trap. Popular with stag parties, even couples. Though we haven’t been.” He sounded disappointed.
The Diva’s mask slipped for a moment, and I saw her as an aging woman, frightened of spending the rest of her life unadored and unloved. Her terror of being murdered might have subsided momentarily, but it had been replaced by the vision of a lonely future. I wondered how she would react to Jimmy’s declaration of his feelings for her when she’d had a chance to process what he’d said.
“Stray dogs,” said Carl.
“I want you to marry me, Cait. Now. Here in Vegas. As soon as we’re done with the cops.”