Chapter1

Homicide Detective BradEvans was enjoying a day off in the, usually quiet, town of Monterey. Fog crept in from the bay as he walked toward the First Theater to see a play where his twin sister, Bea, was making her local acting debut. The spectators heading in the direction of the theater were abuzz with expectation. At that moment they didn’t have a hint how their excitement would soon turn to tragedy.

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“Boo! Hiss!” the crowd went wild as a man in British military uniform strode forward. Brad looked at his niece as she shouted loudly along with the crowd of onlookers. Her eyes glistened with excitement as the roar of people around her rose ever higher. She gripped his hand and squeezed it with enthusiasm.

Looking at his petite, blond, niece, Claire, Brad was amazed to see how far she had come in just a few years. When his twin sister, Bea, first found the soaking wet little girl on a pew at San Carlos Cathedral, she was traumatized by the murder of her mother. She wasn’t able to speak and was small for her young age. Under Bea and Pat’s loving care she had blossomed into a chatty, intelligent pre-teen who was excelling in school and was well liked by the other children and teachers. Next year she would be going into Middle School and he worried how she’d handle all the changes of classes, teachers and friends. After her parents deaths and her emotional struggles with their loss, Middle School might be hard for her to navigate all the new people and experiences. But today, the blonde, blue-eyed girl bore no resemblance to the small child they first found. Her underweight body had filled out and her skin shone with health.

Brad smiled to see her so excited. The historic First Theater in Monterey had just reopened after years of renovations and was producing a melodrama called, “Putnam, The Iron Son of ‘76”. A small theater group was re-enacting the melodrama that was first shown in the theater in 1848. During the opening ceremonies and introduction to the play, a California State Park Interpreter gave a brief history of the building and encouraged the crowd to participate by cheering the heroes and booing the villains. Brad recognized him from when they were both students at Monterey High School.

Brad, his brother-in-law, Pat Oakley, and niece, Claire, had come to cheer on his twin sister, Bea. Before they left home that night, Bea had been extremely nervous about her part as Mrs. Cabbageall, one of the comedic relief roles in the play.

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The night before, Bea had told her family, “I haven’t been in a play since high school. I thought they would give me a part in the crowd or village. I certainly didn’t ex