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    The Mercury Man
    The Mercury Man
    The Mercury Man
    Ebook133 pages2 hours

    The Mercury Man

    By Geoffrey A. Feller

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    About this ebook

    Natalie Dvorak Mysteries #1

    Detective Sergeant Natalie Dvorak has had a lot to prove since joining the Vermont State Police. It's 1982 and not all the boys like to work with a "lady cop". Dvorak's hard work and tough exterior demands the respect of male skeptics both on and off the force. In the remote town of Holbrook, a body turns up with one of the detective's cards in his pocket. The man had been out to prove his brother innocent of murder but is now a victim himself. Sergeant Dvorak must not only investigate the crime, following a trail of clues from a lonely, abandoned farmhouse to a second-rate nursing home, but also tread carefully in a love affair with a married cop. As she nears capture of a dangerous killer, a freak snowstorm adds to the danger Dvorak faces.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGeoffrey A. Feller
    Release dateDec 1, 2012
    ISBN9781301053056
    The Mercury Man
    Author

    Geoffrey A. Feller

    I was born fifty-seven years ago in the Bible belt but grew up in a Massachusetts college town. I am married and my wife and I have moved frequently since we met. We've lived in Minnesota, Massachusetts, and New Mexico, as well as a brief residency in Berlin, Germany. I have worked peripherally in health care, banking, and insurance. In addition to writing, I have done a bit of amateur acting and comedy performances. I am afraid of heights but public speaking doesn't scare me. My wife and I live in Albuquerque with our chihuahua.

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    • 5/5
      Geoffrey Feller has written a wonderful and engaging mystery. This is the first book that I have read from this author. It was a good read; it kept me interested from the first page. I will read more his books.He spins a thrilling mystery. Loved the characters. Lots of players and lots of twist and turns. I was pleased to find a strong female in a male dominated field pulled off so well. Well written.Interesting, well developed characters. A plot that was not predictable,but flowed smoothly towards the climax. . I would recommend it for anyone who loves a great murder mystery.

    Book preview

    The Mercury Man - Geoffrey A. Feller

    THE

    MERCURY MAN

    by Geoffrey A. Feller

    Smashwords Edition

    Copyright 2012 by Geoffrey A. Feller

    CHAPTER ONE

    THURSDAY

    Natalie Dvorak was sitting at the diner counter, a cup of black coffee by her left hand, a plate alongside it with some bread crust and a few bits of potato chips remaining of her club sandwich dinner. She glanced up at the clock above the plating window.

    It was past 8 p.m. and the person she’d spoken to over the phone was late. It had been a prank call, perhaps. Someone out to put her on a wild goose chase, waste her time. It was April Fool’s Day, after all.

    When this coffee’s gone, Natalie thought, then so am I. Least I was hungry when I got here.

    She wondered if there could really be any new evidence in the McDevitt case that might overturn the man’s conviction. In a way Natalie wanted to be confronted with something to challenge her certainty that the right man had been charged and sentenced. She liked to argue in favor of her theories during investigations when her colleagues disagreed with them. But to do so after the trial was over and the verdict returned would be something new for her.

    Natalie heard the door open with a jingle from the little bell on top of it. She glanced over and saw a short and bald man approaching her with a sense of recognition in his face. He was wearing a dark blue raincoat over a gray polo shirt with jeans.

    Detective Dvorak? The man’s voice was somewhat nasal and the same one Natalie had heard over the phone.

    Yes, Natalie replied calmly, rotating the seat to face him.

    My name is Philip McDevitt, David’s brother.

    Why didn’t you say so over the phone?

    I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to come if I identified myself.

    You were wrong, Mr. McDevitt, Natalie replied, standing up from the stool.

    As short as Philip McDevitt was, he still stood over the small and dark-haired Natalie, who might have been the smallest cop in the entire Vermont State Police force. As usual, she showed nothing but self-confidence in front of a citizen. What Natalie lacked in reach, she tried to make up for with sheer strength and a black belt in taekwondo.

    Let’s find us a more secluded table, Natalie said. Would you care for a cup of coffee?

    Uh, yes.

    Mabel, Natalie said, addressing the pudgy, middle-aged waitress. Two coffees, please. You can just top off my cup and bring it over, if you would.

    Natalie led the man to a booth at the far end of the diner. She was slightly suspicious of him. Several members of David McDevitt’s family had gathered in Rutland for the trial but she hadn’t seen this person before. She knew the name Philip McDevitt; it had been on a list of the defendant’s close relatives. Yet Philip was supposed to be living halfway around the world in Australia. If his brother on trial for murder hadn’t brought Philip back to the States, why show up now that the sentence was being served?

    What could this man have discovered from Australia that they’d missed in Vermont? The State’s Attorney would be even more skeptical than Natalie about reopening the case.

    How long have you been back from Australia, Mr. McDevitt? Natalie asked as soon as the coffee had been served.

    I came home a couple weeks ago to help with my folks now that David’s gone away.

    And why didn’t you help them after your sister-in-law’s murder, whether or not you agree with us about who committed the crime?

    I had important work that kept me over there, Detective.

    It must have been quite important, Natalie said blandly, taking a sip of her coffee.

    I… I want you to know something, Philip said after a short moment. I don’t hold David’s conviction against you. I don’t resent you, Detective. You had a job to do and I’m sure that you did it to the best of your ability, based on the evidence the State Police had. Someone tricked you, though. Tricked you and framed my brother.

    Natalie smiled slightly.

    Mr. McDevitt, it’s not that easy to trick us. I know that you want to believe it’s possible that your brother was wrongly convicted but we didn’t charge him lightly. People do try to fake evidence sometimes. We had no indication…

    I know it’s not easy, Philip insisted. Like I said, I trust that the police weren’t railroading David just to close a case. But I have the proof to show you. Proof that David was framed.

    Where is this proof? It doesn’t look as if your brought something to show me here.

    No, I–I didn’t. I wanted to tell you that I have the proof. Tell you and ask if you would review the information and reopen the case.

    Natalie took another sip.

    "If I am ever convinced that the wrong person has been found guilty based on false or incomplete evidence, I’d do everything in my power to free that person. I don’t have the authority to reopen the case, Mr. McDevitt. That would be up to the State’s Attorney. However, if you want me to look at your proof, I’ll do it. I can approach the prosecutor if I think what you have is any good."

    That’s what I wanted to know, Philip said with a sigh of relief.

    We could have had this conversation over the phone.

    I wanted to look you in the eye and hear what you had to say.

    Natalie nodded but was unimpressed. She expected nothing of value from the convict’s brother but it was probably better that Philip had come to her and not the news media. Once rebuffed, the man might still peddle his story to the Burlington Free Press but a statement from the State Police could be issued to say his evidence had been reviewed and found useless.

    When would you like me to see this information? Natalie asked, hoping Philip didn’t expect her to follow his car through the rain and into an ambush.

    Tomorrow?

    Is there a place you need me to look at or do you have some kind of dossier you can bring me at the Rutland barracks?

    I can show you what I have at the barracks, Philip nodded. I mean it would be a starting point. When would you be available?

    Can’t say for sure, Natalie replied. I may need to go out on a call. If you want, you can stop by after eight o’clock tomorrow morning and check in. Hopefully you won’t need to wait long. Here.

    She reached inside her jacket and pulled out one of her business cards.

    Show it when you come in, Natalie said as Phil took the card. It’ll confirm that I want to see you.

    CHAPTER TWO

    FRIDAY

    Driving in to work the next morning southbound on Highway 7, Natalie had the car radio tuned to a news update. There were reports of that the British Falkland Islands were being invaded by Argentina’s armed forces. Natalie was wondering how her English-born sister-in-law was reacting to the crisis when the other radio crackled; the dispatcher was trying to reach her.

    Natalie pulled off to the side of the road, shut off the news update, and picked up the receiver to check in. She was informed that a body had been found about twenty-five miles to the north in Holbrook, a small town Natalie knew well. The Detective Lieutenant was sending her up to investigate because one of her cards had been found in the corpse’s possession.

    I think I know who it is, Natalie said into the receiver. I’ll see if I can confirm the I.D. once I view the body.

    You’re to meet the constable at Sterling Road past the… uh… the old Fredericks Dairy, the message says. Do you know it, Sergeant?

    Yeah, I know where that is. Let the lieutenant know I’m on my way. Dvorak out.

    Natalie placed the portable, red flashing bubble light on the roof of her otherwise unmarked car. She then made a U-turn and accelerated the car to 65 mph.

    Sterling Road wound up the hill outside the main village into the forest, asphalt ending a couple of miles before the dilapidated building that had once housed Fredericks Dairy. Natalie’s car bumped over some potholes as she rounded the corner and spotted the town’s one police car, a yellow Jeep Cherokee owned by the constable, with its own removable bubble light blinking away. Up a few yards from it was the rig from the medical examiner’s office over in Middlebury.

    Constable Daniel Moritz was standing there in his buff-colored Carhartt jacket and brown slacks, looking back at her as she parked behind his car. He may have been the de facto chief of police in a one-man department but the part-time cop didn’t often wear his uniform, not even for an event like this. The man was broad and tall, thirty-nine years old like Natalie; his thinning, dark brown hair was starting to go gray at the temples.

    Good morning, Sergeant, he said as Natalie stepped into the muddy road.

    How’ve you been, Danny?

    Fine. Hate to admit it but I’m a little excited to have my first murder.

    Murder, you say? Natalie responded with a grin. Let me be the judge of that.

    She took out a pair of black-framed reading glasses from her jacket pocket and put them on. Dan smiled down at her. Working together, they made an odd-looking team: Natalie was about a foot shorter than Dan and had less than half his weight.

    The morning air was chilly and damp from the overnight soaking rain. Natalie wished she’d worn her winter coat.

    They met the rotund, white-haired Dr. Eric Vogler over by the dead body which was lying

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