Summary
Ritualistic murders, occult ceremonies, and a deranged coroner were the last things Jonathan Cole expected to find when he landed in Key West to bury a long-lost uncle. At a point in his life where adventure and romance were welcome surprises, the young investment broker experienced both while attempting to settle the estate. In a quest to unravel the mystery concerning Martin McRae's questionable "natural" death, Jonathan and Detective Stone encounter a cover up conspiracy by the medical community and more, all under the veil of local superstitions and religious beliefs.
The Florida Keys and the Bahamas create a steamy locale for a twisted chain of events involving drug smuggling and a crazed South African cartel boss -- out to stop them at any cost.
Travel back in time with Jonathon, beautiful, Margo Bessent and Poppy Sands as they try to bring to light the tangled legacy of Martin McRae. Meet a juicy mix of characters whose antics range from deadly to amusing, serious to joyful, and awe-inspiring to bizarre.
Ordering Information
 ESTEVA
Cal Byers
To Order:
Send $20.00 + $4.95 S & H
check or money order to:
Ocean Isle Publishing
PO Box 186
Wilmington, NC 28480
828-406-2642
jeepbyers@hotmail.com
Softcover | 6x9 | ISBN: 0974355704 |
Excerpt
Jonathan Cole's BMW slid into the number
one parking space at the Capital Investments building in downtown
Richmond. He had just finished his weekly workout at Wheeler's Gym
with his personal trainer, Claire Hayes, and was still in his swears.
Dashing into the first floor men's room, he splashed his face and
changed quickly into his black Armani suit. He rushed to the
elevator and punched the button for the sixteenth floor, where he
was late for a nine o'clock meeting with his staff. Fumbling with
the Windsor knot in his tie, he pushed his brown wavy hair back with his
fingers as the door opened. His cell phone rang.
"Jonathan, I hope you make your meeting, "
came the sexy voice.
"Claire, I'm getting there, no thanks to
you."
"Sorry for the extended massage. Say,
are we still on for dinner this weekend?"
"I'll get back to you later. I'm a
little bit busy right now, honey."
Besides the gym, there was nothing serious
between the two except an occasional date that usually ended up in the
sack. Jonathan was very independent when it came to his love life.
Claire just happened to be his current flame. He was grateful for
the mutual understanding they shared in that this was only a casual
relationship and it ended there. At age thirty four, good looking
and successful, he had no problem getting dates. Nor was he ready to
settle down and get caught up in a world of social climbing, country
clubs, golf courses, kids in private schools, and countless well-meaning
organizations out to save the world. No, he was going to maintain
his independence until the right person came along. He made a
mental note to call Claire about dinner later.
He was met in the hallway by Kelly Simmons,
his office manager.
"Jonathan, you're thirty minutes late.
Everyone is waiting."
"I'll be a few minutes," he said, slamming
his office shut.
Kelly could feel that Jonathan was in one
of his "don't give a shit" moods for the day, so she backed off quickly.
For the past six months he had been working around the clock at the firm
and she could feel his tension immediately.
He moved to the big plate glass window
behind his desk overlooking the city, took a deep breath, and closed his
eyes. He dreaded the thought of having to listen to a herd of bean
counters, accountants, and the like waiting for him in the conference
room. It was the six-month review of Capital Investments financial
status which involved an in-depth client-by-client report, stock market
trends, and future predictions for the market. He knew these
things already. After all he was the founder and CEO of Capital
and in ten years he had brought the firm from a three-man operation
working out of his apartment to a multi-million dollar operation with
over a hundred employees from New York to L.A. It was well known
in the international investment community that what he touched was gold.
But, at age thirty four, Jonathan Cole was burning out. Kelly
Simmons, one of the original three, and a good friend of Jonathan's
sensed that he was overworked and needed a change. He drew another
breath and entered the conference room with an air of confidence he so
easily displayed at every business meeting he attended, whether it was
his staff or the head of a major corporation.
A dozen suited employees, including his
head of accounting, two corporate lawyers, his market researchers, and
his financial analysts, surrounded the twelve-foot round mahogany table.
Jonathan took his seat at the head of the table, greeted everyone and
then turned the show over to Kelly. She was the proverbial
organizer and Jonathan had come to depend on her to run his office more
efficiently. With her opening statement, she introduced the first
speaker and then settled back down beside Jonathan, who had opened a
legal pad with pen in hand. Hours passed and a barrage of charts,
graphs, and financial reports stacked up in front of him to review.
Kelly shot a glance at him as he doodled
on his legal pad. It was nearly one o'clock when the intercom
buzzed. Kelly had instructed no calls were to interrupt the
meeting, so she quickly turned and picked up the phone.
"What is it?" she said to Helen,
Jonathan's receptionist.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Cole has
an urgent phone call."
"From whom? We're in a meeting.
Tell them he'll call back," Kelly said.
"I tried that, but the old lady was very
persistent about talking to him. She says it's about a death in
Mr. Cole's family."
"A death?" Kelly said quietly so that the
others wouldn't hear. She had known Jonathan's family all her life
and since his parents had passed, wasn't aware he had other relatives.
She was suspicious of the call but opted to let him know. She came
back to the table and whispered in his ear. He looked puzzled but
curious. He interrupted one of his analysts talking about
post-Vietnam war era and how it was effecting the company.
"Let's take an hour break and reconvene at
three. I have an urgent matter to attend to," he said, getting up
and going through the doorway to his office. Kelly followed close
behind. He picked up the phone, hesitated, and then said, "This is
Jonathan Cole. Can I help you?
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