Diagnosed with terminal cancer, Simon Russell would be dead in a matter of time. Why would someone want to murder him? Was this an opportunity for his wife's old boyfriend to resume his relationship with her? Does his cousin's newfound revelation have anything to do with Simon's death? What did Simon's best friend know about the dead stranger found in Asbury Park? Did the stranger have something to do with Simon? Two of Simon's friends, Dark Ansgreth and Zoe Jantzen, work with Lieutenant Lance Cameron to uncover the mystery of Simon's untimely death during a reunion of college friends in historic Ocean Grove on the Jersey Shore. Is there any connection between the intermittent appearance in Ocean Grove of someone pictured in the crime scene where Dark's wife was killed on the west coast and Simon's death? Who put the prescription bottle in Zoe's dresser? Does the lieutenant actually think she might be guilty? Is Lieutenant Cameron's considerate attention honest concern for Zoe or an effort to trap her?

SIMON'S REUNION

By Jeanie Doyle Singler

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Jeanie Doyle Singler
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4389-9638-7

Chapter One

Zo Jantzen moved a wisp of her chin-length brown hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear as she glanced at the flat black and white clock for the tenth time in the last hour. Anxious to get to her kid's baseball game, she raced the clock to get her tasks done. She had promised her sons she would be there when it started. On top of that she was the parent responsible for the team's after-game refreshments, which meant she had to stop by the grocery store on the way. Why hadn't she taken care of that earlier? Zo felt guilty for the haphazard manner in which she handled their lives.

She groaned as she noticed the junior reference librarian on duty headed her way. Sucking up her time with extra work or chitchat was his favorite occupation. She bent her head in focused concentration on the papers she compiled, hoping he would pass her by. No such luck.

"Zo, how about going to the orchestra concert with me tonight?"

She could hardly believe he actually wanted to date her; he must be barely out of his teens. "You know I have no time for a social life. I'm going to a baseball game and I'll be late if I don't get this paperwork done quickly."

"Well here is another tidbit for your plate." He flashed her a toothy grin. "You can do it tomorrow."

Baring her teeth in mockery of a smile Zo held out her hand for the papers, which she tossed onto her in-pile, a growing stack.

She finished her last task with two minutes to spare and stuffed her desk clutter into her top drawer. Grabbing her handbag she headed for the parking lot. On the way she mentally shopped for baseball refreshments so she could get in and out of the store in a hurry. As she pushed her cart toward the checkout stand her cell phone rang.

"This is Nola."

Nola Espartero Russell, a dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty, had been a friend of Zo's since the summer they had worked together at the same restaurant on the Jersey Shore.

"What can I do for you?" Nothing, Zo hoped.

"Simon has been really depressed from his chemotherapy. Do you think we could do something fun for him? You know, a party or something."

"I'm on my way to the kid's baseball game right now. Let me think about it. I'll get back to you."

Ryan and Dylan were both on the field when Zo arrived. They had come with a neighbor whose son also played on the team. Dylan, Zo's blonde blue-eyed sanguine, smiled and waved exuberantly, happy she had made it. Ryan, her brown-haired introvert gave her a finger wave and acted as if he didn't care she was there.

Zo sat beside another divorced mom struggling to stay afloat with the responsibilities of raising and providing for children on her own. She battled a rambunctious two-year-old.

Zo glanced around at the other parents, some seated like she was in the small set of metal bleachers and others who had brought with them more comfortable seating, lawn and canvas deck chairs. Dan, her ex-husband, did not appear to be there.

The boys would be disappointed again. How could she explain to them the concept of immaturity, the kind that plagued Dan, making him unwilling to settle down and be responsible for a family? How could she help them see it wasn't their fault? It was her fault for having married so undependable a man. Her fault for having been so quick to believe Dan loved her. What had possessed him to be interested in marrying her in the first place? How had she made that mistake?

She had been in love with the concept of love and marriage. Didn't that happen to most girls? What had tripped Zo up? She didn't know. That was the problem. How could she avoid making the same mistake again when she didn't know what the mistake was?

As her boys took positions on the bench to wait for their turns at bat, Zo recalled the phone call from Nola. Nola's husband, Simon Russell, had been a friend of Zo's since childhood. They grew up in the same neighborhood and social set. Diagnosed with cancer the summer a year before, Simon had received chemotherapy and radiation, neither appreciably affecting the disease. Although he continued treatment, he did not seem to improve. His doctor had pronounced him terminal.

Ryan was at bat. With the second pitch he connected to the ball, barely hitting it into mid-field, which didn't allow him much leeway to reach first. However, a fumble by the fielder gave him the extra time he needed to make it on base.

An idea hit Zo regarding Nola's request. Why couldn't they have a reunion of the group that used to gather at the shore during college summer breaks? That might be great fun for Simon.

It was Dylan's turn to bat. He made sure Zo was watching as he approached the batter's box. Swinging at the first pitch directed to him, he connected, sending the ball rocketing straight down the third base line. His brother crossed the plate with a run as Dylan made it to first.

Zo rose and cheered for both boys, noting as she sat down that Dan had arrived. He stood with his hands sunk into the pockets of his Ralph Lauren cords, his blazer scrunched up behind and his comb-over lifting and falling in the breeze. He spoke with the assistant coach, Zo's neighbor across the street. The team was comprised of kids from a four-block radius of where she lived. She knew her children's coaches and the other kid's mothers.

The team returned to the field and Dan made his way to the seat beside Zo. "The house next to Joe is going up for sale at the end of the week." He faced the field, but his green and gold eyes scanned Zo's face.

Joe was the assistant coach.

Zo watched as Ryan, playing second base, picked up the ball and threw it to first. It wasn't in time, but a good throw nonetheless.

"Did you hear me?" Dan asked.

Zo turned to him. "Yes, I heard you." What was she supposed to do about a house for sale in the neighborhood? It wasn't like she could afford to buy it.

"You and the boys can move there."

Dan knew better than that.

"So can you."

"You have my house." His lips formed a thin line.

"And your kids. It's their home."

"Don't be stubborn, Zo."

"I'm not being stubborn. We can't afford to buy another house in the neighborhood, you can."

Dan shook his head as if Zo was being a total idiot. "You'll hear from my attorney."

So what else is new, Zo thought, as Dan got up and left the field.

* * *

Nola Russell moved from the slate entry into the spacious family room, gazing with grave apprehension at Simon wrapped in a chenille blanket resting in the leather recliner. She recognized the pain in his face as his eyes followed the sitcom action on the television screen. How was she going to survive his slow agonizing death? It nauseated her to think of his pain, although he suffered with great patience and fortitude. Only the interludes in which he felt better, returning to his affable, tenderhearted, enthusiastic self made it bearable. They had always had such a good time together. She longed for the days before he had been diagnosed with cancer.

Just as she sat gingerly on the tweed ottoman in front of the sofa her cell phone rang.

"How about a reunion down at the shore where we used to spend the summer?" Zo asked.

The "good old days" flashed into Nola's mind. "Oh, that would be great! We can stay at the Sea House."

"We can invite the rest of the group that was there those last two summers."

"Who did you have in mind?"

"Adrian and Sharleen, Dark Ansgreth, and, of course, Karen."

"And Quentin?" Nola never thought of those summers at the shore without thinking of Quentin.

"Yes, if we can find out where he is."

"When can we do it?"

Zo was quiet a moment. "How about June?"

Nola's rational side argued with the one ready to leave immediately. June was more than a month away, but it would be difficult to plan a get together before then.

"The last two weeks, it should be nice there by then."

Nola's mind traveled back to the summers she had spent at the Jersey Shore. She had met Simon there, an energetic, promising medical student. He had swept her off her feet, or was it the other way around? She had been dating Quentin Lindsay at the time. She wondered about Quentin now. Where was he? Who would know?

Zo must have detected Nola's hesitation. "We could go in July, but it gets crowded then."

"Oh, no, June is great. I just wish it could be sooner."

"Why don't you check with Adrian and Sharleen," Zo suggested. "I'll get in touch with Dark and Karen. Then we'll have to figure out how to locate Quentin."

When Nola had set down her phone, she turned to Simon, looking for a sign of awareness. His pain-dimmed eyes turned to her.

"That was Zo. What would you think about a reunion of the college group down at The Sea House in Ocean Grove?"

His gaze moved back to the television screen. What if he refused to go? Could Nola go without him? Would he let the group use the house even if he weren't there? Just because the doctor said Simon was dying didn't mean Nola had to die too. It wasn't fair that at thirty-six she should have to be nursing a perishing man.

A trace of a smile flickered across Simon's face. "Sure, let's go. That would be good."

"Really!" Nola bounced up from her perch on the footstool.

Simon nodded.

She knelt beside his chair, placing her hands on his. "Thanks, Simon. We'll have fun, like old times."

Simon patted her hand and gave her a thin smile.

Nola returned to her footstool. "Do you have any idea where Quentin is?"

"Ask Adrian, he usually knows."

Nola watched the action on the television without mentally engaging. Too excited to wait, she picked up her cell phone and headed up the short set of stairs to the kitchen where she pushed the button for Adrian and Sharleen's house phone.

"Hello," Sharleen's cheerful voice bubbled. "Oh, Nola," she said when Nola had identified herself. "What can I do for you?"

Nola explained Zo's suggestion. "So what do you think?"

"Terrific. Maybe we can do it while the kids are at baseball camp. It would be great to have a vacation without the kids."

"Do you have any idea how to get hold of Quentin Lindsay?"

"Adrian usually knows. Let me talk to him about your idea. I'll find out about Quentin and get back to you."

Nola proceeded up the next set of stairs to the bedroom level of the house where she went directly to her closet to examine its contents for suitable beach clothes. Undoubtedly some shopping would be required.

"Mom."

Nola turned to the door where her tall, slim teenage daughter, Farah Russell, stood.

"What are you doing?" Farah's gaze traveled over the bed, the settee, and chair where Nola had placed piles of summer clothes from the end of the closet.

"We're planning a reunion down at the shore for some of your dad's college friends." Nola held up a bright black and red bathing suit for inspection.

"Am I going, too?" There was a trace of anxiety in Farah's face.

"Of course." Nola set the swimsuit down and turned to her daughter. "You want to don't you?"

"I guess so." Farah shrugged. "What would I do?"

Nola considered her daughter. Didn't teenagers know what to do at the beach? She didn't recall having had difficulty with that when she was young. "Lay on the beach. Watch the boys."

Farah blushed. "Is Dad well enough to go?"

"He can be sick there as easily as here. He agreed." Nola felt defensive. People acted as though she had no right to have a good time since Simon was ill. "His friends will be there. It'll be good for him."

"Who's coming?"

"Zo is going to invite your dad's cousin, Karen, and his friend, Dark Ansgreth. I called Adrian and Sharleen. They're going to tell me how to get hold of Quentin Lindsay."

"Who is Quentin?" Farah's brows drew together over her large dark eyes.

"You remember him. He was at Adrian and Sharleen's when we had dinner with them a few times."

Farah frowned. "Why are you going to invite him?"

"Because he was part of the group at the shore back in the old days."

Why shouldn't she invite Quentin? It would be fun to see him again. It had been a long time.

* * *

Sharleen Marcellus set the cordless phone back in its cradle.

"Who was that?" Adrian, her husband asked, not looking up from the stack of paperwork on the table in front of him.

"Nola." Sharleen tucked a strand of her bleached hair behind the comb she used to hold it back, wondering why he even bothered to ask. She wasn't fooled into thinking he cared. The ultimate introvert, restrained and unsocial, probably concerned someone would take up some of his precious time.

"What did she want?" Adrian's cloudy hazel eyes searched Sharleen's expression with a trace of suspicion.

"To have a gathering at the shore. Apparently she and Zo are planning it."

Sharleen abandoned the stack of place cards she prepared to approach Adrian who sat at the breakfast nook table with his briefcase and laptop. His eyes refocused on the computer screen. She sighed noisily to attract his attention. He maintained his focus.

"It's for Simon."

Adrian shot Sharleen a reproachful glance. "Maybe the poor guy would like to suffer in peace."

"Poor guy?" Sharleen spit out the words. No matter what she said, Adrian always defended Simon.

"Isn't dying of cancer enough without all you women trying to involve him in parties?" Even in the midst of her frustration Sharleen noted the pain in Adrian's voice when he spoke of Simon's cancer.

"It's not a party," Sharleen retorted. "It's a reunion of the old group that used to spend summers at the shore when you guys were in college."

Adrian's gaze moved to her face with a trace of interest.

"Do you know how to get hold of Quentin Lindsay?" Even if Adrian balked and fussed about going to the reunion in the end he would go, whether he liked it or not. She just wished she could get him to stand up to Simon.

For a few seconds Adrian tapped on his computer keys, then grabbed a slip of paper and wrote a number. "Here." He held the note out to Sharleen. "This is Quentin's cell phone number."

Adrian and Simon had been best buddies since they were boys. Adrian idolized Simon. Sharleen never quite grasped why. What had Simon ever done for him?

The first of the year Adrian had been a candidate for promotion with the accounting firm for whom he worked. It would have meant an impressive title, a bigger office, and socializing with upper management. That may have led to knowing the right people to move up to a vice president or something truly impressive.

Simon had advised Adrian against taking the promotion, declaring they weren't offering him enough money. The company wanted to pay him for more responsibility and longer hours with a title. So what business was it of Simon's? He didn't have to do the extra work. His paycheck wasn't being affected. Sharleen figured it was an ego deal. Adrian would be moving up the social ladder ahead of Simon. Simon couldn't let his friend get ahead of him.

That wasn't the only time either Simon had advised Adrian against advancement. In the fall another accounting firm had courted Adrian for a management position, not as good as the one he was offered at the first of the year, but it would have meant a step up the corporate ladder. That time Simon said there were rumors among his fellow doctors of mismanagement and legal shenanigans threatening the other company's existence. So Adrian had remained in his present job. Later the other firm was purchased by a larger more reputable Fortune 500 company. Where would Adrian be now if Simon hadn't squelched that deal?

It wasn't a very kind thought she knew, but maybe when Simon died of cancer, Adrian would have a chance for career advancement.

* * *

Quentin Lindsay stared at the pipsqueak of a building inspector from his towering six feet four inches. The man had a hard time looking down his scrawny nose when he had to stick in the air just to look at Quentin.

"It doesn't meet code."

"The hell it doesn't," Quentin barked, wondering if he picked the guy up and shook him a signed permit would drop out.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from SIMON'S REUNIONby Jeanie Doyle Singler Copyright © 2009 by Jeanie Doyle Singler. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.