Murder Made Legal: A Casey Alton Mystery Read online

  Richard L. Wren

  Poor Richard Publishers

  Oakland, California

  Copyright © 2016 Richard L. Wren

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-578-17624-6

  Advance Reviews for MURDER MADE LEGAL

  In a word, WOW! This book is incredible and a blast to read. It is action packed and has strong wonderful characters. I was captivated from the first page and held by it until the last, and was left wanting more. It has so much going on and drew me into the entire tale, kept me guessing what would happen next. There is suspense, mystery, murder, family bonds, and friendships formed and the truest sense of loyalty. The details are impeccable and it is extremely well written, so easy to read and impossible to put down. Richard L. Wren is a brilliant writer and I love how his mind and imagination flow. I want more of his work and I highly recommend this book. Definitely one of the most thrilling books and a must read!

  Debbie Raynes, independent book reviewer

  Written with a visually-rich, vivid writing style that compliments the mysterious and suspenseful vibe that creeps through each chapter near-perfectly, MURDER MADE LEGAL is a must read for any thriller fans looking for a refreshing new addition to the genre that brings with it a plot that continuously has readers guessing what is going to happen next, yet somehow always plays out differently through twists and turns that could catch even the most perceptive readers off-guard.

  Jane Lavuire, independent book reviewer

  A Few Words About Other Books by RICHARD L. WREN

  CASEY’S SLIP

  A Casey Alton Mystery (2010)

  “Sailboats, motorcycle gangs, kidnapping, blackmail, arson. What more could you want for pleasurable reading?”-Oakland Magazine, January 2012

  JOSHUA’S REVENGE

  A Josh Rogan Mystery Adventure (2012)

  “Mr Wren's second book(Casey's Slip #1) and he just seems to improve with each book, a sequel to Joshua is due out around October and I can't wait . If you want an adventerous read I would recommend Joshua's Revenge.” (Amazon.com reviewer)

  JUSTICE FOR JOSHUA

  A Josh Rogan Mystery Adventure (2014)

  “Wren’s ear for creating fluid, realistic dialogue, as sharp as it is wry, is especially outstanding. There were so many times when I was reading this book that I kept thinking it would make a great film or episodic TV series.” (Amazon.com reviewer)

  SELF-PUBLISHING: IT AIN’T ROCKET SCIENCE

  A Practical Guide to Writing, Publishing and Promoting a Book (2015), co-authored by Loyd Auerbach

  “I am a book publicist for the past 3 years and trust me when I say that the authors really know what they are speaking about. They are thorough and helpful. Both of the authors are experienced on the subject.

  “This booklet covers the basics like writer's block and how to start your story. But, they also shared their complete experience on editing, publishing and promoting. Maybe I should name this book as ‘Self-publishing 101’ The authors have shared so many links that would be greatly useful for the authors.” (Amazon.com reviewer)

  All of Richard L. Wren’s books are available on my website. http://www.rlwren.com/

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

  There are a number of people without whom this book would have been impossible.

  Betty Wren: (Lafayette, Ca.) Extraordinary and supportive wife for 68 years. Wonderful cook, friend, traveling companion and mother to four super daughters.

  Loyd Auerbach, my professional guide through the intricacies of the Web, promoting, designing, public speaking and so much more.

  Garrett Kyle: Retired police detective.

  Kimberly Kyle: Brown belt Karate.

  Nancy Blackman: Reviewer and expert unbiased encourager.

  Lorna Partington: (San Francisco) Professional Editor. Lorna did the original copy editing of my book. She helped me with the plot line and structure of the entire book and then insisted I hire a line editor. Lecturing, explaining and patience on her part helped me immeasurably.

  Eden Plantz: (St. Petersburg, Fla) Professional Line & Copy editor. A true professional. Thorough, fast, knowledgeable, experienced and imaginative, she gave me more than I asked for.

  Jerry Williams!: (Oakland, Ca.) Master of the computer, Jerry has designed my covers and formatted all four of my books plus designed and managed my web page. He’s a combination of artist and technician.

  CHAPTER 1

  “Dammit, dammit, dammit. Shoulda’ done it hours ago,” Casey fumed aloud at himself as he stole a glance at the chronometer. 0730, a half hour before Josie was supposed to relieve him and the weather was stink. He had no choice.

  He opened the hatch and yelled, “Josie, I need you like right now!”

  With the wind howling and the waves crashing he wasn’t surprised she didn’t hear him.

  This time, he screamed. “Josie!”

  After a moment the top board in the hatchway popped up, she yelled back, “what the hell’s going on? I darn near got tossed outa’ the bunk and why’s the engine on?”

  Casey didn’t have time for small talk. He frantically beckoned her to come up shouting; “Need it to control. Gotta’ take a double reef. Can’t do it without you.”

  “Gettin’ my float coat on I’m on the way,” she yelled in a rush.

  Josie scrambled out of the hatchway into the cockpit awash in water and yiked, “Wow. Where’d all this come from?” The air was so thick with spume from the bow crashing into the seas Casey could barely see her snap the safety line to her harness.

  “It’s been building slow ever since you went off watch. I cranked the jib in from here and thought that was enough but with the following seas building…” Casey stopped suddenly as the bottom seemed to drop out from under the stern. He rammed the engine control forward and struggled with the wheel trying to keep the boat from broaching. “Had to take over from the autopilot over an hour ago and it’s been getting worse ever since. Think you can hold her?”

  Josie knew exactly what was being asked of her. She would have to hold the boat steady while Casey unsnapped his safety line from the cockpit, climbed over the coaming, transferred his safety belt to the fore and aft line and then, using the grab rails made his precarious way to the mast. The deck was wet and slippery and the wind was whipping the spume into her face. Deck work at sea in a storm was about as dangerous as it gets. She had no choice.

  “Watch me.” Casey commanded. Currently in a trough between waves, Casey kept his eyes astern on the following seas. As the sea built up behind him the boat momentarily slowed and the sails slacked just a tad. Casey goosed the throttle forward trying to keep the screw in solid water and the boat picked up a little speed. “Gotta’ keep ahead of the crest,” he yelled.

  Josie was just a beginner and he was asking a lot from her. “Watch the bow and try to anticipate a swing and you gotta’ keep an eye on the following waves too.” He quickly judged her ability to handle the wheel in stormy conditions as acceptable. He gave her a quick hug, turned the helm over to her and gave the fore and aft safety line a tug to make sure it was solid before moving his clip to it.

  Just as he put one foot over the coaming the boat fell out from under him again and he was pitched forward toward the hatch cover onto his knees. He wildly threw out his hand and fortunately grabbed onto a stanchion.

  Josie started toward him as if to help but he quickly yelled, “I’m okay, stay on the wheel.”

  Josie’s heart was in her mouth. When the bow plunged the spume was so thick she almost lost sight of Casey. The sea constantly tried to wrest the wheel out of her hands. “I can do this I can do this.” she muttered to herself as
tears of frustration came to her eyes.

  “What’s our course?” she screamed.

  “Don’t matter, just be sure and keep her well on the starboard tack,” he reminded her as he started to work his way forward. He tried to express his concern with the seriousness of their situation without panicking her.

  Josie immediately had visions of the boom swinging violently from side to side as she tried to control the boat and her new husband being thrown overboard as a result. She bit her lip in resolve to be as strong as needed. The boat was dangerously heeled over and it took all her strength and newly acquired experience to keep the boat on its tack. She was almost afraid to look at the inclinometer. Thirty-nine degrees! She needed to fall off a little, or they might capsize. But then she would have to meet the helm quickly to bring the boat back. She took a quick look behind them at their track. A series of zig-zags but fairly straight over- all. She had to keep it that way.

  “Josie” Casey screamed. “The helm!” At the same moment she felt herself sliding to port.

  She jerked her head around just in time to see the bow buried deeply in a wave as the boat slid into a trough and heeled over even more dangerously. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the inclinometer at its maximum showing of forty-five degrees. “Are we going to capsize?”

  “Slack off, slack off,” Casey screamed.

  Instantly Josie knew what he was asking for and swung the boat to port. Now the wind was more directly astern. She glanced up at the sail. “A little less wind pressure on the sail. Will she respond?” Josie hung on to the wheel desperately, fighting its powerful pull to return the rudder to amidship with all her strength. The inclinometer stubbornly stayed with its arrow firmly stuck against the forty-five-degree post.

  Casey was sprawled across the top of the cabin, feet hooked into the scuppers and hanging on to the handrails for dear life unable to move. It all happened in slow motion to Josie. Dishes were crashing in the cabin, everything was in turmoil.

  The air was filled with spume. Josie’s eyes were burning from the salt water. She could hardly see. As she wedged her feet against the side of the cockpit and strained against the pull of the wheel she bit her tongue in desperation. “Goddam it, Josie, hang in there. You’re too young to die.”

  Gradually, amidst all the crashing waves, the blinding spume and the howling wind, the boat began righting it-self degree by slow degree and she was able to get off her knees.

  Casey felt the boat righting and was able to inch his way back on to his feet and begin making his way forward. He could barely make out Josie in the flying water but she was standing up. He had to get to the mast and double reef.

  Mentally, Casey reviewed the steps he had to take. “One hand for the ship; Inch my way forward. Transfer safety line to mast; climb on top of cabin; cast off the halyard for the main, and drop the sail.” He knew it wouldn’t be that easy. The wind was strong, the sail was stiff and the halyard was taut as iron.

  He waited for the boat to settle a little in a trough and lunged for the mast, grasping and hanging onto a halyard. He had to stretch to his full six-foot limit to reach back, unclip his safety line and transfer it to the mast in one superfast move. On his knees he loosened the main halyard and waited for it to drop. It didn’t. There was so much pressure on the sail he’d have to drag it down.

  Without getting up he was able to just barely reach the first sail slide and pull down. It moved about an inch. Casey didn’t know if the sail had dropped a little or just a little slack had been taken up. He stopped for a second and blew on his fingers.

  “I don’t know if I can do this. Finger’s so damn cold they hurt. All I can do is keep on trying.” He ignored the pain and yanked at the sail as hard as he could time after time and was finally rewarded with several inches of folded sail settling on the boom. Progress! He loosened the halyard a little more and the sail began to drop. Hanging on to the mast with one arm and with the halyard carefully wrapped around the cleat he slowly clawed the mainsail down until about eight feet of sail had been taken in. He finished by taking a quick double turn around the cleat finishing with a double twist and a hard yank.

  The double reef was in but the job wasn’t finished. Now the sail was bellied out on the boom and still out of control.

  Casey’s strength was waning. He had no idea how long he’d been fighting the storm but it was sapping him. He had to keep a clear head. Josie’s life depended on it. He shook his head violently to clear it. What was he missing? What had he forgotten to do?

  CHAPTER 2

  The flapping sail hit the mast with a clang. A Clang? It woke him up. “Of course. The tack. The metal ring inserted in the sail edge, thank you tack,” he gratefully thought. “I need to fasten down the tack before I start on the boom.”

  He needed to crawl alongside the boom and secure a couple of sail ties. The thought of crawling alongside the boom and securing a couple of sail ties in the gale force winds and with the sail having a vicious mind of its own plus nothing to hang on to filled him with dread, but it had to be done.

  He looked down the length of the boom and saw another problem. The second tie down was out over the water. “Jesus, no way I can reach that unless we can get the boom in some.” At the same time another thought hit. “I hope Josie remembers she’s got to keep the boat on this tack. If she loses it and crosses the wind the boom’ll come across and probably sweep me away.” He glanced back at her. She caught the glance and gave him a thumb’s up.

  Josie felt a small change in the boat’s response to the helm as the sail dropped. She glanced at the inclinometer. Some better. “You okay?” she yelled.

  Casey didn’t want to let her know how really dangerous the next task was going to be. Even though she was heeling a little less, he’d still be exposed to the full brute force of the wind on a slippery, heeled over deck, with not much to hang on to. “I’m fine, almost got her now,” he shouted.

  Casey wasn’t as sure as he sounded. He needed to try something; If he could only reduce the heeling and get the boom in a little.

  “Josie; Any easier?” He shouted. “A little,” she screamed.

  “Any chance you can reach the winch?”

  “The what?” She yelled.

  “The winch, the winch,” he shouted again pointing at the self- tailing winch on the port side of the cockpit, hoping she’d get the message.

  Josie looked perplexed and shrugged her shoulders in a questioning motion. Casey yelled “bring in the boom” at the same time pointing to the boom hanging out over the port side of the boat and making motions to bring it in.

  Josie glanced at the winch then back at Casey. “Got it,” she screamed.

  “How in hell do I do that? If I squat down, hang on the wheel with my right hand and reach for the handle with my left hand, can I move it?” She wondered if she could somehow leave the wheel just for a moment or two. “If I was just five seven instead of five four,” she wished. “Tie it down? Can’t do that, gotta’ keep control.” Then she remembered about the winch. “Maybe; the way it’s geared it doesn’t take much muscle to pull the line in.”

  Casey anxiously watched her reach for the handle and breathed a sigh of relief as she grasped it and slowly started cranking.

  “Thank goodness it’s self-tailing,” she thought. “I can make a quarter turn, reverse, and make another quarter turn.” In the position she was in, hanging onto the wheel with one hand and cranking the winch with the other, she wasn’t able to see if the boom was moving but she could see the line slowly coming in, quarter inch by quarter inch, and getting harder with each turn.

  Casey bent down under the boom in order to see if any progress had been made. “Not nearly enough. Problem is the more the boom’s centered, the more pressure’s put on the sail and the more the boats going to heel. But I gotta’ have the boom more centered if I’m gonna’ secure the sail. I’ll just have to be fast and sure footed.” He started to inch his way along the cabin top hanging on for dear life.


  As he stepped away from the mast the wind whipped his feet out from under him and he was just barely able to stay upright. “this isn’t gonna’ work,” he thought. “If she could just get it in a foot more I could reach it from the deck.” He looked back at Josie and realized she was losing the battle. Straining as hard as she could, she still wasn’t moving the boom any more.

  “Josie!” He yelled. “Leave the winch for a sec’.”

  Relieved, Josie stepped back to the wheel and shouted back, “I don’t think I can do any more.” There was a slight lull in the ferocity of the storm. They could hear each other a little more easily.

  Casey was concerned about her ability to handle the boat with the maneuver he was thinking about. “Okay now?” He questioned in a shout.

  She put her right hand up in the air and made a circle with her forefinger and thumb.

  “Thank God she’s tough.” Casey immediately thought.

  “Okay!” Casey yelled. “Remember how we crossed the wind yesterday when we tacked?”

  “Yep.” She yelled back. “We’re tacking?”

  “God no,” he yelled back. “That’d be a disaster.”

  Casey thought for a moment as he tried to decide how best to describe maneuver had in mind.

  “Almost. Remember how the sails luffed for just a few seconds before the boom crossed?”

  Josie looked blank for a second. “Like when they went a little slack?” She shouted in a moment.

  “That’s it.” Now came the tough part. He needed to be extra clear about this. “You’re going to slowly turn the boat to starboard and get the wind more and more on our tail. Then just as the sails start to flutter, you’re going to let go of the wheel, take a half dozen turns on the winch, and jump back on the wheel.”

  “Let go of the wheel?” She shouted.

  “That’s right. She should fall off, then back to a starboard reach, and you’ve taken in the boom enough so I can reach it. Got It?” Casey’s voice was getting hoarse from yelling and swallowing saltwater.