Would she find the million dollars?

   Lindy had gaped at the man who lay bleeding on the stretcher.  My God, it was Reed! He had found her!
   Running out of the Dallas Hospital, she found the taxi she'd called for and whispered hoarsly, "take me to the Regency Hotel."  Reed  had been shot, she'd heard them yell in the emergency ward. She remembered the blood. What if he died? The following day she called the hospital and told a little fib. She was his sister she said.  He was out of danger and would recover baring no complications they ressured her 
   Should she go to him? She wondered what he would say if she told him the million dollars was gone!
   She gimaced then at that thought. And she remembered she needed to check the post office again. And after being laid up for days in the hospital herself, maybe, just maybe the thief had seen the ad in the paper by now.
   Lindy showered and dressed and another taxi was there in minutes. When she opened the post office box, she gasped. A plain white envelope lay there.  Her hand shook as she reached in for it,  then ripped it open. It read; Russel's Bar and Diner. October 4th-9:00PM. Wear red. Bring money.
   My God, could it mean she'd get her car and money back after all these months? The date was two days away. Back in her hotel room she paced. Could this be a set-up of some kind?  But she'd know her BMW anywhere and she had to take a chance and find out.
   October fourth came finally, and she opened the room's safe and counted out some of the cash she had gotten  from the sale of Dade's ring then grabbed another taxi. It was eight-forty-five.
   She'd dressed in a red shirt and her knees shook as she opened the door of the bar and walked in. Cigarette smoke and stale beer greeted her. The place was so dark she stumbled over someone's foot as she made a beeline to an empty booth. She put her purse and the canvas bag with the money down on the seat beside her and looked around cautiously. It was a workingman's bar. Most of the customers in work boots and dusty jeans she saw. Couples swayed to the music of Roy Orbison. A waitress came by carrying a tray of burgers and fries and her stomach did a flip over the smell of grease that it left in its wake.
   Would she recognize the man?
   She ordered a brandy Manhatten, although it didn't appeal to her, but maybe it would settle her nerves. Right now she had to take small breaths to still the nausea that threatened to well up in her throat. She lit a cigarette with shaking hands and of course, that tasted awful. She sipped some of the Manhatten and looked at her watch. It was nine o'clock with on the dot. Her heart thumped in her chest as Vince Gil's voice come on in a love song. The air was damp and hot. She willed her nerves to be still. Just then a man slid into the seat across from her.
   As she looked into his cold hard eyes, he whspered, "Where's the money?" 

Nightmares and Dreams is Now Available as an E-book

I am pleased to announce that Nightmares and Dreams is now available at Smashwords!

In the near future, the entire Lindy Lewis series will be available both on Smashwords and Kindle.  Please keep an eye on this space for upcoming announcements of the release and giveaways!

God the pain, the pain!

   The next day lumbered by as Reed bitched continually about not being out there looking for the killer. Manny from the police department came just as his breakfast arrived the next morning.
  "Buddy, I got your message, but I just got back in from Houston. What the hell happened?" His long hair was pulled back in a pony-tail. His faded denin shirt matched the jeans he was wearing. The scent of his heavy cologne preceded him as he came in the door.
   Reed sat up in the hospital bed, his face anxious as he said, "Goddamn Manny its good to see you. I was blasted the minute I opened my motel door. My room had been ransacked."
   "You didn't get a look at who was in there?" Manny asked and then took out a book and started writing.
   "Man, I didn't get a chance! The asshole got my gun too." Reed pushed his tray of food out of the way. God awful stuff they pass off as nourishing!" 
   "Think man," Manny said.
   Grudgingly, Reed replied, "when I stepped in I saw my room had been tossed. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor. Shot!"
   "Jesus. Anything new on Lindy Lewis?" Manny asked curiously then.
   "Not a clue. I lost her after she left the job at the Steakhouse." Reed adjusted himself in the skinny bed. His hair fell over his forhead. "But Manny listen to this," he said, "at first I thought it was from all the drugs, but sometime that first night when I came in here I saw her."
   "Are you sure?"
   "Manny, I know for sure. Have you got some time to check out something?"
   "Yeah, now you've got me intrigued." Manny ran his fingers over his mustache.
   "Thanks, can you get her picture and then see if she was here visiting someone? She's a blonde now."  After Manny left, Reed slept and awoke to see Betty sitting by his bed.  "When did you get here?" he asked.
   "Just now. Listen, I talked to the doctor and he said you can leave today if you have someone with you for a few days. And since you don't, you can stay with us."
   Realizing he didn't have a choice, he said, "Thanks Betty, I'll try not to be a nuisance."
   Later he called Manny. "I'm out. Have you found anything?"
   "Yup, been waiting to hear from you. Lindy was a patient in the Dallas Hospital for three days. Looks like you ran in to her just as she was leaving."
   "What was wrong?" Reed asked alarmed at the news.
   "Seems she had something called hysterical amnesia. Didn't know who the hell she was! From stress."
   "Did her memory come back?"
   "Apparently it all came back and she split in the middle of the night."
   Reed guiltily felt an immediate sense of relief. "What else?" He asked.
   "Oh yeah, she's going by the name of Lorna Lee. And she's holed up at the swanky Regency Hotel in  downtown Dallas."
   Reed stood up then from his bed and groaned. His steps were slow and he hurt like hell,but he was determined.
   Lindy Lewis, he muttered as the Corvette roared into action on the freeway, I'm going to get you yet!