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The quaint surfing town of Pacific Beach becomes a destination for murder when a young starlet and her other are found brutally murdered at the Pacific Terrace Hotel where Jillian's family reunion is taking place. Their reunion takes a terrifying turn when Jillian's nephew is arrested as a prime suspect and Jillian must move quickly to find the real killer and prove her nephew's innocence. There is no shortage of suspects, including an unsavory doctor who attended the popular teen star and a mysterious guest at the party where the starlet dies. But why is her mother murdered with her? Working at Jillian's side to find the perpetrator of these bizarre killings are her faithful assistant Cecilia Montoya, and Teddy, Jillian's Yorkie companion who sniffs out his won clue.
1 The Nightmare
June 8—San Diego, California
Caroline played innocently in her own front yard with her new puppy when the car struck her down. The golden-haired mutt had been rescued by her father before their neighbor could drop the defenseless dog off in the country to fend for itself. Caroline named him Buddy.
The frisky pup gently licked the little girl’s face as she hugged him. Wanting to pretend he was her baby, she coaxed Buddy to be still and struggled to put the pink doll dress over his head. Normal play for a five-year-old girl. Finally, she succeeded and giggled at how funny Buddy looked in the frilly doll dress.
Caroline’s nine-year-old brother was in the driveway of their modest home. The boy stooped over the back tire of his bicycle and attached playing cards to the spokes with clothespins. He imagined the cards made the sound of a motorcycle like his uncle’s 650.
The children’s mother watched her daughter but needed to go inside the house to check on a cake in the oven. Her mind was burdened with how to pay the bills from her handy-man husband’s meager paycheck. The afternoon was late, and it was almost time for him to come home from work.
Supper was almost ready, a meager meal of Hamburger Helper. But there would be cake. No matter how hard they struggled to merely survive, they remained a close-knit family.
And then the unthinkable happened. A late-model car came out of nowhere, speeding, swerving wildly.
Caroline’s brother watched helplessly as the driver ran up over the curb and into their yard. Buddy scampered away in the pink doll dress, terrified, and Caroline sat frozen on the lawn, staring wide-eyed as the car came toward her.
The boy watched in horror as the car struck her small, defenseless body and tossed it further into the yard. He heard the tires squeal as the car raced off—the driver not even bothering to stop. The boy, almost in shock, had enough presence of mind to notice the license plate. His parents had drilled both of their children with the importance of protective safety measures. Now the numbers were burned into his memory forever. He frantically ran to his sister and wondered how he was going to help her.
The frightened boy bent down and cradled her bloodied body in his arms. Angry and helpless, he vowed the maniac would be caught.
The mother, hearing screeching tires so close to her house, came outside, drying her hands on her apron, to see what was going on. She looked in the yard and found her son holding the lifeless body in his arms. She ran toward them, holding her head with her hands, and screamed at the terrible thing that had just happened.
The boy turned to her. “Call 911!”
That was the beginning of the nightmare—for the mother, for the father, and for the nine-year-old boy.
June 18—Twelve Years Later
The nightmare culminated in a tragic double-homicide at the Pacific Terrace Hotel where I stayed. Before the ordeal, I remember feeling so happy. The San Francisco Enterprise had just published two great articles for my Ask Jillian gardening column, and I had time for a breather. I also looked forward to attending our family reunion.
My personal assistant, Cecilia Montoya, came with me to help take care of Teddy, my Yorkie companion. The three of us flew into San Diego International Airport two days before the tragedy occurred.
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See you in my books!
~Nancy Jill
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