We’ve got a mystery floater!

I’ve enjoyed all of the great excerpts so far in the Fall Book Bash. Some of these authors I’ve read before, but there are a couple I have yet to try. My personal TBR list is growing quickly. So many great books, never enough time…

Today, author Debra Purdy Kong is sharing an excerpt with us from the first book in her new Evan Dunstan Mystery series, DEAD MAN FLOATING. I love a good mystery and I have greatly enjoyed books by Debra in the past, so I can honestly say you will not be disappointed. She is a terrific mystery writer.

Author of six full-length mysteries and over fifty short stories, Debra has won numerous awards for her work. When she’s not writing, she is a substitute facilitator for the Creative Writing program with Port Moody Parks & Recreation. Debra’s a member of Crime Writers of Canada and the Burnaby Writers’ Society. More information about her books and her blog can be found at www.debrapurdykong.com

Also visit her FB Author Page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mystery-Author-Debra-Purdy-Kong/139005706175139

Or find her on Twitter @DebraPurdyKong

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Security guard Evan Dunstan would lose too much by reporting the body in the stream, so he walked away, until someone found out. When it’s discovered that despised plumbing instructor George Krenn was murdered, Evan has a lot of explaining to do. So does his friend Sully, Krenn’s least favorite student. Evan uses his hacking skills and campus knowledge to keep them both out of jail, but the investigation forces him to question Sully’s innocence.

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DEAD MAN FLOATING (excerpt)

Security guard Evan Dunstan pedaled faster. He didn’t have to check his watch. He knew he was behind schedule thanks to Jenson Freakin’ Morlee, the world’s biggest supervisory douche bag. What in holy hell had he done to piss Jenson off this time? Or was the moron so bored that he thought it would be fun to make the bike patroller ride across Southwest Trades & Technology’s entire campus just to unlock a damn door for the janitors? The foot patrol guard in this zone could have handled the request. Judging from the radio silence, the newbie hadn’t had a busy shift.

Evan raced down the walkway next to the stream that ran along the eastern perimeter of campus. It had rained an hour ago then stopped. But the April night air still felt so damp and heavy that Evan figured the sky would crack open and dump on him any second. Thank god his shift was nearly over.

He’d almost reached the footbridge when a large dark blob in the stream caught his attention. Shit. When would people stop dumping bags of garbage in the damn water? With a new subdivision being built north of campus, a light industrial area to the west, plus six crowded dorms on the premises, the culprit could be anyone. Evan skidded to a stop and frowned. Although floodlights from the engineering building cast some light on the narrow stream, it was too dark to clearly see the bag. Wait a sec. Something was off. What was that white stuff protruding from the bag?

Propping the kickstand, Evan removed the small flashlight attached to his belt then stepped nearer the water. Oh shit! It was a hand! A freakin’ hand! And legs! He moved the flashlight up the body until he spotted the grey fringe circling a bald head that glowed like a moon. Evan shivered. Was the guy alive? He wouldn’t have to perform CPR, would he? That first-aid course last year didn’t go so well after he broke that manikin.

“Hey!” Evan called out. “Can you hear me?”

No response. Sweat broke out on Evan’s back. He glanced around for help but no one was around. Where the hell was the foot patrol guy anyway? He was supposed to help monitor water levels whenever it rained. On his knees, Evan extended his arm and touched the wrist. Oh, man. Ice cold. He lifted the man’s head out of the water and gasped at the vacant eyes. Scrapes ran across the bulbous forehead and nose. Evan yelped and recoiled, landing on his butt.

The widely despised George Krenn, head of the plumbing department, was about to give him nightmares for the rest of his life. Evan felt the dampness seep through his cargo pants, but he was too busy freaking out to care. Shit. Why hadn’t he ignored the blob and kept on riding? Oh, god. This was bad.

Evan spotted a booze bottle on the edge of the bank. Scrambling to his feet, he walked cautiously along the wet grass and then poked the bottle with his toe. Vodka. Krenn’s favourite, and it was nearly empty. So, the asshole had gotten wasted once again. Only this time he lost his balance then fell and drowned in three feet of water. Figured. Krenn was a reckless guy with a God complex.

Evan’s shift ended in less than ten minutes. If he reported this, there’d be questions, then cops, then more questions, and report writing. He hated writing reports. Worse, he’d miss his only chance to hook up with Cecelia, the hottest woman he’d ever met in his life. All because of a nasty dip-shit who’d tried to get him fired two weeks ago?

“Oh, hell no.”

Evan struggled to his feet and scanned the area again. Still no one in sight. No surprise, he supposed. Evening classes ended over an hour ago and there were only two cars in the parking lot next to engineering. Obviously, no one was in the sports field on the other side of the stream. Maybe the emptiness was a good thing. Even if the newbie found Krenn, Jenson would make the whole team stick around to account for every second of their whereabouts.

“Alpha One to Alpha Two.”

Speaking of that ass-wipe…Jenson hadn’t seen something, had he? Oh, no. What about the cameras? Camera twenty-one kept tabs on the east entrance to engineering and twenty-two monitored the parking lot. But both could be panned to cover the field and portions of the stream. Evan wiped his hands on his pants then pressed the button on his shoulder mic.

“Go ahead,” he replied as calmly as he could.

“Have you locked up engineering yet?”

“En route.”

“Change of plans. Head to admin. CFO needs help with the alarm code again. Alpha Three will take care of engineering.”

“Ten-four.”

Grateful to get away from this horror show, Evan pedaled as fast as his rubbery legs would allow.

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After that excerpt you probably want to download the rest of the story and keep reading, right? I know I do. Click on the links below:

Amazon.com

Smashwords 

Kobo

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Have a question or comment for Debra or myself? Please do so. We love to hear from readers!

Barbara