Murder for Mayor
A Laura Kjelstad Mystery
by
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“I’m going to call for an ambulance,” said Marcie. “I won’t be gone long.”
“No. Don’t leave me. Please. I don’t want to be here alone. Take this,” she insisted, placing a pendant in Marcie’s hand. “Promise before God that you’ll show it to Molly Berg. Promise.”
“I promise.”
“Before God.”
“Before God,” repeated Marcie.
“Hide it.” The woman’s voice was nearing delirium. “It’s imperative that you show it to Molly. Tell Laura Kjelstad, too. She’ll know what to do.”
“I’ve put it in my pocket. It’s safe.”
“And who are you going to tell?” The voice was stronger.
“Only Molly Berg and Laura Kjelstad. I’ll not tell another soul.”
“Watch out for the ones without souls,” she countered and started coughing again. “Molly will know what to do about the necklace. Tell Molly I bought this in March.”
“I know Laura Kjelstad. How do I find Molly Berg?”
“
“I know the Bergs of Raspberry Point,” said Marcie, remembering that the Bergs had been generous donors for her fundraisers. “Right now I’m going to get some help. Hang on.”
No response. The woman’s eyes brimmed with tears, her mouth was quivering, but her color had resumed a normalcy. The woman seemed so small and frail nestled in her arms, her breathing shallow and her hands fluttering. She was unconscious again, or so Marcie thought, but as soon as she rose to leave, the woman stopped her.
Marcie stood and screamed for help, scanning the beach for anyone who could help. The man she’d seen earlier came through the brush, waved at her, and moved to the side of the elderly woman.
“I need to call for an ambulance,” Marcie said. “It won’t take long and I’ll come right back.”
“I’ll stay with her. You notify emergency personnel.” The man reached down and took the woman’s hand. “I won’t leave her side. She’ll get help faster if you stay up on the road and show the medical team where we’re at.”
Marcie followed the beach to the northeast where a path meandered to the road. Within minutes she’d dialed 911, given directions, and was waiting as the ambulance and a squad car pulled alongside her. As she neared the spot where she’d left the woman, she knew immediately that something had gone terribly wrong. The woman was no longer leaning against a tree; she was angled sideways in the midst of wildflowers, face down in a stream of blood. Pieces of flesh and bone were clinging to the back of her head and splattered on the surrounding bushes.
Running toward the woman, Marcie let out a shrill howl and felt the disorienting sense of falling. First her knees, then her hands hit the ragged rock, but that didn’t protect her from slicing a bit of her cheek as she slammed down hard onto unyielding stone. The impact sent pulsing pain through her whole body, but it didn’t stop her. Pushing herself upright, Marcie continued toward the woman.
A police officer grabbed her arms and pulled her back. “You need to stay back. We have an investigation to carry on here.”
Shoving the officer, Marcie continued toward the woman. An EMT moved to her side, speaking calmly. “Please come with me,” he said. “You’ll be able to make a statement later. There’s no helping her now. You have to let us do our work.”
“I left her with a man who said he’d take care of her,” said Marcie, her hands clutching the EMT. “She thought she was having a heart attack. Look at her head.”
“Witness appears to be in shock.” The EMT was speaking into a phone.
“Who the hell wouldn’t be in shock?” demanded Marcie. “Look at her.”
Medical personnel surrounded the woman, but there was no response.
“Homicide,” called one of the paramedics into his radio phone. “Gunshot wound to the head.” He turned back so that Marcie couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation.
“There’s no
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About the Book
A woman hiking the shoreline of Lake Superior fears she's having a heart attack and gives an exquisite necklace to a good Samaritan who comes to her aid. "Don't tell a soul," she warns, "except Molly Berg." When the woman is brutally murdered, the young female hiker becomes a target for death and must run for her life. Why would someone kill a loving grandmother on a beautiful summer day? How does that crime connect to the New Year's Day disappearance of the woman who designed the necklace? What about the designer's husband who vanished the same day? And how does it all link to a 1984 murder in Minnesota's Scott County? When Laura Kjelstad begins connecting the dots of the crimes, she becomes the next target. The necklace leads her to Sedona, Arizona, where she uncovers dark secrets and corruption on a global level. Only a handful of people know that she's gone to Arizona, but a friend who accompanied her is kidnapped in Prescott and is terrorized on a harrowing trip down the mountain to Camp Verde. Someone knows the answers and has turned his sights on Laura. A young widow, Laura is the first woman mayor of a small town in northern Minnesota. In the midst of a blistering reelection campaign, her opponents deal in hostility, misinformation, and outright lies. Her rival calls out the Internet trolls to defeat her, but Laura leaned from her Norwegian grandparents how to deal with trolls. Peterson deftly handles both pacing and plotting and ties the subplots together superbly. The reader is rewarded with a genuine understanding of the strongly drawn characters and gains insights into the real life of small town politics in all its decency and ugliness. The book is balanced with a bit of romance and gentle humor that enriches the novel.
About the Author
When Andie Peterson was asked how difficult the mayor's job is, she replied: "President Lyndon Johnson was having a press conference in the midst of the Vietnam War. His ratings were the lowest they had ever been. One of the reporters asked the President if anything could be worse than what he was experiencing at this dire time in United States history. President Johnson thought for a moment and said, 'Yes, I could have been a mayor.'" Andie served four terms as mayor of a small town in northern Minnesota so she knows first hand the unpredictable nature of elected office. She has served on numerous boards and commissions locally and nationally. She has published over two-hundred columns and articles. Among her many awards are: Minnesota Teacher of the Year, Finalist for National Teacher of the Year, special recognition from two Minnesota governors, and three Minnesota School Bell Awards for editorial writing. Andie's two previous books are "Northern Explosion, A Laura Kjelstad Mystery" and "A Second Look, Native Americans in Children's Books." Both books are available through local bookstores and Internet sources.