Trust Issues - Hardcover

Keenan, Elizabeth McCullough; Wands, Greg

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593474201 ISBN 13: 9780593474204

Verlag: Dutton, 2025

Inhaltsangabe

A fresh take on the classic conman chase novel following two adult siblings forced to play nice in hopes of tracking down the man they believe killed their mother and ran off with their sizable inheritance.

Siblings Hazel and Kagan Bailey haven’t been close for a long time, but when their mother passes under mysterious circumstances an investigation quickly follows, and the siblings are high on the list of possible suspects. As they deal with the emotional tragedy of losing their only living parent, brother and sister are forced to team up against a master con man—someone they once called “family”.

After the silver-tongued trickster disappears with the family fortune, Hazel and Kagan must put aside their differences to track him down. Along the way, they encounter a host of secrets, lies, and double-crosses as they dive into the murky waters of their family’s past. With an unlikely ally by their side, the siblings race against time, unraveling a web of deceit that’s more tangled than they ever imagined.

Packed with pulse-pounding suspense and sharp insights into the complexities of family, Trust Issues delivers shocking twists at every turn.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Greg Wands writes for the page and screen. An avid lifelong reader, he grew up in Sag Harbor, New York, and now calls Manhattan home. Greg has a forthcoming audio original, The Gimlet Slip, in collaboration with Fiona Davis. 

Elizabeth McCullough Keenan is a novelist and a two-decades-long publishing veteran. She has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, PopSugar, and numerous other media outlets for her writing and publishing work. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and son.

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Chapter 1

Perry watches as the doorman retrieves his suitcase from the trunk of the parked sedan. He offers Perry a tentative smile, teeth clenched. "Good evening, Mr. Walters. How was your trip?"

"As well as could be hoped for, Theo." Perry shuts the door behind him and taps the roof of the car, sending it off.

"You have visitors waiting." Theo lowers his voice a shade. "A couple of detectives, from the NYPD."

As Perry picks up on the look of unease the young doorman is doing his best to mask, a hollow feeling creeps into the pit of his stomach. Distracted by the sensation in his gut, he's suddenly transported back to childhood, to an interaction with his mother.

When his older sister, Constance, abruptly left home, Perry began splitting his time between the one-screen movie house in his small town and the children's nook of the public library. He first encountered the expression "pit of the stomach" in one of the storybooks he read while working his way through the contents of the towering shelves. When Perry returned home that particular day, he asked his mother about the meaning behind the phrase. She mumbled something unintelligible in response, her voice thick with booze, before sucking down a long pull off her Pall Mall.

The sight of the duo awaiting him in the lobby snaps Perry back into the present, and he shakes off a chill that can't be blamed on the warm spring weather. He smooths his rumpled shirtfront with flat palms as a smartly dressed woman and a sinewy man with a neatly manicured goatee stand up from a pair of chairs. They both appear impossibly youthful for their job titles.

"Perry Walters?" asks the woman.

"Yes, that's me."

"Detective Gina Calabrese, with the NYPD. This is my partner, Detective Woodson." The young woman extends a hand, which Perry takes with his own. Her hair is collected in a bun, and her fresh face is devoid of all but a hint of makeup. There's a trace of Long Island in her voice. She's doing a fine job of keeping her expression neutral, but he can sense unease at the edge of her gaze. Her partner, meanwhile, offers a polite but solemn nod. "Mind if we have a word with you in private?"

"Is everything okay?" asks Perry, the churn in his gut ramping up. "Did something happen?"

"Mr. Walters," says Calabrese, her gaze shifting subtly toward the doorman. "It would be better if we spoke elsewhere."

"Of course." Perry leads Detective Calabrese toward the elevator as Detective Woodson takes Perry's suitcase and follows them down the hall. They step into the elevator and head upstairs.

"You've been traveling, sir?" asks Calabrese as she eyes the luggage.

"Yes, I was down in South Carolina these past few days, handling some family matters."

"I see," she says, and the detectives exchange a glance. A stilted silence ensues, until they arrive on the tenth floor and step out of the elevator. Perry leads the partners down the hall and opens the apartment door.

He studies the detectives as Calabrese subtly takes in the interior of the space-the extravagant artwork on the walls, the antique furniture, the Restoration Hardware light fixture above the long table, all courtesy of his wife Janice's deep pocketbook-while a deferential Woodson sets the suitcase in a corner and watches his partner closely for cues. After a moment, the young woman turns to Perry with a look of concern.

"Is there somewhere we can have a seat and talk, Mr. Walters?"

"Please, call me Perry." He points the detectives to the living room, then nods in the direction of the walnut-and-leather lounge chairs at either end of the coffee table. They take their seats as he lowers himself onto the sofa. Calabrese's eyes sweep across the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves built into the wall before landing uneasily on Perry. "You're the emergency contact for a Janice Thornhill?"

"Yes, she's my wife." He sets a hand on the arm of the sofa to steady himself. "Oh, God, is everything okay?"

"When's the last time you spoke with your wife, sir?"

"I called her as soon as I landed, but it went to voicemail."

Detective Calabrese blinks for a long second, as if trying to ward off the news she and her partner have come here to break. "I'm afraid there's been an accident."

Perry digs the heel of his other hand into the sofa cushion beside him. "What sort of . . . accident?"

"Your wife was found late this afternoon. I'm very sorry."

"Very sorry, sir," echoes Woodson.

"No." Perry tries desperately to suck air into his lungs as a sob erupts. He rocks back and forth, folding further into himself with each sway. "No, no, no." Oh, Janice. "This can't be."

The detectives say nothing as they allow Perry time to work through the horrific shock of the news. After a few long, agonizing moments, he straightens up, wipes the tears from his eyes with the sleeve of his oxford shirt, and squares his attention on Calabrese.

"Tell me what happened to her."

"Well, that's what we're trying to figure out, sir. Can you share a bit about your wife's typical routine?"

"Certainly." Perry clears his throat. "Janice spent most days working as a docent at the Cloisters, up near Inwood."

"A docent, you said?"

"Yes, sort of like a museum tour guide. It's a voluntary position. Mostly retired people, like us."

"I see." Detective Calabrese jots something in a notepad she's plucked from her jacket pocket. "So you're retired as well, Mr. Walters?"

"I am. I worked as a corporate accountant for many years."

"Uh-huh. And your wife was interested in art, I take it?"

"She was. Janice studied art history during undergrad. She's been an avid collector for years, and the museum position was the perfect fit."

"Right. And do you have a sense of what her postwork routine normally entailed?"

"On nice days, like today, she'd usually take a walk around the grounds after the museum closed at five, to have a look at the scenery. Then she'd get a car home. I'd often be coming back from bird-watching in Central Park, and so we'd discuss our time in nature with each other. It was one of our favorite parts of the day." Perry's voice cracks, and he takes a moment to compose himself. "I'm sorry, I'm just . . ."

"Nothing to apologize for. Please, take all the time you need."

He looks at the ceiling as he blinks away tears, then turns back to Calabrese and nods.

"Are you okay to go on?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Of course. Now, were you concerned when your wife failed to pick up her phone earlier?"

"Not particularly. Janice doesn't always answer. Neither of us is very tech savvy. And to be honest with you, I was still a bit distracted from the visit with my sister."

"In South Carolina."

"That's right."

"I see." Calabrese adds to her notes. "And I'm assuming your sister can confirm this?"

"I . . . well, I hope so, yes."

She catches Woodson's glance before cocking her head to the side and reassessing Perry. "You hope so?"

"My sister's memory is slipping. Considerably, I'm afraid. Part of the reason I went for a visit was to see what sort of shape she was in." He clears his throat. "I may have to set up other arrangements for her soon." Constance's current condition jarred Perry. It seemed these days that every time he showed up at the neglected old house on Hilton Head, his sister had slid further toward the abyss. The condition of the place, along with the woman's failing health, served as an unsettling reminder of impending mortality.

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that. Do you have any other family you can reach out to?"

"Well, I had a daughter." Perry stares off mournfully. "Once upon a time."

"Oh." Calabrese is quiet for a moment. "Again, I'm sorry."

"That's kind of you to...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Dutton
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2025
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0593474201
• ISBN 13: 9780593474204
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 336
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Dutton; https://www.penguin.com/dutton-childrens-overview/; ; Im Mittelfeld 25; K?ln; Deutschland; 51105; Deutschland