As a sinner enters the confessional, he glances about the empty church. Father Dan Rutledge waits patiently for Ray Cronin to begin his declarations of guilt. No one hears the squeak of church door as a tall shadow quietly enters and trains his weapon on the confessional doors. Moments later, Ray Cronin is dead, Father Dan Rutledge is barely hanging on, and the only thing everyone knows is that someone has already killed four priests in Dade County in the last six months. John "Auty" Austin arrives at his Florida beach house to celebrate his newfound notoriety as a successful attorney with his girlfriend, Rosie. But as they settle in, Rosie receives horrible news. Her brother, Father Dan, is clinging to life in a local hospital. The police are convinced the shooting is tied to a serial killer, but Auty has a different theory the authorities refuse to accept. Just as Father Dan awakens from his coma, Rosie's relationship with Auty becomes strained when she accepts a job with billionaire Devlin Seely, who just happens to be drop-dead gorgeous. In this gripping mystery, Auty is at it again as he attempts to solve a complex murder case, find four million dollars, and win back his girlfriend-before she too disappears forever.

Say Three Hail Marys and Die

A John Austin AdventureBy John Michael McDermott

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 John Michael McDermott
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-2966-9

Chapter One

The jetliner circled far beyond the fringe of the coastline. John Austin, Auty to his friends, gazed out his window seat at the white-crested waves far below. From this distance they appeared almost motionless atop the sparkling blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Auty would not have admitted it to anyone, but he was totally immersed in the anticipation of seeing Rosie Rutledge again. She was never far from his mind. While in Madison, he had managed to suppress his feelings quite well by focusing on his law practice, winning big cases and taking his reputation to even greater heights. But now that their reunion was imminent, thoughts of Rosie had escalated to an all-encompassing level.

He knew they needed to reach an understanding about where their relationship stood and where it was headed. Having so little communication over all those months hadn't set well with him. There surely would be accusations hurled back and forth. He knew they were both at fault, with plenty of selfishness to go around. He confidently believed once they got beyond the blame game, their bond would be stronger than ever.

The plane banked toward the shoreline heading for Sarasota- Bradenton International. Auty, looking across the aisle and out the window, recognized his beach house in the distance. The expansive gray tile roof and stands of coconut palms at the four corners of his Florida residence were easy to identify even though he had spent only ten nights in the structure since it was built just over a year and a half ago. Cringing, he reflected how his new residence had come to be. The old beach house had disintegrated with two humongous explosions so powerful they had spewed mortar, wood and glass high into the air and out into the Gulf. On that wretched day, Auty had deferred his morning jogging ritual to loll in bed with Rosie until after she left for Tampa. The would-be assassins watched him enter through the front door after Rosie departed, but didn't see him exit to the beach by the rear door. Shockwaves from the detonations knocked him to the sand, leaving him dazed as fingers of heat and fire reached out as he retreated to the safety of the Gulf of Mexico. But Auty was alive. Thanks to his and Rosie's diversion, he was alive.

When his head cleared, he knew immediately Tom and Gary Fielding were responsible. After all, the Fielding brothers had every reason in the world to want Auty dead. Their estranged father had left his multimillion dollar estate exclusively to his only granddaughter, Maggie Lanier, and to Auty on the condition they survive the old man for at least 180 days. The clock was running, and the Fieldings were willing to do anything, including murder, to secure what they believed was their rightful inheritance.

A coastguard helicopter had pulled Rosie and Auty from a wintry black sea that now appeared so beckoningly serene. Looking down at the Gulf of Mexico where the Fielding brothers perished that night, he remembered Rosie's screams for help as the sinking boat began to list. With hands and feet bound, she lay helpless on the cold slimy deck of the Fieldings' fishing vessel as the seawater rushed over her. Auty raised Rosie's head above the churning sea and she gasped what might otherwise have been her last breath. For what had seemed an eternity, he managed to keep himself and Rosie afloat in the numbing cold water until their rescuers found them and they were finally safe.

"Sir, please bring your seatback to its upright position." The flight attendant's reminder brought him from that momentous night to the present. He complied. The jetliner was on the ground and at the gate in a matter of minutes.

Taking his black leather carryon from the overhead compartment after retrieving a small suitcase for the woman seated in the row behind him, Auty was one of the first to exit the plane, and once outside the terminal he recognized the double-parked silver Lincoln of Marshall McGreevy.

"Hey, counselor," Auty said, greeting the man behind the wheel. Auty extended his hand as he entered the passenger seat after shedding his sport coat and tossing it and his carryon into the back.

"John Austin, welcome back to Sarasota. I trust you had a good flight. No more luggage, John?"

"I did have a good flight, and this is all I brought. I have a closetful of clothes at the beach." He fastened his safety belt. Glancing over at McGreevy, Auty immediately noticed his formerly convex stomach had all but disappeared.

"You're looking great, and trim, Marshall."

McGreevy's usual ruddy complexion showed instead a deep tan, a look Auty had not seen before. "I'm feeling better than I have in years, John. My wife finally convinced me the firm could survive without my being there twelve hours a day. You could learn from me." McGreevy looked Auty's way. "Now, I'm in at nine and out at noon — play golf six or seven times a week. Makes me wonder why I didn't listen to her sooner."

Auty inhaled the stale scent of cigars inside the Lincoln. "However, you're still smoking those big stogies, Marshall?"

"I'm working on it, John." He appeared to catch the expression of doubt on Auty's face. "No, really. I haven't made any significant progress, but one change at a time is all I can handle."

In the grill room at the Sabal Bay Country Club they ordered drinks and lunch. McGreevy had a Beefeaters martini straight up and Auty opted for his Guinness. Raising his glass, McGreevy offered a silent toast, and then took a long sip of the martini, almost draining the glass. "That corner office is still waiting for you, John, any time you're ready to make the move."

"Marshall, I don't think ..."

McGreevy caught the cocktail waiter's eye and pointed to his glass.

Auty, meanwhile, redirected the conversation. "I'm going to Pelican Bayou in the morning to see Maggie. I phoned her before leaving Madison and she doesn't have any classes tomorrow."

"She's turned into quite the young lady, John. I saw her in my office two weeks ago for our quarterly meeting, and then we had lunch here. She asks excellent questions about her account and the investments I select, with her approval of course." McGreevy popped an olive into his mouth from the plastic sword in his drink, and then continued. "Maggie still mentions how noble it was of you to renounce your share of her grandfather's estate. That's a huge chunk of change you gave up, making Maggie an even richer young woman."

"You know what Ed Fielding wanted to give me was merely a way to ease his conscience for what he did to my parents. Maggie would have been set for life even without what Fielding left me."

"You're absolutely correct, John, but you were still very generous."

"How's her portfolio doing? I imagine you're taking a rather conservative approach."

"Even with interest rates the way they are, she's earning over two hundred thousand a year. We got her out of the stock market at the perfect time, just before the decline."

"Not bad for a nineteen year old college student," Auty grinned. "It must take you a month to earn that much."

McGreevy belly laughed, drawing the attention of others seated near them. "Look who's talking!"

The waiter brought McGreevy another round as Auty nursed his Guinness.

"So tell me about your big case, John." McGreevy leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable in anticipation of Auty's story. He sat upright moments later when their...