Aim. Check light meter. Adjust f-stop. Focus. Press shutter button. Repeat.

Sorry to keep you waiting, but since I’m told you’re here to learn about my typical days, you might as well witness first-hand how so many of them start for a professional photographer.

I must admit, though, that most of my days don’t begin in a cemetery…

Of course, it’s not the first cemetery in which I’ve shot pictures. Far from it, in fact. I spent twenty-five years as an investigative photojournalist, taking photos of death and destruction for a living. Maybe you’ve heard of me—Callahan Cassidy, formerly of the Washington Sentinel. I won a few major awards for my work back in the day…No? Well, never mind. Those times are but a distant memory.

These days, I own and operate Sundance Studio, a photo gallery here in Rock Creek Village, Colorado. Now, I specialize in landscape and wildlife photography, and most villagers just call me Callie. Many of them have known me from the time I was a child, since I grew up in this charming mountainside town. The minute I graduated high school, I skedaddled out of the place, though. Such is the folly of a teenager—but that’s a story for another time.

Today, let’s focus on why I’m here at Western Pioneer Cemetery, the final resting place of some of the earliest Rock Creek Village settlers. My mother, Maggie (who has a reputation as a hobby jumper), has taken up grave rubbing. Not grave robbing, as I mistakenly thought she said. That would have required an entirely different set of tools, as well as the dark of night. But I digress. After Mom informed me of her newest adventure, she also tasked me with shooting photos of her inaugural effort. So here we are at the cemetery.

I see from the slobber on your hand that you’ve already met my golden retriever Woody—named for the journalist Bob Woodward. Here, let me turn around so you can get a glimpse of his adopted brother, a tabby cat we call Carl after Woodward’s one-time partner Carl Bernstein. That’s him in his mesh backpack carrier. Don’t fret if he doesn’t appear quite as friendly as the dog. He’s more of a crime-solving cat and refuses to be distracted by social niceties.

Enough of the introductions. It’s time to head deeper into the cemetery to capture some photos of the oldest of the tombstones. Would you like to join me? It’s a gorgeous autumn day, after all. Golden aspen leaves shiver in the breeze. The scent of pine surrounds us. We’re in a place of serenity and tranquility where the dead can rest. Walk with me. Take a breath. Experience the sense of peace that fills your soul.

Wait…what’s that wailing sound interrupting the silence? A high-pitched keening—do you hear it? The hair is rising on Woody’s neck, and Carl has begun clawing at my neck through the mesh of his carrier. What could be making that moaning noise? An injured elk, perhaps?

Look. A presence has appeared beneath the trees. It’s a woman with flowing gray hair and a billowing white dress. There’s an otherworldly appearance about her, almost as if she were…

A ghost.

So much for a typical day. It seems we have another mystery on our hands.

Graven Images, A Callie Cassidy Mystery Book #6
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: April 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

A photo assignment at the cemetery leads Callie Cassidy to a corpse—this one above ground. Now, her search for the killer unearths some long-buried secrets…

Callie’s mother Maggie, a notorious hobby jumper, has embarked on a new pursuit—grave rubbing. When she recruits her daughter to photograph her first endeavor at the local cemetery, Callie brings golden retriever Woody and tabby cat Carl along for the outing. It’s a breathtaking autumn morning in Rock Creek Village, Colorado. Golden aspen leaves rustle in the cool breeze, and the air is filled with the scent of pine. What could go wrong on a day like this?

Then, a ghostly woman emerges from the trees, bleeding from a head wound and claiming to have no memory of how she arrived, or even who she is. Maggie quickly identifies her as a woman who disappeared from the village forty years ago—without a trace.

If that’s not enough intrigue, Woody disobeys her and sprints deeper into the cemetery. When Callie catches up to him, he is sitting sentinel at the tombstone of a recently deceased villager. And behind the stone, a man lies on the ground—with a pickaxe jutting from his neck.

Callie recognizes him as the low-level mobster who has been dating her best friend Tonya’s mother—and they’d been having problems. Did Tonya’s mother kill the man? Could it have been the mysterious woman? Or maybe someone with ties to his crime family?

Callie can’t resist investigating—and this time, Detective Raul Sanchez welcomes her assistance. Because if they can’t solve the crime soon, the town may be facing grave consequences…

About the author
Lori Roberts Herbst is the author of the Callie Cassidy Mystery series. She is a Silver Falchion Best Cozy Mystery winner, as well as 2nd Runner Up winner for Best Book. Her books have earned three CIBA Murder and Mayhem first-place awards. Lori currently serves as Board Secretary of Sisters in Crime, and is a proud member of the SinC Guppy chapter, the SinC Colorado chapter, the SinC North Dallas chapter, and Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Colorado Springs.