Two years ago, if you’d asked for a snapshot of my day, I’d have painted a very different picture. Back then, I’d wake up my daughter, Amelia, with a kiss, spread peanut butter on her English muffin, and drop her off at school. I’d go to work, track down a murderer, and maybe share a funny anecdote I heard at an LAPD retirement party. At the end of it all, I’d climb into bed next to my sleeping husband.
But that was before the car wreck. Before the surgery, and the pills. Before my husband left and took my daughter. Now I only get to see her every other weekend. I quit my job too. Technically I went out on disability, injured in the line of duty with a cracked vertebra and six herniated discs. But it wasn’t just the chronic pain that made me leave. I couldn’t deal with the hypocrisy – busting people for dope when I was still recovering from an opioid addiction myself. That didn’t feel right.
So, what does my life look like now? I’m doing the best I can – trying to create a new normal and doing everything I can to get my daughter back. I hung up a shingle and started my own PI firm. Business is slowly picking up. I mostly catch cheating spouses, or freelance for insurance companies. And if it doesn’t have the same thrill as police work, at least it pays the bills.
I did get an interesting visit from a grieving father today. His daughter was Margot Starling, a famous artist who hung herself in a downtown loft. I remember seeing an article about it when she died. She was a beautiful woman who could paint like the old masters. At least as far as I can tell – I’m not exactly an art connoisseur.
At any rate, Margot’s dad is convinced that she was murdered. I tried to explain to him that the LAPD doesn’t bungle high-profile cases, but he wouldn’t hear it. I feel bad taking his money, but he made it very clear that he’s going to pound on doors until someone helps him. At least I have enough integrity not to string him along once I prove the cops were right. I can’t say the same for some of my competitors.
But solving the case is a problem for later. First, I have a rare weekday sleepover with Amelia. My ex is taking his new (much younger) wife out for dinner, so Amelia is staying at my place. I see her so rarely these days that I try to fill every minute with adventure. We’re going to make pizza then dress like pirates and go to my favorite Tiki Bar for snow cones. The owner, an eccentric in his seventies, comes to work with his rainbow macaw and my daughter loves to feed the bird peanuts.
Then we’ll walk back to my place – a 600 square-foot shack in Silver Lake. It was definitely built before earthquake codes, so I do a lot of finger-crossing when we get the occasional rumble. My daughter likes to call it the tree house because you have to climb a wobbly set of stairs to reach the top. Tree house sounds better than “bad real estate decision,” so I encourage her and hope it makes her time with me feel magical.
Back at home, I’ll read to her until she falls asleep and then start researching Margot, the mysterious artist. My friend Jenny, a Hollywood stylist with great celebrity gossip, had heard of Margot before. Apparently, the artist courted controversy and made her fair share of enemies. Maybe this’ll be an interesting case after all.
What Meets the Eye, A Kate Myles Detective Mystery #1
Genre: Traditional
Release: December 2022
Purchase Link
From debut author Alex Kenna comes a pulse-pounding tapestry of secrets, retribution, and greed for fans of Jeffrey Archer.
Kate Myles was a talented LAPD homicide detective, until a car accident and opioid addiction destroyed her family and career. Working hard to rebuild her life, Kate tries her hand at private detective work — but she gets more than she bargained for when she investigates the death of Margot Starling, a famous LA artist.
When Margot is found dead, the police label it a suicide. But as Kate digs deeper, she learns that Margot had a growing list of powerful enemies, including a shady art dealer who had been selling forged works by the painter. Kate soon uncovers a dirty trail that leads straight into the city’s criminal underbelly.
Margot died for her art — and if Kate doesn’t tread lightly, she could be the next to get brushed out.
Meet the Author
Alex Kenna is a lawyer, writer, and amateur painter. Before law school, Alex worked as an art critic and sold paintings in a gallery. Originally from Washington DC, she lives in Los Angeles with her husband, son, and giant schnauzer, Zelda. Her debut novel, What Meets the Eye, was released December 6, 2022.
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