When 40-something Trisha Carson woke up this morning, she knew exactly what she had to do. Her work uniform was hanging in the closet and she had to leave by 8:30 am to be at her post when the gates opened. You see, Trisha works for the San Francisco Giants in Guest Services. She is there before AT&T Park opens and stays until at least 30 minutes after the game is over.

It’s a strange job for an amateur sleuth, but it’s one she enjoys and is very happy to have. I caught up with Trisha before the park opened one day this past summer. We sat outside the Marina Gate where the ferries from around the San Francisco Bay Area dock and drop off excited fans all dressed in orange and black.

“This has been a tough few years for me,” said Trisha. “I was living in Denver with my husband and one day, he walked out. I searched for him. I really did. Even got the local police involved. Eventually, I came back to San Rafael, Ca where I was born and grew up and moved in with Lena, my sister. . .my eight years younger, successful, annoying sister. To make matters worse I was 20. . .let’s make that 25 pounds overweight and unhappy.”

According to Trisha, what snapped her out of that downward spiral was solving her first mystery.

“My sister was a competitive swimmer in college and she still continues to compete with the masters swimming program as an adult. I used to always drive her to swims. She’d get in the water and I’d listen to SF Giants games. We were both happy with that arrangement. Then a local well-known athlete died during a competitive swim that first summer I was back. A few weeks later, another swimmer drove off a cliff into the Pacific Ocean. I knew something was wrong. To me it felt like open season on open water swimmers and I didn’t want my sister to be next. I followed my hunch, much to the horror of Lena, and her boyfriend, Terrel Robinson, MD. He’s an Emergency Department doctor in San Francisco. But I was right. It took persistence and guts, but I solved the murder before the police did.”

When Trisha heard that the San Francisco Giants were hiring for this season, she filled out an application. “I never thought they’d hire me. But here I am.”

The Giants took a chance on the brown-hair woman who now spends game days at the ballpark entrance gates scanning tickets of thousands of fans attending the games.

“It’s fast, non-stop and I love it,” she said, looking out at the fog hanging over San Francisco Bay.

While we were talking a dark haired strapping man in a Giant’s ballcap, walked over and gave her a hug. “We still on for after the game?” He introduced himself as Jon Angel, Trisha’s friend. With a wave, he continued walking.

“He’s been the calming force in my life,” Trisha said.

Since this job with the Giants is seasonal and part time, it gives Trisha a chance to keep sleuthing.

“I’m working on something now. The body of a friend of my sister was found washed up at a local state park that’s near San Francisco Bay. I suspected foul play. And the coroner confirmed it. He said there were signs of a struggle. So sad. Shari, that was her name, had everything going for her. She was a well-respected labor lawyer, still a great swimmer and she had red hair almost done to her waist. She was beautiful.

“I started asking questions and have come up with at least four suspects. They include her hot-head brother, her eye-candy boyfriend, a mysterious man who showed up in some X-rated photos. Even her sister. I must be getting close because some thugs have been hanging around the ballpark harassing me. Just last week, I was working the top level of the ballpark. . .that’s five stories up. . .and this creep tried to push me down a very long escalator. I was terrified. I’ve talked with the San Francisco police who work the ballpark and they are going to give me an escort to my car after the game.”

It was now 15 minutes before the gates circling AT&T Park opened and Trisha had to get to work. We said our goodbyes and I watched her pull on her black stadium jacket and Giants ball cap.

“If you want more information, call me next week. I should know who the killer is by then,” she said with a wave good bye and a smile.

You can read more about Trisha in Drop Dead Red, the second book in the “Trisha Carson” mystery series. The first book in the series is Dead in the Water.

What happened to Shari Grantner? One day the tall red-haired lawyer is running a successful open water swim clinic. Less than 24 hours later, her body washes up on a beach near San Francisco. Shari’s sister reaches out to Trisha Carson, an amateur sleuth, asking for her help. No need to ask twice. Trisha jumps into the investigation and soon discovers that the seemingly strait-laced barrister had a sizzling secret life.

Trisha begins to untangle an ever-growing list of suspects. There is Shari’s hot-headed younger brother who badgered her for money. Her good-looking boyfriend who the dead girl was about to dump. The mysterious man who shows up in compromising photographs. And the quiet unassuming sister who is now in charge of the family’s well-endowed trust.
As Trisha inches closer to the culprit and the motive, the trail circles back to a familiar location. . .where the killer is waiting.

Drop Dead Red takes place in the exciting San Francisco Bay area, from the quiet tree-lined neighborhoods of Marin County, to fan favorite AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants to the handsome state parks with their swimmable lakes in the East Bay.

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Meet the author
Glenda Carroll has raced in more than 150 open water events in Northern California, as well as Hawaii and Perth, Australia. She was a long‐time sports columnist for the Marin Independent Journal and has written for numerous publications, including San Francisco Chronicle, Travel & Leisure, Defenders of Wildlife, Swimmer and Ford Times.

Drop Dead Red is the second book in the Trisha Carson series, following the widely praised Dead in the Water. The mystery series is based on Carroll’s personal experience as a veteran open water swimmer.

Currently she works for the San Francisco Giants, a baseball junkie’s dream job. In the off season, she tutors high school students in English. She lives in San Rafael, CA with her dog, McCovey.

For more information, go to www.glendacarroll.com.

All comments are welcomed.