Excerpt from Return of the Deadly Trio

 

“No Vance sorry I haven’t seen it but I need a favor.  Mikhail Romanov, I need to see the body or at least I need to see his wallet and whatever was in his pockets.  It could help me get to the bottom of this mess.”  Vance shook his head, “no can do Steele.”

Duce stood up from his seat and confronted Vance.  “Can’t or won’t?  You claim to be Sugar Bear’s friend but you don’t sound like one you sound like a cop.  If you don’t want to help us then get the hell out of here, you’re wasting our time.”

Duce’s words did not sit well with Vance.  He leap to his feet and stood toe to toe with Duce.  “Look here young blood; don’t let this grey hair fool you.  We can take this outside right now.”  Steele separated the men and clamed things down.  

“Look Vance, take my phone.  Use it to take pictures of what I need from the morgue and e-mail or text or however the hell you do it.  Send it to Stan, this way you don’t have to remove any evidence and technically you aren’t breaking any laws.”

Vance agreed to Steele’s comprise but decided to use his own phone so that he could delete the photos after he sent them to Steele. 

Alexander Steele and the Case of the Missing Men

 

Coming this spring. Alexander Steele and the Case of the Missing Men Excerpt: Shakia didn’t know whether to be angry at Stan for nearly getting Steele killed or relieved that her man was back home and on the mend. Everyone loved Shakia; she was a sweetheart, but when it came to nursing her man back to health was as fierce as a lioness protecting her cubs. Shakia’s new nickname was the gatekeeper. She felt that something needed to be done about the non-stop visits from Steele’s constant flow of friends and family. When Shakia decided to be Steele’s full-time nurse, she had no idea that his house would become Grand Central Station.

“Baby”

she said softly,

“you have bruised ribs, a mild concussion, and a sprained wrist. Don’t you think you need your rest?”

Shakia was very skillful in getting her point across. The answer was hidden within the question. Whenever Shakia said

“don’t you think”

She may as well have been saying this is what I think and you damn well need to get with the program. #kindlebooks #audible #africanamerican #books t.ly/sg3U

Alexander Steele on Audio Books

Alexander Steele and the Case of the Missing Men - Preview

Alexander Steele and the Case of the Missing Men

Coming soon

Preview

The mystery man’s gold necklace flickered against the moonlight.  His hair was cut close and starting to gray. The stranger’s thin mustache grew wider as he smiled.  

“You don’t know me, do you?”  

He tapped his black cane with the gold tip lightly on the ground.  Steele played it cool, 

“No, should I?  Are you somebody special?”  

The man’s soft chuckled morphed into an eerie sounding laugh.  

“I am the man who’s going to kill you, Alexander Steele.  I’m going to murder you just like you did my brother.”  

Steele was curious, he had been down this road before but this time was different.  The look in the stranger’s eyes said he met business, but what was he waiting for? If he wanted Steele dead this would have been the perfect time and place to carry out his threat. 

Audio preview of Death on the Delaware

Message from the Grave - Excerpt from The Deadly Ring

 

The Deadly Ring

from the Alexander Steele Murder Mystery Series

Chapter 2 

Message from the Grave

 

Alexander Steele took the Schuylkill Expressway and headed uptown to Chelten Hills Cemetery.

It was a quiet spring afternoon at the cemetery where bodies of the dearly departed rested.  

The one thing you could always count on at cemeteries was peace.  On this day, that peace would

soon erupt into a deadly encounter, an encounter loud enough to almost wake up the dead.

Steele felt uneasy.  Something was off.  The birds were singing and the sky was blue but there

was a chill in the air,  a sense that something was not quite right, a feeling that has kept him

alive through dozens of fatal cases.  He scanned the gravesite for anything that looked out of place

Steele couldn’t help notice how nervous the caretaker was as he watched the three gravediggers

milling around the new gravesite, waiting for the backhoe operator to maneuver the big yellow

machine into place. Steele caught a glimpse of flashing light from behind a tree on the north

mound about four hundred feet away for a brief moment. The reflection of the sun bouncing

off a watch or maybe eyeglasses from the uninvited guest in the distance.

Steele began making his way toward where he had seen the light flash.  When he reached the halfway

point, a short man in dark clothing bolted from behind a weeping willow and began running away up

the grassy mound as fast as he could. Steele was in hot pursuit. When the man with the glasses

realized he couldn’t outrun Steele, he turned suddenly, pulled out his gun. He fired three shots

in Steele’s direction. Steele dove and rolled behind an old gray, four-foot-high headstone in

one fluid motion and quickly drew his weapon. He crouched down behind the small granite

wall and carefully peered around the side. He noticed the gunman was still running further

up the mound. When the gun-toting attacker stopped at the top of the hill and turned to fire again,

Steele was ready

Alexander Steele Mystery Trilogy

Philly Murder Mysteries

Case of the Death Dealer - Audio Excerpt

 Late night at the Badlands 

Blackout excerpt - The Badlands

 

Chestnut Hill is located at the upper end of Philadelphia.  Its tree-lined streets and quaint little shops were far removed from the gritty mean streets of North Philly.  It’s a pretty safe bet that well-heeled Philadelphians who resided behind the walls of sprawling Chestnut Hill mansions have never heard of the Badlands.

 There are no tree-lined streets, specialty shops, or fancy cars, only a sense of disillusionment and reminders of abandonment.  Abandoned cars, abandoned homes but most of all abandoned dreams.  It was the perfect environment for drug dealers to set up shop.  Steele turned the corner and parked his midnight blue jag in front of an old, rundown restaurant that looked like it had been closed for years.   The trash-littered street in the heart of the badlands was deserted except for three guys on the corner.  Steele checked his watch, 12:50 a.m. He was early.  As soon as he got out of the car, the three rough-looking dudes approached him.  Steele backed up against the car so they couldn't surround him. 

“Gimme, your watch and your wallet,” said the biggest of the three men.  Without warning, he grabbed Steele by his coat collar.  Steele grabbed the attacker's arm, quickly spun him to the side and slammed his head onto the hood of the car.  Before the others could figure out what happened, Steele kicked the second guy in the balls and punched him in the face.  The two men hit the ground like sacks of potatoes.  Although Steele had been out of the detective business for a while his reflexes were still as sharp as ever.  The last man standing looked down on the ground at his dazed friends; when he looked up, he found himself staring down the barrel of Steele's gun.  

Alexander Steele was angry.  “Look, I don't have time for this shit.  I didn't come all the way down here to take out the trash, but what the hell, I'm early.  So, what's it gonna be? You gentleman can step off right now, or your folks can read about you in tomorrow's newspaper, in the obituaries.”  Before the guy could answer, a man came out from one of the abandoned storefronts.  “Mr. Steele, you okay?”  Steele glanced over at the two men slowly getting up from the ground.  “Yeah, I'm fine.”  He reached for his wallet and slapped a fifty-dollar bill on top of his car.  “You want my money; well, earn it -watch my car.  When I get back, it's still better to be here and it better be in pristine condition.”  The thugs looked confused; Steele sighed, “Just watch the damned car, and tomorrow go buy a dictionary!”  

Alexander Steele Series on Audio Books

Excerpt from Return of the Deadly Trio

 Excerpt from Return of the Deadly Trio

Brenda was eavesdropping on the conversation.  “It’s okay, Steele. She can stay with me.  As a matter of fact Tina, you can stay too.  These jokers don’t know me or where I live and besides, I got the Judge and a forty-five to protect us.  Don’t underestimate Shakia; she has asked me to hold her handbag a time or two.  That extra weight she’s caring ain’t no curling iron.”  Steele smiled as he turned to Shakia, “Is that okay with you, baby?”  Shakia managed a brief smile and kissed Steele on the cheek.  “It’s better than DC.”

Duce was not a patient man.  He wanted to get down to business.  “Okay, you love birds,  now that your domestic affairs have been sorted out, does somebody want to tell me what’s going on?  What’s the deal with the suitcase, and who is the Judge?”  Brenda laughed, I can’t tell you about the suitcase sugar, but the Judge is my rock wilder.  He decides who gets in or out of my place.  Nobody gets past him.”

Alexander Steele Murder Mysteries, Volume 2