Sedonia Guillone

Lion’s Lover
Author: Sedonia Guillone
Publisher: Ai Press
Genre: M/F; Shapeshifter; Paranormal; historical; adventure
Word count: 48,900
Suggested price: 7.49
Actual price: 4.99

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Serena Blakely made two deathbed promises to her first lover: first that she will love again; and second that she will go on safari with her uncle to hunt the legendary Great Lion. Nothing could’ve prepared her for what she finds on the African plains. Her uncle’s hunting companion is the sexiest man she has ever met, but more than that, she also meets the ngatu, a shapeshifting lion-man right out of African folklore. And the ngatu wants Serena for his mate!

Aubrey Darnell has a secret. The broken heart that once drove him from England to Africa has now transformed him into the ngatu, a shapeshifter lion and man. He has managed to keep his identity a secret. Until now. The mere scent of Serena Blakely sends him into the change. She is his mate, and her love can cure him . Now he must seduce the beautiful young Englishwoman without her finding out he’s the very man she’s promised to hunt.

Publisher’s note: This book is previously published elsewhere.

Excerpt:

Something creaked, snapping her gaze to the French doors. They were standing open, the soft white curtains wafting in a breeze. Her heart thumped painfully and she began to shiver. She’d closed those doors before getting into bed.

A shadow loomed over her and she yelped softly, scrambling back against the headboard.

A man, with dark gold hair full and long like a lion’s mane, appeared as if from a whisper, his large, powerful body hovering over hers. A full, soft beard, equally soft and wild, covered his cheeks and jaw, and his eyes glinted, like a cat’s in the shadows. They were greener than emeralds flecked with gold, their gaze burning into hers. In spite of her fear, Serena found herself captured by the glittering jewels.

He was so close that Serena could feel the heat rising from him. His breath caressed the skin of her face, and tension quivered through his taut, sinewy muscles. He seemed ready to pounce on her.

She stared back, equally tensed. His scent, musky and wild, was unlike any other she’d ever experienced. In spite of her fear, she began to melt, as she had earlier on the terrace.

“Who are you?” Serena whispered over the vibration that seemed to emanate from his core. If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn he was purring!

He continued to stare at her, that strange thrum filling her senses, blending with her own heartbeat. Under his hypnotic gaze, the tension in her body drained. A primal throbbing took over between her thighs, and her breathing became ragged. Desire blazed, making ashes of her fear. She knew that whatever this man wanted, she would give.

She saw him inching his way closer to the edge of the bed. He moved cautiously, like a cat stalking a mouse until he reached bedside and crouched.

“Who are you?” she whispered again, although she did not expect an answer. She didn’t know if he even understood.

In one light swift motion, he sprang up, perching his large muscled body on the edge of the mattress. His shoulders and chest were broad, and his arms and torso rippled with quivering muscles. And he was naked.

Serena’s eyes had adjusted to the shadowy light and she could see his entire body. His thighs were long with hard muscle. His waist tapered into slim hips and round hard buttocks. When he moved, she saw his cock, long and hard, springing upward from a nest of dark hair. She caught her breath at the sight.

Suddenly, he was over her, his large hands pushed into the pillow on either side of her head. He lowered his face closer and closer. His eyes glittered into hers.

The spellbinding purr that emanated from him vibrated through Serena. Her eyes fluttered closed as the sensation caressed her breasts and the swelling musky flesh of her vaginal cleft. Her breasts heaved with her ragged breaths and her skin dampened with perspiration inspired by the heat of his body so close to hers.

Gently, with a whispery light touch, he nudged her, just like a cat, with his forehead against her cheek. The movement sent a wave of pleasure rippling through her and she instinctively parted her legs, wanting his large, strong body between them.

He nudged her again, this time with a longer stroke, up one cheek, into her hair. Serena moaned softly, sinking back into the soft mattress, her body languorous, her vagina swollen with desire, wet and open.

The movement of her body had caused her nightgown to slide upward and gather around her waist. She heard his sharp intake of breath as one large settled on her thigh, the fingertips sliding slowly upwards, toward her pubic mound.

Serena tilted her head back, her hands grabbing up the sheets in fistfuls as his fingertips raked lightly through her mound of tawny curls and grazed her vaginal lips. She had not had a man’s touch between her legs since the last time Theo had pleasured her, and the mere brush of his fingertips along her moist slit was intoxicating.

He slipped his fingers down into her musky wetness, massaging the swollen ridges and folds of intimate flesh with light, swift strokes. Serena gasped at the intense pleasure, the delicious heat of his touch and spread her legs further apart as he filled her sheath with his large fingers, stretching her, opening her. He lowered his face down to her open crotch, causing her to moan softly when his lips made contact. He nuzzled the soft fleshy lips, causing her to gasp with pleasure when he ran the tip of his tongue along her slit.

Serena gasped at the sheer, unutterable bliss from the heat of his tongue and involuntarily arched her pelvis upward, against his mouth, silently begging him for more. He seemed to understand her need and responded by gently spreading open her vaginal lips. His breath was hot on the slick pink flesh and Serena’s heart pounded furiously in her chest, her arousal mounting to a pitch as he began to lap at her swollen clit like a cat with a bowl of milk. Her body writhed in delight and she reached down with one hand to entwine her fingers in his hair. He slid two large fingers into her, moving them in and out while he suckled on the engorged nub.

Serena lost herself in the in delicious friction of his tongue. Theo had done this to her many times and had always made her come within moments. The same was happening now. His hot tongue on her clit and his fingers massaging her wet swollen passage was more pleasure than she’d had in over three years and she went over the edge in a mere few seconds. She arched her hips under his mouth, letting out several soft cries before collapsing.

She looked up at him where he crouched between her spread thighs. He, too, was watching her, his green and gold eyes glinting in the dark with the subtlest movement of his head. The purring sound still emanated from him and even in the shadowy light, Serena could see the droplets of her musk clinging to his beard. She sat up and reached out her hand to touch his face.

He backed off, away from her hand, and crept off the bed, his large body coiling into a crouching position.

“What is it?” Serena whispered. “Don’t you want me to touch you?”

Fallon’s Jewel by Sedonia Guillone may be one of my favorite novels I’ve read by her. Not only was I immediately caught up in the mystery about Kenji’s past; I fell in love with the heroes, Kenji and Jake. The intense emotional connection between them kept me enthralled with the story early on in the book and left me with a very satisfied feeling at the end of it….as usual, Ms. Guillone, swept me away in the love that Kenji and Jake shared between them. Plus, the mystery behind Kenji’s past kept me intrigued throughout the book. Fallon’s Jewel is a very fast paced read and I loved every minute of it!

Fallon’s Jewel by Sedonia Guillone has earned it’s place on my keeper shelf. I know I’ll be rereading this story for many years to come and whether it’s the second time or the twentieth, I have a feeling I will love this book as much as I did the first time I read it.

Available in digital from Ai Press!
In Kindle and trade paperback at Amazon!

Author: Sedonia Guillone
Length: Short Story (Tryst Line)
Genre: M/M; Manlove; Historical; Samurai
Price: 0.99

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Hideyuki Sukiyama has been in love with the commander of his unit for thirteen years. However, Commander Masanao whose long-time companion and lover left him two years earlier has shown no signs of searching for a new love. Until…

A series of interviews is granted, with one unusual and erotic request. The man who fulfills the request unflinchingly and with his whole heart and soul will take that coveted place at the handsome commander’s side. All other men have failed or have not had the courage to take the test. Will Hideyuki take the challenge, and if so, will he succeed and be granted the one thing for which his heart has burned?

Publisher’s note: This story is previously published and has been extensively revised for publication with Ai Press.

Excerpt:

“No, Hideyuki-san! You must not enter into manlove with Commander Masanao.” Kobayashi’s eyes were wide with fear.
Hideyuki studied the other samurai’s face in the dance of firelight. He rubbed his chin, badly in need of a shave, with thumb and forefinger. “And why not?” His own interview with the commander was for the following afternoon.
Kobayashi leaned toward him, bottom lip trembling. “Because he is perverse.” That last word blended with a shower of sparks from their campfire.
Hideyuki’s hand went to the hilt of his wakizashi, but then slipped away. Not only was it illegal to draw one’s weapon, there was no honor in slaying a worm like Kobayashi no matter what slander he put forth. The truth of Masanao’s character was evident in the dark pierce of his almond-shaped eyes, in his aristocratically rounded features and broad-shouldered stance. No other samurai was as fine or as handsome as Commander Masanao and Hideyuki had sworn to himself at age thirteen that when he found the samurai he could truly follow, he would submit to him, body and soul.
After thirteen years of watching Masanao advance in the ranks, and then serving in his unit when he came of age, Hideyuki was positive he’d found that warrior.
He narrowed his eyes at Kobayashi. Like so many of their class, the man was a samurai in title only. The warrior’s code, bushido, was not in him and Hideyuki could only guess that Kobayashi’s intense physical beauty alone had won him an interview with the commander. After all, Masanao was human and most humans, male and female, were taken with Kobayashi at first. “Tell me of this perversion, Kobayashi-san,” he said. “That way, I can never claim I wasn’t warned.”
Kobayashi swallowed hard and sat back on his haunches. “Masanao does not merely seek a companion to replace Kazuhiro.”
And why would he? Hideyuki pictured the commander with his kimono open, his tall broad body all smooth golden muscle. Masanao needs faith, service…loyalty. Kazuhiro was a fine swordsman as well as a faithful companion. However his time to marry and produce children had come and Masanao had obviously grieved the loss of his lover since he’d waited nearly two whole years to find another.
“When I went for my interview, he wanted me to…to…” Kobayashi’s lip continued to quake and his eyes stared into the fire.
“Never mind, Kobayashi-san.” He lay back on his futon bedroll and stretched his legs out toward the fire. Within his loincloth, his musuko tightened with need. He’d already decided that whatever the commander asked of him, he’d do. “No need for you to relive the distress. I will wait until tomorrow and find out for myself.”
And why would he? Hideyuki pictured the commander with his kimono open, his tall broad body all smooth golden muscle. Masanao needs faith, service…loyalty. Kazuhiro was a fine swordsman as well as a faithful companion. However his time to marry and produce children had come and Masanao had obviously grieved the loss of his lover since he’d waited nearly two whole years to find another.
“When I went for my interview, he wanted me to…to…” Kobayashi’s lip continued to quake and his eyes stared into the fire.
“Never mind, Kobayashi-san.” He lay back on his futon bedroll and stretched his legs out toward the fire. Within his loincloth, his musuko tightened with need. He’d already decided that whatever the commander asked of him, he’d do. “No need for you to relive the distress. I will wait until tomorrow and find out for myself.”

I can’t believe it. Another Reviewer Top Pick for Cowboy and the Crow. (If you’re wondering about the cover – this is the cover for my Tryst Line of short stories from Ai Press.)

“Once again Ms. Guillone’s skill at getting me as a reader emotionally involved with both characters in a novella that falls just below 14 pages really amazes me. For a novella, The Cowboy and the Crow read like a much longer book. There is a lot going on within the pages that kept me interested in the storyline. I enjoyed the Native American folklore and traditions that are explored within this story. In many ways, this story was refreshingly creative because I’ve honestly never read anything like it before now.”

Available at Ai Press!

available at Red Sage!

Oh no! Someone has stolen Lynn’s diary right out of her purse on her desk when she wasn’t looking. The worst part is, in this diary she’s written down her kinkiest fantasies and desires. She’s so mortified she could just die. Until…

A masked stranger appears out of nowhere, promising to fulfill every sexual fantasy she’s ever had. Suddenly, having her journal stolen is turning out not to be such a tragedy. However, if she finds out who her gorgeous, sensuous, fantasy-fulfilling mystery man really is, will she feel betrayed or forgive him just enough to fall in love?

Bad boy turned stockbroker, Takeshi, has harbored a secret lust on his assistant for a while now. To him, she’s the perfect woman- sexy and sweet. However, her man-picker is broken and the dud she’d been engaged to broke her heart. She doesn’t seem interested at all in getting involved again. Breaking his vow to be a good boy, he steals her diary right out of her purse when she’s not looking and what he finds inside gives him the perfect idea to seduce her.

The plan is perfect, until the unexpected happens – he falls madly in love with her. Now he’s faced with a dilemma: reveal himself to Lynn and risk her hating him or try to win her over out in the open. And then, what if she’s in love with the masked stranger and not with him? Whatever happens, he’s risking everything to have what’s in his heart…

To My Reader: Isn’t is every woman’s fantasy- to be seduced and pleasured by a gorgeous masked stranger? Makes you tingle in all the right places, doesn’t it? Even better when the man turns out to be your soul-mate. It all makes for the perfect erotic romance! Takeshi and Lynn’s story is just such a story and I hope you enjoy it.

Best,

Sedonia

Wow, I can’t believe this! Two of these in the space of a week! I’m blown away!

Aki’s Love Song is a novella written by Sedonia Guillone. I confess, I’ve never read a short story written by her before, so I admit I was curious if I would become as emotionally involved between her characters with such a short storyline like I normally do with her longer novels. After I read it, I decided that Ms. Guillone is not only fantastic at writing long novels, but short stories as well.

I loved this book! BUT…UGH… I hated for it to end! Although Aki’s Love Song was wonderful, I really hate that this wasn’t one of Sedonia’s longer novels. Both Aki and Tamotsu were fabulous heroes and I loved the history and the deep bond they had between them. This novella satisfied all of my cravings for a quick romance! The chemistry between the heroes was fabulous. The love Aki and Tamotsu shared between them was really incredible, and I’m happy they decided to not waste anymore time by not being together…Plus, sex was super hot!

As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed the small glimpse I got to read in their amazing lives and I pine to read more about them.

I got a Reviewer Top Pick from Night Owl Reviews. Yay! I’m so psyched. It’s always gratifying when a reader feels this way about a book I’ve written. Here’s the review:

Sedonia Guillone is one of those authors who is an automatic buy for me. Not only do I absolutely adore her heroes, but she also writes interesting and heartfelt stories that I thoroughly enjoy. So, when I saw that her newest book, Acts of Passion, was available to review I jumped at the chance to read it and boy am I glad I did! Acts of Passion is filled with romance, suspense and enough Japanese folklore that kept me enraptured with it from the first sentence to the last word.

The moment that homicide Detective Jack Cade was called to investigate the questionable death of Conrad Kent, he knew he would need some expert advice. At first glance, it looked like a possible suicide evidenced by the lyrical suicide note, and his kneeling position on the floor with sword protruding from his stomach. But, there were several things that gave Jack the hunch that there was definitely more than meets the eye within the scene. Deciding he would like the opinion from a profiler, he calls the Psychology Department at Harvard only to find out that the profiler he’s used in the past has retired, but has recommended a former student and who is now a new professor there.

When Jack meets Dr. Michael Di Santo he’s filled with mixed emotions. Michael is unlike any profiler he’s ever met or worked with in the past. Not only is the new profiler handsome and obviously eccentric in a hot-but-geeky way, there is something about the young professor that intrigues him as well. Jack is surprisingly impressed with Michael’s knowledge of Japanese folklore, and when the Michael points out some inconsistencies of this being a Japanese ritual suicide, Jack instinctively knows that Michael is definitely the right man to help him investigate the case.

It’s at times like this Michael wishes he wasn’t so klutzy or self conscience about himself. Being around the handsome and self-assured detective just makes him feel more socially inadequate than he already is. But, as the two men start working closely together to find the killer, they start forming a friendship, and then strong emotional bond between them. Even though they are polar opposites, both men soon realize that they somehow fit together. Since both men have past hurts they must work through, they both must take a chance at the budding love that has formed between them. Just as they start to trust in the feelings they have for one another, Michael’s life becomes in danger when the killer becomes enamored with him and decides he wants him for himself.

I loved this book! Like other books that Ms. Guillone has written, it is obvious that she is very knowledgeable about the Japanese culture. So not only did I get to enjoy a great romantic suspense-filled book, I learned interesting tidbits about a different culture than my own. I was enthralled with Acts of Passion from the very first scene until the last written word. The descriptive way the story is told made me feel like I was experiencing everything first hand, just as Jack and Michael was. I admit that I read this book in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

It was also a pleasure to meet Jack and Michael. Both characters were likeable, honorable men that I would be proud to call a friend in my own life. It was fascinating to see them evolve from being somewhat hesitant strangers to a budding loving partnership. As the story progressed I really began to believe that these two men fit well together and I found myself rooting for them to get past some of the past fears and insecurities each man had, and take a chance on the gift of love that they were given with each other.

Acts of Passion was a fast-paced read for me and I really hated to see it come to an end. I’m looking forward to reading more from Ms. Guillone and just like several other books written by her, Acts of Passion will be firmly placed on my keeper shelf so I can enjoy it for years to come.

Sedonia has a very interesting and informative website that catalogs her other books. She also has an amazing “White Tiger” series that I’m hooked on too! Here is the link to her website if you are interested: http://www.sedoniaguillone.com

As some of you already know, I’ve opened an erotic romance imprint, Ai Press which has four books out. However, the entrepreneurial person that I am, lol, I am also in the process of opening a non-romance imprint, Kokoro Press (Kokoro means heart in Japanese) which will include mystery, spiritual and literary fiction. I’m really excited and have a mystery novel in edits with a distinguished author right now.

Details will be revealed more in the near future…. Please come back and check!

Here. Raven Kelly has been kind enough to have interviewed me and posted it on her paranormal book review and author site. Who are the authors who inspire me? What advice do I have for new/aspiring authors? Lots! Hope you’ll come take a look. Thank you for your support.

Line: Spectrum
Book Length: Novel
Book Type: eBook
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
ISBN: 9781419927201
MSRP/List Price: $11.90
Our Cover Price: $5.95

To buy from Ellora’s Cave

Jack Cade is skeptical of the new criminal profiler he’s using. Michael seems so absent-minded and too neurotic to be effective. But he is brilliant and hot and Cade finds himself falling hard and fast, both in lust and in love. The attraction is mutual, although Michael’s past demons haunt him, keeping him from getting too close. Together, they begin to unravel Michael’s emotional knots even as they close in on a killer, another brilliant, wily person whose sights are now set on Michael.

Chapter One

Being a homicide detective hadn’t cured Jack Cade of his horror at seeing a dead body. Jack slipped on a pair of latex gloves and went into the apartment, up to the body. The victim, a white male in a white bathrobe, probably in his mid-forties, still knelt in the position he’d apparently died in, a knife protruding from his ravaged belly. The robe gaped open enough to show the blade remained embedded. Drying blood soaked the area rug on which the body knelt.

Jane Mallory, one of the detectives on Jack’s team, approached him. “His name’s Conrad Kent,” she said. “Age forty-five, according to the date of birth on his driver’s license.”

“Who found the body?”

“The next door neighbor, Sam Tyson. He stepped out to get his morning paper and saw Kent’s door was open. Didn’t think anything of it at first but then ten minutes later he left his apartment again to walk his dog, and the door was still open. That’s when he peeked in to check on Kent and found him.”

“Poor guy.”

“Which one?”

“Both.”

“Yes. As for Tyson, he’s retired and home every day. Easy to reach if we have any more questions for him.”

“Thanks, Mal.”

Mal returned to her search of the apartment while his second detective, Ken Chin, canvassed the other neighbors to find possible witnesses in the neighborhood. Jack turned his attention back to the body.

He knelt down beside Bill Murphy, the medical examiner, as close to the victim as he could get without being assaulted by the stench of blood. Around him, the flashes of crime scene photographers’ cameras sent bursts of light into the dusky apartment. Voices murmured while patrol officers and crime scene team members performed their duties. Even though it was mid-afternoon, the living room curtains were drawn. Jack took a closer look. Kent had been a handsome guy with dark blond hair, his strong features now etched in a permanent grimace. Jack had never seen anything like this before. Nausea threatened in his gut. “What do you think, Bill?” he asked finally.

“Well,” the older man said, sitting back on his heels and considering the grisly scene before him, “by all appearances, this man took his own life. See here, though,” Murphy lightly tapped the victim’s cheek with his pointer, “there’s some kind of bruising, the kind I’ve often seen when someone’s been gagged. Whether it has anything to do with his death, I won’t be able to determine until after a thorough autopsy.”

Jack nodded. “All right. I’ll let you know when to bring him down.”

“Will do, Detective Cade.” The medical examiner turned back to his work.

Jack rose and peered around the immediate space.

The room was sparsely furnished, the way Jack imagined a man’s apartment to be if he were living alone, newly divorced or something like that. No personal effects around, family photographs or artwork. Just a sofa in some kind of ugly blue scratchy material up against the wall opposite where a black lacquer entertainment unit stood, complete with flat screen television, DVD player and stereo. Expensive electronics set in an ugly half-assed decorated room.

The cheap area rug—an imitation Oriental in gaudy colors—on which the victim had been kneeling, still showed indentations near each corner. The coffee table, an inexpensive mission-style such as one bought in chain department stores, matched the indentations. Jack frowned as he ran the fingertips of one gloved hand over an indentation. The coffee table had been removed from the rug, which had then been pulled out toward the center of the room.

Jack turned his attention to the crime lab team member, who was busy lifting fingerprints off the items on the table. A glass of water—half full—sat on a table, along with a prescription bottle of pills. After making sure the necessary photos of the spot had been taken, Jack picked up the bottle and examined it. Propranolol. A beta blocker. Indicated Kent had had a heart problem. Jack replaced it on the table and made a note on his pad, including the prescribing doctor’s name. When the time came, the bottle would be bagged by the crime lab team.

The only other item on the table was a piece of paper with writing on it. He picked it up and crossed over to the window where some daylight came through the blinds. After studying it a few moments, he called Mallory over. “Looks like a suicide note,” he murmured. “Is this is his handwriting?”

“I’m not sure, Sarge. We found a checkbook in his desk drawer. The handwriting in the register resembles this handwriting but the note is slightly neater.”

“Anything appear to be stolen?”

“Doesn’t seem so. His wallet, complete with two hundred and eleven dollars cash and credit cards was there, as were the keys to a BMW. And there’s no sign of forced entry.”

“Mm.” Jack continued to study the letter. In it, Kent carried on about his sorrow, guilt for things he’d done, souls he’d harmed and what a useless and stupid individual he’d been, wasting his human life on fear. On and on. Jack read the letter once more and set it back down on the table. That sense of something strange tickled in his gut again. There seemed to be an air of ritual, of careful planning to this man’s suicide that just didn’t gel with the thrown together, uncoordinated look of the man’s surroundings. If he’d been haphazard with his living space the way he’d appeared to be, why would he have been so careful with his death? Would he really have taken the trouble to move his coffee table aside the way he had? And even if he’d left a suicide note, wouldn’t the writing have been sloppier? It looked as carefully written as a child’s handwriting drill in third grade. Why the difference between the checkbook register print and this one?

Sighing, Jack pulled out his cell phone and scrolled his contacts. This one was already tricky and he was going to consult Dr. Wittig before the trail had a chance to go cold. Some of his colleagues didn’t believe in calling in a profiler until things got desperate. Jack disagreed completely. He pressed the button to the Psychology Department at Harvard University. The department’s receptionist picked up on the second ring.

“Yes, hello, Gert,” Jack greeted the woman who answered.

“Hi, Detective Cade, how are you?” After so many times of calling for Dr. Wittig’s help on cases, Gert Neuman knew Jack’s voice immediately.

“I’m fine, but I’m on a case.”

“Oh. Sorry.” She paused. “Dr. Wittig isn’t available for consulting, Detective. His health deteriorated suddenly and he’s going into semi-retirement.”

“I see.” Damn.

“However, Dr. Wittig has already found his replacement.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. A student of his from years ago just joined the faculty. His name is Michael Di Santo.”

“Is he available right now?”

“Let me check. Just a moment.”

Jack heard the phone click as Gert put him on hold. Roughly half a minute later, someone clicked back on.

“Detective Cade?”

Jack hesitated. The guy sounded…young. “Yes. This is he.”

“Hello, this is Dr. Di Santo, Dr. Wittig’s replacement? Mrs. Neuman tells me you need a consult?”

“Yes. As soon as possible. We got a hit. I mean, there’s a body. I’m at the location right now. It appears to be a suicide but there are some inconsistencies that say otherwise.”

“Such as?”

Jack explained his suspicions.

“Well, that definitely needs looking into. I can come down now and take a look.”

Jack tried to guess the man’s age. Old enough to have earned a Ph D, at least. He caught himself and forced his attention back to the call. “Yes. That would be great.” He gave the Boylston Street address to Michael Di Santo, guessing it would take the man roughly twenty to twenty-five minutes to get there on the T.

“Fine. I’ll leave right now.”

“Do you have your badge?” Michael wouldn’t be allowed on the crime scene without identification from the BPD.

“Actually, yes. Dr. Wittig organized for one to be left here for me.”

“Good.” Jack ended the call and pocketed his phone then stepped into the hallway. There were three other apartments on the floor and no security camera that he could see. He made a note for his team to find out the individual or company who managed the building to see if there were security tapes available for the back and front entrances to the building.

On his way out to meet Di Santo, he stopped at the door of the neighbor who had found Kent’s body and questioned Sam Tyson. Tyson said Kent seemed to spend a lot of time in his apartment, watching TV or listening to music. He’d go out occasionally but never for long. “Sometimes I’ve seen a woman come and go,” he added.

“Did you ever meet her?”

“No.”

“What does she look like?”

“She’s tall. Brown hair in a kind of bob. Always wearing sunglasses, so I never really got a good look at her face. But that’s all I know.”

“Do you recall seeing her at any time yesterday?”

The elderly man rubbed his grizzled chin. “Oh yeah. I think she was here in the morning. I walked my dog and I saw a glimpse of her just before the door closed.”

“Do you remember what time that would have been?”

“Hmm. Maybe ten? Ten thirty? At my age, I lose track of time.”

Jack noted down the information, thanked Tyson and went downstairs. At the front entrance to the building, he noted a security camera trained on the glass door. Aside from that, there seemed to be no other security. The building only had twelve apartments in all. It was in a nice area on Boylston Street. Not cheap. Kent drove an expensive car according to the key ring Mal had found in his pants pocket, and yet the furnishings in the place aside from the TV and stereo, were cheap and ugly.

Studying the front area of the building, he wandered down the flower box lined stone walk of the apartment building and turned to face it. Crime lab workers and patrol officers moved around on either side of the yellow crime tape, keeping the building cordoned off until Jack gave instructions to clear out and retain only the apartment as the crime scene.

Jack stepped aside to let someone go past him and bump! Smacked into something.

He turned. “Excuse me, I’m—” Or rather, he’d bumped into someone.

The man was adjusting the glasses Jack had apparently knocked off his face. “You’re in a crime scene,” Jack said.

“Yes, I know.” Almond-shaped brown eyes seemed to study Jack from behind round lenses. He looked Asian, yet sort of…not Asian at the same time. His dark brown hair was styled in a conventional way, parted on the side in short layers. The crumpled navy suit he wore, complete with diagonally striped tie against a light blue dress shirt made him appear as if his mother had dressed him for a spelling bee at school even though he was probably about Jack’s age. Forty.

Jack blinked. He was taking absolutely too long to find out who this man was. Then light dawned. Of course. “Dr. Di Santo?”

“Detective Cade?”

“That’s me. Hope I didn’t break your glasses.”

Di Santo touched them on each side as if to check. “No, they’re fine.”

Jack watched the man’s hands as he gingerly adjusted the frames. Nicely shaped fingers. Clean, trimmed nails. “Sorry I bumped you that way.”

“No problem.” Di Santo cleared his throat. “I hope I can be of help to you.”

Jack started. “Me too. This way.” He led Di Santo into the building and up to the apartment. “As I told you on the phone, I’m not so sure this was a suicide.” He let Di Santo precede him into the apartment and followed him, observing the way the slim man took in the surroundings on his way over to the victim.

Jack explained his suspicions and then let the man work. For what seemed a long time, Di Santo wandered about then stood in the center of the room, his gaze on the coffee table. His hand disappeared into his jacket pocket and pulled something out, which he popped into his mouth.

Jack watched him. Watched the man’s cheek bulge on the side while he sucked on whatever it was in his mouth, his gaze intent on the coffee table and victim. He then approached Jack and Jack heard the click of hard candy against the guy’s teeth. Finally Di Santo turned and knelt by the body.

Jack saw the professor’s eyes widen, especially on the hilt of the knife. “What is it?”

“Please open the robe so I can see the wound,” he said to Murphy.

Murphy did as he asked and Di Santo gazed for what seemed five straight minutes at the vicious cross-shaped cut in the centre of the wound.

“Jumonji giri,” he said, nearly in a whisper.

“What?” Jack looked between the knife wound and Di Santo.

The hot-yet-nerdy man was still staring down, seeming to ignore him. The candy in his mouth clicked several times against his teeth.

“Dr. Di Santo?”

Michael Di Santo looked up, his eyes seemingly far away yet intent at the same time. “What kind of movies did this man watch?”

“What?” Jack felt a jolt of annoyance under his collar. “What does that have to do with anything?” Dr. Wittig had never worked like this. He’d had his quirks while doing his profiling work but he was at least…normal.

“I saw some DVDs on his shelves. He obviously spent a lot of time watching films, perhaps over and over again since he actually spent his money on purchasing them instead of renting from the library. What are they? I assure you it matters.”

Jack exhaled. If Wittig had recommended this guy as a replacement, he’d at least humor him until he saw a reason to do otherwise. He rose and crossed over to the shelves and looked at the titles. Tough guy action films, a few dippy romantic comedies and heavy metal music concerts from the eighties. Everything very ordinary. Returning to Di Santo, he reported what he’d seen.

“Nothing foreign?” Di Santo asked. “Like samurai films?”

Jack shook his head, hoping Di Santo would get to the point sooner rather than later. “No. No films that weren’t at some point first run in major movie theaters. Everything conventional. He seemed to be an all-American, ordinary, middle-aged guy.”

Di Santo shook his head. “No one is ordinary, Detective. Have you found anything else in this apartment that would indicate he is into Japanese culture? That he would have any knowledge of it? Books? Furniture? Anything?”

“No.” Jack had glanced at the few books on the shelf near the entertainment center. All stuff on making a financial fortune and playing the stock market. Not even a dictionary.

“Have you determined whether he died by the sword wound or was dead before the sword penetrated?”

“From what I can see,” Murphy said, “the sword wound is the cause of death.”