Sandstorm Rising (Pamela Williams Mysteries Book 1)

Book summary

Private investigator Pamela Williams is drawn into a web of mystery after a sandstorm causes a massive highway pile-up, leaving one driver dead under suspicious circumstances. Partnering with Daniel Mendoza, Pamela must untangle muddled memories and family feuds over a multimillion-dollar life insurance claim—before the danger claims another victim.

Excerpt from Sandstorm Rising (Pamela Williams Mysteries Book 1)

Chapter One

Pamela

Scottsdale, Arizona

Present Day

Dr. Moore peered over the top of her glasses with a devious, confused look as she waited for a response from her patient. Her patient, Pamela Williams, sat uncomfortably on an oversized recliner on the far side of the office, grimacing at the posed question. She was clearly avoiding it, at least for now. Rather than responding, she nervously twirled her ponytail. A strand or two of her long, blonde hair fell out. Pamela feigned a smile out of embarrassment. Her therapist watched her squirm even more awkwardly.

“I know what you’re thinking, Doc, but it’s really nothing. Nothing at all,” Pamela insisted with an even bigger grin.

She then grabbled with the hair and tossed it into the trash bin next to her.

“Call me, Chantal. What do you believe I’m thinking?” the therapist asked with a calming voice, which typically worked on her other patients.

Today, her subtle tactics weren’t working on her difficult patient, despite her valiant efforts.

Leaning forward to address her questioner, Pamela responded, “I’m no psychiatrist, but I’m familiar with them. I’ve investigated a few for cheating on their wives, including having affairs with their clients. Plural.”

Dr. Moore noted Pamela’s unconscious disdain for therapists while writing something in her notebook.

“What are you writing?” Pamela asked as she watched the doctor continue writing in the notebook after observing Pamela’s response.

“Notes. Nothing serious. Just stuff to help me remember what we talked about so we can discuss it in the future.”

“Future?!! I thought …”

“Well, when your neurologist, Dr. Thamm, referred you to me…”

“Let’s get this straight. I’m not compelled to be here. I’m here of my own free will. Nothing more.”

Dr. Moore politely nodded in acknowledgment.

“No … I didn’t mean it like that. I simply meant that Dr. Thamm doesn’t believe there is anything organically wrong with your brain that is affecting your memory.”

“Oh, ok. Yes, he did say that. I’m here for that very reason. So, I can remember what happened to me and to … to …” Pamela stammered as the thought of something horrific flashed before her mind’s eye. She shook the memory away out of fear of having to deal with the ramifications of it at the moment.

Dr. Moore closed the notebook, placed it on her lap, and said, “I understand it’s been four months since the sandstorm but you aren’t …”

“I can’t remember anything after my car came to a stop until five hours later.”

“Tell me what you do remember.”

“I remember driving on Interstate 10 toward Tucson.”

“Before that. What made you drive to Tucson?”

Pamela described the morning of that fateful day.

***

Scottsdale, Arizona

Offices of Investigators United

Four Months Earlier

Slightly rapping at the opened door to get her boss’s attention, Virginia decided to just enter after realizing Pamela appeared deep in thought. Rather than working, Pamela was looking out the second-story window toward the serene view of the empty street below. Virginia knocked once more.

“What’s on your mind?” Virginia quietly asked, hoping the sound of her voice would be more effective. It worked.

“Nothing important.” Tilting her head down, Pamela hesitated and then corrected herself, “That’s not true. I-I … promised to be honest with you guys since I’ve been back from Tokyo. And I keep my promises.”

Pamela turned around and faced Virginia so she could determine for herself if her boss was being truthful. Pamela breathed deeply before continuing. “An old special forces teammate is in town. Well, Tucson to be exact. She wants to meet me. It’s been a long time. I’m just not sure if I’m ready to deal with that part of my life again and dredge up those memories. Memories I worked hard to forget.”

“You should go. I know it’s a long drive, but when was the last time you met with someone from the military? It’s been a long time. You’ll regret it if you don’t go. I know you will.”

Virginia looked behind her to see if George was listening in on their conversation. He seemed busy on the phone. Not wanting him to eavesdrop on the conversation, she quietly closed the office door and entered further into the office.

“I know. You’re right but …” Pamela agreed.

“But what? You don’t have any other plans for today. Nothing is on your calendar.”

Pamela gave Virginia an exasperated look, as if she was searching for some excuse but nothing pertinent came to mind. Suddenly, her mouth opened to speak.

Before she could say a word, Virginia interrupted, “Not that excuse again. Your father is fine. Like you’ve said many times since you’ve been back, he doesn’t need you to babysit him anymore after the drug trials. He’s out and about with his friends, enjoying himself more than you are.”

Pamela huffed at the accusation. Her shoulders relaxed once she accepted the reality of the situation and that she had a right to a social life as well.

“I guess I can have fun at the Pima Air & Space Museum. Maybe we can do a light lunch and some girl talk.” Pamela giggled once she remembered the fun times with Olivia. Those stories were for another time.

***

Scottsdale, Arizona

Present Day

“So, you were on your way to meet a friend?” Chantal rhetorically asked as she quickly scribbled more notes into the notebook.

Pamela momentarily fixated on the pen’s movement as it glided over the paper. She secretly wondered what Dr. Moore was actually writing. She even whimsically thought the doctor was just making note of things she needed to do later that evening, once at home. Rather than letting herself be distracted further by the therapist’s duties, Pamela continued relaying what happened. “Yes, I reluctantly agreed but you have to admit I did agree to go rather than avoid any social interaction.” Pamela was proud of herself for going outside of her comfort zone. “I texted Olivia to tell me when she would arrive at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and that I would pick her up there.”

“Did you make it?”

“No. No, I didn’t. I only got as far as Picacho Peak before the sandstorm hit.”

***

Picacho Peak, Arizona

Somewhere in the Middle of the Desert

Four Months Ago

Pamela’s grey Mercedes sedan sped along the freeway effortlessly, like it was driving on its own with little steering input by the driver. Although the asphalt road occasionally had fatigue cracks where the freeway was broken into multiple, irregular-shaped pieces, the vehicle’s sophisticated suspension provided a smooth, well-damped ride, especially at the high speed it was traveling, around eighty miles per hour. The ride was so smooth that Pamela worried about falling asleep at the wheel. Somewhat fatigued from the previous long night of work, she strained to focus on the traffic in front of her to ensure she didn’t collide with any of the other vehicles on the six-lane highway toward Tucson.

In the distance to her right, Picacho Peak appeared as a remnant of a volcanic neck. Pamela smiled at the sight, knowing she had already driven an hour and a half and was getting closer to her destination. The excitement of seeing Olivia again gave her an adrenaline rush. Memories of their missions in Afghanistan and celebrations afterward overwhelmed her. Pamela was reluctant to relive them, even though most of the missions were glorious and built camaraderie within the team. However, not all of them were, especially the last one.

The center console displayed an incoming call. The ringing shook her from the memories as well as her mixed emotions. A photo of Daniel Mendoza in a black guayabera shirt with a white and black fedora appeared on the display. He was inside a garita, a sentry box at Fort El Morro in San Juan, with a view of the azure Atlantic Ocean in the background. His beaming smile in the profile picture also brought a smile to Pamela’s face. She immediately answered.

“Hey, Daniel. I take it you’re at the airport.”

Garbled noise filled the passenger compartment. Rushing wind also drowned out the sound. Raising the volume, she could now easily hear Daniel’s voice through the two front speakers.

“Can you repeat that?” Pamela asked.

“How did you know it was me?” Daniel asked a second time, apparently oblivious to the concept her cell phone had caller ID.

Pamela was perplexed by a question with an obvious answer but realized he had been under a lot of pressure lately. He was a seasoned, Arizona attorney working on a complex, wrongful death case in Maui for the past few months. Clearly, something was on his mind and was distracting him at the moment.

In an effort not to alarm his suspicious nature even further, she said with an air of familiarity, “Because I’ve learned your habits after all these years. You always call me right before you board a flight. I’m the last person you think about before you travel.”

Although she could not see his face, hearing him sigh revealed her comments allayed any concerns as expected.

“So, are you going to tell me what's happening in the case or are you going to make me wait five hours when you finally land in Phoenix before telling me?”

Daniel regaled her with the news the case settled just before he arrived at the airport. Pamela congratulated him for resolving a difficult case where his client’s liability was inevitable. They exchanged comments about the plaintiff counsel’s proclivity to use the media to the advantage of his clients and the bane of his opponents. She predicted the plaintiff’s counsel would rush to the media to brag about settling with Daniel’s client.

As Pamela laughed at their remarks, what seemed like an infinitely wide and two-hundred-foot-high wall of dense sand advanced fairly rapidly toward her from the south. Her eyes bulged at the sight of the enormous sandstorm fast approaching.

“What the?!” Pamela exclaimed as the sound of screeching could be heard in front of her and behind her.

“What’s going on?” Daniel worriedly asked.

“I’m traveling on the I-10 to Tucson. A sandstorm just came out of nowhere,” she declared.

She veered to the right to avoid a two-vehicle accident in front of her. Apparently, the drivers were enamored by the spectacle and kept their eyes transfixed to the sky rather than to the ground. Traffic was backing up due to the meteorological phenomenon.

“Be safe. Pull over and turn off your lights. ‘Pull Aside, Stay Alive!’ That’s what the warnings say,” Daniel hurriedly admonished.

The phone call dropped as the Mercedes was engulfed by the torrential winds.