Excerpt from Relative Danger by Charles Benoit, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Edna set her drink down too. "Like I said, I think we can use the information in your uncle’s letters to solve his murder and clear Charley’s name. You don’t realize how much that means to me. And you could recover the jewels. I’ve read all these letters dozens of times and I think I can retrace his route pretty closely. I recognize a lot of the names and places and .…"

"And you want me to go?" Doug interrupted. "How come? I mean that’s nice of you, but why don’t you go?" That sounded rude, he thought, so he added, "I mean if you know the places and all, it could be like a vacation, you could clear your friend’s name, an adventure, like old times."

"Old times are just that, Douglas. Old. I have no trouble getting around here in Toronto or in London, but I’d have to go to Singapore and places a lot less developed. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see them again, but I’m afraid I’m really a bit too old this time. Besides, I’ve seen it all—wouldn’t you like a chance to see it yourself?"

She’s reading my mind, he thought. And where is Singapore, anyway?

"I figure that you could visit all the places in a couple of months and the costs wouldn’t be as great as you think. Besides, I’d be paying for it all. And you do have some time now that you’re out of work."

Doug looked up.

"Oh don’t look at me like that Doug, you told me yourself not thirty minutes ago. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Not going on this paid vacation, now that would be a shame."

He picked up his glass again and took another large sip. "It sure sounds inviting, but I’ve never been anywhere. Hell, I got lost coming here. How would I ever get around overseas?"

"I’ve got that all worked out," she said. "I know people who would check up on you, names of hotels, places to visit. It’s not like traveling in the Fifties, you know. It’s all five-star hotels and McDonald’s now—not that you’ll be spending time at either—but it is so much simpler than you’d imagine."

"Oh," Doug said, surprised at how disappointed he felt. "So I guess there’s no adventure in it, just picking up some information and stuff?"

She smiled as she took a last sip of wine. "There’ll be adventure, Douglas. I guarantee that."

From Relative Danger by Charles Benoit (Chapters 1 & 2, pages 1-16). Copyright Charles Benoit 2004. All rights reserved. No part of this book maybe reproduced without written permission from the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.