by: Pamela McCord
Series: The Unfinished Business of Eliot Ness
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Release Date: December 14, 2023
A copycat serial killer and the ghost of Eliot Ness. Can two amateur sleuths, with the help of the famous ghost, stop the murderer before he kills again.
A ghostly figure surprises India Bennett in her study. That’s unnerving enough, but said ghost leaves a book open to a page showing a mutilated body, a body which looks just like the body in a case Indy’s homicide detective boyfriend, Danny, is currently investigating. Standing next to the body in the picture in the mysterious book is a man Indy recognizes as the ghost she saw in her study. Danny points out to her that it would be impossible for her to have seen the man in the picture, the legendary lawman Eliot Ness.
Despite Danny’s insistence, Indy knows what she saw, and she and her best friend Cara become friends with Eliot’s spirit. With ghostly assistance, the amateur sleuths begin their own investigation. After their discovery of what appears to be a journal describing the original victims from the 1930s, and with two murders already committed by the current serial killer, Indy and Cara rush to find the copycat murderer before he kills again.
In “Shadows of the Past,” a thrilling fusion of historical crime and supernatural suspense, the spirit of Eliot Ness becomes an unexpected ally, guiding Indy and Cara through a treacherous maze of secrets and hidden motives. With their lives on the line and the body count rising, they must navigate the shadows of the past and confront the malevolent force that seeks to perpetuate the sins of history.
The past and present collide in this captivating novel, unleashing a bone-chilling tale of danger, redemption, and the enduring power of justice. Prepare to be captivated by this gripping page-turner.
It was a few minutes after ten and a dark, moonless night. Indy drove slowly past Cassidy’s estate and parked on the dusty shoulder close to the back end of his property. Based on the aerial pictures she’d studied, Indy knew approximately where the cabin was located, and had been relieved that it was only about twenty yards from the road and about midway on the property. Clad in black leggings and hiking boots, and a black hoodie that she had pulled up over her head, she felt jittery despite believing she’d taken enough precautions to ensure she wouldn’t be discovered.
Indy hopped up and down a couple of times to shake out her legs and settle her nerves. After a deep breath, she smiled grimly at Eliot, then looked for a less dense part of the woods to enter. She carried a TAC LED flashlight, which she covered with one hand to mute the brightness. The last thing she needed was some nosey neighbor reporting a mysterious light bouncing through the woods. She'd made that mistake once, and she wasn't going to make it again.
Angling southeast, after five minutes of navigating tree roots and underbrush, the beam of the flashlight fell on a structure. As Indy drew closer, she pumped her fist, happy that she’d successfully found the cabin. All was dark inside and out. She tiptoed up to the porch and tried the door. Locked, of course. She shone the light through the grime-covered window to the right of the door and pressed her face against the pane.
What do you see? Eliot asked, his face next to her as he peered inside.
There were dim furniture shapes, but nothing that proclaimed it a murderer’s lair. Pulling back, she noticed a nose print on the glass and used the sleeve of her hoodie to try to rub it away, but, instead of cleaning it, all she managed to do was smear a circle in the dusty surface of the window. A shiver of fear shook her at the thought she might have left some trace of DNA despite her efforts at rubbing it off, and she dabbed a little more at the spot with her sleeve, which only produced a larger smudge. She looked back and forth over her shoulders, but there was no movement of any kind. No one jumped out to ask why she was snooping around.
“Eliot, can you go inside and see if you notice anything that could be evidence?”
He nodded and disappeared through the wall. Indy suddenly realized she wasn’t wearing the gloves she’d brought with her and was reaching in her pocket for them when she heard the unmistakable sound of an approaching engine. An engine that sounded very close.
“Eliot!” she whispered as loud as she could, shoving the gloves back in her pocket. “Someone’s coming! We have to get out of here!” When he didn’t respond, she knocked on the window, and when he glanced her way she waved and mouthed “Hurry!”
She took off through the woods, the flashlight beam leading the way through the trees, alerting her to rocks or roots poking out in her way. Fearing she might be seen by whoever was in the vehicle, she turned off the light, but after a few steps she stumbled and landed on hands and knees. A cry of terror escaped Indy, and she scrambled to her feet. She held her hands out in front of her, groping in the dark, to hopefully prevent a repeat performance.
Reaching her car, taking deep breaths, she tried to calm her racing heart as she searched for any sign that she was being followed.
“Eliot!” she called in a loud whisper. “Where are you?”
He appeared beside her, and she jumped in fright before closing her eyes in relief.
“We have to get out of here.” She climbed in the front seat and started the car, then her stomach dropped as again she heard the sound of an engine. The same engine she’d heard in the woods. Without turning on her lights, she screeched down the road, weaving through a couple of neighborhoods in case of pursuit.
Indy hopped up and down a couple of times to shake out her legs and settle her nerves. After a deep breath, she smiled grimly at Eliot, then looked for a less dense part of the woods to enter. She carried a TAC LED flashlight, which she covered with one hand to mute the brightness. The last thing she needed was some nosey neighbor reporting a mysterious light bouncing through the woods. She'd made that mistake once, and she wasn't going to make it again.
Angling southeast, after five minutes of navigating tree roots and underbrush, the beam of the flashlight fell on a structure. As Indy drew closer, she pumped her fist, happy that she’d successfully found the cabin. All was dark inside and out. She tiptoed up to the porch and tried the door. Locked, of course. She shone the light through the grime-covered window to the right of the door and pressed her face against the pane.
What do you see? Eliot asked, his face next to her as he peered inside.
There were dim furniture shapes, but nothing that proclaimed it a murderer’s lair. Pulling back, she noticed a nose print on the glass and used the sleeve of her hoodie to try to rub it away, but, instead of cleaning it, all she managed to do was smear a circle in the dusty surface of the window. A shiver of fear shook her at the thought she might have left some trace of DNA despite her efforts at rubbing it off, and she dabbed a little more at the spot with her sleeve, which only produced a larger smudge. She looked back and forth over her shoulders, but there was no movement of any kind. No one jumped out to ask why she was snooping around.
“Eliot, can you go inside and see if you notice anything that could be evidence?”
He nodded and disappeared through the wall. Indy suddenly realized she wasn’t wearing the gloves she’d brought with her and was reaching in her pocket for them when she heard the unmistakable sound of an approaching engine. An engine that sounded very close.
“Eliot!” she whispered as loud as she could, shoving the gloves back in her pocket. “Someone’s coming! We have to get out of here!” When he didn’t respond, she knocked on the window, and when he glanced her way she waved and mouthed “Hurry!”
She took off through the woods, the flashlight beam leading the way through the trees, alerting her to rocks or roots poking out in her way. Fearing she might be seen by whoever was in the vehicle, she turned off the light, but after a few steps she stumbled and landed on hands and knees. A cry of terror escaped Indy, and she scrambled to her feet. She held her hands out in front of her, groping in the dark, to hopefully prevent a repeat performance.
Reaching her car, taking deep breaths, she tried to calm her racing heart as she searched for any sign that she was being followed.
“Eliot!” she called in a loud whisper. “Where are you?”
He appeared beside her, and she jumped in fright before closing her eyes in relief.
“We have to get out of here.” She climbed in the front seat and started the car, then her stomach dropped as again she heard the sound of an engine. The same engine she’d heard in the woods. Without turning on her lights, she screeched down the road, weaving through a couple of neighborhoods in case of pursuit.
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