Space tourism isn’t dangerous. It’s the passengers. Dead Among Stars A Maddie Swallows Mystery by Kat Bellemore ➱ Book Release with Rafflecopter
Space tourism isn’t dangerous. It’s the passengers.
Dead Among Stars
A Maddie Swallows Mystery Book 4
by Kat Bellemore
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Space tourism isn’t dangerous. It’s the passengers.
Psychologist
Maddie Swallows had always thought of space tourism as science
fiction. That was before the phone call that turned her world upside
down and she was hired to work with celebrity passengers as they
prepared for their once-in-a-lifetime flight.
It was her dream
job. Until six passengers went up into space, and two hours later,
only five returned.
If you don’t count the dead body.
Investigating a murder hadn’t been in the job description, but Maddie now needs to use her psychological training to discover who of the remaining five passengers is a murderer.
Before they strike again.
Dead
Among Stars is
the fourth book of the Maddie Swallows mystery series. If you like
confined suspects, humor, and impossible whodunits, you’ll love
this cozy mystery.
Grab Dead
Among Stars and
be swept up in this intriguing mystery today!
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Dr. Randall walked over to the astronauts and looked over the
suits, checking that everything was how it should be. The suits had one pocket
meant for a phone so the astronauts could take pictures. Charlotte had tried sneaking
a box of cigarettes and a lighter in hers, and it was immediately confiscated.
“Mom, you could have gotten us all killed,” Emma said, her
lips pulled into a frown.
Once the seven astronauts boarded, the medical officer, Lori,
followed. She would be the eighth passenger. Just in case.
And then, while the rest of us cheered and waved, the
spacecraft started down the runway, no different than the way any other plane
takes off for a flight.
Other than a final counseling session to unravel their space
experience, my job was complete.
“We have two hours until they return,” Jeffrey said, walking
up to me as the employees returned inside. “Want to hit up the cafeteria? It
just opened.”
I glanced at my phone, not that I doubted him. Just wanted to
see if we had time for both a first and second lunch before it closed again
until dinner. Had to take advantage of all the amazing food, since it would all
go away the next day. We’d been spoiled.
“Absolutely. I just need to run to the dorm to change into my
stretchy pants.” I was mostly kidding. As we reentered the building, I asked
him, “What’s it been like? Following the ‘astronauts’ around for the past few
days?” I did air quotes around “astronauts.” I knew it was marketed that way,
but I didn’t like that those bickering celebrities were now placed in a
category with intelligent, brave men and women who had done so much good up
there on the International Space Station, as well as those who had traveled
farther.
I threw a backward glance toward the staff dorms when Jeffrey
turned in the opposite direction down the hallway. I’d be okay without the
stretchy pants. Probably.
“It was okay,” he said with a small shrug. “I really like Ace
Hutchins. He always seemed like a cool guy on TV, but he is that way in real
life too. I was glad to not be disappointed. I like Rachel Sinclair too. Don’t
love her music—it’s nothing special. But she wasn’t in everybody’s business,
like the rest of them. Julie hoped the team-building exercises would help with
cohesion, but it only seemed to make it worse.”
I had missed a lot while stuck in my little office. There had
been times I’d been able to sneak out and peek through windows, but most of the
training exercises had been done behind closed doors, and I wasn’t supposed to
interrupt.
I thought of Rachel, who was used to stepping aside so she
wasn’t bowled over by the rest. After she’d left our one and only session, I’d
wished she’d have returned so we could talk about some skills she could use to
increase her self-confidence. Even famous singers had problems standing up for
themselves, just like the rest of us.
“I take it that Charlotte was the center of the drama?”
Jeffrey opened the cafeteria door and motioned for me to
enter.
“Forever and always,” a man’s voice said.
Dr. Randall appeared behind me, his gaze scanning the endless
food choices. “That woman thrives on chaos, and she doesn’t care what
casualties are left in her wake. The problem is that the rest of the astronauts
have a love/hate relationship with her. They need her, or at least they believe
they do, but they despise her for it.”
“Is it bad that I wish I hadn’t missed all of it?” I asked,
feeling sheepish. “It’s like those daytime soap operas. You know they are
ridiculous, but you also can’t tear yourself away. And it was all happening in
real time.”
I decided on pizza for my first lunch, promising myself
huevos rancheros for my second round.
“Count yourself lucky,” Dr. Randall said. “I saw zero growth
in any of them. I know they paid good money to be here, but honestly, I feel
like this trip has been wasted on those seven.”
“Even Serena?” I asked. “She came in to talk with me a couple
of times, and even though I don’t believe in all that psychic stuff, she seemed
sweet.”
“Sure. Until you tell her something she doesn’t like. I saw
the claws come out a few times with her. Never directed at me, but she wasn’t
about to let the others walk all over her. She placed herself in a dominant
position and made sure the others respected that. I even saw her stand up to
Charlotte a couple of times. Only one who did that.”
Huh. And you think you know someone from a few therapy
sessions.
Jeffrey had been right. Everything had been a show.
That was a bit disappointing, and it must have shown, because
Dr. Randall nudged me with his shoulder. “Don’t let it get you down. For what
it’s worth, I did think she was one of the more decent guests here. She was in
survival mode, that’s all.”
I nodded. That made sense.
“That Noah guy, though,” Jeffrey said, sliding onto the seat
across from me at the table. “Didn’t say a word the entire three days. Only
watched and didn’t participate
unless he was forced to. The others were rude, but at least
they were making an effort. It was like he was too good for everyone there. I
don’t know why he even came.”
Dr. Randall quietly ate his food, his gaze firmly focused on
the enchilada in front of him.
He knew something. And I had a feeling it was more than just
Noah’s dyslexia.
“What do you think, Dr. Randall?” I asked.
He chewed his food far slower than necessary, then swallowed.
“You’re right. He doesn’t want to be here.” And then Dr. Randall stood. “You
know, I think the launch took my appetite with it. I’ll see you at the landing
in…” He checked his watch. “Ninety minutes.” And then he dumped his
tray and disappeared through a side door.
“That was weird, right?” Jeffrey asked, his gaze still on the
door Dr. Randall had left through.
I agreed. “Very weird.”
But that was nothing compared to when the spacecraft glided
onto the runway ninety minutes later, the employees cheering. A small band
played to the right of us, welcoming the astronauts home. Not sure where they
came from.
That wasn’t the weird part.
It was when six astronauts disembarked, instead of seven.
And then there was the scream.
Kat Bellemore is a small-town romance and cozy mystery author. Deciding to have New Mexico as the setting for two of her series was an easy choice, considering its amazing sunsets, blue skies and tasty green chile. That, and she currently lives there with her husband and two cute kids. They hope to one day add a dog to the family, but for now, the native animals of the desert will have to do. Though, Kat wouldn't mind ridding the world of scorpions and centipedes. They're just mean.
You can visit Kat at www.kat-bellemore.com.
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