Past Perfect

Sam Bradley and his assistant, Mrs. Wooten, have become lovers. An attack on Sam and his long time friend, Brian Flarhety, by a rampaging schizophrenic and the events directly before and after have made the September of their lives the best time of their lives.
Things begin to unravel with the arrival of a rogue cop, Deputy Bentley Bowman, recently assigned to the small beach community where Wooten rents the guest cottage behind the estate of Sylvia Blum. Sylvia is pleased to be a confidant to Wooten, living a new life vicariously, a welcome replacement for the quiet, desperate, isolation of her former existence.
What better facade to conceal the true nature of Bowman than as an officer of the law? He hatches a plot to blackmail Sylvia when he discovers that Mr. Blum drowned in his swimming pool nearly twenty years ago. Sylvia elects to pay him off; not because she killed her husband, but because she doesn't want the past dredged up. The pay off is more than Bowman bargained for!
He escapes with his life on the day of the money exchange, only after his dupe convinces him in a manner that leaves no doubt of the consequences of coming near her again.
In the evening of the same day, Wooten finds her friend dead. Her subsequent activities seem peculiar, add to that, the total disarray of the house, and Sylvia's sudden death becomes a police matter. The aura of suspicion becomes a dark cloud with the discovery of the new will that Sam, pledged to secrecy, drew up for Sylvia. Wooten is suspected of murder.
Sam is her "shoulder", legal advisor, and loving support. Brian Flarhety is on backup and standby. They present a solid front; a triumvirate to be reckoned with.
Deputy Bowman flees to Mexico. His abrupt departure from there is worth the price of the ticket.
The supporting characters, Marva, Tony, Kim Kim, Dr. Carpenter, fill the pages with character, humor, and insight.