Lost Bones & Buried Secrets #MFRWHooks #NewRelease

YESTERDAY’S OVER 

💀 Philly Heat Series #3 💀

Following a massive explosion in South Philadelphia, rescue workers discover aged skeletal remains. Assistant Chief Medical Examiner Gertrude "Trudy" Beasley calls in forensic anthropologist Doctor Benjamin Roberts to assist. It doesn't take them long to realize they've uncovered a former serial killer's old burial ground. But someone alive today will kill to keep those secrets buried.

💀 EXCERPT 💀

The smell of charred flesh overwhelmed the scent of antiseptic and the industrial cleaner used to keep the room sterile. It resembled any other medical suite in any other medical facility, gurneys, tools, staff in scrubs, but unlike those other rooms, there was no sense of urgency in Trudy’s morgue. The reduced temperature preserved organic material. It preserved the odor as well. It didn’t go away despite the air purification system. Trudy’s eyes and nostrils burned. The menthol gel she’d rubbed on her upper lip lost the war hours earlier, but she didn’t stop. Couldn’t. The victims and their families needed answers. She couldn’t bring back the homes they lost, the lives destroyed, the memories buried under cindered rubble, but this she could do and would without complaint.

“Doctor Beasley?”

“Cara. I’ve told you repeatedly to call me Trudy.” She lifted her head. Cara grimaced as the latest body bag arrived. Trudy swallowed a sigh. She’d cautioned Cara regarding her reactions. Their patients may be dead, but still deserved respect. The young woman was smart and capable, but not suited for a job in the morgue. “Please don’t make that face.”

“I’m sorry, Doctor… Trudy. But you need to see this.”

With her gloved hands elevated to prevent cross-contamination, Trudy joined the intern. She snapped her gloves off after a quick glance. “Pick up the autopsy where I left off. I need to make a call.”

She ignored the greetings as she crossed the hall to her office. Since she often spent more time here than at home, she kept the environment comfortable rather than institutional, opting for an over-stuffed sofa and soft lighting from funny little candlestick lamps with fringed shades, but she flicked on the fluorescent overheads in passing and spun through the ancient Rolodex she kept on her desk. Dialed and grabbed a water bottle from the mini fridge. Trudy guzzled down cool, wet relief.

“The Anthropology Department at the University of Penn. How can I help you?” A prim voice answered.

Trudy pictured the office receptionist from her high school. The woman’s stare could wither the rowdiest of teenagers. “Good afternoon, this is Dr. Gertrude Beasley, Assistant Chief Medical Examiner for the City of Philadelphia. We’re working on the victims from the explosion and have recovered skeletal remains.”

💀💀💀

AVAILABLE NOW WORLDWIDE

For more information on this book, and others in the series, including additional buy links, go to tirpub.com/bflade