Marva Dale is the pen name for author Debra McReynolds.  Retired from the public relations field, Debra now spends her free time indulging in her passion for writing.  "I used to fill my school notebooks with stories," Debra relates, "and then add artwork to go along with them.  My second grade teacher, Mrs. Daley, predicted that I would be a writer one day."
A fan of the mystery genre, she enjoys crafting tales with a twist of suspense, a touch of romance, and a bit of humor. 
Debra and her husband, Dale, make their home in El Paso, Texas, with their dog, cats and rabbits.

Sexy, black lawyer, Liberty Sloane is asked to defend a deaf public relations executive accused of killing a well-known physician. Dr. Daniel Baumgard, known for his philanthropy, just opened a new shelter for abused women, although he also ran a women’s healthcare clinic that offers abortions. Madeline Kime promoted the doctor’s endeavors through her PR agency while harboring deep secrets concerning the Baumgard family, including the doctor’s son, Rhett, a congressman, and his socialite wife, Savannah. So who hated the doctor enough to stab him in the foyer of his own home? Liberty has a number of suspects on her list, including a pro-life group, not to mention the additional crimes of stolen clinic files and a blackmail scheme. To complicate matters, she has to fend off the advances of one-time boyfriend Preston Durrell, a private detective, while entertaining a new romance with the officer on the case, Sergeant Byron Keats. Worse, Liberty planned a Caribbean vacation with her BFFs, but has to postpone it in order to defend her client for murder one.

Not at Liberty

The ringing of her cell phone woke her from a troubled sleep.Liberty had been dreaming of people walking in a circle with protest signs while she stood alone on the dais, afraid that the protesters would do her harm as they circled closer and closer.She tried to call for help, but the words refused to come out of her mouth. 


Now, reaching from under the covers, Liberty grabbed her phone off the nightstand and answered the call with a groggy murmur."Preston...I don't want you tonight."


The strange man's voice brought her fully awake and she scrambled to sit up."Oh, yes, yes, this is she."


"I'm sorry to call you so late, Ms. Sloane.I'm not sure of you remember me, but I'm Rhett Baumgard, Daniel Baumgard's son."


"Oh, yes, I remember you.What can I do for you?"


"Again, I'm sorry to call so late, but we have a situation here.I mean, my father has been murdered and we need some legal advice."


Dr. Baumgard murdered?Liberty swung her legs around and planted her bare feet on the rug, her attention fully riveted now on her caller."Where did this happen?"


"At the house, the doctor's house.Well, it's a little complicated and I really don't want to talk too long on the phone because of the police.They're still here at the house and they've been asking us so many questions.I know my head is spinning."


"Oh, Ms. Kime and myself.It was Ms. Kime who found my father's body after he went to answer the door.She was in the kitchen, making tea, and when he didn't return after awhile she went to look for him.She found him lying in the foyer, stabbed in the chest...dead."


"Ah, I think ten or ten-thirty."Liberty figured that Maddy Kime must have arrived just after she and the doctor finished their business around nine-thirty.


"Ms. Sloane?" Rhett continued. "If you decide to help us, I'll fill you in on all the details.Of course, I understand if you decline.This is hardly the kind of information you want to hear at this time of the morning."


Liberty glanced at her bedside clock and registered the time, two-thirty a.m.Had she been asleep for only two hours?With the length of her disturbing dream, she thought it had to be close to dawn."No, that's okay.Dr. Baumgard was a good friend, and I'll be glad to help.Give me about forty-five minutes."


She heard Rhett Baumgard's audible sigh of relief."Thank you so much, Ms. Sloane.We certainly appreciate it."


Chapter 8