A Nostalgia City Mystery, #4
Mystery
Date Published: 09-30-2021
Publisher: Archer and Clark Publishing
Computer genius Tom Wyrick has invented mind-bending technology that will make theme park rides challenge passengers’ senses, their grasp of the material world. His Perception Deception Effect will rocket Arizona’s Nostalgia City theme park decades ahead of the competition. But the secret technology is missing. And so is its creator. Is he dead? On the run?
An FBI agent theorizes the People’s Republic of China is responsible for the disappearance. The Nostalgia City CEO, however, is convinced a rival theme park is behind the theft. He drafts ex-cop turned theme park cab driver Lyle Deming to fly to Florida to find the missing computer scientist and recover his secrets.
Does this have anything to do with the severed human finger Lyle finds in his cab?
Back at Nostalgia City, a sprawling re-creation of an entire small town from the 1970s, a movie company is shooting a Vietnam era crime story. It’s a welcome distraction from the tech theft until the film company announces its last-minute replacement star is Cory “Psycho” Sievers, fresh out of rehab and aching to exact revenge on Hollywood. When another actor is found dead, park executive Kate Sorensen, a 6’ 2 ½” former college basketball star, is persuaded to investigate.
Shrugging off jet lag and chronic anxiety, Lyle goes undercover using a parade of false identities—from attorney to maintenance worker—to snoop behind the scenes at other theme parks. Although he’s generally tech savvy, he’s flummoxed by Perception Deception science. He gets help from a Nostalgia City engineer who speaks the jargon, but Lyle must rein in his assistant’s enthusiasm for corporate espionage.
In the meantime, Kate confronts the mentally unstable actor. But she may be forced to give up the murder case—Lyle’s in trouble. Kate and Lyle have little time to explore their relationship as both their investigations turn deadly, threatening them and the future of Nostalgia City.
Dark Ride Deception – Chapt. 34
Lyle
felt like he was back in an interrogation room at the Phoenix PD only he was on
the wrong side of the table. He sat in
front of Galvan’s desk and eyed the beefy guy with a crew cut who was not
introduced. You sat next to Lyle
“So as you now know, I work at—or
maybe I used to work—at Nostalgia
City. In any event, I’m a cab driver.”
Galvan chuckled.
“I can show you my ID and
commercial license.”
“This is not the time for your
name, rank, and serial number,” Yoo said. “Tell us what you were doing here.”
Yoo still prodded, Galvan had
large dark eyes, and the crew cut looked at him like he was a suspect in a
one-man lineup. “Okay, I’m just looking for a Nostalgia City employee. What’s
the harm?”
“And you thought he might be
working here?” Galvan said.
“Possibly.”
“And what does he do at Nostalgia
City?”
“I’m not sure.”
“I believe Tom Wyrick is a
programmer for you,” Galvan said, her voice light and conversational as if she
were asking if he enjoyed his flight to Florida.
Hell,
how do they know he was a programmer? Amber, the receptionist. My mistake. She
was the only one I told who Wyrick was. But how did they know I talked to her?
I never mentioned her name to anyone. Surveillance cameras. They went back and
looked at video of the time before I showed up in HR. Damn these guys are good.
Least I know what they know about me, which is pretty much everything.
“Wyrick is a programmer and he
disappeared. The park is worried about him so they asked me to look around.”
“And you were chosen, not because
you drive a cab, but because of your previous occupation.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I was a
sergeant. Phoenix police, homicide.” Did the crew cut’s gargoyle expression
soften slightly?
“Actually, Mr. Deming,” Galvan
said, “the only thing we don’t know for sure is what Wyrick was working on when
he disappeared. But I can guess. There’ve been stories. And you were asking
around in our attractions development building next door.”
This
lady has a complete picture of my actions and motives. As complete as I would
have liked for any perp I detained as a cop. He gave a shrug of surrender and
leaned back in his chair.
Galvan turned to the thickset guy
next to her. “Thanks for coming over Bill. It’s like we thought. I just have a
few more questions for our cab driver. I’ll give you a call later.”
Bill got up slowly, pushed his
chair out of the way, and came around the desk. He looked at Yoo and made a
slight motion to the door. When they left, Galvan got up and took Yoo’s seat
opposite Lyle.
“Are you working for Maxwell?
Hiring an ex-police detective sounds like something he’d do.”
Lyle couldn’t read Galvan’s body
language. She sat back in the chair, put a hand on the arm, and crossed her
legs. Relaxed maybe, but her brown-eyed stare held his attention.
“Yes and no. I am working for Max,
but he didn’t hire me. I went to work at the park because it was a break from
police work. It takes it out of you. I like driving my taxi.”
“You’re not driving it now.”
“I sometimes do special
assignments for Max.”
“So one of your programmers has
gone rogue and you want to find him before he sells your secrets.”
Lyle could play the game, too. His
noncommittal expression was as good as anyone’s.
“Does it have to do with your
perception deception effect?”
Why
don’t I just call Joseph Arena and have him explain the technical details to
you?
“You don’t have to worry. That
term was in one of the trade mags recently. No one knows what it means.” She
shifted in her chair and leaned forward. “I sympathize with you. We all want
the latest and the best, and we all try to protect our own proprietary ideas.”
“Which is why Yoo followed me.”
“That’s right,” she said. “I’m
sorry if he got too rough. He’s young. It didn’t sound like you were looking to
steal anything. I despise anyone who would steal secrets for profit. Your
secrets, our secrets, anyone’s. Our engineering team is inspired, and like
Edison said, it’s ninety-nine percent perspiration. Is this Wyrick going to
sell your secrets to the highest bidder or what?”
“Could be.”
“Well, I would not buy stolen
technology. I can’t say for certain that Mr. Danneman wouldn’t be interested,
but if anyone wanted to sell us new tech, it would have to come through me. And
it hasn’t.”
Lyle was beginning to like Tracy
Galvan. Intelligent, attractive. These Atlantic Adventures folks were sharp,
straightforward people. Except Amber.
“I know that Maxwell and Mr.
Danneman have butted heads—maybe that’s putting it mildly,” she said. “‘No love
lost’ is the expression. Is that why you’re here instead of Sea World or the
Magic Kingdom?”
Lyle nodded. She knew it all. “I
don’t think there’s anything else I could tell you that you don’t already know,
except how perception deception works. And I don’t have a clue. I really do
drive a cab.”
She smiled.
“I appreciate your frankness,”
Lyle said. She was telling the truth. “I could have saved a lot of time by just
talking to you first.”
“So where are you going to look
next?”
“Does this mean…”
“No, we’re not going to press
charges. This is just our little secret. I enjoyed seeing what you did, even at
our expense. Very inventive. Should keep security on their toes.”
“Glad I could provide some
entertainment.”
About the Author
Mark S. Bacon began his career as a Southern California newspaper police reporter, one of his crime stories becoming key evidence in a murder case that spanned decades.
He is the author of the Nostalgia City mystery series that began with Death in Nostalgia City. The first book introduced ex-cop turned cab driver Lyle Deming and PR executive Kate Sorensen, a 6’2½” former college basketball star. Death in Nostalgia City was recommended for book clubs by the American Library Association. His second mystery, Desert Kill Switch, earned the top fiction award in the 2018 Great Southwest Book Festival and was a Top Shelf Magazine Indie Award nominee.
After working for two newspapers, Bacon moved to advertising and marketing. He wrote nonfiction business books including Do-It-Yourself Direct Marketing, printed in four languages and three editions and named best business book of the year by the Library Journal. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post, Cleveland Plain Dealer, San Antonio Express News, Orange County (Calif.) Register, Denver Post, and many other publications. Most recently he was a correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle.
He earned an MA in mass media from UNLV and a BA in journalism from Fresno State. He gets many of his ideas when he’s walking his dog.
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Janet, thanks for highlighting my new book, Dark Ride Deception. It's for anyone who loves theme parks and mystery stories. There's suspense, clues and puzzles to solve, but it moves swiftly and you never know what might happen to Lyle and Kate.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Mark
I enjoyed the excerpt and Dark Ride Deception sounds like a thrilling read for me and my dad to share! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a spectacular holiday season!
ReplyDeleteLove the title - draws me right in!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great excerpt. The book sounds very intriguing. I have it on my reading list.
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