MURDER TIMES TWO by Marlene Baird

About the book

Charismatic Daniel McCallister is at the apex of his political career when two events plummet him into a personal and professional quagmire.

He learns that his wife, Sylvia, had an abortion when they were in college, killing what would have been their first child. Daniel's own lonely childhood engendered in him a deep desire for a large, robust family. He and Sylvia have been unable to conceive since their marriage and Daniel now blames this on her abortion and fears she has destroyed their chances for family. His anger at her and feelings of emasculation lead him into an affair with his lovely assistant, and opportunist, Rosie Jones.

The second event is brought about by a brother Daniel doesn't even know exists, Roger Bollinger.

Roger, a deeply troubled man, is obsessed with a desire to kill the drunken and abusive father who made his childhood unbearable. And, he has nurtured a life-long jealousy of Daniel. When Roger learns that Daniel has been chosen to head up a new, contending, political party, his resentment explodes into blind hatred. He implements the carefully cultivated murder plan, leaving evidence that he hopes will implicate Daniel in the murder of their natural father.

But Roger is naive. Though the police quietly question Daniel, he is protected by family and by reputation. Though Daniel is not entirely cleared, neither is he charged with the murder. When Roger's attempt to bring Daniel down fails, he is thrown deeper into despondency. In desperation he decides to confront his nemesis in person and inflict whatever harm he can.

The brothers meet for only one evening in their entire lives. Daniel is devastated to find that the brother he yearns to know is a demented, lost soul. And Daniel knows that but for a twist of fate, Roger is the man he, himself, might easily have become. When Daniel learns that Roger has killed their father, Daniel has the information that can finally and forever bring him out from the cloud of suspicion. But his aching desire for family, even as defined by this deranged brother, comes before his own preservation.

The brothers argue, then struggle. Roger is now in a rage of frustration, attempting to destroy Daniel's home. As the fight escalates, a police car pulls up in front of the house. Daniel shoves Roger out the back door, then tells the police that the "family disagreement" has been resolved and he doesn't wish to press charges. The police make a cursory search anyway, noting the ruined living room in Daniel's house.

In the morning Roger's beaten and battered body is found in the river that runs behind Daniel's property. Daniel is now the major suspect in his brother's death. This crisis is the catalyst that brings Daniel and his wife back together.

Daniel's hope of being cleared of the murder rests with his now spurned lover, Rosie Jones. She was the last person to see Roger alive. She finally comes to Daniel's aid, but not in time to save his political career. Roger has accomplished in death what he never could in life.

About the author

Marlene Baird, a Canadian who escaped icy winters by moving to Honolulu, eventually raised her children in California and now lives among the Arizona pines with husband, Bob, a retired airline pilot. She has won honorable mentions in prestigious nation-wide writing contests and is published in the Yavapai College Creative Arts Magazine. She is active in two organizations: Professional Writers of Prescott and SW Writers (Albuquerque).

Marlene has studied screen-writing and other aspects of creative writing at the University of California, San Diego, at Palomar College and at Yavapai College, but the novel is her favorite form. Besides Murder Times Two (which is set in that frozen Canadian northland), she has three other completed books: Beloved Charlatan, Corvette Dreams, and Royal Box.