Happy Halloween! I’m wrapping it up today with another post about my Story People from Ant Dens: A Suspense Novel. Ant Dens is set in the historic railroad town of Las Vegas, New Mexico in present day. This book is the second in the mystery series I am currently writing, Family Secret Series.

From previous posts, you know about my primary character, Jamie (widowed science teacher), Rebecca (missing stepdaughter), Kate (best friend investigative reporter, Al (high school principal), and Sheriff Jonah Clay. But you still haven’t met some key people!

Paul Everson, a history professor. Jamie encounters Paul early in the book at the University. She says, ‘A muscular middle-aged man in a black golf shirt and khakis stepped off the sidewalk and over to me.’ After their conversation: ‘He flashed a bright smile and then sauntered away, good-looking and in great shape, just as Ben had been before he was ravaged by cancer. The graying hair at Paul’s temples added a touch of character that most women would find appealing.’

But Jamie isn’t most women. And she knew that her deceased husband had not been happy when Paul joined the faculty at Highlands University. If Ben hadn’t liked Paul, Jamie had reason not to trust him, didn’t she?

Maria Sanchez, Rebecca mother. As any mother would do, Maria rushes to Las Vegas to assist with the investigation into her daughter’s disappearance. In this passage, she appears at Jamie’s house. ‘The black-haired woman hunched her shoulders and swayed. Deep clefts bracketed her mouth and her eyes drooped. This woman bore little resemblance to the fiery Latina who had once been Ben’s wife.’

Jamie wants to help find Rebecca, and when she learns that Maria is hiding from her soon-to-be ex-husband, she invites Maria to stay with her. Dealing with Maria’s moods on a daily basis is a challenge for Jamie, to say the least.

Mildred Bodke, next door neighbor. Mildred had been a great help during Ben’s illness, and a good friend long before that. Nosy and often sarcastic, she is watching when Maria arrives at Jamie’s home. ‘Mildred stood on the property line between our yards, the upper half of her body leaning our way, head cocked. Within an hour, I expected her to ring my doorbell on the pretense of wanting to help when all she really wanted was to know what was going on.’

But there’s more to it than that. When she learns of Rebecca’s disappearance, Mildred’s reaction is far from the cynical response Jamie expected.  ‘Mildred’s eyes widened and she darted across the front yard and back into her house. What was wrong with Mildred, Jamie wonders. She is not acting at all like herself.’

So, the story goes. There are more people, like: Craig, the maintenance man; Joshua, another history professor; and Rob, Jamie’s first husband. Stay tuned to future posts to see how the story includes these characters and what part, if any, they played in Rebecca’s disappearance.

Check back in November for more posts on the story setting, the characters and the mysteries involved in Ant Dens: A Suspense Novel, available NOW from all online retailers!