Book Extract: The Mystery of the Homeless Man by Gina Cheyne

Published May 7, 2023 | By Laura

Please join me in welcoming Gina Cheyne to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, The Mystery of the Homeless Man, book three in the SeeMS Detective Agency series.

Why would an airline pilot exchange a world of comfort for life on the streets?

In 2006, Miranda meets an itinerant in the wood, she takes him home. He refuses to stay, desperate to return to the streets. Miranda gives him some money and forgets the incident.

Fifteen years later, the SeeMs Detective Agency is investigating an abandoned house and discovers a homeless man was found there: murdered.

No one knows who the dead man is or how he died, and, with one hundred and fifty unidentified street deaths per year, no one has time to find out.

But, the SeeMs Detectives have both time and a client.

Their investigation takes them into a surprising world of aviation, night-clubs and the homeless.

What they discover threatens one of their team. Can they save their colleague before the homeless man’s killer strikes again?

*****

Gina has shared an extract from The Mystery of the Homeless Man with us today. Enjoy!

*****beginning of extract*****

Stevie is interviewing Amy as a possible suspect for the Neil (homeless man) ’s death. This extract is Amy, who is an airline pilot, describing her engagement to Neil and why she broke it off.

‘Poor Neil.’ Amy blew out heavily. ‘OK. He had a lot of charm,’ she added, almost as though she was talking to herself. ‘He did have something, but, you know, once a drunk always a drunk. He was dangerous. He would drive drunk. I’d never do that.’

Her hand automatically moved to the little scar on her hairline. Stevie wondered if she got that from Neil, but Amy was still talking.

‘Apart from the fact it mucked up his career, it mucks up lives.’ She shrugged. ‘Anyway, Graham and I and the twins are fine now. The boys enjoy flying, too.’

Stevie sighed quietly. ‘I wonder, did you give him a chain, something to remember you by?’

‘With allium ursinium on it?’

Stevie frowned. ‘Is that wild garlic?’

‘Yes. Its real name. When we were first engaged, we were going through a Sunday market at the airfield. I saw the chain and recognised it immediately. It made me think of him. You know, ursa is a bear, and he was like that, a great big bear of a man, innocent like those big men tend to be. Allium ursinium comes from bears waking up from hibernation and looking for bulbs. That was Neil: a big teddy looking for things he could never find, never be satisfied. A perpetual rover. You know the type.’

‘I guess,’ said Stevie politely, although she thought this case sounded rather different. If anything, Amy appeared to be the rover here.

‘Well, that’s wild garlic. Grows and thrives where it wants. Delicious but no good when domesticated!’

Amy laughed but Stevie felt incredibly sad.

‘Hey,’ said Amy looking at her watch and getting up, ‘back to work. Who knows, you may find yourself with me as your captain one of these days!’

As Amy picked up her bag Stevie said, ‘Just one more thing.’

Amy raised an eyebrow.

‘Sorry to ask, but your scar… did you get that from Neil?’

Amy raised both eyebrows. She stood still for a moment, looking at Stevie.

‘Funny question, but yes, I did. You remember I said he drove drunk. Well. One night, after we’d been engaged for a while, we went to this fabulous café near Chichester. I was living in a village nearby then, so I knew the place. It doesn’t exist anymore, but it was out in the sticks, run by a couple of old girls, from their house. Food was mega, and their wine to die for.’

Stevie raised her eyebrows, but Amy just glanced at her and continued with her story.

‘We both got legless. I refused to drive. I never drive drunk. Too much respect for myself. But I was too drunk to notice he was wrecked too. So, he drove. We were nearly home when, out of the blue, he starts crying, talking to someone as though he’d seen a ghost. Suddenly he was yelling, “Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t know! I’m so sorry! It wasn’t my fault. I was pissed.”

‘I started laughing. I thought it was a joke, but then the car began swerving from one side of the road to the other. I reached over but before I could do anything the car went into a slide. It was terrifying. It all happened so fast. The car catapulted over the verge and into a huge drainage ditch. I screamed. I thought he was going to kill me. The car fell onto my side, half in the ditch, and I pushed the door as hard as I could, but it wouldn’t open. My seatbelt was locked. I was stuck and around me the water in the ditch was rising. I looked over at Neil, but he’d gone. Legged it. I shouted for help, loud as I could, but no one came. And the water kept rising. I was terrified.

Then, out of the blue, this chap stuck his head in. He was crying. He leant in and cut the seatbelt. He can’t have been more than eighteen or nineteen, but he was incredibly strong. He leant into the car and dragged me out. I owe my life to him, but he ran away before I could thank him.’

She sighed.

‘I’d cut my head, but otherwise I was OK. I broke off the engagement. You can’t marry a man who would do that to you.’

She gave a small wave and walked out of the café.

***** end of extract*****

About Gina Cheyne:

Gina Cheyne is a retired helicopter pilot who has lived and worked in many countries. At present she Lives in Chaos, although she originally came from Erehwon.