Fatal Females

FATAL FEMALES Tony Rawlins Crime Trilogy: DON'T GET PERSONAL Tony Rawlins, former New York CPA, a recovered alcoholic, and divorced from a mercenary wife, tries to restart his life by moving to the small city of Eastown, PA. Unable to find work as a CPA, he starts at the bottom as a bookkeeper for a small print shop. Lonely, he responds to a provocative ad in the "personals" placed by a Caryn Julia. She, however, is not seeking romance, but rather, a patsy for the murder of her husband. Convicted, and in jail awaiting sentencing, he, and his doubting pro bono attorney stumble onto the real motive for the murder, but Julia disappears. To avoid a claim of double jeopardy, Judge Benson declares a mistrial and confines Rawlins to the East town area until the widow can be found and a new trial scheduled. DIRTY LAUND'RY Continues the Tony Rawlins Story. Sam Dunkins, Tony's boss, asks him to examine some account books kept by his brother-in-law, Pete Cramer. Cramer was found strangled in his used bookstore, The Easy Reader. The police rule it a murder committed during a botched burglary The account books make no business sense to Sam, Cramer's executor, and wants Tony to review them. Tony concludes the bookstore was probably a front for laundering drug money. He also discovers safe deposit box numbers issued under fictitious names in Cramer's computer file "deleted" by the murderer. Sam, Tony, and the murderer scramble to find keys to the boxes. The Cramer house is burgled, an arson of the bookstore is attempted, and Cramer's hooker is beaten up. Rawlins finds the ingenious place Cramer had hidden the keys, and after much trouble succeeds in getting the boxes opened which reveal a more sinister motive for more than just Cramer's murder. JUST REWARDS Police find a woman's body in Watkins Glen, NY. Apparently she had fallen, or was pushed, off a cliff near the falls. An envelope is found on the body addressed to a Caryn Julia, but the address provides no further help in identifying her. The DA in Eastown, PA recognizes the name as that of the woman whose husband was supposedly murdered by Tony Rawlins, but whose conviction was set aside as a mistrial. Rawlins and his attorney, Reva Morgan, are asked to verify the identity. Caryn's death seems to end Rawlins chance to be fully exonerated of the murder of Frank Julia unless he can find where Caryn had been biding from police and may have left evidence that could clear him. He discovers a Magda Belshore had met Caryn at the falls. Belshore is the mother of the realtor who helped Caryn forge documents in the sale of Frank's land, and who was later also killed by Caryn. Belshore had also been looking for Caryn to retrieve $300,000, her son's share of the, real estate sale and bring her back for trial for her son's murder. Her clever plan to locate Caryn was only partially successful since she did not find where Caryn had hid the money. Maqda makes a deal with Rawlins to give him a share if he helps find the money. Rawlins agrees hoping it with also uncover evidence of his innocence of Frank's murder. With the help of Keri Herbert, circulation manager for a small newspaper in Caryn's home town, Rawlins is led to Margret Bushnal1, Caryn's co-conspirator in framing him for murder. Magda and Rawlins confront Bushnall in her apartment, find the money, but Bushnall attacks Rawlins and stabs him in an attempt to retrieve tne money, but Magda, trying to protect Rawlins, inadvertently kills her. Bushnall's death is finally ruled as self-defense, Magda gets her money, out Rawlins last chance for an acquittal in Frank's murder is gone.