Elijah Deville in Coasting to Death: An Elijah Deville Mystery, #1

By J.R. Diestelkamp

Elijah Deville is a crafty lawyer. When an employee is accused of sabotaging a brand new rollercoaster in order to kill his overly curious boss, Elijah refuses to believe it. Along with his sister Becca, and private investigator Cameron Mills, it is Elijah's job to present the best defense possible, in the hopes that the jury will see things his way. But where to start? After all, all of the evidence points to his client's guilt. The accused was seen near the coaster on the night of the sabotage; his fingerprints were found on the missing pieces of the coaster; and he owned an acetylene torch needed to commit the sabotage. Knowing all this, Elijah needs to find the courage, and evidence for that matter, in order to attain the ultimate prize: a 'Not Guilty' verdict. Who committed this murder? And more importantly how? Can you crack the case before Elijah does? Take the challenge, that is if you're up to it!

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.R. Diestelkamp
• Release date: Aug 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465854094

J.R. Diestelkamp

J.R. Diestelkamp was born on July 4, 1983, in St. Catharines, Ontario. Growing up, Diestelkamp became interested in entering the teaching profession because of his love for working with children. He went to school at Brock University and studied Chemistry and Education. He graduated in 2006, with a Bachelor's of Education and a Bachelor of Science focused in Chemistry. Upon graduating, Diestelkamp was hired by the local school board and has been a substitute teacher up to the date of publication for this novel. Even though Chemistry is his main focus, he always has had a knack for creative writing. In 2011, he published his first novel titled 'Elijah Deville in Coasting to Death'. The series itself follows the cases of Elijah Deville, a rich Canadian lawyer situated in Toronto. Along with his sister Becca, and his investigator, Cameron Mills, Elijah helps defend guilty looking clients against scurrilous criminal charges. Somewhat based off of fictional lawyers, Perry Mason and Ben Matlock, Elijah always says that he'll vigourously defend his clients in the courtroom. However, personal ethics sometimes hinder his cause, creating situations that other fictional lawyers might not face. Unlike other detective stories, Diestelkamp attempts to place his characters in a time and place. Although real names and events, close to the time period have been changed, you'll notice that sometimes novels refer to other cases that have already happened or are about to happen. Sometimes, clues might be given in one novel, that might shed some light on a case in another one. Diestelkamp hopes that this feature not only keeps readers coming back to the series, but that it adds a sense of realism, in that these characters really do have lives, and are not just bounding from case to case. J.R. Diestelkamp currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, where he is the preacher for the East End Church of Christ. He hopes you enjoy the series, and looks forward to write many more novels in the years to come.

Book preview

Elijah Deville

in

Coasting to Death

By: J.R. Diestelkamp

Cover Art By: Adam Diestelkamp

Copyright 2011 J.R. Diestelkamp

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This e–book is a work of fiction. All events, characters, places, firms, and institutions in this novel are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any similarity to any persons, living or dead, or to any actual events, firms and institutions is coincidental, or unintentional.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: 407 All the Way

Chapter 2: A Colossal Accident

Chapter 3: ETR is Going to Ruin Us

Chapter 4: Consoling a Widow

Chapter 5: You're Under Arrest...

Chapter 6: Enter Elijah Deville

Chapter 7: Tell Me the Whole Story from the Beginning

Chapter 8: This is Going to Be Tough

Chapter 9: Mrs. Audrey Taylor

Chapter 10: Bail is Set At...

Chapter 11: Faulty Inspections and Impregnable Computer Programs

Chapter 12: 100 Kilograms

Chapter 13: Revelations

Chapter 14: Bring It On

Chapter 15: The Case for the Crown

Chapter 16: Numbers and Investigations

Chapter 17: I Rest My Case

Chapter 18: I Think We've Got 'Em

Chapter 19: What Goes Up...

Chapter 20: Must Come Down

Chapter 21: When Idle Words Come Back to Haunt You

Chapter 22: Taking the 5th...Sort of

Chapter 23: Closing Time

Chapter 24: Waiting

Chapter 25: We the Jury...

Other Novels in the Elijah Deville Mystery Series

About the Author

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Acknowledgement

I'd like to thank my cousin Adam for his amazing work on the cover art for the novel.

Chapter 1

407 All the Way

It's Canada Day in Toronto! For many people it means a family barbeque, a day at the beach or a trip to the cottage. It means fun in the sun or walks in the park. It means a holiday from the hectic commutes and constant deadlines that have come to define the lives of the average worker in this great city.

For Scott Taylor, Canada Day means none of these things, because to him, this holiday can be seen in only one way: dollars and cents. As a CEO of a major theme park in Toronto, this attitude is quite natural because after all, big holidays are a great opportunity to attract new visitors; and what better way to attract these new visitors, but with a new roller coaster. The unveiling of the 'Colossus' was to be a momentous occasion in the tenure of Taylor, one that had to go off without a hitch.

With that being the case, it is no wonder that this particular morning in the Taylor's suburban Toronto home looked less like a serene holiday, and more like the chaotic mess that usually enveloped this family's everyday activities.

Dear, where's the mail? yelled Scott up the stairs to his wife.

It's on the kitchen table! Audrey yelled back as she ran past him, hair a mess, looking for her brush.

Have you seen my brush Scott? she called back.

No, why should I have, Scott said as he rifled through two days worth of bills and ads.

Well maybe, after all, this long brown hair doesn't just comb itself, she said as she noticed from the landing that Scott was opening some bills. She paused, and then asked, Hey, what are you doing?

I'm looking through the mail. Even though it's July 1st, that doesn't mean it's a holiday for the debt collectors.

I've been away for 2 days and you haven't had the chance to look through the mail? Don't blame me if the bills aren't paid on time, she said, hand on her hip, with an annoyed look on her face.

You know I've been busy at work, he chirped back. You also know that there have been some money issues at the park that I've been busy investigating. This has lent me little time to do anything thing else, like read the mail, he said, glaring back at her.

Scott continued opening the mail, and after a few seconds, an annoyed Audrey returned to looking for her hair brush. He started with the letters that were obviously junk mail, and then moved onto the more depressing ones, the monthly bills. When he opened the 10 page bill for the 407 Express Toll Route, his already irritated attitude quickly changed. Scanning through the first few pages of the bill, he was amazed by how many times the road was used.

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When he got to the last page, he quickly glanced at the bottom, where printed in big bold letters read 'Balance Due: $514.06'. His face turned as bright as a tomato, while he irately yelled Audrey what's with this bill? Scott's voice was so loud, that it's surprising that the neighbors hadn't heard him and called the police. Audrey, sensing another tongue lashing from her husband, suspended the search for the brush and came running into the kitchen.

What bill are you talking about?

I am talking about this Highway 407 bill, Scott said, waving the papers in the air. You told me that it was going to be $125.00, which on top of last month's bill of $90.00 I thought was bad enough, but this bill is for over $500.00! Audrey, what were you doing, joyriding down the most expensive highway in Ontario?

If you must know Scott, Highway 407 is the fastest way for me to get to and from the bank. You remember the bank don't you, it's the place where I work, she remarked back snidely.

Audrey, don't you snap back at me like that, Scott replied. I wish that you didn't have to get a job just as bad as anyone, but look at our bank statement, he said, showing her the other letter that he had opened. We have no money! That is appalling considering that I'm the CEO of a major theme park and you have a job as a bank teller. Together we bring in over $250,000 a year plus a small bonus at the end of the year. Perhaps if you hadn't have stepped down as a central teller we'd be in a little better financial situation, but as it is, we are simply going to have to cut back...and that will start with the route you take to get to work. So what if you have to wait a few minutes in traffic or at some stoplights, the fact of the matter is that we cannot afford $500.00 a month bills, not with Katie's piano lessons, soccer practice, and your shopping sprees.

You leave Katie out of this, Audrey shouted as she began to cry. She paused for a moment, wiped the tears from her eyes, and said Scott, we can talk about this later, we're going to be late getting to the park. Go on now and change your shirt. She then quickly left the kitchen to resume the search for her brush.

What's wrong with my shirt? he asked inquisitively.

Scott, I don't know about you, but normal people don't wear a dress shirt and tie to ride the attractions at an amusement park. Go put on a t-shirt or something, she shouted back from the other room.

As Scott went to change his shirt, he couldn't help but think about what the financial situation at Canada's AdventureLand was doing to his marriage. The arguments like the one that had just happened were becoming a regular occurrence at his house. Whether it was over money, work, dinner or spending quality time with Katie, he and Audrey were on each other's nerves at least once a day.

It wasn't always like this though. Ten years before, when Scott was offered to become CEO of Canada's largest theme park, located just to the north of Toronto, he and his wife couldn't be happier. They would finally have the financial freedom to do the things that they had always wanted to do without the worries of how they were going to afford it. For Scott, that meant buying a bigger house, and expensive cars, while for Audrey, it meant leaving her job at the machine shop that her father worked for. Things were looking up for the family, until the recession hit that is, and people stopped going to theme parks in the numbers that they had before.

It was at about this time that arguments started. It only became worse as Scott began spending more time at the office trying to find out why money was mysteriously disappearing from the theme park's bank accounts. At first, Scott thought that it was simply a cash flow problem, one that Elliot Ravenwood, CFO of the theme park promised he would look into, but as the months passed, and the problem failed to resolve itself, Scott began to suspect that someone was stealing money. Keeping his suspicions to himself, he began a more detailed investigation of the financial statements and accounting practices of the company. His probe involved bringing in more people to do the technical work, though he still had to work many late nights. The lack of a good night's sleep quickly began to take its toll. Scott's disposition changed, he became angrier as the days turned to weeks, and the weeks to months, with few clues surfacing as to who the thief was.

To further exacerbate the problem, Scott's close attention to the park's fiscal problems, meant that he was neglecting to take care of his own family's financial situation. Broiled in the worst recession in decades, 2009-10 had not been a good year for the family. Scott had lost thousands of dollars in the stock market because he failed to recognize soon enough the decline in value of certain foreign companies. Couple that with a rise in food and gas prices, a high mortgage payment, yearly property tax increases and a wife and daughter who loved to shop, Scott was continually worried that the family was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Now Scott loved and cared for his family deeply, even his wife, and the last thing he wanted to do was to have to cut the luxuries that the entire family enjoyed, but something had to change and fast in order to keep them financially solvent.

Today though was a day that Scott was supposed to forget all of his problems and pretend that nothing was the matter. Today was the day that he was to put on a smile and show the world that even he, a boring CEO to the core, could have a little fun amongst the common people. Today was the day that the park was to open a new state of the art rollercoaster, The Colossus, and he was going to be its inaugural rider.

Having now found a new shirt, one that he hoped his wife would approve of, Scott slumped slowly downstairs to find his wife, with her hair finally brushed, standing next to Katie at front door.

Ready to test your new ride daddy? Katie asked excitedly.

As ready as I'm going to be darling, Scott replied, knowing full well that he hated riding rollercoasters.

Good then honey, Audrey remarked with a grin, I've got my keys, so let's get a move on. After all, wouldn't want to be late for your big day.

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Chapter 2

A Colossal Accident

The drive from the Taylor's western Toronto suburban home to Canada's AdventureLand takes about 45 minutes in good traffic. A hot and gorgeous Canada Day guaranteed that it wasn't going to be one of those good traffic days. Highway 401 traffic, combined with extra Highway 400 traffic added an extra 45 minutes to the journey. Despite this, the Taylor's arrived at the park only a few minutes late, and surprisingly, in a pretty good mood. As it turns out, being an executive to the theme park did have its advantages, for the family got to bypass the long lines in the parking lot and at the gate, and were immediately granted admittance to the park. Upon entry, Mike Swaize, the park's public relations director, met Scott and his family, and once pleasantries were dispensed with, he led them to the new thrill ride.

The coaster was more magnificent than anybody could have ever imagined. Colossus was, from the outside, what might be considered a regular rollercoaster. The red tracks piped in blue dazzled the eyes as it glistened in the summer sunlight. The ride consisted of five cars in a set, with each car seating four people. The seats were painted according to the row of the ride. Red cars were at the front, followed by orange, yellow, green and blue. The idea behind the colors was to show how intense the ride was going to feel to the rider, with red being the most intense and blue being the least intense, relatively speaking. What set Colossus apart from other roller coasters was the extreme height of the ride, as well as the blistering speed with which you sped around the track. At its highest point, Colossus reached a soaring 50 meters into the air and if you were lucky, you could see the CN Tower for a split second from the peak. Altogether Colossus had four inversions, one cobra roll, and three corkscrews and reached a maximum speed of 95 km/hr. Despite that being the normal highway speed, the riders feel as if they're going twice that speed due to the lack of the comforts that car manufacturers build into the modern day automobile. Running at full capacity, three sets of cars or 60 people can be out on the track at once, hopefully keeping lines short. If the ride proved successful, Colossus would become the crown jewel of the park, boosting the slumping attendance of the two previous summers.

After Scott and his family had traveled to the back of the park and arrived at the Colossus, they were met by the Park's System manager, and operator for the inaugural ride, Kevin Craig. Craig was average height and had a rather heavy physique, but what he lacked in stature he made up for in genius, for he had been the chief designer of the entire computer system for the coaster.

Good morning, Mr. Taylor and welcome to 'Colossus', said Craig. I trust that you're ready to ride?

Well actually, I'm not much of a rollercoaster enthusiast, Scott explained, though my 12 year old daughter Katie certainly is. I'm more of a down to earth, remain alive kind of guy if you know what I mean.

Of course sir, Craig replied, Would you rather your daughter be the first to ride instead?

No, no. Even though I hate riding them, I also don't want to look like a coward in front of my family and all of these people. I'll ride it and then you can let the real coaster fanatics have a crack at it, Scott said pointing to the scores of people already lined up waiting for their turn to ride Colossus.

Well sir, I can assure you that this ride is completely safe. It has been tested numerous times before the launch here this morning. It had a complete and final inspection today and the ride's computer system was even upgraded yesterday morning. It also has numerous fail-safes built in, so, should something unexpectedly go wrong, the ride would quickly come to a complete stop so the problem can be fixed. If you'd just step this way and I'll give you a run-through of what you should expect to experience during the ride, Craig said, leading Scott and himself onto the ride's platform.

After being strapped into the shoulder harness, Craig continued, the computer will give me a 'go' or 'no-go' for 'launch'. Should I get a 'go', you will be launched straight up the first hill accelerating to a speed of 50 km/hr while reaching a height of 50 meters. We call this the 'The 50 at 50'. Upon reaching the crest of the hill, you speed down the track, accelerating to the top speed of 95 km/hr. Once at the bottom of the hill, you will enter one of two consecutive inversions. After the second inversion you will immediately enter the first corkscrew followed by two minor hills. By this point, you will have slowed down to a brisk 80 km/hr. Following the hills, you will enter what is known as a cobra roll followed closely by one of two consecutive inversions. These inversions will be smaller than the 1st two. The last thrill you will get will come after the second inversion when you go through the final two corkscrews. After that point, the 'fun' part of the ride is basically over, and all that is left are a few minor hills before returning to the platform. Overall the ride should take around two minutes and 15 seconds to make one complete circuit of the track. Should you 'survive' the ride, there should be no permanent brain damage, maybe a little dizziness, but nothing serious, Craig said with a laugh. Are you ready?

No, but if you want me to ride this, you better get me strapped in fast before I change my mind, Scott said.

Certainly sir, right this way.

As Scott was being placed onto the ride and final preparations were being made, onlookers watched with anticipation. Some of these included Audrey and Katie, as well as Elliot Ravenwood, the CFO of the park.

Hello Audrey, Ravenwood said.

Oh, ET, I didn't know you were going to be here, Audrey exclaimed.

You know me Audrey. I just had to see if Scott would go through with this or whether he'd wimp out like he always does, Elliot said, chuckling to himself. "In all seriousness though, your husband ordered me to be here to