Grave catch, p.28
Grave Catch, page 28
Lisa eased the newborn from Dawn’s arms and lowered down to the lounge next to Abby. Dawn’s arms ached, not from the baby’s weight, but from the lack of it.
‘Clucky?’ Clint whispered.
Dawn grinned.
‘A little.’
Clint’s eyebrow lifted. Dawn collected her glass of champagne from the coffee-table and wandered to the balcony as Bella hurried around with a platter of food and Michael topped up glasses.
Dawn turned back to her family.
‘I’ve been thinking it might be time to retire.’
‘What?’ Clint gaped.
Bella stopped moving around the small gathering. The bottle in Michael’s hand hovered over a tray of champagne glasses.
‘No way,’ he said.
‘Yes way. This last case was too dangerous for all of you.’ She waved her glass in an arc to encompass everyone.
Lisa eyed Michael who put the bottle down and replaced Lisa on the lounge to supervise Abby’s babysitting skills.
She crossed the deck to Dawn, relieved her of the glass, passed it to Clint and wrapped her arms around Dawn’s shoulders.
The hug lasted the mandatory thirty seconds, plus some. Dawn’s shoulders and back eased with every passing second.
Finally, Lisa pulled back, held Dawn’s shoulders and tutted like their mother used to.
‘Dawn Grave. You would die if you quit your job.’
‘I don’t know. I’ve liked doing the renovation. I could buy another one and make it a full-time job.’
She glanced at her partner who was unusually silent. He licked his lips and grinned.
‘We could get married and you could have a baby and...’
Dawn’s hands waved frantically. ‘Don’t get carried away.’ She forced the panic down.
Clint laughed. He wasn’t the only one.
‘Exactly. You are damn good at your job. You might one day make a fabulous mum.’ His eyes said even a wife. ‘But you can’t quit.’
‘I’ll drink to that.’ Bella lifted the closest champagne glass.
Dawn glanced around the veranda and opened her mouth to speak, but voices coming around the veranda stopped her.
Sergeant Martin was first.
‘Glad you’re in one piece.’
Reynolds went straight to the new baby.
‘She’s gorgeous. I love the name Kayla. Can I hold her?’
‘No,’ from Abby made everyone laugh. Dawn accepted her champagne back from Clint and stepped away from the growing crowd as Jamison and Kristy arrived.
‘I was reading Rossi’s diary.’
Clint said nothing.
‘He documents some notes about Fraser’s murder.’
‘You always thought he could be involved.’
‘I did. Until I read his notes.’
‘What changed your mind?’
Dawn considered not saying anything, but this wasn’t something she could handle on her own.
‘He saw a police car parked at the pool toilets half an hour before I found Fraser, dead.’
‘A cop car?’ Ryan whispered.
Dawn nodded.
‘Did he know who was driving?’
Dawn shook her head and focused on Sergeant Martin kneeling next to Abby and Kayla.
‘There were only three cops in town back then. Sergeant Wetherall, Constable Jenkins and...’
Dawn nodded to Sergeant Martin who turned her way with a congratulatory smile. Dawn returned the gesture, all the time recalling what she asked Ross when the thought Declan may have been involved in Fraser’s death, first came to her.
A shudder ran through her body as she replayed the answer in her mind.
‘I’ll go over my case notes, but you were at the scene shortly after Fraser was killed Dawn. You might want to try jogging your own memory.’
********
Join Dawn when an online megastar dies, on screen, in front of millions over viewers, in Grave Risk, book 6 in the Dawn Grave Crime series. Due out late 2026.
Want something to read while you wait for the new Dawn Grave novel?
Her Buried Bones is book one in my bestselling Australian Crime series —Opal Fields. Best of all, there are eight books ready to read right now, with book nine due out mid 2026.
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I hope you enjoyed reading the latest book in the Dawn Grave series.
If you did, why not tell your friends, or better still, leave a review with your favourite retailer so others can make an informed decision about buying into the series.
If you leave a review, I’d love to see a copy, but most of all, I’d like to thank you for reading my stories. You’re awesome, really! Without you, I’d be a lot less motivated to get in front of my computer screen and dream up these crazy crime/mystery adventures. Without you, I never would have bothered to publish. Thanks!
While you wait for my next release, you might like to read about Constable Jenny Williams as she searches for answers to a family mystery in the remote outback town of Coober Pedy. The Opal Fields series has been described as “a fast paced, action-packed thrill ride through the outback.” Book One, Her Buried Bones is available on Amazon, in paperback, e-book or audio.
Or if you’ve already read Jenny’s adventures, you might like to read what happens when Jenny takes that detective job in the city, we know she’s born for. Jenny joins the Foxy Mysteries series team in book two, as Jack Cunningham’s new partner. So, if you don’t mind skipping the ‘how she got to Adelaide’ bit, and enjoy a little sizzle with your mysteries, why not check out the whole Foxy Mysteries Collection.
I have so many books planned for the Dawn Grave series, but I’ve been asked to write more books in the Opal Fields series too. That means I’ll be splitting my time between the two series, with at least two books out in each annually.
I always love to hear what readers think, so if reviewing isn’t your thing, I’m open to an email message or comment on my website. You’ll find my books and my bio here.
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Books by Fiona Tarr
Dawn Grave
Grave Doubt – a free novella exclusive to my reader’s club here
Grave Regret
Grave Intent
Grave Mistake
Grave Secret
Grave Catch
Grave Risk
Opal Fields
Her Buried Bones
Her Broken Bones
Her Scorched Bones
Her Hidden Bones
Her Lonely Bones
Her Covered Bones
Her Lost Bones
Her Stowed Bones
Her Stolen Bones
Foxy Mysteries
Death Beneath the Covers
Presumed Missing
Deadly Deceit
Twisted Vendetta
Dead Cold
Foxy Mysteries Complete Collection 1-5
The Priestess Chronicles
Call of the Druids
Relic Seeker
Shiloh Rising
The Eternal Realm
The Jericho Prophecy
Delilah and the Dark God
Reign of Retribution
Covenant of Grace
Destiny of Kings
Seed of Hope
Legacy of Power
Heir of Vengeance
The Ehud Dagger - Prequel
Fiona Tarr, Grave Catch
