The Corpse Was Blind: Ray Irish Mystery Case File #4
The Ray Irish Mystery Case Files follow a hard-boiled private detective while he takes on strange cases in crime infested Oyster City. Entering his adopted hometown as a drifter, the war-weary shamus stumbled into violence on his first day. He might struggle to pay the rent to his crazy landlord, but Irish is in his element when either the privileged or the rabble come to him.
Whether his case involves deadly racketeers, seductive grifters, or corrupt cops, the shamus knows justice comes in various forms.
The Corpse Was Blind
The battered body remained tied to the chair, his head drooping forward. A large, shirtless man with a tattoo covering his upper left arm gulped his breath as he lifted his victim’s head by its hair. He looked over the nearly unrecognizable face in sweat and blood, the open eyes confirming the torture had gone too far.
Text Copyright © 2023 Shannon G Brewer
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, people, or real places are used fictitiously. All characters in this book are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 2
Ray waited for the woman to make up her mind. Finally, she turned back to him. “If I hire you, can you keep them from coming for me?” The shamus tipped back his fedora. “Mrs. Leigh, I have to know if you mean the police or the people who did this?” A grimace came across her lips.
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 3
After a few more questions, which he asked of Mrs. Leigh, Calimeris finally sent Irish and his client back to her house. Ray focused his conversation with the police sergeant driving the car. He recognized he’d get little in the way of information from the man, but talking with Mary while the police listened in wasn’t the brightest idea.
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 4
Irish left City Hall as the sun fell behind the horizon. The darkening streets carried the commuters back to their homes while the shamus took a detour back to his office. When he reached the newsstand of his friend, Pappy, he found the wiry man sitting on a stool, looking ready to close up his stand. Wearing his familiar pork-pie hat, along with his br…
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 5
A few hours later, Ray lay on the couch in Cat’s apartment. A restless moonbeam filled the living room with a soft light. The silence in the dark room broke every thirty minutes when her mantle clock struck the time. Irish kept thinking he was on a fool’s errand, but Cat insisted on someone to collaborate with her story. He agreed when she promised him …
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 6
Ray watched the morning crew of the newspaper’s printing staff hurrying with their breakfast while he added more sugar to his bitter coffee. As he took another sip, Ray caught the fat waitress picking her nose as she stood near the register. She wiped her finger on her pale blue dress as a diner came up to pay his tab. With a frown, Ray looked away, hap…
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 7
When Ray arrived at his office, he found the door unlocked. He pulled his .45 Auto from the holster under his arm and carefully pushed open the door. A quick glance around the room found no one. He took a peek at the lock, where he found no obvious signs that someone forced the lock mechanism open.
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 8
Only the hum of the engine filled the Nash as Ray drove Mary back to town. In some way, he thought she was testing him. However, Mary showed nothing to indicate that she would back off of her crazy scheme. C’est la vie! The French saying was one of the few words from the language which he knew. Mary’s casual response to her work with OSS told him she had …
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 9
The doorman, standing in front of the Orwell Apartments, gawked at an undertaker’s hearse which pulled up in front of the building. A short man who looked like he never saw sunlight stepped out of the hearse. His black suit and high collar appeared two decades out of fashion, and he placed a bowler hat on his head.
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 10
A coffin shows up for a man who’s alive and Ray finds Mary a place to hide from her husband’s killers. ~~~ Omar stared at the woman for a moment, then waved her inside the apartment. “Let’s talk in private,” Cat followed him at a distance, carefully stepping into the room but remaining close to the door.
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 11
Cat and Ray remain attached and aloof in their partnership. ~~~ “I can’t believe that bastard. Are you two cops?” Cat stared at the men standing by Ray’s desk. Before they could say anything, she quickly continued. “I’ve got a slimeball scamming people. You should arrest him and help clean up this town.”
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 12
Cat finds a filled coffin when she returns! Only three chapters left of free reading for free subscribers. Please consider becoming a yearly subscriber and get 15% off through Christmas. Only a few days left! ~~~ Inside her apartment, Cat kicked off her shoes before going into the counter, where she poured herself a shot of whiskey. She went to the refrige…
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 13
Only 2 chapters left of free reading for free subscribers. A ray of morning sunlight slowly crept across the floor to the woman. When it finally reached her face, Cat waved her hand across her face. A moment later, she regained consciousness as her eyes opened in panic. Groaning, she tenderly touched her throbbing cheek.
The Corpse Was Blind - Chapter 14
Only 1 chapter left of free reading for free subscribers. Calimeris drove Irish over to Mary’s house on the way to the train station. Pulling to a stop in front of the house, the cop looked over at the shamus. “Like I said earlier, we don’t have a warrant so you’re helping me by entering the house looking for your client.”