Casablanca: Appointment at Dawn
By Linda Bennett Pennell
Historical Suspense with Strong Romantic
Elements
Casablanca, 1943 –
a viper’s nest of double agents and spies where OSS Officer Kurt Heinz finds
his skill in covert operations pushed to the limit. Allied success in North
Africa, perhaps the outcome of the war, may hang on Kurt’s next mission. The
nature of his work makes relationships impossible; nonetheless, he is
increasingly torn between duty and the beautiful girl who desperately needs his
help.
Sarah Barrett, U.S.
Army R.N., is finished with wartime romance. Determined to protect her recently
broken heart, she throws all of her time and energy into caring for her
patients, but when she is given a coded message by a mysterious dying civilian,
she is sucked into a vortex of danger and intrigue that threatens her very
survival. The one person who can help Sarah is Kurt Heinz, a man with too many
secrets to be trusted.
“I’m Heinz. What do
you want?”
“Oh. It’s you.”
“Yeah?”
“From the
restaurant on New Year’s Eve.”
Kurt was silent for
a moment, then it came back to him. “I remember. Sarah, right? You’re the girl
who refused to dance with me.”
A red flush crawled
from her throat onto the apples of her cheeks. “Yes. I’m sorry if I was rude.”
“I’ve been cut dead
before. I got over it.”
The girl’s eyes
glittered. “I’m sure you did. Are you going to keep me standing here on the
doorstep for everyone to see?”
“Why? I’m not
expecting company. Would it be a problem?”
“It certainly might
if the people who tore my apartment apart followed me here.”
Kurt looked into
her eyes with complete attention for the first time since opening the door.
Whatever had happened to this girl, she looked terrified and angry.Not a
particularly good combination for the covert activities he and Phelps were up
to.
Kurt made a quick
decision. He stepped back and pulled the door wide while raising his voice.
“You better come inside and tell me why you think what happened to your
apartment has anything to do with me.”
When they stepped into
the living area, Phelps had disappeared. Kurt gestured toward the sofa and the
girl sat down.
Propping himself on
the sofa’s arm, he looked down into her frightened eyes.
“Now tell me how I
can help you, Miss, uh…”
“Barrett, Sarah. US
Army. RN.”
“Well, Nurse
Barrett, what can I do for you?”
The girl stuck her
hand in her coat pocket and whipped out a scrap of paper that she waved in his
face. “By telling me what’s on this paper and why it’s so important that
somebody took a knife to my furniture.”
I have been in love
with the past for as long as I can remember. Anything with a history, whether
shabby or majestic, recent or ancient, instantly draws me in. I suppose it
comes from being part of a large extended family that spanned several
generations. Long summer afternoons on my grandmother's porch or winter
evenings gathered around her fireplace were filled with stories both
entertaining and poignant. Of course being set in the South, those stories were
also peopled by some very interesting characters, some of whom have found their
way into my work.
As for my venture
in writing, it has allowed me to reinvent myself. We humans are truly
multifaceted creatures, but unfortunately we tend to sort and categorize each
other into neat, easily understood packages that rarely reveal the whole
person. Perhaps you, too, want to step out of the box in which you find
yourself. I encourage you to look at the possibilities and imagine. Be filled
with childlike wonder in your mental wanderings. Envision what might be, not
simply what is. Let us never forget, all good fiction begins when someone says
to herself or himself, "Let's pretend."
I currently reside
in Cypress, Texas with my sweet husband and a German Shorthaired Pointer who
thinks she's a little girl.
Favorite quote
regarding my professional passion: "History is filled with the sound of
silken slippers going downstairs and wooden shoes coming up." Voltaire
magicofbookspromo@gmail.com
Thank you for hosting me!!
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