Ava Montez, Her Life and Death Read online

AVA MONTEZ

  HER LIFE AND DEATH

  A Murder Mystery

  by

  Chuck Antone, Jr.

  © 2011

  Ava Montez is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book.

  Hearten Publishing

  P.O. Box 4404

  Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

  United States of America

  [email protected]

  Contents

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Books by Chuck Antone

  RAE, THE REPORTER

  Cast of Characters Yester-Years

  Cast of Characters The Present

  Chapter 1

  Rae Collins

  Chapter 2

  Jake Austin, the Husband

  INTERVIEW, THE HUSBAND

  Chapter 3

  Jake Austin

  Chapter 4

  Jake Austin's Story

  Chapter 5

  Ava's Little Secrets

  Chapter 6

  Ava's Big Secret

  Chapter 7

  Ava's Secret Past

  RAE, THE REPORTER

  Chapter 8

  Almost Hit-and-Run

  Chapter 9

  Thoughts of Max

  Chapter 10

  Someone's in Rae's Apartment

  INTERVIEW, THE BEST FRIEND

  Chapter 11

  Kim, the Best Friend

  Chapter 12

  Best Friend and Agent

  Chapter 13

  The Agent

  Chapter 14

  A Loyal Friend

  RAE, THE REPORTER

  Chapter 15

  Their First Date

  Chapter 16

  Rae Falls in Love

  Chapter 17

  Drop Story or Drop Dead

  Chapter 18

  The Missing Key

  Chapter 19

  No Big Deal

  Chapter 20

  Is it Kim Blakely?

  Chapter 21

  Lunch at "Pastrami Haven"

  Chapter 22

  Max Can't Stay

  Chapter 23

  The Killer in the Office

  Chapter 24

  Kim's Name Again

  Chapter 25

  Martha Brown

  INTERVIEW, THE HOUSEKEEPER

  AND THE DIRECTOR

  Chapter 26

  Hit-and-Run

  Chapter 27

  Pier 9 No More

  THE MURDERER'S THOUGHTS

  Chapter 28

  The Murderer

  Chapter 29

  The Murderer . . . Continued

  RAE, THE REPORTER

  Chapter 30

  The Confession

  Chapter 31

  Max and Carol?

  Chapter 32

  Dreams do Come True

  THE EPILOGUE

  Two Years Later

  The Prayer

  Dedication

  To my wife, Doni. No matter how far out my story telling may be, you never give up on me. Thanks for encouraging me to write fiction. I love it and it has been so much fun! Ava reminds me of you . . . beautiful, loving and giving!

  Much thanks and love to my M.B.W.

  Acknowledgements

  To Doni for doing the first editing which was very difficult since I often write everything without periods, commas, paragraphs and such.

  To Chris Wright, my editor, for going over and over the manuscript. And for coming up with the occasional stronger wording, sorting out point of view, and suggesting ways to build on some of the ideas. Even though at times I didn't want to give in, he continued on. "Thanks, Chris, you made a good story even better!"

  About the Author

  Chuck and Doni have been missionaries since 1981. They live on the Big Island of Hawaii.

  They have two children, four grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

  They have helped start churches in the Philippines, Hong Kong, So. Africa and also Taiwan where Chuck ministers four months each year.

  They have also done outreaches in Japan, Indonesia and in the mainland USA. They have smuggled Bibles into mainland China and have hiked up mountains in the Philippines while being watched by the New Peoples' Army, a Communist group that lives and hides in the mountain areas.

  Chuck was also arrested in a third world country and faced a year in prison for teaching a seminar on how to be a witness for Christ. After three weeks he was deported and sent back to his home in Hawaii.

  He says, "Being a Christian is only boring when one makes it be boring."

  Chuck is the Pastor of the Kona Coast Chaplaincy on the Big Island of Hawaii, and he along with Doni are the Directors of Go Spread His Word Ministries, Inc. founded in 1990.

 

  You can contact Chuck at:

  [email protected]

  or write

  P.O. Box 4404, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

  Chuck's paperback books can also be purchased through major Internet sellers, and some titles are available as e-Books..

  Books by

  Chuck Antone, Jr.

  Lord, Send Me

  The author’s feelings and emotions while facing a one year prison sentence in a third world country.

  Paperback only

  You’ve Got to be Kidding, Lord. You want me to tell WHO about You?

  Share the Gospel? Does the thought make you want to hide in bed with the blankets over your head? If it does, you’re not alone, but help is at hand. Here is what Chuck Antone, Jr. says in this exciting book written with great humor and much understanding:

  Are you ready to experience sharing Christ with the lost? Does one name keep popping into your mind? Has God been whispering in your ear? If so, be challenged, make that contact and see what God can do.

  Be encouraged by just being available. Just be the instrument, the tool. Let God do the work. He is much better at it than we are, for He has had a lot more experience in bringing someone to His Son, Jesus Christ. After all, He is God, the Mighty One, the Powerful One, the Creator, Our Savior, Our Father, the One and Only God.

  Paperback ISBN 978-1-9350-7934-7

  Also available as an e-Book in most formats

  You’ve Got to be Kidding, Lord

  (See previous book for details)

  This edition is in Chinese.

  Paperback only ISBN 978-1-4818-2238-1

  You Can’t Be Serious, Lord. You want me to love WHO?

  This book is written to encourage you to love one another. Not always easy, but it’s a command from our Lord Jesus Christ. Has God ever told you or commanded you to love someone you find hard to love? Have you ever heard yourself say, "You can't be serious, Lord, you want me to love who?" And then when you give in and love that person, he or she can become your very good friend.

  This book will help you to understand God's special love that He has for each of us. By reviewing 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, and Galatians 5:22-23, the Fruit of the Spirit, we not only see His love, but the love we should have for one another.

  At the end of each chapter you will be challenged to do just that. So have your writing instrument and a notebook ready and be honest with yourself.

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1505514629

  Also available in most e-Book
formats

  Paul’s Island

  Fiction. Volume 1. A Kit and Kat mystery. A mystery about eight university graduates who spend five days on the island. When one of them is murdered, the others help the Inspector solve the case. The two main characters are Christians with criminology degrees.

  Paperback ISBN 978-0-6154-7577-6

  Also available in most e-Book formats

  High Seas Murder

  Fiction. Volume 2. A Kit and Kat mystery. Kit and Kat have just set up their own private detective agency, and are ready to go on a Mediterranean cruise before they open up their doors for business. The cruise is meant to be a time of relaxation, but the onboard theft of a necklace worth over $3,000,000 needs their investigative skills. Soon it’s not just stolen jewelry that Kit and Kat are involved with, as theft turns to murder on the High Seas.

  Paperback ISBN 978-1-4681-2356-2

  Also available in most e-Book formats

  Barcelona Jones

  Murder on Broadway

  Fiction. Barcelona Jones is a Broadway star. Her new play, Murder on Broadway is a big hit with people waiting months to buy a ticket to see it.

  At one evening performance, at the end of the first act, real bullets are put into the prop gun killing one of the cast players. Were the bullets meant for him or one of the other players?

  Soon, another murder occurs, as well as two attempted murders: one of them on the star, Barcelona Jones herself.

  Barcelona hires a private detective to investigate the crimes, and he completely falls in love with her on their first meeting.

  Will her feelings for Sam, the detective, be the same? And who is the murderer? Could it possibly be Barcelona’s friend and stage actress, Brenda Summers? That’s up to you, the reader, to find out.

  Paperback ISBN 13: 978-1-4949-6945-5

  Also available in most e-Book formats

  The Centurion and the Crown of Thorns

  A fictional story about the Centurion who, at the foot of the cross, said, "Truly this was the Son of God."

  As people leave the scene of the crucifixion, the Centurion, known in this book as Marcus, stays a little longer. While he’s looking up at Jesus who is still nailed to the cross beams, a small earthquake happens. The crown of thorns falls off Jesus’ head and rolls to the feet of Marcus, where it stops.

  As Marcus bends down and touches the crown he senses a strong power coming from it. He immediately feels clean and new, and a great peace comes over him. He doesn’t understand it but he enjoys the feeling.

  He takes the crown home to share his story with his wife, who wants nothing to do with it. After all, she was one of the many who were in the courtyard yelling for Jesus to be crucified. On the other hand, his ten-year-old son is fascinated by what his father tells him, and is intrigued by the crown and wants to learn more.

  Marcus and his son Antony become believers, and Marcus searches out ten Bible prophecies that Jesus has fulfilled. He wants to teach his son many things about their new Messiah.

  The crown not only gives Marcus strength and peace, but it also has healing powers that bring him and his son Antony closer in their walk with the Lord.

  As the story unfolds, Marcus learns how each of the ten prophecies was fulfilled. And because of this, he is now ready to completely give his life to his new God, especially after he has an opportunity to meet with the risen Jesus face to face, who tells him it is time to give up the crown of thorns.

  Paperback ISBN 13: 978-1-4812-9390-7

  Also available in most e-Book formats

  Ava Montez -- Her Life and Death

  Fiction. Who killed Hollywood legend Ava Montez, once known as the most beautiful woman in the world? The murder has been unsolved for over forty years. But that’s about to change, when the New York Reader’s reporter, Rae Collins, is assigned to do a story on the life and death of Ava Montez.

  The murderer, who has felt safe all these years, is now threatened by Rae’s interviews with the four original suspects. And she’s already getting too close. The only way to prevent being caught and sent to prison for life is to murder again. And Rae is to be the murderer’s next victim!

  Paperback ISBN 978-0-6154-4522-9

  Also available in most e-Book formats

  Barsabbas

  Fictional love story between a man and a woman, and their love for Jesus, as He teaches them from the book of Mark.

  Paperback ISBN 978-1-6157-9058-6

  Paperbacks books and e-Books (where done) are available from most online retailers.

  For paperback order form and information on books and CDs:

  P.O. Box 4404

  Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

  United States of America

  Cast of Characters -- Yester-Years

  AVA MONTEZ. Born 1930. Known as the most beautiful woman in the world. Made first movie at eighteen. Three academy awards for best actress. Six nominations. Murdered in 1968, case still unsolved.

  JAKE AUSTIN. Born 1932. Husband. Owner of J.M.A. Motion Picture Studios. Married to Ava Montez for fifteen years. One of four suspects, still alive.

  KIM BLAKELY. Born 1928. Best friend and agent. Another suspect, also still alive. Now called Kim Blakely Townsend.

  MARTHA BROWN. Born 1937. Housekeeper. Also a suspect of the 1968 murder. Vanished right after the case was closed unsolved.

  JOSEPH P. MORGAN. Born 1929. Director and best friend of Jake Austin. Directed Ava Montez in her first movie. Two academy awards for best director, both starring Miss Montez. Final suspect, still alive.

  ANTONIO. Date of birth unknown. Famous movie star of the forties and fifties. Discovered Ava Montez while dining at a small diner cafe where she was a waitress. Not a suspect.

  Cast of Characters -- The Present

  RAE COLLINS. Reporter for the New York Reader. Single, twenty-eight years old. Not beautiful, but very attractive. Both men and women take notice. Assigned to write story on Ava Montez' death.

  MAX BRIGHT. Reporter also for the New York Reader. Single, handsome, over six feet tall. Well liked by all the newsroom workers. Thirty-one years old. Easy going personality, congenial and helpful to others.

  SAM. Owner of the New York Reader. Started out small, but now has thousands of subscribers. Good boss, fair and honest. Considers Rae and Max as his best reporters. In his sixties.

  CHIEF EDWARDS. Chief Inspector for the New York Police Department. Tough cookie, but nice and very concerned about Rae's life-threatening encounters. He is Sam's brother-in-law. The two of them are best of friends. Also in his sixties.

  CAROL LARSEN AUSTIN. One-time starlet and now new wife of Jake Austin.

  RAE

  THE REPORTER

  CHAPTER 1

  RAE COLLINS

  Rae woke up early, excited to get to work. Today was the day she would find out who was getting the assignment. It would be either her or Max Bright.

  The assignment was to investigate and write a story about Ava Montez, a famous movie star of the forties who was murdered in the late nineteen sixties. The killer had never been found.

  Sam, her boss for the last five years, was starting a new magazine called Stars of Yester-Years, and Ava's life and violent death would be the featured story. It was a great assignment. Whoever got the chance to write it, would have some clout around the office -- so she was told.

  Rae didn't care about the clout; she wanted the story so she could prove to everyone that she was a good reporter.

  She and Max were friends at the office. They never associated outside work except for an occasional lunch, and it was rare that they even worked on the same story. They had already agreed that whoever was given the assignment, the other would help when needed. But both agreed that would only happen if necessary. Whoever received the assignment would be on their own.

  Rae was twenty-eight years old, five feet five inches tall, with blonde hair that came a little past her shoulders. And she had a nice figure. At least that was the scoop around the office. She was tol
d by friends that she had a great personality, was fun, and yet took her work seriously. She knew that she certainly took her work seriously, and seemed to be well liked by her colleagues at the New York Reader.

  The paper had a great following, and the circulation was into the thousands.

  Max had been there a year longer than Rae. There was no jealousy between them and they admired each other's work. Max was thirty-one, six feet tall and nice looking in a rough kind of way. Neither one had been married before, although they had both come close. Max had been engaged twice and Rae once, but for some reason it never went any further.

  Besides Max and Rae, there were four other reporters at the Reader, as the paper was affectionately called by many.

  Rae had just moved into a new apartment a few blocks from the office. She had been looking a long time for just the right place, with her eye on a building she had really taken to. When at last a condo came up for sale, she fell in love with it immediately. She had no car and for the last four and a half years had been taking a taxi or bus each morning and night. Now that she lived closer she loved walking to and from her new apartment and the office.

  The people at the office helped her move, especially Max. He was heaven-sent. Rae thought he was handsome, and loved his fun personality.

  She walked a little faster this morning, praying that she would receive the assignment. She knew absolutely nothing about Ava Montez, but was willing to learn and dig into old files and newspaper articles, and talk to the people who had known Ava, to find out as much information as she could.

  She arrived at the office a little earlier than most of the reporters. She prayed again as she got into the elevator. But just before the door closed, Max came running into the building. She held the door open for him.

  He smiled at her, and said, "Good luck with the assignment."