Where Forgotten Things Belong

For Reuben Birnbaum - for tolerating me as a father-in-law and for being an exceptional father to my four grandchildren. My daughter and all the other family members love you.

As head of the Morgan Stanley office in Great Neck, New York, I’m certain that your clients must be happy to know you.

I salute you Reuben…long may you wave.

The Strong Women Novels by Gus Leodas

(Amazon Best Seller author)

The Award Winning Mitchell Pappas Mystery/Thrillers and Other Novels by Gus Leodas

www.gusleodas.com

The Forgotten Mission*

(A WWII cold case mystery)

Eighteen-year old Melissa confronts four German spies in 1942 on Long Island.

What was the deadly secret of Shuller’s Land? The last crop on the Long Island farm was planted in l942, the year the land died from the horror of that one long night.

Decades later, the abandoned weathered barn that leaned precariously from old age still waited for a strong wind to complete the collapse before someone discovered its horrible secret.

Investigator Mitchell Pappas finds artifacts on the farm belonging to WWII German spies. So begins his mission to unravel the mystery of the forgotten farm and the disappearance of the spies and the farmer’s teenage daughter, Melissa.

…Leodas promises action, drama and mystery. It is there.

- New York Daily News

Riveting. Written from the heart. An extremely tender perspective from the author’s point of view.

- Delray Beach Book Club

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Unsafe Harbor*

Selected as Book of the Year Awards / Finalist.

First Sentence: He stood over her grave as a wilted flower.

A great book.

- Writers Digest

"Unsafe Harbor revolves around a series of unexplained murders at an exclusive yacht club. As Mitchell Pappas proceeds through the maze of possibilities, he isn’t sure which way to turn. The outcome of Unsafe Harbor is a shocker, and it’s a testimony to Leodas’ writing skills that the reader is held in suspense until the very end."

- The National Herald - Books Supplement

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Huntress*

(a revenge mystery/thriller)

First Sentence: The dreaded day may have arrived ending their secret life.

Ah, yes! As Lord Byron Wrote - Revenge is sweet especially to women.

Police and investigative author Mitchell Pappas team up again to solve a baffling and elusive revenge thriller.

…and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice

Leodas sets up his novel with an intriguing premise; the reader is unsure of why exactly Victoria and Warren were forced to flee their home, and the quest for that answer is what drives the narrative forward. Once Victoria makes her fateful decision at Warren’s funeral, the novel morphs into one full of action and excitement.

- KIRKUS Review**

One of many 5-Star Reviews:

"Been an avid Gus Leodas reader for quite some time now and he’s STILL yet to disappoint. Huntress keeps you guessing from beginning to end and I promise that once you pick it up, you will NOT be able to put it down. Do yourself a favor and read it…you deserve it. An excellent book, possibly g.b.o.a.t."

- By Dr. Franklin Montalban

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A Sorority of Angels

Selected as Book of the Year Awards / Finalist

Several determined and concerned women in influential positions at the United Nations unite to help solve hunger and poverty in their countries. What they encounter, what happens to each in the service of their country was unplanned. Theme: Women overcoming adversity.

"A Sorority of Angels brings together the unique stories of five women working as aides to influential diplomats. In a successful literary device, each woman is embroiled in a dangerous, violent scheme of personal revenge. These women are more than entitled to their retribution, and their actions add a layer of legitimacy and intrigue to their mission. The effect is immediate and dramatic. The interesting premise makes for an entertaining read with more than one unexpected turn."

- KIRKUS Review**

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The Letter from Magda

(a mystery/thriller)

‘My dearest Johanna,

I pray you never have to read this letter while your father and I are alive.’

So begins Magda’s letter to her daughter urging her to change identity, and to run and hide.

"Johanna Wagner and Michael Warner become the unwitting catalysts in a tense conspiracy launched long before they were born. Both are children of wealthy parents and oblivious to the dangerous secrets of their parents’ pasts. These secrets are soon violently revealed, as is their link to each other. The tension builds steadily as Leodas gradually pulls the storylines together in a chilling climax full of twists and turns."

- KIRKUS Review**

One of many 5-Star Reviews:

"This is one of the best mysteries I have ever read. It is hard to believe what all goes on but that is what kept me interested. I just can’t imagine having the talent to write a story with so many twists and turns. I would definitely read more by Gus Leodas and might reread this someday."

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The Devil Walks Beside Her*

First Sentence: Deanna Layne, a Suffolk County legislator pregnant with twins, fled to Fire Island terrified of being murdered before becoming a mother.

Deanna Layne needs to survive a killer in an environment sated with unusual alliances, lethal relationships, and solutions. Police and Mitchell Pappas come together again to try to save Deanna in a devious and perplexing mystery thriller filled with love and hate that also turns Mitchell into a primary target, forcing him to research for clues to save Deanna…and himself. Some 5-star reviews: Love his style of writing and his storytelling ability.

- Demchuck/Scene East

"A well written intense mystery. Gus Leodas has added another hit to his list of books, and like the others, he has a surprise for the ending. If you like mystery, you will enjoy it."

- FBI Joe

Excellent book by Gus Leodas. Suspense, twists, and strong women. Had to force myself to put it down so I didn’t finish it on the same day. The kind of book you don’t want to end. Another great one by the master.

- Texas Reviewer

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The Almost Forgotten Wife*

Madge’s husband and daughter share secrets that exclude her. Exempt from the family mystery she is an outcast, ignored, and treated as nothing more than a household item, a part of the furniture, and a houseplant thirsty for water.

Madge Kiley’s daughter is on trial for killing her rapist in self-defense. Madge’s husband is a United States senator. The daughter’s truth will destroy the senator’s career and send the daughter to prison. Her lawyer abandons her trial. The daughter’s new attorney asks Mitchell Pappas to help with a case filled with obsessive love and hate that surge the plot to its unexpected conclusion.

An excellent written mystery that grabs a reader’s interest with twists and surprises that are enhanced with intrigue and murder most foul.

- Amazon Reviewer

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Where Forgotten Things Belong*

A Romance Mystery

SEE SAMPLE CHAPTERS OF UNSAFE HARBOR a Book of the Year Awards - Finalist at the end of Where Forgotten Things Belong.

*The Award Winning Mitchell Pappas Mystery/Thrillers and Other Novels by Gus Leodas.

** KIRKUS REVIEW is a leading book industry company.

Contents

Dedication

The Strong Women Novels by Gus Leodas

PART 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

PART 2

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

PART 3

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Memo from Gus Leodas: A Best Seller author.

Excerpt from UNSAFE HARBOR

PART 1

1

Harry Stone begged for help.

He phoned Mitchell Pappas to help him overcome a personal tragedy.

Harry sounded desperate, and to please hurry to his home. The subject was beyond a phone conversation.

A dynamic and strong personality, Harry succeeded in the technology corporate world. Harry seeking help glared as abnormal, and alarming. And why Mitchell accepted the desperation and abandoned editing his true crime manuscript.

After a departing kiss to Helene, Mitchell fled his seaside leisure home in Amagansett, Long Island for Harry’s home in Sands Point, a two-hour drive on Long Island’s highways depending on traffic. His thoughts bounced as a ping-pong ball that created and cast many tragedy scenarios and imaginary turbulence before crossing over the Shinnecock Canal. He merged into sparse traffic on the Sunrise Highway Extension with churning thoughts about Harry.

Is Harry in life-threatening danger?

A workday, the emergency must be critical for workaholic Harry to avoid office responsibilities. He found the company and nurtured its growth, an all-consuming effort and commitment.

Mitchell thought of intelligent and beautiful Melina, Harry’s wife and an editor for fifteen years at a major book publisher in New York City. Helene and Mitchell considered them a perfect couple, personality twins, and always positive and smiling, and a joy to be with.

Is marriage the problem?

Mitchell adored Melina since Helene introduced Melina to Harry. She confided to Helene several months ago of hardly seeing Harry since the company went public and expanded to Europe, and planned to expand to Asia to participate in that area’s growth potential.

Is divorce the crisis or their daughter, Kelli? Can a thirteen-year old have a crisis?

Mitchell now contemplated their health. Disease is a tragedy, a force to debilitate the positive Harry personality.

Did a crippling accident occur in his family?

Melina, Harry, and Kelli appeared healthy two weeks ago when they visited Helene and Mitchell on Bluff Road in Amagansett.

Is Harry’s computer software company in trouble? Is his crisis financial? Did the weakness of Wall Street and the economy affect him?

When Mitchell last checked, the company’s stock trended up. A reputable Wall Street firm upgraded the company from a Hold to a Buy four months ago crediting that to Harry’s expansion in Europe.

Mitchell rejected a corporate crisis, and assumed Harry’s company as fiscally sound and absent of fraudulent accounting manipulation.

Have casual casino gambling visits switched to addiction? He is a better than average blackjack player, but casinos are profitable for a reason. If not money, what?

Mitchell reached Exit 36 on the Long Island Expressway to head north on Searingtown Road to Port Washington to reach Sands Point, home of multi-million dollar residences and high taxes. Mitchell ended speculation, wiped his tragedy mental slate clean, and prepared to expect the worst - a self-defense mechanism against horrible news, and to remain calm in emergency.

Whatever Harry’s crisis, how can I help him? If Harry needs me, I’m there as long as needed - my defining attitude for friends to act firm amidst their fears or chaos.

Harry would never beg for help over a minor problem.

As Mitchell continued into Sands Point, a sense of doom blanketed his air-conditioned cabin and he concluded - There is no good to this visit.

* * *

Harry’s light gray Mercedes parked on the brick circular driveway of a sprawling, modern twelve room and full basement ranch with a stone and redwood façade with two fireplace chimneys on a quiet street. Mitchell parked his green Land Rover near a violet bloom rhododendron clump a space away from the Mercedes. The area succumbed to summer quiet on a hot day. July-in-Miami heat smothered him as he exited. Birds cooled elsewhere. Heat seared his cooled body and defensive thoughts.

The Rover’s air conditioner had been at maximum to combat oppressive heat. He should have persuaded Harry to drive out to Amagansett to meet by a cooler Atlantic Ocean shore.

Mitchell pressed the doorbell and braced for the unknown and worst. Muffled Big Ben chimes penetrated through the sculptured and thick wooden door. He waited…and waited, as sweat formed, stained, and traveled. He inhaled a deep breath of relief at the sound of faint footsteps on a white marble floor and exhaled before the door opened.

What did Harry mean by a personal tragedy?

He couldn’t stop speculating.

Were Melina and Kelli involved?

Mitchell winced when the door swung wide.

Harry appeared as a tragic figure, an alien image. He wore a blue thigh length bathing suit and brown open sandals that slapped when he walked. Without a greeting or a smile, he waved Mitchell in and headed for the rear…bad signals, a doom-and-gloom environment - no hello Mitch, no glad you’re here, no humorous it’s Mitchell Pappas my favorite author, nothing. Mitchell entered guarded for a disaster, closed the door, and followed as expected. Slap, slap…slap… Air conditioning tempered the hovering gloom.

Is Melina, Kelli, or Delia the housekeeper here?

He peeked into rooms they passed and expected to see someone, or the insane thought influenced from his true crime writings…their dead bodies.

Mitchell followed as a lamb and waited for a sinister something to come over the hill’s rise to engulf him. Harry should have explained the problem to eliminate speculative torture, not sounding mysterious, and secretive. Mitchell accepted the fault. He failed to insist on reasons.

I shouldn’t be so quick to run to a friend needing help, a good and bad trait.

Harry led to the outdoor patio that abutted the rectangular swimming pool that enticed Mitchell to jump in clothes and all. Harry pointed to a shaded poolside table then headed for the bar without haste or energy, close to shuffling. Clipped hemlock rows provided privacy in a spacious backyard, flowered, and landscaped. Mitchell craved for the air conditioned indoors but obeyed in the somber environment. His needs were secondary, and the crisis wasn’t about him.

But what’s wrong with meeting indoors?

Was he hiding a tragedy?

Harry called out over his shoulder. Drink?

Ginger Ale. Mitchell sat beneath the white umbrella. Lots of ice.

Mitchell sweated and undid two buttons on his white short-sleeve shirt. Patches of sweat stains spread at the chest and wetness started at the edge of his white Bermuda shorts.

He watched Harry as he bartended lethargically with his depressed demeanor.

Finished with the drinks, Harry delivered ginger ale with ice and a glass of ice to the table, and his drink. Mitchell added ice to the ginger ale then gulped half the glass to suppress heat and curiosity then prepared to act patient for Harry’s words.

Harry’s dull expression remained as he sat and sipped a vodka tonic. He put the glass down, wilted his athletic body, and stared at Mitchell with blue eyes that looked as vacant as an empty blue room.

His silence added to Mitchell’s tension and increased expectation of tragic news.

What will he say?

What happened to his vibrant personality?

What sapped his demeanor?

Where are the others?

Harry continued unfamiliar, defeated, weak, and helpless. He looked older than forty-four. One would never suspect Harry as a former star athlete, racecar driver, and high school wrestler.

After eternal seconds of returning the stare, and waiting for the bomb to drop, curiosity opened Mitchell’s palms to express - What happened?

Harry ignored the gesture.

Please say something!

Remaining slumped and running his right hand through his blond hair, Harry opened the bomb bay doors and casually released, Melina and Kelli have disappeared.

Braced for tragedy, Mitchell stifled alarm, and reacted without panic thinking first of a kidnapping for ransom.

What do you mean disappeared? When?

Harry remained monotone, moving only his mouth as if placed in a plaster body cast.

Gone as of this morning. Technically, yesterday.

Were they kidnapped? Did someone call you?

No.

Do you suspect foul play?

No.

Did you call the police?

No, I called only you instead.

Huh! Make sense, Harry, Mitchell beseeched. Why call me for such a serious matter?

Harry cracked the plaster and sat up ready to talk.

You’re the only one I can call.

Mitchell remained mystified.

Please explain. I need input before I dehydrate.

Melina called my office yesterday. Kelli wanted to visit a friend in New Haven, Connecticut and would be home late. In an important meeting, I paid scant attention to her details and said to have a good time and trip. She said not to wait up. When I woke up, they weren’t home…and she wasn’t in her car when I called.

Harry paused looking lost.

Afraid that he withdrew again, Mitchell urged, Then what?

I didn’t know where to call them. I assumed they stayed overnight at Kelli’s friend’s house whose last name I can’t remember. During my commute to my Garden City office, Melina called. She and Kelli were in the Cayman Islands about to leave never to see them again, and to not search for them, ever…that our marriage ended, over with for good.

Mitchell grew numb to react, unbelieving the drastic and unexpected pronouncement, and forgetting his heat discomfort.

Harry continued without needing prompting, And she wanted a simple divorce. She would call when the legal documents were ready for my signature. And she withdrew the three million dollars we had in a bank there, all the money and assets she’ll ever want from me. She had signature power. End of story, period, or should it be an exclamation point? Harry lifted his glass, Cheers, L’Chaim, and Yassou, and all that happy crap, followed by a long drink to cool his misery.

Mitchell changed to perplexed while several sweat beads crawled down his legs.

All fact?

Yes, and sudden. Melina stole my money and daughter and I refuse to involve police. I should add, at this time.

Mitchell’s head stopped waving from disbelief.

What did you do to motivate her to leave? You were the happiest couple I ever knew, that Helene ever knew.

Harry turned his palms outward, crunched his face, and appeared lost.

Nothing.

You cannot be innocent in this disaster.

I am. I swear.

Did you cheat on her, toying with a mistress? A good looking and wealthy stud attracts leeches. Did you cheat?

Melina has no competition and never will. I love her, and the only woman I want and need. Her spitefulness is out of character. I have no clues why she devastated me.

Harry, innocence is not possible here. You screwed up somewhere, pal.

I didn’t, unless I walk in my sleep, and I don’t. We were compatible and no signs at all that she was unhappy. Everything up to yesterday seemed normal. Her actions are sudden and unexpected, and unwarranted.

Something pushed her over the edge. Melina complained once to Helene about your long office hours and lack of attention. Maybe that’s why. She wasn’t your priority.

Mitch, I can’t imagine what else. My excessive office work kept me from home. You work twice as hard when the business is yours. That is a weak reason for an abrupt disappearance. If she wanted to hurt me, whatever her reason, she succeeded.

Mitchell knew Melina for years. Her behavior was questionable and irrational, alien to his respectful and admirable profile of her.

Harry, Melina is not the type who’d wake up one day and say, ‘I think I’ll destroy Harry today for sport.’ You’re successful. That’s public knowledge. Are you positive kidnapping is out?

Without question. No kidnapping. And I don’t expect any phone calls.

You’re convinced?

Yes.

Maybe desperation forced her to confess to kidnappers that she had ransom money in the Caymans.

Harry rejected that premise with a headshake. He rotated the glass clinking ice then followed with a long swallow.

Their passports are gone. Why take them to go to New Haven? She lied to me. She premeditated leaving. And I don’t understand Kelli’s participation. That’s as baffling. Why would both leave suddenly?

The dual disappearance puzzled Mitchell.

He offered a logical possibility.

Mothers and daughters are close. Kelli chose her. Her choice may be the sole reason. Also wacky is that you’re worth more than three million. If she divorces you, half your assets would normally be hers. Your stock is worth much more and this house is no slum. Why abandon her share now?

Harry wiped his brow with one finger to remove sweat about to reach his eyes. Bewilderment returned to a face and tanned body oblivious to heat.

That’s the mystery, and why I called you to come here. I need to stay here in case Melina calls again. Nothing makes sense.

Mitchell thought - Neither does my presence. How could I help other than to offer solace and act as a sounding board?

Mitchell shifted in his chair to loosen damp and stuck clothing.

How do you believe I can help you?

You’re almost a detective. I know all your work. Find Melina and Kelli and bring them back. Start a private search without police. Spare no expense.

Mitchell’s mouth dropped as his face expressed - You can’t be serious!

Your crisis has distorted your thinking. You’ll get better results with a detective agency with a professional staff to search and investigate.

I don’t want others to know they’re gone. My position is that they’re on vacation. I need you to do this. I have no one else to turn to or trust. If you fail, I’ll call the police and file a missing person report. If the police fail then I’ll devote my life to search for them. I will never lose my family under any circumstance whatsoever. Never.

Mitchell’s head shook, frustrated with the onus.

Since they left the Caymans, where could they be?

I have no idea.

Me neither. Mitchell looked as helpless as Harry did. Did you verify that the money is missing?

My representative there verified with First Cayman Bank. She emptied the account. They registered at The Anchorage yesterday and checked out this morning. No one else accompanied them, no kidnappers. She definitely wired the money elsewhere. An airlines inquiry confirmed they left for Miami on Cayman Airways, an hour’s flight.

Why Miami?

I don’t know anyone there who’s her confidante, adding to the maze. Maybe Miami was the first flight out.

Have you talked to Melina and Kelli’s friends?

I called Kelli’s two closest girlfriends saying I forgot where Kelli stayed on vacation and needed to reach her today, that I lost her number. Both were surprised she went on vacation. Two of Melina’s friends had similar reactions, so did her office. And she loved her work. Why also abandon that?

Mitchell’s posture appeared as defeated as Harry’s posture. He drained the ginger ale then lifted his wet and sticking shirt a few inches from his body.

You must come up with a motive no matter how remote besides your workload. You’ve placed me in a huge dark room with no doors and no light leaks. Where are the hidden doors? How do I get out and start this clueless and impossible search?

I wish I could help.

I wish you could, too.

Harry wiped his brow again, finished his drink, and leaned back without ideas or direction to resume the plaster cast position.

Sweat beads crawled on Mitchell’s chest.

I beg a favor, Mitchell said. You can help and do it now.

Go ahead. I’ll do whatever you say, give you anything you need, and I’ll spare no expense.

Please, let’s go inside. This heat and your crisis are killing me, frying my mind, and I can’t think and believe what I’m hearing.

2

Leaving Harry, Mitchell felt as a lonely convict released from prison after twenty years not knowing where to go, whom to call or how to begin his new and difficult challenge where all directions led to nowhere.

Before he reached the expressway to head east and home, a possible start point evolved from desperation. He stopped by the curb and called Harry from his cell phone.

The account in the Caymans is corporate? I assumed it as personal. Am I correct?

"It’s corporate, owned by Melina and me.