Listen to Haunted Design-Chapter 1! It’s the new Patrick MacKenna architectural mystery by Peter H. Green, narrated by the author.
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Haunted Hearts
When architect Patrick MacKenna and his pregnant wife Kitty leave their lakefront apartment in search of a home for their growing family, their journey leads them to a crumbling Victorian Gothic mansion. It’s perfect for showcasing Patrick’s work and impressing clients—if they can bring it back to life. Despite warnings from his business partner and a grisly discovery in the basement, Patrick remains committed to restoring the estate. But his ex-fiancé—his mob client’s daughter—has a secret that can unravel everything, and a detective advises them to walk away. Patrick and Kitty must decide if their house restoration is worth fighting the cost, danger, and unknown intruders to succeed.
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Haunted Design
A Patrick MacKenna Mystery
By Peter H. Green
“Your immigrants here steal and kill till they have the local franchise for sin, and they sell liquor and drugs and women, on license from City Hall. Reformers might call it kickbacks or bribes, but it is, finally, merely a license.
“The politicians who oppose them, those who cannot be bribed, if such there be, are currently killed, in time, and one may, perhaps, see it already, the Irish and the Italians, will ask why not become politicians. And they will.
“They, as soldiers to one another, will have taught themselves the foremost lessons: study the ground. Then they will not only possess the sin franchise, but every other fungible good, service and permission.”
—David Mamet, Chicago
Part I: Designing Men
Chapter One
“We’re buying a house!” Patrick said.
“Congratulations, how exciting!” I said.
But my heart wasn’t in it. My mentor’s declaration struck fear into my heart. “What does that mean, exactly—we’re buying?” I asked.
“Just that,” Patrick said. “We put a contract in last week, and it was accepted. Will you inspect it with me Saturday?” He mentioned an address on the Northwest side.
“Oh sure, you idiot. Otherwise, how will I know what mess you’ve gotten in this time?”
I couldn’t refuse to help Patrick MacKenna. We had known each other since we first met at the firm, fresh out of architecture school. We suffered together through apprenticeship, the trials of earning our architectural licenses and the complications of finishing small remodeling projects nobody else wanted to take on. We had been lucky to team up: we needed each other. Patrick was the brains of the outfit. I was his right hand and confessor in most things, even girl troubles. In the batting order I was the clean-up man.
When it comes to the big ideas, I know when to shut up. But in practical matters, he needs to listen to me. “Heck,” I said. “in that neighborhood, it’s probably haunted.”
“What, you believe in that nonsense?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” I said. “Generally, I have to reserve judgment about the supernatural. After all, my wife and I believe in the afterlife. “But whether or not it exists, you’ve got to be crazy!”
“I would be crazy to pass this up.” Patrick stared at me. “Near downtown, a classic style, a perfect estate for an architect. At a bargain price.”
“A bequest from an estate, maybe—not a place you’d go out and buy.”
The property was located in a once fashionable block on the Northwest Side in an old industrial part of the city. Newlyweds with limited funds, he and Kitty were looking at fixer-uppers. True, sometimes these gracious old buildings looked like bargains. But the added risk of hidden deterioration and obsolete building systems posed obstacles that could blow anyone’s budget to bits. Visions of rotting mansions filled my head. My rehabilitation experience had seasoned me. Renovation of one area makes adjacent rooms look bad.
“By the time you fix it up, you’ll spend a lot more. Can’t you find a nice starter home in the near suburbs?”
“You kidding? This is a dream house!”
Reluctant to help perpetrate his folly, I resolved at least to inspect and get him untangled if necessary.
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