Ahead of the Press Publishing

Hugh and Ellen Kerr promised themselves this time they would get it right. Not only was it their daughter’s first Halloween celebration, they were going to hold the party in Lodi, California, far from the Los Angeles debacle which had ruined last year’s celebration. Everything seemed to be going their way when they discovered an old mansion they could rent and transform into a spooky haunted house. The owner of the property, Lob Finnian, a former Major League baseball player, seemed eager to help and with the assistance of family and friends, decorations and Halloween-themed games were arranged. Going into Lodi to invite the local children and arrange to have the party catered, the Kerrs were unexpectedly warned to stay away from both Lob and what he called The Old Ball Yard. The caterer explained the property had an aura of mystery about it, with a long-standing rumor that a fortune in stolen jewels belonging to the foreigner who originally built the mansion were hidden on the property. Rather than being frightened off, Hugh found the town gossip added a new dimension to the haunted house theme and the party went on as planned. Everything was perfect until B.B. Bond and his wife, Christine, participating in a treasure hunt, went exploring on the upper story of the house despite having been ordered not to go there. Pulling open a sealed closet they discovered, to her horror, a human skeleton. After inspecting the skull and determining it had been crushed, the local authorities quickly charged Lob with the murder of his benefactor. Denying his innocence, he asks Hugh to represent him, plunging the attorney into a complex case that not only involved the identity of victim, but brought the town gossip of a fortune in stolen jewels to the forefront on the trial.