The Case of the Purloined Professor

September 1964--Aside from babysitting a colleague's rambunctious dog, life seems serene at the McKee home in Cincinnati-until Augusta's beau, Homicide Detective Malcolm Mitchell, receives a chilling phone call in the middle of the night from a mysterious crime kingpin. Midnight or not, friends and colleagues immediately convene. And within hours, the hunt for Augusta McKee-amateur sleuth, former opera singer and professor of music, last seen at a production staff meeting for her spring musical at Cliffside College-is on. Malcolm learns how perilous her situation is and what is being demanded in exchange for her safe return. He and his partner, Detective Jim Edmonds, muster their department's forces and assistance from the FBI as the danger mounts. To discover Augusta's location, Malcolm must piece together a trail of cryptic clues from Augusta herself. There is a deadline to meet, and time grows short. Where is Augusta? Can Malcolm find her in time to save her life? And can someone PLEASE stop that dog from barking?