Excerpt Wednesday – The Black Heart

Carter emphatically shook his head. "What vendetta could anyone possibly have against my mother? It doesn’t make sense! Who would want her dead?" His eyes narrowed. "My mother didn’t have any enemies. You know that, Jake. Could it be a random act?"
 
"I don’t know, Carter."
 
Carter’s nostrils filled with the stench of the smoldering ruins. He coughed, and then spat at the ground. "Fill me in on what you do know, Jake."

"There’s not too much at this point," he answered, pulling on his chin.

"I’ve known you my entire life, Jake. You must have a theory."

Jake was thoughtful for a moment. "I do."

"And?" Carter persisted.

His eyes slanted. "My theory is that the perpetrator knew your mother would be out this evening. He then entered the house and rigged up a device in her bedroom lamp that would detonate the moment she turned the lamp on." He paused. "After the lamp was turned on, everything just blew."

Carter grabbed the sheriff’s arm. "A bomb? Why? What could my mother have ever done to cause someone to want to blow up her house with her in it? It still doesn’t make sense."


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Excerpt Wednesday – Twisted Lives

 Daniel sat at his cluttered desk with his eyes focused on a stack of files, all needing his attention. He rubbed his jaw. The murders plaguing Vickville made the other cases seem trivial by comparison. Four murders with no clues or possible motives. The killer was slick, but somewhere, somehow, he’d slip up. Someone knew something. He gulped his coffee and signed a few reports.

"Ready to call it a night?" Ben called to him from his desk.

Daniel closed a folder and stood. "Yeah, the rest of these can wait until tomorrow. Lately I’ve been spending more time here than at home. When I am home I’m only there long enough to grab a few hours of sleep, and I’m back here again." He stretched.

Ben grinned. "So what else is new? But all work and no play makes Ben a dull boy. I think I’ll go to Vito’s for a couple. Care to join me?" he asked, pulling on his jacket.

Daniel glanced at his wristwatch. "Not tonight, Ben. Thanks anyway."

"Got a hot date?" Ben teased.

"Don’t I wish? Nah, I’ve got to get home. I need to touch base with Taylor."

"Such are the demands of single parenthood. But you’re lucky. Taylor’s a good kid.


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Excerpt Wednesday – Maggie Quinn

She did have a glimmer of hope, though. If what Paddy told their mother was true, they at least wouldn't starve to death. She didn't know which was worse, dying of the fever or dying from starvation. "Is it true what you told Ma, Paddy? Do we have some potatoes? Can we afford some decent food for Ma?" she asked optimistically.

"I didn't tell Ma anything, Maggie. I can't lie to her. I told her we would be fine." Patrick was thoughtful for a minute. "I suppose I was not truthful with her because we won't be fine." He ran a hand over his chin. "We have nothing, Maggie. There's nothing left! Year after year, the crop has failed. There's no hope left. The land is in ruins." He glanced around the almost barren room. "We don't have anything left of value to sell even if we could find a buyer." He shook his head. "It's done," he said wearily. "All hope is lost."

Maggie jumped to her feet. "No, Paddy! I won't give up! There has to be a way. We need to stay strong and keep our spirits high for Ma's sake. We need to keep trying."

Patrick's eyes welled with tears as he looked at his sister. "The earth has swallowed up the beautiful land we once knew, and left nothing but a filthy putrid black mass in its place. It will never be the same, Maggie. Can't you see?" His jaw jutted out defiantly. "You are a dreamer. Your dreams never come true. This is the real world, Maggie. Why can't you see? You need to face the truth."


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Excerpt Wednesday – Murder In The Pinelands

 A twig snapped behind him, startling him. He aimed his flashlight toward the noise. The light flickered and went out. "Damn," he muttered. Another twig snapped. Aaron twisted his head in the direction of the sound as snapping twigs drew louder. Evan and the girls were getting even with him. That was it. They wanted to prove he wasn't as brave as he'd boasted. He relaxed a little.

"Not funny, man," Aaron called out as he peered into the pitch-black woods. "I know you're there, Evan. Are Jensyn and Kennedy with you?" The snapping twigs stopped. "Come on, Evan. You've made your point," he called. He glanced around himself. "What the hell?"

His voice caught in his throat as two red glowering, what he assumed were eyes glared back at him. Aaron tried to run, but fear kept his feet frozen to the spot as the glowing red eyes blinded him. His headache intensified, and he slumped to the ground.

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Excerpt Wednesday - Shattered Vows

Farrel struggled to hold back her tears. Why couldn’t her husband be this gentle all of the time? This same scene played out over and over after his abuse. She had it memorized. Robert would act as though nothing had happened, and even express surprise at her bruises and deny responsibility for her injuries. His excuse would be that she happened to be in his way and stumbled, or that she was imagining the abuse and then feign shock that she could ever think he would hurt her. Robert even offered to help her find a counselor for the mental and emotional problems he insisted she had. Sometimes she wondered if she was losing her mind. Her daughters witnessed many of his attacks, but his answer was always the same. They were lying about him because they hated him and wanted to make him look like a monster to the world. Farrel knew that somewhere within himself, he knew his guilt. He had to.  

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