The Cats-Kill

When Matt Rogers brings his young wife Peggy home to his New England hometown, no one suspects the tortured past she is escaping from ... not even Matt. After a series of murders, the local sheriff and a Boston investigator scrutinize the brutal crimes targeting the Rogers family. Although the evidence points to Peggy, Matt refuses to believe she's responsible.

Excerpt

Matt Rogers sat at his kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee and watching a breeze gently lift the red and white checkered curtains on the window. It was an unusually warm evening for early May. He stood up and set his coffee cup in the sink when an explosion rattled the pictures on the wall. Sirens sounded in the distance. 

"What the hell was that?" he asked, turning toward his wife.

"Probably kids setting off firecrackers," Peggy replied. She glanced at her wristwatch. It was exactly nine o'clock.

"It didn't sound like firecrackers to me. Something exploded," he said.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Don't worry, honey. At least we're safe." She washed the coffee cup, then set it on the drainer. "Would you like to watch TV or go to a movie? There's a good mystery playing this week. It doesn't start until ten. We could get a sitter," she asked hopefully.

"Peggy, I'm too tired tonight. Besides I don't like to do things on the spur of the moment. You know that."


"I'm sorry. I just thought that maybe for once in your life you might want to do something spontaneous instead of mapping your life out minute by minute. Next time I'll ask you a month in advance so you can pencil it into your schedule."

Matt laughed at her sarcasm. "I'm sorry, honey." He put an arm around her slim waist. "We'll do something special tomorrow night. I already have it penciled in."

Peggy turned around and nestled her face against his broad chest. The ringing of the phone invaded the privacy of their moment.

"I'll get it," Matt said.

Peggy finished straightening the kitchen, ignoring her husband's phone conversation. She heard him hang up and turned to him. He was ashen-faced, trembling.

"Matt ... what's wrong?" she asked anxiously.

"It's Mom," he choked. "Her house just blew up. That's the explosion we heard. Neal was on the phone. She'd been to his house for dinner and he had just taken her home." He shook his head in disbelief. "Neal left only half an hour ago. He said he didn't notice anything unusual." Matt blinked hard. "I've got to get over there," he said hoarsely.

"No, honey," she said grabbing his arm. "There's nothing you can do."


He stared into her eyes. "My mother has just been killed. Do you understand that?" He took his jacket from the coat rack. "I'll be back when I can."

Peggy hugged him. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. She suppressed the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I'll wait up for you."

He nodded and walked out of the house.

Peggy watched him leave, then walked upstairs and into her daughter's bedroom. She gently caressed her sleeping child's cheek and tucked a blanket around her. Yesterday Amanda Sue celebrated her first birthday. Peggy smiled as she bent and kissed Amanda Sue's warm face. "I love you, baby. Have pleasant dreams," she said softly.

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Silent Dreams

Blaine Kirsten unwittingly gets pulled into a prostitution ring when her best friend, Kami Matthews, introduces her to Josh Barnes. When Blaine refuses to become a part of his operation, she faces brutal consequences.

Detectives Jane Adams and Casey Jorgan are assigned to the case. Almost immediately, Casey finds herself unable to separate her personal emotions from this case, which jeopardizes her career.


Excerpt

Kami Matthews gazed out of the grimy window watching the day slowly fade into dusk. She turned her blonde head and glanced at the clock on the stained wall. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "I didn't realize it was so late! I've got to get out of here." She gave her friend a quick hug. "Don't worry," she said brightly. "Everything will work out. You'll see. Be thankful that nothing worse happened."

"I guess so," Blaine Kirsten mumbled, staring down at her faded jeans. "I wish you could stay a little longer, though." She raised her eyes to Kami's "Please?" she pleaded. "I ... I don't want to be alone. I'm scared, Kami. Please stay for just another hour." She twisted her hands together.

Kami's eyes clouded. "I'm sorry, Blaine, but I really do have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, I promise," she said, moving to the door. She laid her hand on the doorknob, and then turned to Blaine. "It'll be all right. You worry too much." She patted Blaine's shoulder. "Try to get some rest now and I'll bet that things won't look so bad tomorrow."

"I hope so, but I doubt it," Blaine slowly answered as Kami opened the door then slipped into the darkened hallway. "I'm scared," she repeated.


"You need some sleep. Lock up behind me." She looked into her friend's frightened eyes, guilt washing over her. "I'll give you a call later. I promise."

Blaine nodded then silently closed the door.

Kami leaned against the closed door for a few seconds debating whether she should go back inside to comfort Blaine. She hated leaving her in the emotional state she was in, but she had to get home as soon as possible. She'd already been gone longer than she should have. "Damn you, Josh," she mumbled under her breath.
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The Stalker

Jeremy Talbot is a lonely, troubled young man whose only friends are the demon voices he hears in his mind. His obsession with a young woman named Rebecca Walker leads him on a murderous rampage as he tries in vain to win her love and prove that the demons are wrong when they taunt him, declaring that she doesn't care for him.

Excerpt

He watched from the window, the same streaked window from which he watched every morning. He'd been watching her for ten long years. He licked his lips in anticipation; his heart thudded irregularly in his chest just like it did every time he knew he would be seeing her. He moved the curtain slightly to get a better view.

She was coming, and his heart raced. She bounded out of her door, hands tightly gripping those of her ruddy-cheeked, carrot topped twin boys. He wished he could hear what she was saying, just as he wished it were he whom she was smiling at and talking to. The children continued looking at her, laughter in their bright eyes as their cherub faces smiled while she talked.

How he longed to hear her voice speaking to him again, but it was only etched in his memory forever. He watched as her boys scurried onto their school bus. She smiled and waved even long after the bus was out of view. How he ached for her all these seemingly endless, lonely years. Being apart from her angered him and brought the demons closer to the surface, forcing him to lurk even further in the shadows. The shadows were his only solace, where he could watch her with no one telling him it was wrong or that he was a freak. Time was passing quickly, much too quickly. He had to make a move. The time was nearing for him to come out of the shadows and finally claim her for his own. 

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Over The Edge

Maggie Allen's world of corporate money and power comes crashing down after she is taken in by a man who is only out to use her for his own gain.  When she is released from a short stint in prison, she refuses to give up even though no one will give her a second chance.  She loses everything she's worked for and is forced to move to the other side of town where she is determined to make a new life for herself.  Her life would be perfect if it wasn't for Brant Evans, a corrupt police officer, who makes it a point to constantly remind her about her past and all that she has lost.  She can't understand his vendetta against her, but she refuses to be intimidated by him and is not afraid to stand up to him no matter the consequences. 

Excerpt

Maggie Allen stood behind the counter eyeing the customers beginning to fill the booths. She grabbed her order pad and a pencil. A familiar couple seated themselves in her station. Inwardly, she seethed with anger as she watched them, but outwardly, she was bright and cheerful. She hated having to put on a false front, but knew it was a requisite of the job to treat all of her customers with friendliness, even those she couldn't stomach. 

"Hi, Brant. Janna," she said in the cheeriest voice she could muster. She flipped the order pad to a clean page. "What can I get you two?"

"Coffee. Hon?" The man nodded toward the beautiful petite blond at his side.

"The same." She smiled at Maggie. "Did you hear about our new house?"

Maggie looked into her sparkling baby blue eyes. "Yes, I hear it's quite a showplace." She forced a tight smile. She'd give anything to be called away from their table instead of enduring their phony attempts at friendliness. They were up to something. That she was sure of.

"You and Chris should come over some night for dinner and we'll give you the grand tour," Janna gushed, dramatically throwing her arms up in a flamboyant gesture. "It's like a palace!" She gripped Brant's arm. "We never dreamed it would be so beautiful! Did we, honey?"

Brant smiled keeping his eyes glued on Maggie, but Maggie knew he was hoping for some reaction from her.

"Promise me that you'll visit very soon," Janna continued.


"Thanks, Janna," Maggie said with the same tight smile. Now she was certain that the invitation was given only for Brant's satisfaction. There had to be an ulterior motive behind it. Any gesture of kindness from those two usually came with a high price.

She looked at Brant, but his finely chiseled face gave her no clue as his steely gray eyes peered back at her with a rigid and pretentious smile on his lips. He reminded her of a Drill Sergeant.

"I'll get your coffee," she said, breaking Brant's penetrating gaze. She returned a couple of minutes later with their beverages. She set the cups on the table, and then made a hasty departure.

As she waited on customers, she occasionally stole glances at Janna and Brant. They had no intention of following up on the invitation; it was just another slap in the face to let her know that they had money, success, and power. Their new house was one more bitter reminder to her of all that she had lost. They infuriated her and their only purpose for ever stopping in the diner was to rub her nose in it. She looked disgustedly at them in their designer clothes amid the regulars who were usually clad in jeans and tee shirts.

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Twisted Lives

Detective Daniel Trevors and his partner, Ben Wilson, are hot on the trail of a murderer who appears to kill just for the pleasure of it, but they soon realize that the case is more complicated than they thought.

Excerpt

Lightning streaked through the late afternoon sky, followed by ear splitting cracks of thunder. Rain pelted the lifeless form lying on the sodden ground. 

"Trevors, get over here!"

Daniel Trevors moved away from the crowd of curious onlookers that had gathered, at the same time wondering what it was about tragedies that brought people out. He motioned for two officers to relieve him, then rushed to his partner's side. "What's up, Ben? I thought you said the guy had a heart attack or something."

"Take a look at this." Ben pointed at the corpse lying face down.

Daniel squinted, then focused his eyes to where Ben was pointing. "Who in God's name would have done this?" he exclaimed, examining the puncture wounds in the man's jacket. "He must have been stabbed twenty times!" He looked at his partner. "You don't think this is connected with the other three, do you, Ben?" 

Ben Wilson shrugged his shoulders, pondering the question. "I don't know what to think, Daniel. It looks like the poor guy was ambushed from behind." Lightning flashed. Helooked up at the sky. "This storms getting worse." He looked back down at the victim. "Tell homicide to get their asses over here."

Daniel ran to the car and radioed homicide, then walked back over to his partner. "Do you think we have a serial killer on our hands, Ben?" 

Ben thoughtfully scratched his head, then looked at Daniel. "What else can we think at this point?"

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Tempting Thursday Excerpts Twisted Lives

Daniel Trevors finds his peaceful life rocked when a series of murders and a rekindled love affair intrude on his mundane life, forcing him to question everyone and everything.

Daniel and his partner, Ben Wilson, are hot on the trail of a murderer who appears to kill just for the pleasure of it, but they soon realize that the case is more complicated than they thought.

Excerpt


Lightning streaked through the late afternoon sky, followed by ear splitting cracks of thunder. Rain pelted the lifeless form lying on the sodden ground. 

"Trevors, get over here!" 

Daniel Trevors moved away from the crowd of curious onlookers that had gathered, at the same time wondering what it was about tragedies that brought people out. He motioned for two officers to relieve him, then rushed to his partner's side. "What's up, Ben? I thought you said the guy had a heart attack or something." 

"Take a look at this." Ben pointed at the corpse lying face down. 

Tempting Thursday Excerpts Over The Edge

"Brant Evans has Cedar Pines under his very heavy policeman's thumb. His wife Janna controls the town's social and political levers with her money. The two of them work hard to ruin the lives of anyone they don't like, or anyone who crosses them. Maggie Allen is caught up in their web of hate. Brant has special plans for Maggie, plans that include arrest, imprisonment, and ruin." -Wanda Keesey, Reviewer

Excerpt

Maggie Allen stood behind the counter eyeing the customers beginning to fill the booths. She grabbed her order pad and a pencil. A familiar couple seated themselves in her station. Inwardly, she seethed with anger as she watched them, but outwardly, she was bright and cheerful. She hated having to put on a false front, but knew it was a requisite of the job to treat all of her customers with friendliness, even those she couldn't stomach. 

"Hi, Brant. Janna," she said in the cheeriest voice she could muster. She flipped the order pad to a clean page. "What can I get you two?" 

"Coffee. Hon?" The man nodded toward the beautiful petite blond at his side. 

"The same." She smiled at Maggie. "Did you hear about our new house?" 

Maggie looked into her sparkling baby blue eyes. "Yes, I hear it's quite a showplace." She forced a tight smile. She'd give anything to be called away from their table instead of enduring their phony attempts at friendliness. They were up to something. That she was sure of. 

Tempting Thursday Excerpts The Stalker

Nothing or no one can stop him as he makes his way from Pittsburgh to Boston in search of the only woman who ever cared about him.
 
Jeremy Talbot is a lonely, troubled young man whose only friends are the demon voices he hears in his mind. His obsession with a young woman named Rebecca Walker leads him on a murderous rampage; he tries in vain to win her love and prove that the demons are wrong when they taunt him, declaring that she doesn't care for him.

 Excerpt

He watched from the window, the same streaked window from which he watched every morning. He'd been watching her for ten long years. He licked his lips in anticipation; his heart thudded irregularly in his chest just like it did every time he knew he would be seeing her. He moved the curtain slightly to get a better view.

Tempting Thursday Excerpts The Cats-Kill

When Matt Rogers brings his beautiful young wife Peggy home to his New England hometown, no one suspects the tortured past she is escaping from...not even Matt.

After a series of murders, the local sheriff and a Boston investigator scrutinize the brutal crimes targeting the Rogers family. Although the evidence points to Peggy, Matt refuses to believe she could be responsible. Soon, however, he is forced to succumb to the harsh reality that his wife could be the killer. Could the woman he gave his heart to have committed such cold-blooded crimes against his family?

Excerpt

Matt Rogers sat at his kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee and watching a breeze gently lift the red and white checkered curtains on the window. It was an unusually warm evening for early May. He stood up and set his coffee cup in the sink when an explosion rattled the pictures on the wall. Sirens sounded in the distance. 

"What the hell was that?" he asked, turning toward his wife. 

"Probably kids setting off firecrackers," Peggy replied. She glanced at her wristwatch. It was exactly nine o'clock. 

"It didn't sound like firecrackers to me. Something exploded," he said. 

Progress!

I can't believe summer is over, but I have to admit after the heat this year I'm looking forward to cooler days.

I've finished another short story. I'm finally getting back to the projects I've had on the back burner for far too long.

I'm also taking the plunge and am working on a paranormal. When I started it I thought it would be a short story, but now it's going to be a full length novel.