Each week I use readers’ suggestions and write exactly five
hundred words based on their feedback.
And just to make this interesting, I offer up one of my
novels free to the commenter whose suggestion I use.
Okay…let’s write a story.
(If you haven't read the first
scenes, please click on the link. Otherwise, the story won't make sense. Don’t
worry; there's a link, which will bring you right back.)
Chapter 2 ~ Scene 6
Gino
followed Chief Jackson and detective Mark Waters inside the house of the murdered
couple. The detective had a commanding gaze and strong handshake for his age. Gino
guessed him to be about twenty-eight.
Not
that Gino was old at thirty-two, but he’d certainly spent more time on the
streets than Mark, and yet he had that seasoned look. Eyes that read not
just what your lips spoke, but what your entire body said. In his years as a
police officer and detective, Gino had learned that you listened to people with
your eyes, not your ears. Bad guys could utter a lie without missing a breath,
but their body language screamed the truth.
The
detective passed two closed doors then stepped inside the room at the end of
the hallway. “Forensics has already swept the room, so help yourself,
gentlemen. Though, there’s not much to see. Nothing in the room was out of
place according to their daughter, who came in this morning and gave a
statement.”
Gino
shifted his gaze from the detective to take in the room. The place was
immaculate, not one crooked picture, no dust on the nightstands; even the
couple’s shoes were lined up perfectly by the bed, ready for them to step into
the next morning.
Captain
strolled toward the master bath, and Gino walked over to the bookcase adjacent
the bed. Something wasn’t right. He knelt down in front of the case and spotted
the one thing in the room that wasn’t meticulously in its place.
Eight
photo albums, each with a description of its contents, stood upright on the
second shelf. The older woman must have been into scrapbooking. Sheila had
attempted to make a scrapbook of their wedding album, but had given up on the
tedious task. It was clear that the woman who had made these was a
perfectionist. Each one had a label of either a year or an event, and only one
was moved a fraction out of place.
Gino
pulled out the album with the embossed title, “Thurber’s Team” written on the spine.
Waters
moved up behind him and peered over his shoulder. “What you got?”
Gino
shrugged his shoulders as he flipped open the book with his latex-covered hand.
“I don’t know, but it was the only thing in the room that looked out of place.”
He
traced the outline of the blank first page, which was missing a picture based on
the small amount of residue used to affix the picture. Gino flipped the next page and there were multiple
pictures of young men in football gear. On one of the pages, he read ’57 scribbled
on the white frame of the photograph. Upon flipping through the pages, he discovered
every page had at least one picture missing.
Captain
crossed the room and hovered over the detectives. “What d’ya find, Gino?”
“I
think I found our first lead, Captain.” He pointed to one of the pictures on
the page. “That there’s my pap.”
Okay, friends,
what happens next? In our first five weeks, we have sufficiently scared the
heck out of Gino--clearly something is going on. But before he ordered himself
exorcised, we jumped into clues of this new murder and how they may pertain to his grandather's death. Remember, in a mystery, things aren't always what they seem, but can often lead you to the answers.
Please feel free
to jump in by leaving your comments below. Can’t wait to see what you guys have in store for us. J
About me:
I write
modern-day fairytales filled with romance, mystery, suspense, and of course,
tragedy. After all, what would a fairytale be without a tragic event setting
the stage? All of my novels are sensual, but not erotic, gripping but not
graphic and will hopefully make you cry, laugh, love, and hope.
I love talking
about all things books, so please connect with me via one of the links below.
Books available:
When
two strangers have nothing left but their dreams, they must forge a
relationship in Nantahala, North Carolina, a small town known as Land of the
Noonday Sun.
After
secrets and a mysterious background leave a wife’s life hanging by a thread, a
husband must look for answers in the only place he knows—the past.
Now available at:
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