A murderer who doesn’t leave a clue.
His
frustration grows after a series of senseless accidents plague those dearest to
him, and a second woman dies. Searching for answers, Rory races against time,
plunging deep into the murder investigations, drawing ever closer to becoming a
casualty of the dark, angry deeds himself, until he finds no one is who they
pretend to be—and none are beyond evil’s reach.
The
detective studied the cloudless sky and tried not to think about his foot. It
didn’t work. “Just use the crowbar to break one of these frickin’ stones
loose.”
The
jack handle didn’t do the trick. Opening the trenching tool and using the pick
end, Thacker swung it against the largest stone. It bounced off the surface.
Rory suppressed a scream as pain shot from his knee down his encased leg.
“Easy!”
“Sorry,
boss.”
“Try
removing one of the outer stones. Loosen them, and maybe we’ll be able to budge
these. I’ll hold the light, and you make room for these damn jaws to unclasp.
Try finding the cornerstone.” A fine layer of perspiration covered Rory’s face.
He felt defeated and a little nauseous. He leaned back on his elbows and looked
at the sky. “Thacker,” he said, “this is damn unlucky.”
The
rookie moved down the mound to the edge of the pile. Using the crowbar and a
lot of muscle, he attacked. Finally, he was able to roll one stone out of
position. Then another. He was still three feet from Rory’s crevice, working
his way toward the more enormous boulders and Rory’s ultimate freedom, when the
rock he was prying loose rolled out of place. He hesitated. “There is something
funny here, boss.”
“I
could use a good laugh.”
“Not
ha-ha funny, peculiar funny.”
“Tell
me anyway.”
“There’s
someone else in this rock pile.”
About our focus author:
Terry Korth Fischer writes short stories,
memoirs, and mysteries. Her memoir, Omaha to Ogallala, was
published in 2019. Followed in 2021, by her debut mystery, Gone Astray,
introducing Detective Rory Naysmith, a seasoned city cop
relocated to small-town Winterset, Nebraska. The Rory Naysmith Mysteries continue
with Gone Before, coming in
January 2022.
Transplanted
from the Midwest, Terry lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and two guard
cats. When not writing, she loves reading, frolicking with the kittens, and
basking in sunshine. Yet, her heart often wanders to the country's heartland,
where she spent a memorable—ordinary but charmed—childhood.
To learn more about Terry, go to:
To
purchase Gone Before, go to:
Thank you for hosting me and Gone Before. Always a pleasure to share with the Wild Women Authors!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! What an excerpt. I can't wait to read this!
ReplyDeleteLoved the blurb and excerpt. Looking forward to reading this, Terry.
ReplyDelete