Excerpt
Part 2

Chapter 1
Forever West
Present day

The further Kim Chi Li drove east, the more west it became.
West in spirit, that is.
From the San Francisco Bay Area, she launched a three-day trek into fly-over country. Crossed the Sierras into Nevada. Pushed into Utah. Then passed the sign at the state line.
Wyoming. Forever West.
Kim Chi thought she’d look out of place. A middle-aged Asian woman. Short dark hair covered by a purple silk scarf. Driving a red convertible with California plates. Wearing shades and her gold baptismal cross necklace.
Yet many on the road were from California.
Summertime.
Tourist season was in full swing. Yellowstone. Tetons. Devil’s Tower. Rodeos. Frontier Days. The revived Wild West Shows.
But Kim Chi was not on vacation. She was chasing stories. Searching for answers to mysteries that had haunted her for years.
Her radio was tuned to the local Fly-Over News affiliate. Dieter Wolff was still making headlines. Taking down another enemy of the state.
Two years ago, President Lincoln Todd had been reelected under a cloud of suspicion. Narrowly beating his opponent, Governor John Parker of New Hampshire.
When the dust had settled, Lincoln Todd had expressed deep concern about election meddling and voter suppression. Soon after that, he appointed Special Prosecutor Dieter Wolff to get to the bottom of this grave threat to American democracy.
Now, as the mid-terms were coming up, the Special Prosecutor was still hard at work. With an unlimited budget. The full force of government resources at his disposal.
Warrants continued to be issued. Offices raided. Papers, computers, hard drives seized. Families targeted and terrorized by three-in-the-morning arrests.
After two years, many persons of interest were caught in perjury traps. Usually a friend or an associate of John Parker. Or another one on the Todd Enemies List.
Some pled guilty to lesser charges as they faced bankruptcy from the high costs of legal defense. Some confessed, under duress, as their families were threatened with investigations and lawsuits.
Kim Chi shuddered.
Terror by a weaponized legal system. Like in Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon. The minders were always watching. To keep the people in line. Or else face loss of livelihood. Prison. Or just disappear. Erased.
That’s why Kim Chi Li and her best friend Yvette Pham Quinn had left for America. Boat people seeking freedom.
Now Kim Chi was witnessing freedom in America evaporating. And most citizens were not even alarmed about it. That really frightened her.
Yet there was no place else on earth for her to go. Not if she loved freedom.
Kim Chi turned off the radio. Took the exit at Horsethief Creek. Going west again. The Sapphire Mountains loomed ahead. Jewel of the Rockies.
She crossed the Sapphire River into Hanging Tree. The air felt cooler. Shadier from the trees lining the river valley. The breeze blowing off the mountains.
It took half a minute to cross town.
On the west side was the Bed and Breakfast. A two-story Victorian house, painted a happy yellow with white trim. With a large shaded porch and inviting chairs. And a big yellow dog kept watch at the front door.
Mrs. O’s B ’n B.
She heard Mrs. O was particular about her guests. But her colleague Nick Orlovic III had put in a good word for her.
Of course, he would.
This was the house that Nick Orlovic III had grown up in. And Mrs. O was Mrs. Orlovic.
Nick’s mother.