Kindle Edition
Amazon
Amazon
Category:
Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Jim R Garrison
ISBN-10: 1494236214
Type: Fiction
Pages: 709
Copyright: Dec 7, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781494236212
Price: $5.75 (eBook)
Love, Lies and Murder in a sleepy small town in Maryland where some people say nothing exciting ever happens here.
The story begins with the murder of two teenagers in 1981. In Chapter Two a drug dealer saves the life of a young and pretty DEA agent. Chapter Three opens with the brutal murder of Kara Henderson, the state’s attorney and wife of Detective John Henderson in the courtyard of the Frederick County, Maryland, Courthouse. Six months later a mutilated body is discovered on South Mountain. Still later in the story a large sinkhole opens in Middletown where hundreds of unexplained skeletons are unearthed.
In this, their first story to be told, these seven Ladies of Middletown face love, lies and murder in a Garden of Lies. The story describes a bonding friendship and a forbidden love that leads to murder, and it shows how friends, husbands, wives, and relationships are truly tested in this quiet, little central Maryland town where some people say, “Nothing exciting ever happens here.”
Excerpt
A policeman stepped between him and the woman. He rested his hand on his pistol and warned Grant, “Back off buddy.”
Grant struck the policeman in the face with his fist. He screamed, “Tell them! Tell these people! You know he didn’t do it!”
The mayor turned to the officer standing next to him and said, “Get that man out of here. Now!”
“Yes, sir.” The officer nodded to two other uniformed patrolmen and they immediately moved around to the right of the crowd. Grant knew what they were doing. He took the gun from his pocket, aimed, and fired three times. He was less than ten feet away with no one in his path. The first shot missed Kara, striking the mayor in the shoulder. He collapsed, his tan suit blossoming a bright red as the second shot tore through Kara’s left side exploding one of the tempered glass entrance doors to the courthouse. Kara grabbed her side, desperately searching the crowd for John as the third shot struck the center of her chest. The impact of the bullet sent her backwards, toppling over the fallen mayor.
The courthouse square erupted in chaos as people panicked, screaming, and running in all directions. Brave cameramen continued to film, but many of the reporters took cover.
For John Henderson, time seemed to slow down to a crawl. One second he was proudly watching his wife behind the podium, thinking how beautiful she was and how much he loved her, and in the same instant hearing the explosion of the gun. He saw her looking desperately to him for help as he drew his gun, but he was too late. The third shot exploded and she fell out of his sight behind the podium.
As John fought his way to the podium he suddenly came face to face with Humphrey. The black man sneered at him and mouthed the words, “You’re next cop.” Humphrey brought the pistol around to fire just as John struck he hand with his own gun and sent it flying.
John grabbed a handful of the man’s jacket with one hand and looked into his cold dark eyes. “You son of a bitch.” He buried the barrel of the gun in the man’s stomach and fired three times.
Someone shouted, “She’s dead! He killed her!”
John was still holding Humphrey by his jacket. Despite the blood that was spilling from Humphrey’s mouth, the black man laughed, coughed, and blood splattered the detective’s face. “It looks like you’re too late, cop. How does it feel?”
John released his hold and Humphrey collapsed onto the pavers. The detective looked down at him. Humphrey was still laughing as John pointed his weapon and squeezed the trigger repeatedly until the gun was empty.
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