WHAT YOU SEE

Prologue
I lay there for what seem like an eternity. The air was hot and humid from the late afternoon rain. My knee was throbbing and the cut on my forehead was still bleeding. I held my breath as I crouched down, hiding in the damp leaves and the tangled mass of underbrush. Coming here alone was a stupid mistake…possibly the last one I would ever make. There was a killer on the loose in the woods and he was searching for me.

Then I heard a twig snap…

Page 34
I fixed a cup of coffee and walked over to the bay window in the dining area. The sky was gray against the green trees and a yard bursting with the color of spring. Small raindrops had begun to fall, as I sat down at the table. I began to read the newspaper, scanning the want ads. I need a job. This time last week, I thought my life was going into the crapper, and it probably was, but now, I had found myself a man, lived in a great house, and would eventually find a good job. I was so happy.

I searched the want ads until I had decided it was hopeless. Every job I came across was either something I couldn’t do, or wouldn’t do. I guess Athena could sense my frustration, because she came over and lay down under the table beside my feet. I reached down and patted her head.

“Not to worry, girl. We’re going to do fine. We have each other and a good home. How lucky can we get?”  I gathered my wits and continued my job search, trying to put Cole out of my head. I was just about to give up, when an ad caught my eye.

Help Wanted. Office girl. Billy Blackhawk Investigations.
200 Greenbriar Road, Charlottesville. No phone calls.

The ad was appealing. I can do this, I told myself. I hope the job hasn’t been taken. I bet working for a private eye could be exciting. Yet, deep in the back of my mind, I kept remembering that old saying…Be careful of what you wish for…

Page 229
Billy and I were about to embark on another adventure. I could see it coming…jail was just a footstep away.

SOUTH RIVER INCIDENT

Page 56
I drove away with a good feeling in my heart. I was about to embark on another one of my adventures on the road of life. It could only get better, or so I thought.

Page 80
"Oh, Lord," I said out loud as I picked up my clothes, one at a time and piled them on the bed. A pain shot through my back all the way down to my calf. "I'm going to burn in hell for this one." I had really fouled things up this time. What was I thinking?

Page 109
I threw a couple of logs on the fire, switched on the television to keep the dogs company, and then headed to the bathroom for a well-deserved soak. I grabbed a couple of candles off the dresser and was ready to relax. I'd just about dozed off in a sea of warm bubbles when Athena came up to me and barked. "What?" I snapped to attention. "What is it, girl?" She yelped and pranced around in circles, her nose high in the air. Suddenly she stopped, twisted her head to one side, and then jumped on the tub with her front paws. She was silent until I went to pat her head. A chilling howl came out of her mouth that could have awakened the dead. I knew she was trying to tell me something. "Back up and give me a minute," I said to her as I reached for the towel on the toilet seat. I jumped out of the tub, dried off quickly and wrapped the towel around me. Athena turned and ran. By the time I reached the living room my heart was racing. My hair was wet and the water dripped down my back. I stood frozen in shock, staring at what she was trying to show me. A picture of a skull and crossbones flashed on the computer screen. At the bottom, a message appeared:

STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS OR DIE!

Page 251
A pain shot through my skull like a sledgehammer. My vision blurred as I fought to maintain control of the car. But it was too late. The car careened off the road, bounced in and out of a ditch, and then slammed into a tree. My last conscious memory was of us hitting the tree and that poor girl flying through the windshield. Blood splatter was the last thing I saw before passing out.

A CRYING SHAME

Page 29
The crash pounded in my ears at first, and then I could barely hear anything at all. I kept fading in and out as the rescue workers placed me in the ambulance. Billy was by my side, holding my hand and telling me over and over that everything was okay as he held a blood-soaked rag against his head. Finally, overwhelmed by the pain, I closed my eyes and succumbed to the darkness.

Page 184
When Claire and I walked out the door, I had no idea that this simple plan would turn out to be not so simple after all. I should've known better.

Page 218
The snow was coming down so hard that I could barely see the lines in the road. The windshield fogged up as I fumbled to find the defroster switch while still trying to keep my eyes on the road. I was scared. My sister was going to die at the hands of a murderous psycho if I didn't do something fast.

The tires on the Explorer were still spinning even though it had come to rest in the ditch. I slammed on my brakes and fishtailed to a stop, just inches away from the drop off. I got out of the car and walked over to the edge of the embankment. Snow pelted me in the face as I looked down. The first thing I saw was a shattered windshield covered with blood and a puddle of blood outside the car in the snow. I fell to my knees and screamed out Claire's name. My voice echoed through the trees.

Page 300
"DNA will get you every time," I said. "There's no getting around it. Trace evidence is always left behind. I hope he gets the death penalty. I say they should fry his…"

MIDDLE RIVER MURDERS

Prologue

Even though the mushrooms weren't the real cause of Pat Johnson's death, Daisy Clark thought they were. Her attitude about life changed in an instant. A seed had been planted and a killer was born.

Page 20

The blow to the head had not been fatal, but it rendered her unconscious long enough for the poison to do its job. Another member of the Stanardsville Social Club was no more.

Page 246

Athena stood up on her haunches and started barking. She didn't stop until we reached the end of Middle River Road. I should've known right then she was trying to tell us something.

Page 268

A terrible storm played havoc outside as the hours slowly passed. By nightfall, she knew the end had come. A dog's bark was the only true sign of life outside the walls that confined her. She closed her eyes and waited for her Lord to take her home.

Greene County Killer

Page 71

The land of pleasant dreams is a place where we can find comfort, solve everyday problems and then awake feeling refreshed. At least, hopefully, most of us have a place like that we visit occasionally when we sleep. And then, there's that other place—the dark side. The dark side of dreams is where evil lurks and our worst fears are imagined. The most horrible thing that can possibly happen in life will happen in that place. Demons lurk there, and death is only a footstep away. I know. I've been to that place many times. Tonight, I had a long, ugly visit.

Page 240

Furious, I screamed, "You won't live long enough for that, punk-liar!" I pulled the gun from my coat pocket, aimed it directly at his chest, and squeezed the trigger.

Page 250

With that said, we jumped into our vehicles and headed down the road. Jonathan and Cole went chasing after the bad guy, while Billy and I headed to my mother's house to see what we could find in Savannah Kelley's book. I had no idea how much worse it was going to get, but I was about to find out.

 

                    Afton Ridge Publishing P.O. Box 162 Stanardsville, VA 22973   434-985-1957 amullen@aftonridge.com

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