Past Echoes
Page 26
‘I guess it’s a lot.’
I want to apologise to Alfonse for everything he’s been through on my account, to thank him for his support, but the words won’t come out. All he’s doing is putting a voice to the thoughts that have plagued me since I climbed in Yerik’s SUV and drove away from the disaster zone that was Tagliente’s house.
Nothing he can say to me will be as harsh as what I’ve been thinking myself. Every criticism he voices is nothing more than a faint echo of what I’ve been whispering into my own ear.
‘What now?’
‘I better go see Chief Watson.’ I hesitate and sneak a sideways look at him. ‘And Taylor’s parents.’
‘I’m sorry, man.’ Alfonse lays a gentle hand on my arm. ‘Taylor’s father has been in touch with me. He doesn’t want you going there, offering your condolences. He’s even said that if you try and go to Taylor’s funeral, he’ll have you arrested.’
I close my eyes and accept the bitter pill of rejection. Taylor died when she was with me, and nothing I can do or say will ever change that. Only Alfonse and Mother know the truth about her death. Everyone else has been told that she and I had fought and parted company.
‘How’s John?’
‘He’s doing well.’ Alfonse pauses. ‘There’s something else you should know though.’
I look at his face. It’s serious, but not grave.
‘Don’t tell me. Cameron has shot the crow.’
‘Huh?’
The Scottish term for running off has confused him. I explain what I mean, and he tells me I’m right. Well, correct. Alfonse and I never tell the other when they’re right, only when they’re wrong.
Cameron being gone doesn’t matter. We’ve got what we needed from him and there’s nothing to be gained from him staying around.
The news from New York is good too. Gabbidon has been arrested and is under investigation for events that span several decades. Even if he is acquitted on all counts, there’s enough mud sticking to his name to ensure he never becomes mayor.
96
Three nights after arriving back in Casperton, I leave my apartment, throw a couple of backpacks into the trunk of my Mustang and put the key in the ignition.
Since getting back, my time has been spent answering questions from Chief Watson and some FBI suits who flew in to interrogate me.
I played dumb and stuck to my story, and they couldn’t break me. The lies I concocted pained me to say, but the alternative was admitting my part in a killing spree, to people who could imprison me for life.
My first stop tonight is Alfonse’s place.
I put the keys to my apartment in his mailbox, along with a letter explaining that I need to leave town for a while.
With everything that’s happened running through my mind, and my newfound dislike for myself growing every day, I need to find some space to try to re-find the Jake Boulder I was a week ago.
Another reason for me to get out of town is the way people have been dying when they’re in my company. After losing Taylor, I’m left with Alfonse, Mother and my sister, Sharon. I can’t bear the idea of another person suffering because of me, so it’s best for them if I’m not around to attract trouble.
With the keys and letter secreted in Alfonse’s mailbox, I take a slow drive to the edge of town.
Casperton cemetery is well kept and lies on the town’s western fringes. It takes me a while to locate the right grave in the dark, but I use my cell’s torch to read the inscriptions attached to the fresh flowers on the most recent graves.
My heart catches when I read Taylor’s name.
I clench my jaw and think only of her smile as I bend down and roll back a slice of turf.
My hand shakes as I pull the ring box from my pocket and place it on Taylor’s grave. ‘I love you, Taylor, and I want you to have this ring. I would have preferred to have put it on your finger, to hear you say yes when I proposed, but I never got the chance. I love you.’
To my ears, my voice contains nothing but the truth. It’s there in every crackle, in the pauses I make as I fight for composure, and in the quiet, heartfelt whisper I use to say the words I’d never expected to say.
I’m halfway back to the Mustang before I’m confident that the tears blurring my eyes aren’t going to fall.
The End
Coming Soon
Jake Boulder Will Return !.
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Watch out for Jake Boulder Book 4 , coming Winter 2018 .
Watching The Bodies
Jake Boulder Book 1
If your Enjoyed this Jake Boulder thriller, why not check out the first two books in the explosive series .
Looking for a fast-paced and utterly gripping crime thriller? Then try this book by #1 best-selling author Graham Smith, an explosive thriller full of stunning twists and turns.
When Jake Boulder is asked by his PI friend to help investigate the vicious murder of Kira Niemeyer, he soon finds himself tracking a serial killer who selects his next victim in a most unusual manner.
As the body count rises, Boulder has to work with the police to identify the heinous killer before more lives are taken. What ensues is a twisted game of cat and mouse, that only Boulder or the Watcher can survive. But who will it be?
Watching The Bodies is the first in Graham Smith's new Jake Boulder series, a fast-moving and action-packed crime thriller, it will appeal to greatly to fans of Lee Child's Jack Reacher series.
* * *
Order Your Copy Here
The Kindred Killers
Jake Boulder Book 2
Looking for a fast-paced and utterly gripping crime thriller? Then try this book by #1 best-selling author Graham Smith, an explosive thriller full of stunning twists and turns.
Jake Boulder’s help is requested by his best friend, Alfonse, when his cousin is crucified and burned alive along with his wife and children.
As Boulder tries to track the heinous killer, a young woman is abducted. Soon her body is discovered and Boulder realises both murders have something unusual in common.
With virtually no leads for Boulder to follow, he strives to find a way to get a clue as to the killer’s identity. But is he hunting for one killer or more?
After a young couple are snatched in the middle of the night the case takes a brutal turn. When the FBI is invited to help with the case, Boulder finds himself warned off the investigation.
When gruesome, and incendiary, footage from a mobile phone is sent to all the major US News outlets and the pressure to find those responsible for the crimes mounts. But with the authorities against him can Boulder catch the killer before it’s too late?
* * *
Order Your Copy Here
* * *
The Kindred Killers is a fast-paced crime thriller that will appeal to fans of authors like Lee Child, and Casey Kelleher
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Readers who enjoyed Past Echoes will also enjoy the James Ryker series by Rob Sinclair :
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The Red Cobra ( James Ryker Book 1)
The Black Hornet ( James Ryker Book 2)
My Book
Acknowledgments
I would like to take this opportunity to say extend my grateful thanks to all at Bloodhound Books for their professionalism and hard work in bring this book out. Fred, Betsy, Sarah, Alex
ina and Sumaira have helped my writing soar, yet it’s Jo whose keen editing eye has kept me grounded, and improved my writing with every comment or suggested change.
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Thanks also go to those who’ve supported me in my writing, my good friend and mentor, Matt Hilton, Col Bury who brainstorms ideas with me late at night over the odd glass of something hangover-making, the Crime and Punishment gang, all my writing and non-writing friends and of course my family.
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I’d also like to say a huge thank you to all the bloggers who’ve taken the time out of their busy lives to support me. They are the unsung heroes of the book world and their support really has made the difference.
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Last but by no means least, my readers. Without your support, kind reviews and enthusiasm for my writing, I’d be nothing more than a stenographer for the voices in my head.