Dead by Sunrise
Page 33
It was a cool June afternoon, the stingy sun providing little warmth despite a cloudless sky.
Brandon, Emma, and Brandon’s father were seated in the front row of chairs set out for the crowd. For most of the town, it was standing room only. Brandon spotted Jackson and her family, Will and his wife. All the other officers in his department were present and in uniform.
There were speeches by two county council members, reciting Eli’s work as an officer, how much he’d meant to Forks.
Then, the mayor removed a black cloth covering the bust of Eli. Below Eli’s smiling face read the inscription, Eli Mattson, Died Protecting His Hometown of Forks, WA. Always a Hero.
Sheriff Hart gave a brief but heartfelt speech about the few times he’d met Eli, but focused mostly on the pain of losing a loved one in the line of duty.
Brandon’s father trembled, the convulsions of a man fighting back tears. He turned to Brandon, his eyes swollen and red.
“Promise me. You’ll catch them. The people that killed Eli.”
No one was actively working on Eli’s case, as far as Brandon knew. An unsolved murder of a fellow officer. His brother.
That hadn’t sat well with Brandon.
Now he could do something about it.
He might be Chief of Police, but Brandon wasn’t done being a detective—not yet. He still had at least one more case to solve.
He locked eyes with his father.
“I will,” he said. “You have my word.”
THE END
If you enjoyed Dead by Sunrise, please consider leaving a review on the Amazon page where you purchased this book. Your reviews are very important! Did you know less than one percent of purchases result in a review? That’s important because other readers aren’t as likely to try a new book on Amazon if there aren’t as many reviews. Goodreads is great, but if you’re only going to do one review, please do it on Amazon! I would be so grateful if you did.
If you were dissatisfied or found errors, please send me an email. I’m always interested in feedback: author@richardryker.com