Labor Day weekend, 1989, Daniel Lauer’s car was found abandoned at a rest area between Richmond and Williamsburg. In October of that year, the bodies of Daniel and Annamaria Phelps were found by hunters in the woods near that rest area.
All four of these double-murders resembled traffic stops in some way, all showed limited amounts of struggle (Cathy Thomas is the only one who seems to have resisted), and all were couples found in relatively remote areas.
But there were differences too, most notably the weapons and methods used.
The Thomas and Dowski murders more closely resemble a double-murder that happened ten years later in Shenandoah National Park. Julie Williams and Lollie Winans were murdered on another holiday weekend, Memorial Day, in 1996. Both of these cases involved women in remote areas, all had their throats slashed, and all happened on National Park Service property.
These murders had a profound effect on both my hometown community in York County and my new stomping grounds in Norfolk. The sheer brutality of the Thomas and Dowski murders shocked the quiet, historical county where my friends and I walked alone at night without fear and our neighbors weren’t concerned with locking their front doors. As for my community in Norfolk—we had lost two of our own in a most heinous way and we were scared.
There are many theories, of course I have my own, but for this book I wanted to take the first double-murder and fictionalize it, and use this fictional story to show how violent crimes affect so many people. And of course, there is always my hope that maybe someone will pick up this book one day, read it, and have a memory come to them, and maybe it will be just the right piece of information to move the investigation forward.
I also hope this serves as a call to action. Both the FBI and the NPS had their hands on the Thomas/Dowski and Call/Hailey investigations (and later the Winans/Williams case in Shenandoah National Park). There is a lot of talk that both investigative forces made mistakes. Now might be a good time to look more thoroughly into these cases and, using today’s forensics and technologies, find a way to give the families of these victims some answers, closure, and justice.
If you, the reader, know anything about activities on or around the parkway—however small or seemingly inconsequential—please come forward. You might have the key to solving one or all of these crimes and not even know it.
You can call the FBI at 757-455-0100 or email [email protected].
If you prefer, you can also email the author at [email protected].
About the Author
Renee MacKenzie
As a Navy brat, Renee lived on three continents before her family settled in Virginia. She currently resides in Southwest Florida with her partner, Pam, and their poodle, Sabrina. Renee works and plays in the swamp, where she enjoys wildlife photography, kayaking, and hiking. Even though Renee has been paid to do all sorts of jobs, ranging from dental assistant to bartender, data entry clerk to maintenance worker, and field sampler to pet-sitter, she insists she’s only had one job—writer—and all the rest has just been research.
Also from Affinity eBook Press
Confined Spaces—Renee MacKenzie. Andie Waters spends her days pulling waste samples for environmental testing and at night, she tends bar at The Cave, a popular hangout for straights in a small Georgia town. Serial monogamy has grown stale for her, so she’s content working to pay off her debts and hanging out with her old hound dog. Or so she thinks, until a beautiful lesbian drops by The Cave. Andie suspects her involvement with the woman will be only temporary. Little does she know no part of her life will be left untouched. Kara Travis likewise anticipates nothing more than a brief fling upon meeting Andie, especially given her reputation as both a personal ice princess and a corporate hatchet wielder for Royal Environmental. What luck to find a hot lesbian bartender in nowhere rural Georgia. Andie and Kara spend a passionate weekend together and find that their notions of no strings attached are far from accurate. Their supposed short-term ideal diversion of a commitment-free romp hits a major complication when they come face-to-face with one another at Royal Environmental’s offices Monday morning. While carrying out her duties, Kara discovers crimes being committed by and against Royal Environmental employees. Will Kara be forced to shut down the Georgia Division of the company? If she does, Andie will lose her job. Worse yet, Kara may lose Andie before she’s really even sure she’s got her. Corporate politics, complicated romance, and long distances conspire to keep Andie and Kara all boxed in. Can love triumph despite the Confined Spaces?
Reece’s Star—TJ Vertigo. Reece Corbett watches over the dancers in her gentleman’s club with the blue, razor-sharp eyes of The Animal. Few know that resting comfortably in her office is her newest love, a tiny MinPin named Smudge. What happened to The Animal, known for her rapacious appetite for women and danger? Faith Ashford is what happened to The Animal. Faith and Reece have been together a while now and they have settled into something resembling domestic bliss. This bliss alarms Reece. It’s one thing for Faith to see her softer side, that’s vulnerability enough, but to let her friends see it…no. Not the best plan. Under Faith’s guiding, loving hand, will Reece successfully traverse the rocky road of emotion and embrace the positive changes in her life? Or will she panic and be unable to control that Animal part of herself? Will she take that next step to declare herself fully capable of love and devotion? This third installment in the popular series that began with Private Dancer continues the passionate and often hilarious romance of Reece and Faith as they both grow in love and in trust.
Flight—Renee MacKenzie. It’s 1983 and Kate Hunter is a student at a small, private college in Virginia. When Lana coaxes her onto the back of her beat-up scooter one night, Kate’s education starts to encompass more than just her pre-vet studies. Kate has always done as expected of her, so when she starts staying away from home on weekends to spend time with her new lover it’s way out of character for her. Lana is secretive, but Kate accepts things as they are and gives Lana her space. When she feels the sting of betrayal, will she be able to continue giving Lana her privacy? Kate’s sister April is a high school student playing with fire as she parties with her older boyfriend, Boyd. After finding someone overdosed the morning after a big party, April grows weary of all the drugs and alcohol. Will she be able to convince Boyd that they should slow down? Will she be able to pull it together before it’s too late? Kate and April are forced to face up to events from their younger years, their mother’s desertion, and their long-deteriorating relationship with one another. Some lives will be lost and others changed forever when the sisters’ lives intersect. Will they be consumed by the wreckage, or will they be able to pick themselves up and take flight?
Reflected Passion—Erica Lawson. Where passion, reality, and destiny combine.
Dale Wincott is a 27-year-old woman born into Bostonian wealth and groomed to marry into the social hierarchy. Her mother is a hard-hearted society matriarch, but her father feels for his daughter and helps Dale find a life on her own as a furniture restorer. Françoise Marie Aurélie de Villerey is a 28-year-old Countess, born into the French aristocracy and forced to marry a count much older than herself. For ten years, she was his trophy wife, forced to endure his perverted desires, until the day he finally died. He had broken her emotionally and she no longer cared for what life had to offer, slipping from one sexual partner to another as often as she changed her clothes. Until...that one night when Françoise looked up during a sexual encounter and saw Dale watching her from the mirror. A veritable angel, full of innocence and curiosity, who touched her very soul. Through the mirror, Françoise embraces life anew, while for Dale it is a powerful awakening, forcing her to discover not only her sensual nature, but the inner strength she possesses.
PUNK AND ZEN Part. 2: The ReMaster (Deep DJ Cut)—JD Glass. Remixed, remade, and relaunched, because the someday Nina’s been working so hard for is now, and all the work she’s done has brought her here: her first band, her first tour, and her firs
t trip to Europe, all at the same time. But these baby steps to success don’t come without a price, because there are other firsts, as well: first true heartbreak, first time really alone and oh-so-far from anyone or anything she knows… And when the one who created the heartbreak shows up with the one who promised forever, here comes another first: does she choose between them, does she cut them both out or does she go within and decide…differently? Punk And Zen Part 2: The ReMaster (Deep DJ Cut): cutting down to bone.
The One—JM Dragon. Phil (Philomena) Casters loves her work as a pilot, above everything else in her life except Ming, her married lover. Phil needs to enhance her status in the community before asking Ming to leave behind her wealthy husband. Rosa Moran is a teacher raised by missionaries in China after the death of her parents. She loves the country of her birth and the people. Her English grandfather desperately wants her to live with him to atone for the guilt he feels about the death of her parents. He sends her a letter requesting her to come home. When Phil flies to the mission to deliver the letter to Rosa, neither can envisage the chain of events about to take place. It starts as a collaboration to save four children, leading them to the surreal private paradise of Langshow. Could this be the perfect place for the children and Rosa to settle? Phil is not so sure. Chang, an old friend from Rosa’s childhood lives in Langshow and makes no bones about the fact that he wants Rosa. All thoughts of Ming disappear as Phil tries to fight her attraction to Rosa. However there is the little matter of an innocent misunderstanding—Rosa thinks Phil is a man. The One is a romance with everything, love, intrigue, misunderstandings with a happy conclusion—the only question—who gets the girl?
The Chronicles of Ratha: Book 2 A Lion Among the Lambs—Erica Lawson. It has been three years since Jordana Laren’s path first crossed the Noorthi’s—three years since she’s had a drink, had sex and a life of her own. Her only excitement has been spent keeping up with her two-year-old daughter, Rice, who is definitely a chip off the old block. All has been peaceful until one of the colonists becomes sick. Bad news shifts to worse news when the disease spreads through their community. Unable to get proper medicine, Jordana is forced to rely on the Noorthi healers to come up with a cure. Soon the herbs run out, leaving her with no choice but to search for more on the Noorthi home planet. What is supposed to be a simple pick-up flight turns into a nightmare. Can Jordana believe in herself like her Noorthi sisters do? Only then can she fulfill her destiny as The Chosen One. Follow the colorful cast of characters in this action-packed adventure sequel as they traverse the galaxy. Of course, nothing ever goes smoothly when Jordana is involved.
Cowgirl Up—Ali Spooner. When the new ranch hand, Coal Bryan, arrives at the MC2, the last thing she’s looking for is love. Her co-workers are surprised when Coal turns out to be female. Coal, used to the reaction, quickly earns the respect of the crew with her work ethic and skill with horses. Coal uses the strenuous work and friendship of the ranch hands to try and forget her broken past. Melissa Conway, owner of MC2, offers Coal a place to live in her home. They both are shocked to find they are linked in a way neither of them imagined. Mary Leah, Melissa’s sister, arrives at the ranch to recover from a recent tragedy. The attraction between Mary Leah and Coal is instant and mutual. Can the three women survive their personal dilemmas? The love and friendship they develop certainly helps but will it be enough to bring them together. Ride along with the MC2, for boot scootin’, butt kickin’, dirt eatin’, rodeo adventures, with a love story thrown into the mix.
If I Were a Boy—Erin O’Reilly. Katie McGuire appears to have it all. A devoted husband, a job she loved, and a comfortable lifestyle. Helen Swenson is a successful financial director of a prominent investment firm, with an unfaithful husband and few friends. Their husbands’ annual trip to Padre Island National Seashore to reunite with their air force pilot squad becomes a pivotal point for the two women. Their lives take on a completely new meaning when an undeniable magnetism between them draws them together. Passion and secrecy becomes the norm, as they have no choice but to succumb to their attraction. Can the vacation love affair continue? When they leave for their respective homes, will they regret what happened? Life is not that easy to change and the people around them are the hardest to convince. There is no more powerful motivation than love. Except hate and there are plenty of people who want to see their relationship destroyed. Will Katie and Helen be able to make a life together work or succumb to doubts and the pressures of family? This story will fill you with the thrill of passion and the tenderness of love.
Nesting—Renee MacKenzie. Macy Stokes, a divorced mother who is struggling with her sexual identity, jumps at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help her friends. She doesn’t foresee it will put her in jeopardy of losing her son, Jeremiah. Fresh out of high school, Cam Webber travels to Augusta, Georgia, to reconcile with her aunt. When she learns that’s impossible, she determines to gain acceptance from her aunt’s partner, Sharon. Meanwhile, Cam sets her sights on Macy, but Macy has other ideas. Kenny Brewer is a good old boy who loves his wife, Dorianne, even when he thinks she’s gone totally off her rocker. Dorianne gets it in her head that a local woman is her long-lost half-sister. But soon, her obsession with that is eclipsed by medical problems that involve them all. Set in Augusta, Georgia, Nesting explores the age-old issues of guilt, regret, and redemption, and the part they play in driving people to create and protect family—at any cost.
Reece’s Faith—TJ Vertigo. In the return of the main characters from the bestselling novel Private Dancer, we see the blossoming relationship of bar owner, Reece Corbett and actress, Faith Ashford. The two women explore new, uncertain territory together, using sexual intimacy as a glue of comfort, helping them become strong and whole. A trusting Reece shares with Faith the sordid tale of how she became The Animal and Faith finds herself newly empowered by Reece’s ongoing trust and support. Jealousy arises when Faith has to kiss a man on her TV show and two amorous women stalk Reece. When Faith is outed on her television show, things get crazy. With the arrival of her parents on the scene, the craziness escalates. As Faith tries to justify her lifestyle and defend her love for Reece, she discovers that nothing about her parents is as she once believed. This not-to-be-missed passionate and erotic romance will have you begging for more.
Starting Over—Jen Silver. Ellie Winters, a successful potter, is living on a remote hilltop farm inherited from her parents. Her well-ordered life is shaken apart when her past meets her present. Robin Fanshawe, Ellie’s philandering long-term lover, has a fragile truce with Ellie. The arrival of women from Robin’s present threatens to break that tentative pact. Charming Dr. Kathryn Moss, an archaeologist and an old lover of Ellie’s, arrives on the farm searching for a new site to dig. When she discovers a previously unknown Roman settlement and ancient burial site on Ellie’s farm, Ellie allows her to start an archaeological dig of the area. Will Ellie also allow the rekindling of an old romance or will she stay with Robin? Can that long-term relationship, albeit tentative, recover from this collision or will an old romance trump everything she knows? Will Robin, seeing the interaction between Ellie and Kathryn, leave her womanizing ways behind? Will she take a chance on giving herself wholly to the woman she loves? These questions and the mystery of whose royal resting place is disturbed at Starling Hill are answered in this classic romance of simmering passions, anguished loss, and the wonder of love.
Twisted Lives—Ali Spooner. A twist of fate as she flees the control of an abusive husband leaves Bet and her daughter Kylie stranded at the entrance of the home of Alex Graves. When custom homebuilder Alex arrives to find steam boiling from Bet’s car and a beautiful child asleep in the passenger seat, her heart goes out to them. Alex offers shelter to the pair, setting off a chain of events that bring both mother and daughter close to her heart and danger to her door. A heartwarming story of true love that will keep you smiling long after you’ve finished the book.
Malodorous—Del Robertson. Sequel to My Fair Maiden
Something in Fairhaven stinks. Other than the mutton stew, that is. Gwen thought life after being a virgin sacrifice would be a bed of roses. Bodhi was just looking for a wench to bed. Neither less-than-dashing hero nor not-quite-so-pure maiden imagined they would meet again, much less be trapped together in a city the likes of the ill-named Fairhaven. There’s a killer on the loose. Fairhaven’s on lockdown, its citizens fearful for their lives. The local guards are corrupt. And, Bodhi’s been accused of murder…
Desert Blooms—Dannie Marsden. Luce’s story continues in DESERT BLOOMS… When we last met Luce Velazquez in Desert Heat, she went through hell and back to salvage her soul and reputation. Hoping to get her life back on track with lover Beth Ryan, a woman who understands her pain and can relate on every level. Instead, Luce is in the hospital, and Beth in protective custody. Jessica Sullivan, Luce’s friend and ex, has big doubts about the sincerity of Beth’s love, and is in no hurry to release her from custody. Can Luce’s new found happiness last, or is Jessica correct in her doubts? A heart-stopping romance that will fill you with the wonder of friendship, anger of betrayal, and the everlasting vision of love.
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