Blurb:
First Lady Kills President Lovinggood"
December 5, 2018
Thirty years later, Hank Lovinggood embarks on a quest to prove his mother's innocence and punish the killers who took his family from him. Together Hank and lovely physicist Dr. Kathryn Sinclair confront an implacable, twisted, and merciless enemy who'll do whatever it takes to hide the truth forever.
Last Week's Excerpt:
The backhoe roared to life and started to dig. Hank stoically thrust his hands into his pockets and stood ramrod straight. He felt like sitting down and crying, but he’d be damned if he would. Nobody ever told any stories about his father whimpering and crying, and he wouldn’t do it either. His father wouldn’t know one way or the other, but he’d know. If he didn’t behave with decorum and restraint, it would haunt him until the day he died.
It seemed to take forever for the first coffin to see the light of day. Hank watched as cemetery workers placed the coffin on a dolly that carried it to the back of a hearse. He had no doubt in his mind that he had just seen his father’s coffin. For some reason he had thought it would be bronze colored, but it wasn’t. It was gray.
Unconsciously, he had moved a few feet toward the hearse. His stomach quivered when he saw the presidential seal emblazoned across the top of the coffin. It was his father, all right.
Today's Excerpt: Hank and the Senator arrive at the Sinclair Mortuary to view the remains of Hank's mother and father.
It didn’t take as long for his mother’s coffin to be removed. The two coffins looked identical, which surprised him. I thought they would be different.
Seeing this coffin brought goose bumps to Hank’s arms. If the history books had it right, he would soon come face to face with the woman whose vicious act had caused them to be in this awful place on this nice, sunshiny morning.
If she hadn’t murdered his father, they’d be like any other normal family, planning a menu for Thanksgiving, putting up their Christmas tree, and doing their holiday shopping. They might even be happy.
Bert Wheeler approached them, wiping his forehead with the back of his arm. “That’s it, gentlemen. Are you planning to follow the hearse to the mortuary?”
Hank nodded. “Yes, we are.”
“We thought you would. Fall in behind the hearse when we go past your car.”
They made their way back to the Jaguar, which no longer seemed quite so wonderful to Hank, and waited. Several Humvees filled with gun-carrying soldiers went past before the hearse drove by. Uniformed men on motorcycles escorted the hearse, which to Hank’s surprise flew American flags.
His eyes filled with tears of pride, anger, and wonder. As God is my witness, I’ll never understand how she could have done it!
I wonder why everyone assumed that she killed him? I'm sure we find out in the rest of the book, but I'm very interested in the investigation at the time. Can't wait to see what encourages him to get the case reopened. Great snippet! Tweeted.
ReplyDeleteHe seems convinced his mother was a murderer. What will cause him to question this belief?
ReplyDeleteWow, emotional snippet! But very well done and good details to put us into the scene.
ReplyDeleteYeah, what Veronica said. Amazing writing, Elaine. :-)
ReplyDelete