Author
Lauren Dampner lives a life of seclusion in northeast Florida with Wooker, her service dog. Once a preeminent capital defense attorney, Lauren has chosen her life of seclusion as part of her recovery process from severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
On a beautiful full-moon night, Karen Koffee stops at a convenience store on her way home from night school. On the way back to her car, she is confronted by a man with a gun. “Open your mouth and you’re dead.”
Before she can react, Karen is forced into his car and knocked unconscious. She awakens in a secluded clearing in a nearby woods. Calvin Stelley brutally beats and assaults her until she is able to get his gun. And shoots him dead.
While fleeing from the clearing, Karen broadsides a pickup truck that pulls out in front of her. LifeFlighted to a Jacksonville hospital for surgery, Karen awakens 18 hours later to find she is a “person of interest” in a murder investigation.
When an ambitious states attorney escalates Karen Koffee from a “person of interest” to a “murder suspect”, Karen reaches out to the only attorney that she knows.
Now, these two women must face their personal demons, deal with the sociological myths that surround sexual assault and overcome a criminal justice system that often treats the victim worse than the perpetrator.
Three years ago, Homicide Detectives, Dave Harper and Frank Carter arrested Donald Wayne Hathaway for the murder of a young mother and daughter…victims eight and nine of the so-called “champagne” serial killer. The evidence, while mostly circumstantial, had been enough. Mr. Hathaway currently resides in the Florida State Prison. On death row. Though they had not been able to connect Hathaway to the other seven victims. The year of terror ended.
Det. Harper considered this a big win.
That is, until he reads Chapter Six of Sean MacPherson’s manuscript.
Now, he must question everything he thought was true in the champagne murders.
Have they convicted the wrong man? Who the hell is Sean MacPherson? How can he possibly know the things he knows?
As the well-being of his world begins to deteriorate, Detective Harper finds himself up against Lauren Dampner…a defense attorney who has never lost a capital crime case and at odds with her chief investigator, Arianne Votel.
Then…the unthinkable happened.
Todd Benton faces his greatest challenge as an NTSB investigator when he probes the mysterious crash of AirStar Airlines Flt. 342. On final approach, in perfect weather, the Tritan T-5000 aircraft plunged nose first to the ground. With no evidence of structural, power or other flight system problems, the preliminary cause points to pilot error…or worse
A finding of pilot error suits John Lawton, Jr., vice-president of Tritan Aviation, just fine. Tritan Aviation is one of three companies bidding on an eight-billion-dollar defense contract. John desperately needs that contract to keep the company solvent and retire his massive gambling debts. Pilot error suits the media and politicians as well. “Can’t have airplanes just falling out of the sky.”
Todd knows this speculation cannot be true. The captain of Flt. 342, Todd’s friend of 20 years and his daughter’s godfather, has a perfect flight record. Captain Bruce Gooding would never intentionally harm himself or anyone else.
Adam Cates also knows the preliminary findings are bogus. He knows because he was the architect of the disaster.
Now he’s going to have to do it again…
“…for I have had your love
and a reason to be…
Lyric by Chris Megford
Love is hard to define.
For Chris Megford, singer/songwriter, it looks like a night on a stage with his band, Destiny. Singing and playing the music he created. Or, did. Until he met doctor-to-be Bonnie LeBeau.
To Bonnie LeBeau, fourth year medical school student, love looks like her ability to provide care and treatment for those patients who have found their way to Charity Hospital. It looks like a new-born baby. The resolution of pain. A grateful family member. Or, did. Until she met Chris Megford.
Gerald Peary, music producer, wouldn’t know love if it jumped up and smacked him in the face. Not likely to happen. Or, if it did. Mr. Peary would be inclined to attach a price tag to the outcome. In the case of Chris Megford and the band, Destiny…a very large price tag.
Ethan Litton, Guest Records, sees love in the form of hit songs on the music charts. The more, the better. In Ethan’s definition, love is finite. Love lasts only for as long as it is convenient and profitable.
Love is not difficult for Lindy Speer to define. Love looks like her father. Love looks like Ramona White and Bridgette Olerude, the nannies who cared for her after her mother’s passing. Love looks like Leon Luskey, Chris’s mentor and father figure.
And, for Lindy, love looks like all things associated with Chris Megford.
Or, did…