The girls all went missing in the month of April, the same month the Friends of Foster Families had their annual northeastern awards banquet. Dave tries to remember what was going on in Lamont during 1985 and '86 when the other two girls went missing. He was getting ready to leave for college but there is one other thing of importance that happened in the late 80s--the disappearance of a Lamont Weekly Times reporter, where Dave now works. Dave is in Sheriff Clayton Nazzaro’s office along with Investigator Pepper Black.
“I can see that helping with Rachael from Cuba, New York and possibly the girl from Albany, but what about the girl from Pennsylvania?” asked Pepper. “Unless one parent abducted the child and moved in around here somewhere.”
“I checked our microfilm archives by the way,” Dave offered. “Here are some copies on Rachael McKenzie’s abduction, but nothing on the other two. Inky Dalton covered Rachael McKenzie’s case rather closely.”
“Who's Inky Dalton?” Pepper asked.
“Ignatius Dalton, our only unsolved murder—technically missing person, I should say,” said Clayton. “He was an old coot, but a hell of a reporter huh, Dave?”
***
The link
to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're
bound to find something to pique your interest.The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone.
***
BLURB:
When
three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a
routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.
Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.
How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.
Full blurb and snippet recap here.
Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.
How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.
Full blurb and snippet recap here.
Hmmm. So Inky went missing, too? The milk is beginning to curdle as the plot thickens!
ReplyDeleteInky Dalton, Pepper Black -- You have a knack for naming characters! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, when the reporters go missing, something's going on . . . .
What a great twist, Inky's missing too! And how telling that Clayton thinks of it as a murder case.
ReplyDeleteI bumped a little at this sentence: "Inky Dalton covered Rachael McKenzie’s case rather closely" only because I'm used to seeing "covered the case extensively" or "followed the case closely." That's pretty minor though. Really looking forward to see how Inky's tied in with the murdered girls!
Yes, that does need a reword, doesn't it? I'll figure a way to switch it around so it's in Dave speak.:) Thanks Owllady.
ReplyDeleteSo what happened to Inky? Did he become too close to finding out the truth? Interesting.
ReplyDeleteOh now they also have a missing reporter, could it be that he knew too much about the girls and was killed for it?
ReplyDeleteRecent murder of a reporter? Ooooh. Sounds like the bad guy doesn't want much more digging going on. Love where this is going, Cindy. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the name Inky Dalton. This story is getting good.
ReplyDeleteBTW---I think "whose" should be "who's" as in "who is". :)
Thanks Violet! Fixed it. Sigh.. I do know the difference. I did this a little too quick this morning (woke up late) so I didn't go over it very well. That will teach me to post on Saturday night. :)
ReplyDeleteInky went missing in the late 90s. Good figuring you guys that he is somehow connected to the case.
I love the names of your characters. So curious to learn what Inky will add to this mystery.
ReplyDeleteGreat snippet! I love the drama built around the missing girls!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great 8. I wonder if your MC can investigate the case impartially if he suspects his own father was involved. The missing reporter adds a different layer of tension too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the complements on my names everyone. I never have problems with that. It is easy to mix and match first and last names I like as I'm a historian by occupation and we have hundreds of family files at work, not to mention names I come across doing research in the old stuff.
ReplyDeleteMy oldest son came up with Pepper Black. I told him I need a really cool, kick ass name for my lady Investigator. He picked up the black pepper can off the microwave and said, "How about Pepper Black.?" Perfect!
Dave Robertson's name is average on purpose. A seemingly average guy with deep routed issues. My brother's name is Dave and Robertson Road is the first street he lived on after he was married. He's always been supportive of my writing.
Clayton Nazzaro I made up off the top of my head as I was writing.
Oh, now Inky's missing too. Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteA very intriguing set-up there.
ReplyDeleteI think maybe Inky (great nickname and certainly easier to live with than Ignatius) went missing because of something he learned about the disappearing girls.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fascinating story already and now the new twist of the missing reporter! Excellent excerpt, can't wait to learn more.
ReplyDeleteNice twist to throw in a missing reporter - wonder what all the reporter had/has in his research files. Good #8
ReplyDeleteThis is a great story, Cindy. I'm enjoying it tremendously. Your characters feel very real.
ReplyDeleteI just love your writing. Now we hear that one of the abductions was covered in depth and that the reporter who dug into it disappeared. Of course, we can't have deep investigative reporting. I wonder who this one and not the others?
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm glad you are enjoying it! Whew!
ReplyDeleteLove all the twists and turns here, keeps the reader guessing *and turning the pages*
ReplyDeleteOooh, nice one this week. The plot thickens. Sorry I didn't get to this yesterday. A friend dropped by the house yesterday...unexpectedly...and pretty much took up all my day. Again, nice one. Love a good mystery.
ReplyDeleteIntriguing premise! Love the name Inky! Great 8! :D
ReplyDeleteI just went back and reread every entry. I am so invested in this story. Is it available for purchase? If not, will it be soon?
ReplyDeleteIntriguing story. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteHad a little problem with "Rachael from Cuba, New York and possibly the girl from Albany, " Perhaps re-word: "the two girls from New York"
This is exciting, can't wait to read what unfolds!
ReplyDeleteLove how the plot is thickening with more disappearances, but I can't help missing the voice in Dave's head in this snippet. It's become a character in its own right. ;-)
ReplyDelete~Joyce Scarbrough
Well done. An intriguing beginning and scary.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah W--such a knack for naming characters! I can hardly wait for this to be available to read, Cindy! Awesome snippet! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm doing WWW as I'm editing. I'll publish it one way or another, just not sure which avenue to go. Lots of books out there you know?
ReplyDeleteLove the name, Inky. Very interesting twist, too. Great story!
ReplyDeleteNice snippet. Can't wait to see what happens. And I know I probably say this every week, but I still love your blog layout.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kayci. :) Thanks everyone for your comments.
ReplyDeleteSo intriguing and now a missing reporter too! Also love the character's names. Great excerpt.
ReplyDeleteAlways intriguing--love how there are so many parts to the mystery.
ReplyDeleteA reporter goes missing after being closely involved with Rachel's case... Hm, this makes me wonder what the hell the police were doing. Wouldn't that make them extremely suspicious? Like maybe that reporter had gotten too close to the killer. If so, wouldn't it be in their best interest to track down this reporter? Makes me suspicious of the police. Lots of questions. Nice snippet!
ReplyDeleteWell, after one excerpt I'm a fan! Love the dialogue! Also, Ignatius is a fantastic name. :D Great work!
ReplyDeleteI love a good mystery. Nice snippet.
ReplyDelete