Billy Ray Chitwood's Blog, page 13

Sadness and Smiles

Sadness and Smiles

Christmas season brings a spiritual subtlety of kindness and giving, minds somehow thawing from a year of national and international turmoil, a bleakness that the heart and soul rejects for this magical time when most of us honor the birthday of Jesus…the Man, the Deity, who lived among us and brought Faith and Hope to a world searching for meaning and promise to their lives.

Faith requires the union of heart, mind, and soul. Faith of course is not tactile and must be somehow embraced by a conversion of that union. What I find most remarkable at this time of year are the love and warmth on the faces of people, their generosity and kindness. It is as though a mysterious presence finds its way into our bodies and spreads a Joy we might find difficult to explain and understand… At least, that is the way the season affects me, like the gentle hand of Jesus Christ touching me, reminding me of my boyhood baptism, reminding me that my Faith, tenuous at times in life, is still very much a part of the Appalachian uncertainty in youth when I strongly felt the visceral currents running through me during ‘Altar Call’ at church… Yet, my Faith is with me, again, sometimes tenuous, but with me.

There are friends who call themselves Atheists who superfluously have the right to hold their beliefs. They can intelligently give their reasons for their Atheism. For me, it is my feeling that there is a certain arrogance to deny the existence of a supreme Deity. There are too many wonders about the earth and its connection to the Universe. It is difficult for me to conceive of a ‘Big Bang’ creating such meticulous preciseness to birth cycles and other natural designs.

But I wander!

The season is upon us, and I feel that miraculous, singular settling within me the spirit of Christmas. I know that there are others who feel this quintessence… It’s my hope the world is feeling it!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Billy Ray Chitwood – December 23, 2015

http://www.about.me/brchitwood  

goo.gl/nqdjPB (My Website)

Books Make Great Holiday Gifts

BOOKS MAKE GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTS

It’s that time of year when hearts mellow and people adjust their attitudes for a brief period of time. Families gather, share their love, and exchange gifts.

I hope I’m not so crass a capitalist if I remind you that books make great holiday gifts. I’m an author, and writing books and blogs is a wonderful part of my life. My enjoyment of writing would still be there were nary one of my books sold…but, I’m lucky and some do sell. Since the holiday season is a great time to give books as gifts, here’s a link to my website and my thirteen books: http://www.goo.gl/nqdjPB.

My books cross genres – mystery, suspense, action, romance, love, family, memoir, and many of the mysteries are inspired by true events. My writing style has clarity and a musing quality, not complicated reading but I’m told enjoyable, fast-paced, and gritty. I hope you will consider one of my books in your gift giving. Just click on http://www.goo.gl/nqdjPB (books) for book summaries and BUY SITES. 

Have a very Happy Holiday Season…

Billy Ray Chitwood – December – 2015

OTHER AUTHOR LINKS:

http://www. goo.gl/nqdjPB

http://twitter.com/brchitwood (@brchitwood)

http://www.about.me/brchitwood

http://goodreads.com/author/dashboard/billyraychitwood

http://amazon.com/author/billyraychitwood

http://facebook.com/billyray.chitwood

http://facebook.com/billyrayscorner

http://billyraychitwood.wordpress.com (My blog site)

Proud member of #asmsg – #IAN – #AHA

Proud recipient of eleven blog award nominations.

The Boiling Point

The Boiling Point

Ever feel like doing a middle-finger flip? Do you have a boiling point? A point at which all the patience leaves you and there seems no other way to dispel the anger you’re feeling? C’mon, now, you’re only human, ‘fess up, you’ve done a few middle-finger flips in your life – on the highway, when some jerk is playing hanky-panky with his girlfriend, listening to loud-jarring music and plucking on a non-existent guitar, otherwise lost in some netherworld of thought, and he/she wanders over into your passing lane, scares, maybe even soils the pants you’re wearing? Right? Admit it! Remember, there’s no way I’m tracking answers…

Now, it always helps if you have a patient girlfriend or wife in the passenger seat, pleading with you, “Please, sweet buns, stop screaming and pull down that stiff, wild middle finger…we’ll have an accident or some road rage incident! Please!”

However, your boiling point cannot so easily be assuaged, your foul language foiled. You must let the ‘jerk’ see that you are very angry and make sure he sees the wave of your middle-finger and the rage showing on your face… That will become the critical turning point of the highway incident.

It is then that you see beyond the dark-tinted driver’s window of the other car a most attractive long-haired brunette smiling sadly but sweetly at you while eating a McDonald’s French fry. The sad smile seems to be saying, ‘I made a momentary boo-boo, please forgive me.’ So, your mad contorted grimace slowly turns itself into a smile and you wave and continue passing the lovely lady’s car.

Now, it could have been another scenario… You see beyond the dark-tinted driver’s window a very large mean-looking guy who is just noticing you giving him a finger. Your mind continues with its rage against this bumbling discourteous driver until, uh-oh, the other driver motions angrily for you to pull over as he slows and pulls to the shoulder. Suddenly, there is a metabolism-shift, molecules breaking down inside, and you quickly come back in control of your anger. So, you smile, allow your middle-finger to concert with it fellow fingers, wave at the now-angry other driver, and move quickly, nay, fast, on down the highway…hoping that somehow you’ve done enough to palliate the situation.

Now, the wife is again comfortable, unaware of your sudden chemistry change, and you slyly watch the rearview mirror for the other driver. Soon, you feel that all is normal again, and your wife softly suggests, “Honey, can you slow down? You’re going to get a ticket.”

Ah, those darn boiling points!

‘Micro’ Flash by Billy Ray Chitwood – December 12, 2015

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, Everyone!

Remember, BOOKS make wonderful Christmas presents… I just happen to have thirteen books in different genres to choose from – mystery, suspense, crime, action, romance, memoir… Hope you will visit goo.gl/nqdjPB and preview all my books, including The Bailey Crane Mystery Series – Books 1-6. For the romance and love audience, I know you will find reading enjoyment in Butterflies and Jellybeans – goo.gl/tvaJmv US – goo.gl/nQ5ceF UK – http://www.authl.it/1st – Amazon Worldwide.

Some Links to author Billy Ray Chitwood

goo.gl/nqdjPB – Author Website

http://www,about.me/brchitwood

http://amazon.com/author/billyraychitwood

http://goodreads.com/author/dashboard/billyraychitwood

http://twitter.com/brchitwood – @brchitwood

http://facebook.com/billyray.chitwood

https://thefinalcurtain1.wordpress.com – Blog Site

Proud member of #asmsg – #IAN – #AHA

Proud Recipient of Eleven Blog Awards…

Peace on Earth

Peace on Earth – Good Will Toward Man

And it came to pass that in the twenty-first century peace on earth and good will toward man became babble from lips of the old and infirm, those dazed chanters in mental houses, those ready for the dark curtain to fall and end their parts in an elongated drama begun in a Universe itself birthed by a galactic event called the ‘Big Bang’.

The earth, the world, as the omniscient political correctness disciples ordained it, was now a global ‘war game’ where anything went, where rules were made during the individual and group slaughters: the beheadings; the human bombs destined for virginal compensation in an afterlife brothel of unending sexual pleasures; when sanity was ruled illegal and a waste of time; when education became houses of narcissism; when bright minds blended with the dull and witless, determined to end inequality of every known motive of man. This global ‘war game’ would end with a new Adam and Eve in a garden of carnage and waste.

***

Space ship after space ship landed on the scarred and lifeless earth, and tens of thousands new earthlings disembarked at designated latitudes, some along the great arid deserts, some along the coastal waterways, some in the mountains, and some in the inland prairies.

The missions of the new earthlings were manifold, to vaporize all vestiges of the previous inhabitants and prepare the new earth for a new global game. This time the game would have diversity and freedom of choice but only one language. There would be the absence of moral equivalency and ambiguous laws. There would be issues to solve and eventually unanimity of agreement among all earthlings. There would be harmony and peace without wars.

Only one caveat existed: there would be only one Bill O’Reilly, one Rush Limbaugh, and one Charles Krauthammer in the world, and everyone must sign up for their newsletters, under penalty of exile to the meagerly populated Siberia…OR, listening eight hours each day to the equivocations of Hillary Clinton…

  

If you don’t already know, these gentlemen are my heroes – O’Reilly – left, Limbaugh – right, Krauthammer – middle but right…oops! They’re all on the Right! Sorry, Bill, I know you’re independent, but you sound right…I mean, you are right in what you say nearly always, that is, correct, but right is better than left…I’m just saying…

Some Crazy thoughts by Billy Ray Chitwood – December 2015

Merry Christmas

And

Happy New Year

Link to Billy Ray Chitwood:

http://www. goo.gl/nqdjPB

The Distance Runner Dynamic

The Distance Runner Dynamic

My mind flashed back to the beginning of the race… we were all bunched together and biding our time, each man thinking his own tactical alternatives, each in easy stride, each believing he could win…

The first wall came at five miles, and I fought the urges that creep into the mind – hey, I’ve been here! Just keep running…the lungs will stop burning…the aches will abate… a simple peace will settle into my long pace…soon, now…keep running!

The first wall gave way, and I felt a serenity, my mind now fully focused on staying with my strategy…I needed to keep the field behind me, to build the distance between me and the rest of the pack…the paper cup of water handed to me I sipped and threw the rest onto my face…

A race official ahead was holding up a sign – ‘Twelve Miles’…twelve miles suddenly became an unreachable goal as the sign triggered another wall I had to go through. This time, the wall brought flames inside my lungs…my pace slowed and my feet seemed to have weights on them…my stomach cramped along with my legs and I felt that this was the race I was not to finish…some kind soul handed me water…then, other kind souls gave me water, threw cup after cup of water on my body and face – now in total denial with my mind…been here, keep going, you can make it…

A gentle zephyr caressed my body and my breathing became not so desperate…I burst through the wall…my chest was now only a dull ache, and I could go on…again, I felt an incredible high, like I could run forever, and, as in previous races, I thought about the damage I might be bringing to my body…thought about my wife and the champagne dinner we would share…

A race official waved another sign – ‘two miles’ – a smile came to break up the grimace on my face…then, I heard the sound of running shoes coming up behind and to the side of me…I glanced to my left, and it was one of the world’s greatest distance runners…for several strides, we were side by side, staring straight ahead at a distant finish line…he moved ahead of me by inches, and I thought to myself, ‘this is my race to win’, not his…I stumbled, almost went down, but, somehow stayed up, somehow reached deep into my soul and miraculously caught up and went ahead of a world champion…

The world champion was on my heels as I broke the tape and collapsed some ten feet ahead.

All of a sudden another body’s arms were wrapped around me, hugging me, patting my back…the world champion couldn’t speak at the moment but he smiled and ran his hand through my hair…after some seconds passed, he turned, lay spread-eagled on his back, glanced at me, smiled again, and said: ‘I thought I had you! What a great race you ran’…we laid there, our breathing little by little becoming more normal…’Guess what!’ he said jubilantly, ‘You broke my record…and, I broke my record…you, my friend, are one tough grinder’!

Flash Fiction by Billy Ray Chitwood – December 4, 2015

I ran recreationally, made it seven miles one time…most usually, one to three miles… I did experience the dreaded ‘Wall’ and felt at one point that I could run for hours. I’m a competitor, but not in the same league as the great distance runners…not even close!

I wrote the above ‘flash fiction’ piece for a good friend, Dr. Timothy Tays, a former great distance runner for the University of Kansas. Dr. Tim recently wrote a book about his races and his life – Check out his book at Amazon and view the many 5-Star Reviews… You will not be disappointed – it’s a book about running but it has some important life lessons… Also, Dr. Tim is a clinical psychologist, practicing in Scottsdale, Arizona, and he helps many people… Here’s his book details:

BUY SITE:

Amazon.com – goo.gl/xUn6E6

SEE THE 5-STAR REVIEWS OF THIS BOOK :

Amazon.com – goo.gl/DDb4tA

One last thought… Dr. Tim is working on a new book that he is very excited about…he will let us know when he launches THE CHAMELEON COMPLEX. Please be looking for it…

Dr. Tim is on Twitter – twitter.com/timothytays – @timothytays

SOME LINKS FOR BILLY RAY CHITWOOD:

goo.gl/nqdjPB – My website: bio and books.

http://about.me/brchitwood

http://twitter.com/brchitwood

http://goodreads.com/author/dashboard/billyraychitwood

http://facebook.com/billyray.chitwood

http://facebook.com/billyrayscorner

http://amazon.com/author/billyraychitwood

Millions Do It – Why Should I?

Millions Do It – Why Should I?

Look at the blank pages!

I’ve looked at blank pages for many years, even managed to fill enough of them to write thirteen books, books of mystery and suspense, some inspired by true-life events, even filled some of those blank pages with romance and books about myself. You can find those thirteen books on http://goo.gl/nWMXm3. While I’m at it, I lay claim to roughly 250 blog posts, many tracking emotional events and moments, serving up comments on some of the world’s crazies. There are flash fiction goodies and short stories. My blogs and archive appear on Goodreads and on https://thefinalcurtain1.wordpress.com. I’ve been very gratified in receiving eleven blog nominations. Hopefully, some of you will find reading pleasure in these blog posts.

There are a few book sales, some great amazon and Goodreads reviews, and, humble as I am, I believe the books should be reaching more readers. One of the big problems is my ineptness in the digital world, how to extend the reach of my blogs and books to a wider audience. I rely on Twitter tweets, promos added to my posts, Amazon, and Kindle KDP. I’ve never been adept in electronics, mechanics, and have a problem keeping up with the social media flow. Another problem is I’m ‘cheap’, don’t want to spend thousands on advertising and/or a publicist. AND, with millions of writers across the globe, I’m a needle in the proverbial hay stack.

(Yeah, I know, you’ve heard all of this in previous blogs and private conversations…there are great numbers of us!)

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love to write and consider much of the social media a distraction to filling more blank pages. If truth be known, the writing is enough for me. But, there’s a small selfish part of me that would like to see some monetary rewards for my efforts. Now, notwithstanding my humility, I know my books, blogs, stories, have an entertainment value and a clarity of style. Sure, the process is long with the first draft, the editing, rewrites, the proofing, and the re-reads. Even with all involved in the writing process, I can almost guarantee, after one of my books is published, there will be a minor typo or errata. From Indie writers to traditionally published authors, one generally can find errors in some of their published pages.

Well, venting-time is over… I just wanted to share with so many of my writing friends that making money on those blank pages you fill up is wonderful – and you likely go the extra mile, spend much of your time and energy in the promotional stage…not to say you have not written a beautiful book that deserves the big payoff. Indie or traditionally published, I’m happy for you.

If this sounds self-serving, well, it is! I checked the KDP report and saw my modest sales. I would like more sales, but I’ll keep writing, regardless. It keeps me active and alive…and, when I write on those blank pages the particular phrases that bloat me with delight, well, those are the game winners for me.

Now, will all who read this start a viral event and buy my books!!!

Hope springs eternal!

Billy Ray Chitwood – November, 2015

Visit me at:

http://brchitwood.weebly.com

http://www.about.me/brchitwood

http://twitter.com/brchitwood

http://goodreads.com/author/billyraychitwoo

http://amazon.com/author/billyraychitwood

Herein Lies the Truth

Source: Herein Lies the Truth

Author @BRChitwood releases STRANGER ABDUCTION #mystery

NEW! GRITTY! INSPIRED BY TRUTH!

Mystery – Suspense – Romance 

BUY SITES:

Amazon Worldwide – http://authl.it/3yi  

Source: Author @BRChitwood releases STRANGER ABDUCTION #mystery

What Madness is This?

What Madness is This?

What Madness is this?

This concoction of the mind

That delivers death and destruction?

This barbaric substance most evil –

Borne on the winds of perceived injustice?

Martyrs of vengeance promised paradise and virgins

For their rampant slaughter of wary innocents –

Cherished lives cut short, deprived their destinies?

Cannot these unfeeling devils of death know

That their quest for world dominance can never be?

There is too much nobility and wisdom among the

People of our world to surrender to such atrocities.

Each of us has lost something valuable in our lives –

No one lives without pain and suffering…

Cannot these vicious dogs of carnage and rage know

That GOOD will never be conquered by EVIL?

(BY: Billy Ray Chitwood – November, 2015­)

*

Writing of evil above, I carry the theme forward with Book 6 of the ‘Bailey Crane Mystery Series. A COMMON EVIL – Book 6 is the final book in the series and, as with each book in the series, stands alone. A COMMON EVIL is fictional but was inspired by a true event at the resort where I lived for several years – a Cartel shoot-out at the same lovely resort on the Sea of Cortez. Of course, the book deals with Mexican Cartel business, with murder and a lot of suspense. If you are into the genres of mystery and evil, you will enjoy the taut pace, the characters, and Bailey’s musings. The climax to the book is shocking and unusual. I hope you will enjoy the read.

BUY SITES:

Amazon US: goo.gl/d1fSnc

Amazon UK: goo.gl/U3pZtP

Amazon Worldwide: http://authl.it/1r2

SOME AUTHOR LINKS:

http://brchitwood.weebly.com

http://www.about.me/brchitwood

http://twitter.com/brchitwood

http://goodreads.com/author/dashboard/billyraychitwood

http://facebook.com/billyray.chitwood

http://facebook.com/billyrayscorner

PROUD TO BE THE RECIPIENT OF ELEVEN BLOG AWARD NOMINATIONS.

 

 

Breaking Up

Breaking Up

Jan Cowper was a bit late in her arrival at the restaurant for a dinner date with her live-in boyfriend.

“Sorry I’m late, Tony…had some things to do after work.” She sat opposite him at the table for two and placed her purse on the floor beside her.

Tony eyed her… She was a knockout! Beautiful blue eyes and face framed by golden tresses… He hated what he was thinking.

“No, you’re not!” Tony spoke, three martinis up on his dinner date and his mind working at its peak.

“No, I’m not, ‘what’?” She responded, as the waiter took her martini order.

“You’re not sorry about being late…just words.”

“Just ‘words’, huh? Got it all figured out, do you, Tony?”

“You know what they say!”

“They, being?”

“The smart people of the world…”

“And, how would you know them, Tony?”

“You do that a lot!”

“I do what a lot.”

“You put me down a lot, Jan… It’s okay. I’m used to it, but it does get old.”

“I put you down a lot?”

“You do that a lot, too… Why are you always repeating everything I say? Do I have marbles in my mouth?”

“Why do I repeat what you say?” Jan chuckled. “Yeah, guess I do…just a dumb habit. It appears I’m irritating you a lot, Tony. You have any more observations?”

“As a matter of fact, I do… Your eyes wander all over the restaurant we might be in. You stare into the cars we pass on the road.  You watch people walking along the streets. It’s like you’re always thinking and planning something when we’re together. It’s not just annoying…it’s stupid! I’m not a jealous man, and you’re not going to make me into one. So, are you just bored with our relationship or are you a short-term commitment person?”

“Where’s all this coming from, Tony? I’m the same dame you met and gave a moronic pitch at Madison Square Garden a year ago. Maybe it was the Knicks that brought us together, though I admit you got me hot and bothered with your phony come-on and your ‘bulge’…you had that black curly hair and Dean Martin look that turned me on. Everything was great until you got too controlling and possessive…”

There was a short pause as the waiter delivered Jan’s martini…and Tony ordered another.

“Me, ‘controlling and possessive’, with you. You’re nuts! I would never attempt to control a woman, or, anybody for that matter. I thought we had something going when we decided to share living space. You gave me every indication that was so – your little pecks on the upper cheeks and your hands roaming on the lower cheeks… Now, for the past six weeks or so, you’ve changed big time. What is it, Jan? You got a new lover? Got all you want from me? What? Want to trade me in? Is that it?”

“Hey, Tony, lower the decibels! The other diners are looking at us. You trying to get us kicked out of this nice joint?”

“There’s the Jan I know these days! Skirting the questions, bringing it all back on me… Tell you what! It’s all so obvious to me what you’re doing, I’m going to make it easy for you. I mean, Jeez, I’ve seen this coming for weeks – an excuse here and there, working late, or, drinks with the girl-buddies, too tired for any fooling around, all the signs were there. Old ‘Jerk-water’ Tony, too easy on the patience and not wanting to believe what I instinctively knew…”

Tony rose from the table, tossed a fifty-dollar bill on the table. “We never got to dinner so that should handle the tab. If not, you get the rest. Enjoy the martini I just ordered…one of the guys at the bar will likely have the lack of good sense and approach you. I’ll have your clothes neatly packed in boxes for you to pick up outside the apartment door… This train is leaving the station.”

With that, Tony was gone, and Jan showed a half-smile to the other staring patrons and waiters. The smile was not a ‘poor-me’ smile, but more of a ‘victory’ smile. She finished her martini, left the fifty bucks on the table and exited the restaurant.

Jan walked several blocks down Fifth Avenue and entered another upscale restaurant. She was ushered to a nearly hidden table in the rear of the large room, in an area most lovely decorated with exotic plants and special pictures of notable people.

“How did it go?” the handsome and smartly dressed man stood and pulled out her chair.

She smiled and spoke, “Just as anticipated. The doofus is packing my clothes in boxes and putting them outside the apartment door. He will be a bit shocked when he notices my clothes already gone… Hope your end is all set. He will definitely be checking his floor safe in the master bedroom closet sooner or later.”

“It’s all set…don’t worry. Tony will likely booze a bit before going home and won’t have time to think about anything. You’re sure he knows you are not aware of the safe?”

“There is no way he can know…”

The couple smiled sweetly at each other and sipped their martinis.

***

Tony stopped and had a few more drinks before going back to his plush apartment. He was in a strange mood, not eager to eyeball the pretty ladies in the bistros, just mellow and somehow content with the decision he made relative to Jan. No question he was easy going, but he knew when he was being played. He bought her some beautiful gifts but that was his way…he did not second-guess himself, and, for a while, all went very well. Now, it was over, and he was glad it was over. He might feel some remorse in the next few days, but, tonight, he was in a good mood and happy to be free again.

When he finally made it home, he was not so tight with booze that he failed to notice Jan’s clothes all gone. Perhaps she had gotten the clothes during the day or this evening. In any event he was happy that all vestiges of Jan were out of the apartment. He turned on his stereo for some soft jazz, had a nightcap, and went to bed…still fully sober and content.

It was three days later when he discovered the robbery of his safe. Jolted by the discovery, losing a major portion of his financial fortune caused a great wave of distress to settle within him… Oh, he still had funds elsewhere and he would not be forced into great hardship like so many before him. Still, the effort and time to accumulate such wealth could not be simply accepted without some anger and anxiety.

The theft brought immediate rise to thoughts about Jan and her possible involvement. He spent days trying to locate her but she no longer worked with the same company. He visited restaurants and night spots they had frequented but no one had seen her or heard anything about her.

Time moved on – three weeks passed, a month, two months…

It was in the third month that he saw her in one of New York’s finest gourmet restaurants.

She was sitting in a lush leather and gold cloth booth across the opulent room. With her were two men and another woman. They were engaged in an animated argument about something, arms and hands waving in frantic gestures. Jan’s companion appeared really irate, his voice reaching a level that brought the maître d’ to the booth and diners to stare.

Whatever the disturbance, Jan and her companion rose from the booth and left the restaurant in angry haste.

Their dinner at an end, Tony and his business associate separated, the associate moving to the piano bar, and Tony leaving the restaurant. Tony was eager to follow Jan and her angry friend if it were possible to do so…he still felt Jan was somehow the instrument used to rob him of his floor safe finances.

Outside the restaurant Tony was only able to see Jan running after her companion’s car…it was obvious that he decided to leave her behind. She quickly hailed a cab and went into pursuit mode. Tony’s guess was that Jan would not catch him. Tony stood for a moment watching the cab become a tiny twinkle in the night…he felt no urge to hail his own cab and follow her. Instead, he was close enough to walk to his own apartment where he found it difficult to fall asleep – his mind was busy reliving the entire evening. For his part, the night had been successful with a business contract which would during its course give back all the finances lost in his safe robbery.

For a few moments more he remembered some of his good times with Jan, and, in some ways, he felt sorry for her. In her own way she was trying to cope with the challenges of living in one of the most eclectic and electric cities in the world – she loved Manhattan, and as the song so beautifully proclaimed, she was ‘caught between the moon and New York City’. He was no longer angry at Jan. Aside from feeling sorry for her, he wanted her to succeed and be truly happy – without the constant manic urges from life.

Two nights later the late night TV news carried a story about the body of a female found in the East River, later identified as Janice (Jan) Cowper.

Tony Peterson felt a range of emotions with the TV announcement and allowed the tears to flow unabashedly… Sleep was again difficult to attain.

At his office the next day two NYPD detectives visited and asked many questions, indicating to Tony that he was under heavy scrutiny in Jan’s homicide, the cause of death already determined by autopsy and forensic evidence.

Tony answered honestly all of the detectives’ questions and was crushed that they were considering him as a suspect in Jan’s death. They told him not to leave town and departed his office.

For several days, Tony was unable to maintain his ongoing business dealings and stayed home to meditate on possible scenarios for Jan’s killing. He figured it had to have something to do with the night he saw the outburst at the swanky restaurant, saw Jan and her companion leave abruptly. He remembered Jan chasing after the companion, hailing a cab and giving chase. Had she caught up to him? Had the companion killed her? Had the two of them conspired to rob him? Had perhaps Jan’s new lover and killer somehow connected him to her murder?

It was late when Tony retired for the night, restless, unable to sleep, his mind relentless with its pounding observations and questions.

Just when sleep did come, through the fog Tony heard a persistent ringing noise, then loud voices…finally fully awake and aware of his doorbell and the yelling.

Tony put on his robe and answered the doorbell and shouts.

“Tony Peterson?” one of the three policemen asked.

“Yes, I’m Tony Peterson,” came the soft answer from a man who knew that fate was about to take him down some precipitous and unknown pathways.

“You’re under arrest for the murder of Jan Cowper,” said the tall handsome officer.

Handcuffed, read his Miranda Rights, Tony was taken away.

Tony’s heart sank as he was led to the patrol car. Tony suddenly noticed that the arresting officer was the man he had seen with Jan Cowper at the swanky restaurant.

Short Story by Billy Ray Chitwood – November 14, 2015

*

If you liked the above story, please try one of my full-length novels…actually, please try one of my full-length novels even if you don’t like the above story.  I’m thinking you might like THE RELUCTANT SAVAGE. This novel is a fast-paced ‘noire-type’ read that has a lot of action, a love triangle, murder, romance, and suspense. Please give it a read and leave an amazon review – reviews can be the life blood for authors.

 

Amazon US: http://goo.gl/YE8e4X

Amazon UK: http://goo.gl/5QH8Sb

Amazon Worldwide: http://authl.it/1SS

SOME AUTHOR LINKS:

http://brchitwood.weebly.com (Website)

http://www.about.me/brchitwood

http://twitter.com/brchitwood

http://goodreads.com/author/dashboard

http://facebook.com/billyray.chitwood

http://facebook.com/billyrayscorner

http://linkedin.com

Member: #asmsg and #Ian