About Coyle and Fang: Curse of Shadows:
Excerpt:
Coyle finished praying and looked down at her hands. Could they accomplish what she wanted—these insignificant hands that sought her own selfish ways?
She raised her head and closed her eyes. Took a deep breath through her nose. The kind the doctors taught her. She exhaled through her mouth. Time to focus.
Settled?
She squinted up at the bright sun, arched her back and rearranged her shoulder-length light brown hair into a tight bun. A few of the men looked her way, appreciating the shape of her. She was fair-skinned, graceful, petite and seemingly coy though her demeanor held a sense of boldness and tenacity. Not a trace of make-up lined her strong, yet charming face and she didn’t need a speck of it to attract men. She wore no smile across her thin lips and the shadow of a bruise lined her thin nose and into the corner of her hazel-green eyes. Her gaze shifted from the leer of the men back to the cloudless sky. The sun’s rays alighting on the bare necks of the academy trainees as they awaited their fates. All of them fiddled with their notebooks or clothes or hats, nervous before their test for detective. She wished she had brought her pipe, regardless of the looks she usually received. She liked her pipe. Other ladies liked… whatever tickled their fancy. To each their own.
A few dirigibles—bloated constructs filled with gas and propelled by small steam engines—floated through the blue sky. Their colors varied depending on their use: Silver and blue for passengers, gray for the US Navy, white for cargo, dark gray with red glass cabins for private use. They all followed their predetermined paths, traveling to their destinations as safely as possible. She had never ridden on one and preferred staying close to the ground. If people were meant to be in the air, God would have given them wings.
She inhaled the chilled, June air and regretted it. The reek of nearby slaughterhouses and Chinese shrimping boats resting in the sun made her pull her hand to her nose. She couldn’t wait until this was over. Both the stench and her nerves were driving her mad. Nearby church bells rang out two o’clock. She had been on the grounds since five that morning.
Chatter about the latest body found in a Chicago-area brothel perked her ears. She took a step closer their group and inspected her fingernails as they described the crime scene: hands tied to the bedposts, a vertical incision from the neck to the lower abdomen. Vital organs had been removed, set aside and carefully dissected. The latest victim of the Ripper.
A cold tingling sensation grew in her belly. She could envision the scene all too well, and if she didn’t take this detective spot, the bodies would keep piling up. Every corpse the Ripper left behind was a testament to the promise he’d made to her.
Amazon
About Robert Adauto III:
Robert Adauto III spent close to thirty years serving the San Diego community in law enforcement. He spent most of those years writing short stories for himself before studying the real craft of writing. Curse of Shadows is his first novel. An avid hobbyist, Robert balances his writing time with drawing, thrift store shopping and long walks. He’s married with two grown children. Watch for coming installments of the Coyle and Fang series.
No comments:
Post a Comment