BESTSELLERS & BEST FRIENDS
My book publishing blog, with murder mysteries woven through it.
If this is your first visit, be sure to start with “1. Let’s do it!”
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After Bob and Holly left for the day, I stuck around at Randy’s. I had decided to look at the fatal manuscript, no matter how dangerous a decision that might be.
I again lifted the copy of Lefty, the bookcase door opened, and I went into the secret room.
I took a very deep breath, sat in Randy’s chair, and started to read.
The writing was lousy.
(See that? Immediately I do the publisher thing. Instead of first focusing on, say, the attempted overthrow of the United States or figuring out why Gen and Randy are dead. Really, for those who catch the virus, publishing is like a disease.)
And honestly, the manuscript was boring as hell. Yep, lots of names of people who ought not to be named. I played around with dates and these guys (and a few women) have got to be dead by now. I tried to Google several names, but really, most of these folks were dead before the Internet even showed up.
And although it now seems that our democracy is amidst an overthrow and China is standing nearby to pounce, we didn’t get there in the way this manuscript promised. That said, I understand why the names and strategies revealed in it would scare the hell out of the United States government. And why there was no limit to whatever had to be done to squash not only its publication, but to also destroy it. To simply make it cease to exist, and anything associated with it.
But still, damn it, who killed Gen? Our side or their side? And why did she have to be killed? All she actually had that fatal night, was that stupid manuscript for an erotic novel written by her weird stepmother.
Damn it!
Then, at last, I get to the manuscript’s last page. And holy shit! It’s a note to me from Randy. In his beautiful handwriting.
My fingers shake. It’s so him, his voice. I’m trembling. I look around for where he hid his smokes. I need one.
I’m going to have to deal with this tomorrow.
Tomorrow: “Dear Jess”