Preview–Chapter 1 of Bringing Them Home

As a preview, I am proud to share the first chapter of Bringing Them Home.

Chuck Delgado yanked the cord on the mini blinds and opened his office window to the moonless night. The faint smell of gasoline from the row of gas pumps below wafted up to him on the second floor. His store below had closed an hour earlier, and he now had the place to himself.

Delgado raised the bottle of Jameson to his lips and took a long drink. He set the bottle on the windowsill and stared into the darkness.

Out there–somewhere–someone was trying to make sure that he was the only one charged with fraud and embezzlement against the Town of Westbury. He–Chuck Delgado–was going to be the patsy. He slammed his fist on the sill, sending the bottle of whiskey to the floor. It shattered into pieces at his feet, the pungent amber liquid seeping into the carpet.

Delgado cursed loudly and retraced his steps to his desk. He dropped into his chair, leaned back, and closed his eyes. His lawyer assured him that the state’s case was weak, that there was no way he would be convicted of any crime. He wasn’t so sure.

Delgado ripped open his desk drawer and rummaged for a pen and piece of paper. It was time to make a list of the people who had betrayed him. He’d deal with them if his attorney’s confidence proved to be unfounded. If he needed to take matters into his own hands, he’d be ready.

Delgado wrote the first entry on the list: Maggie Martin. That do-gooder mayor was the one who’d turned the Town of Westbury against him. He paused for an instant, then smiled mirthlessly and resumed his task.