Justice For Emily

By Sandy Wolters

The Paranormal Romance Guild nominated Justice For Emily as one of 2011's best reads.

Rachael Merchant is on a cross country trip running from the tragic images of her last case that are embedded deep in her soul. She is a City of Phoenix Homicide Detective that is trying to deal with the freak show her life has become.

Three days ago, she was sitting in a hospital room with a man that had just murdered his three small children because he was angry his wife had left him. After making the arrest, she let the perpetrator know that when he got out of prison she was coming after him. He would not be able to hide from her. She left the hospital, went back to work and quit on the spot.

After a great deal of persuading, her captain convinced her that an indefinite leave of absence was in order instead of quitting. She went home, packed her bags and jumped in the car. With no destination in mind, she just drove.

Rachael found herself on the side of the road, unsure of where she was and on the phone with her partner. All she wanted to do was run as fast and as far as she could from the image of those three small babies with bullets in their bodies.

Officer Patrick Sheehan pulls in front of Rachael while she is bent over the hood of her car looking at a map. He overhears the conversation between Rachael and her partner and thanks fate for dropping a homicide detective right in his lap. His good friend, Emily, was murdered just days ago and Patrick knows who killed her, her husband and his boss, the Chief of Police of Brownwood, Texas.

Boyd Campbell has taken extreme measures to cover up his wife's murder but Patrick is going to do everything in his power to put this monster away. He doesn't care what he has to do or say to get this cop to stay and work this case. He needs her help and she is just going to have to deal with it. She could just blame fate for bringing her here when he needed her expertise. After all, the only important thing at the moment is getting Justice For Emily.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sandy Wolters
• Release date: Apr 5, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458082497

Sandy Wolters

I’ve been an avid reader for years. To my husband’s dismay, I have bookshelves full of books, rooms full of books, boxes full of books. My cars have books in them. I just can’t seem to get rid of them after I read them. You just never know when you will want to read it again, right?About two years ago, my husband gave me the dream gift, a Kindle. It was love at first sight and my first foray into the world of ebooks. To say the least, I am a technologically challenged person but when a reader, such as I, is told that you can have the book you want to read in seconds, I’m going to do whatever it takes to learn how to use it as quickly as possible.While I still have books everywhere, I no longer take ten or twelve books with me when I go on vacation. The only thing I need is my Kindle. It never leaves my purse.My genre of choice is romance with a paranormal twist. My authors of choice are Diana Palmer, Iris Johansen, Catherine Coulter, Jill Gregory and of course, the queen, Nora Roberts. I am also very partial to Michael Connelly, who is not a romance author but damn that man can write!In my life prior to becoming an author, I was Legal Assistant/Office Manager for a wonderful local estate planning attorney (no criminals that I know of). Prior to that, I also worked my way up the ladder in a large corporation, from payroll clerk to supervising nine employees in operational accounting.When my children, Shandelle and Pilar, were small, I took a few years off to be a full-time mom and help my husband with his accounting work for his auto repair shop.After, Michael, my husband, sold his business, he changed professions and started working for a national construction company.Michael and I raised two beautiful, strong women so that’s who I write about. The women in my books are strong individuals that have moments of weakness and frailty to work through.

Book preview

Justice For Emily

By Sandy Wolters

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Copyright 2011 Sandy Wolters

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

CHAPTER 1

Patrick gazed at the faces of the mourners at Emily’s graveside service. It was apparent how many people loved her.

Emily grew up here in Brownwood, Texas, and always extended a helping hand to those around her. Although she was only thirty-three years old at the time of her death, over the years she had sculpted herself into the matriarch of the inhabitants of this small town. She genuinely loved the town and the people in it. Outside of her children, it seemed her only interests were helping those around her.

Joe Clapton and his wife, Cheryl, were here with their children. Several years ago, Joe lost his job, and they were finding it difficult to keep food on the table. When Emily heard of their circumstances, she started a food sharing program by visiting the local restaurants and convincing them to donate all cooked food that was earmarked to be thrown away so it could be distributed to those families who needed it instead.

Walt Sheridan was standing off to the side looking bereft. He had been a friend of Emily’s since grade school. When he was arrested for burglary, Emily went to visit him in jail to find out why he had chosen this path. She found out that he was unable to find work and felt he had no other options. Against her husband’s objections, Emily helped Walt start a successful lawn service.

Katie Spencer was also here with her boy, Joshua. Katie had been a sixteen-year-old girl who found herself pregnant. Once again, thought Patrick, enter Emily. Emily had provided Katie with emotional support as well as advice on her options. Emily’s influence resulted in her keeping her baby and finishing high school.

There were hundreds of people here for this woman who had made a difference in their lives in small ways and in large ways.

Patrick’s attention turned to Boyd Campbell, Emily’s husband and his boss. A rage so deep that Patrick felt it ripple through his entire being gripped at his soul, making him edgy. It was apparent Boyd felt Emily did not deserve a funeral. He probably wouldn’t have had the graveside service except there were so many people in town who loved Emily that he felt he had to do something to keep up appearances. Noticeable to all, Boyd failed to bring the three most important people in Emily’s life to say goodbye: her children.

Patrick remembered the night of Emily’s death. Lucas Graham and his wife were at Brownwood Regional Medical Center having their first child so Patrick was covering his shift. The call came in from Boyd himself. He stated, clearly agitated, that Emily had killed herself, and he wanted her body removed as soon as possible so the children would not see her.

That was two days ago. Boyd had systematically skirted all protocol in regard to Emily’s death. He wanted no investigation, no autopsy and no funeral. Patrick’s hands clenched into fists at his sides as he recalled what Boyd had said to him the night Emily died: Get the bitch out of here immediately. I’ll sign off on this. I’m Chief of Police here, and nobody will question it.

Boyd had her body cremated the following day, and here they were two days after her death grieving for her at her grave. There was no way in hell Patrick could let this stand as it was. He knew deep down that Boyd had killed her. He was just going to have to figure out how to prove it in a manner that Boyd wouldn’t realize an investigation was underway.

As soon as the pastor was done, Boyd turned and left without a backward glance.

Patrick watched as the townsfolk moved forward, said their goodbyes and left. When everyone was gone, he moved forward. He looked at the deep, cold hole in the ground with what was left of Emily. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I promise you, Emily, that I will not let him get away with this. Thank you for everything you did for me and the people around you.

He tossed a rose into the hole and walked away.

CHAPTER 2

Patrick wanted to rehash the events of yesterday, and he couldn’t do it at the station. He had to get out for a while so he could think clearly, away from his boss. He knew deep down in his heart that Emily was murdered. How did you prove it, though, when her husband was your boss, the Chief of Police? How could you prove a cover-up with no evidence and no crime scene? Patrick had the skills to investigate this, but under the circumstances, those skills were going to be challenged.

As often happened in difficult situations, Patrick thought about his mother. Being Irish and having had some heavenly gifts of her own, she was always his rock. He spoke aloud, Mom, I need your help. I’ve seen you do amazing things with your gifts, and I’ve never doubted them. I’m asking you to please bestow on me whatever I need to help uncover the circumstances behind Emily’s death. I’ve promised her my help. I know that you’ll understand when I tell you that this is the most important thing I will ever do in my life. Please guide me in the right direction. I love you, Mom.

Emily had been his friend. Her children had been the most important part of her life, and now they were going to grow up without her. For their sake, he had to succeed.

While patrolling, Patrick saw a stopped car in the distance with a woman leaning over the closed hood. She was looking at something spread out on her hood, probably a map. He wondered as he got closer why she kept standing up and flailing her arms in the air. Oh great, he thought, he had another lost, crazy person on his hands.

He slowed, pulling in front of her vehicle, but she was so agitated she didn’t notice him. As he got out of the cruiser, she was yelling, and then he noticed a cell phone on top of her car alongside an atlas.

Getting out of his car very carefully, he moved to the front and leaned against his car’s hood to watch her. As any observant police officer would do, he took in all the details. She was bent over her car, looking at the atlas, and she had an incredible ass. She was wearing tight jeans and a form-fitting shirt that showed off her well-muscled arms and shoulders. She had an extremely small waist. This woman definitely had an hourglass figure. He couldn’t see what her hair looked like because it was under a ball cap. With her cell on speaker, she was wildly flipping through the pages in the atlas.

He heard the voice on the phone saying, Rachael, I know you need the time, but our witness in the Mendoza case has disappeared. We—

She stood straight up to her full height of five-feet, six inches tall and put her hands on incredibly sexy hips. What do you mean our witness disappeared? Her life isn’t worth spit on the street. You had better find her, Justin, or she’ll be dead by the end of the week.

She instantly had Patrick’s full attention.

She has family in Northern Arizona. I know the Chief of Police in Elk Bend. His name is Michael Rogers. Call him and tell him I gave you his name. Tell him you need to get the name of the best detective in Flagstaff to help you find a missing witness in an ongoing homicide investigation who has family in the area. Make sure they understand that the other witnesses in this case have permanently disappeared.

Being Irish, Patrick had always believed in fate, but could the heavens have possibly been so good to him as to plop a homicide cop right in his lap at this moment in time? Smiling, he whispered, Thanks, Mom.

He didn’t care why she was here. He didn’t care about any problems she might have. He didn’t care if she had someone waiting for her. He was going to do whatever was necessary to keep her here to investigate Emily’s death. With his mind and body on high alert, he continued listening to the conversation.

She bent back over the atlas, flipped through a few more pages, picked it up and threw it as far as she could. Ah, good riddance! she yelled.

What did you say? Justin asked. Good riddance? What is that supposed to mean?

Nothing. Just talking to myself.

Let me guess, Rachael, Justin said with humor in his voice. You’re lost, and you’ve just destroyed your map.

I’m not lost. I’m on vacation and traveling the country. You can’t get lost if there’s no destination in mind.

Really? he challenged her. What state are you in?

When she turned to look at the atlas she had thrown, she noticed Patrick leaning on the hood of his patrol car. She walked up to him, looked at his police identification patch and turned back to the phone. I’m in Texas.

Patrick chuckled, wondering how it was possible that she had made it all the way to central Texas and not known what state she was in. It sure sounded like fate was working overtime to him.

Looking directly at Patrick, she put her index finger up to her very sexy mouth.

Justin was laughing. What direction are you traveling in, Rachael?

Are you my mother, Justin, or are you my partner? I’m hanging up now. Remember, you better find our witness before the bad guys do or she’s dead, and we have no case. Concentrate your efforts in that area instead of where I may or may not be located at any one moment in time. She hung up.

Turning back to Patrick, she extended her hand. Hi, I’m Rachael Merchant, and I’m directionally challenged. They both laughed.

I’m Patrick Sheehan. I see by your cap that you’re Phoenix PD.

Absentmindedly, she reached up and touched her cap. Two days ago I was Phoenix PD. Now I’m an avid vacationer seeing the country. Moving for the passenger side of her car, she reached in, pulled out two cold bottles of water and handed one to Patrick.

Thanks for not giving me up about not knowing exactly where I am.

He smiled. "Not a problem but tell me something: how do you get to central Texas and not know you’re in Texas? I never would have thought that possible. By the way, do you know what direction you’re traveling in?"

Throwing him a grin that could have stopped traffic, she said, Sure, that way. She pointed confidently down the road. "If you feel you must be rude enough to bring my directional dysfunction up, then I’ll tell you that I’ve just been driving. I haven’t really paid any attention to where I was going, and I’ll leave it at that.

My mind seems to work on other things when I’m behind the wheel, and I get lost because of it. She shrugged her shoulders. They won’t let me drive at home when I’m on the job because you never know where I’ll end up.

Snorting in disgust, she went on. I ask you, what the hell good are those atlas maps? Do you know the states are in alphabetical order in that book? That would be fine if you drove the states in alphabetical order, but I’ve found that’s not the case.

Patrick laughed and said, Have you thought of getting a GPS? You sound like the perfect candidate.

Her laughter rang out with gusto until she bent over in surrender. I’m even more mechanically challenged than I am directionally challenged. Besides that, those things yell at you. I’m on vacation and don’t need the stress.

Patrick liked the sound of her laugh. It wasn’t one of those little laughs a lot of women have. It was robust—one where you could almost feel the vibration drawing you in until you were helplessly laughing along with her.

I tell you what, from one law enforcement officer to another, why don’t you follow me into town? I’ve got a good map in my car. We can have lunch and discuss where your trip may take you.

Pausing, he asked, By the way, do you believe in fate?

With a serious look on her face, she answered, Yes to the lunch question, and no way to the fate question. Being a homicide detective in a large town has taught me many things. The most important of which is that there are people out there who enjoy taking what they believe to be other people’s fate and shitting all over it, thereby waiving any fate the victim may have had. So no, I’m not big on the whole fate thing.

She was funny, cynical, and sexy as hell, he decided. Her voice was low and smoky sounding, almost as if she purred when she talked. To Patrick her face was exotic, and he wished he could see what she looked like without the Phoenix PD cap on her head.

Too bad for you, Rachael, Patrick thought as he smiled at her. Fate has stepped in, and you’re just going to have to deal with it.

He wondered why she was vacationing alone. He was sure this

Reviews for Justice For Emily

[kybunnies · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I started reading this book because I like the title. Yes, I am one of those people who will read a book because of the title or what the cover looks like. I know do not judge a book by its cover but sometimes that is very hard. In addition, an amazing title and catchy cover is what will sell a book. I have purchased many books by just looking at the cover or reading the title.

Please remember that the following review is my opinion about the book I read. This is my opinion and does not show how you or anyone else will understand the book. To form your own personal opinions please support the author and acquire your own legal copy of the book.

Patrick is an officer of the law in the small city of Brownwood, Texas. Patrick knows that his boss killed his wife but he just needs help in proving it. He asks his dead mother for help. Whether it is fate or something magical Rachael a prominent homicide detective from Phoenix show up, well she does not actually just show up. She is a little lost. While standing outside her vehicle with the map on the hood of her car while having her phone on speaker talking with her partner. Not just lost but also running, she is running away from her life for the moment. Rachael is fed up or just psychologically worn-out from her job.

While I really did like this book, I did not like that; I knew almost everything about the crime during the first two or three chapters of the book. However, that does not take away from the book. Throughout the book, there are new developments and further information that is exposed.

The characters are well-developed in this book with an appealing plot.

The bunnies and I give this book 4 Carrots.

[elylibrarysec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Publisher: CreateSpaceRelease Date: April 05, 2011Pages: 224 pages (paperback)/291KB (e-book) ISBN: 9781470017743 (paperback)Genre: Paranormal Romance, Ghosts, Mystery & SuspenseRating: 4 ½ stars Brownwood, TexasPatrick Sheehan is seen at a funeral for Emily Campbell. She was loved by so many people in this small town. She cared a lot about the town and the people that lived there. Boyd Campbell is Emily’s husband. Boyd is also Patrick’s boss and the Chief of Police.Rachael Merchant knows Michael Rogers (read his story in “Maggie Mae”). She’s a homicide cop with some very special abilities that help her in her job. She ends up getting lost and lands in Brownwood. The action seems to start right after Patrick and Rachael meet. Patrick starts acting like a jealous boyfriend and Rachael thinks he’s crazy.Sandy has given Patrick quite the ego. She’s also made Rachael a strong-willed woman. Patrick’s mother is a real “cracker jack” – she really loves her son. The three of them have you turning the pages just to see what will happen between them next. Sandy creates a morning after scene (not what you’re thinking) that has you chuckling and feeling sorry for Rachael at the same time. This story focuses more on the unexplained. This gives a story to those feelings you sometimes have when you just can’t explain a happening that no one else sees or feels. It will keep you riveted until the mystery of Emily is solved – you will be hooked.Because of the police being involved in this mystery, Sandy’s descriptions seem to be spot on. I felt like I was watching one of the crime shows on television. The detail she used – would love to know what type of research she did to be so accurate. This is a story that I would love to see be made into a movie – definitely Lifetime material. They would have to include Rachael’s bird - would make a great “running gag” in the film. Sandy doesn’t make this a book about sex between Rachael and Patrick – even though their romance is sensual. This is a story about making sure that justice is served. And as you finish another great book from Sandy Wolters, please make sure to read the Author’s Notes at the end.