Clearwater Mirage

By Al Rennie

Joe is hired to find a missing journalist; Natalie's dad has lost his marbles; an older woman believes her husband has been killed and believes she might be next; Amber tries her driving test; Dingleman asks Joe to help in a 'life or death' situation; Donna gets a new truck; Doc has some problems with the Aryan Brotherhood; Big Mac has a new employee for CHIPs - another crazy romp in paradise!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Al Rennie
• Release date: Jul 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370901562

Al Rennie

I was born and raised in Toronto. I attended Upper Canada College before taking a degree at Queen's University. I have worked as a lifeguard for the Toronto Harbour Police, a youth worker for the Toronto YMCA, and an English teacher in Lakefield. I am married with two great daughters and an extended foster family. My interests include Maple Leaf hockey - this is our year - New England Patriot football and writing.

Book preview

Clearwater Mirage

By

Al Rennie

Dedication

For my wife

Marsha

And to all the kind and supportive readers of the Clearwater Series.

Copyright © 2017 by Al Rennie

All Rights Reserved.

Cover Credit: Rita Toews – probably the most caring, patient and inventive cover creator ever!

Cover Image Credit: Sergio 77

Formatting Credit: Lucinda K. Campbell – as always, just great … thank you!

Due to a long distance move and job change for one editor and an artistic dispute with another, I have been reduced to having only three excellent editors on my team. At their current rate of pay, I may be down to no editors shortly. It might be difficult for anyone to believe that, as a former English teacher, I would ever need five editors. The scoop is, the three remaining ones are busily looking for their own replacements. Hurt my feelings, why don’t you? And how is that for a confidence builder? In any case, the three remaining editors, Ben, Gail and Donna have returned to make my life miserable but your reading experience that much better. I’d like to thank them for their masterful work in editing yet another episode of The Clearwater Series.

The Tim Horton gift cards are in the mail … hold on, what Gift Cards?

Thanks to Deputy Chief (Ret.) Ken Jackman for responding, politely, to all my questions regarding police procedure and the application of the law of the land.

A very few Reader Responses to Clearwater Series:

On the advice of the critics, editors and Ellen, I have limited the number of reader responses to a few of the more recent ones. The suggestion was that no one reads them anyway. I know that I do. Apologies go out to those critics who didn’t make the cut.

Al Rennie is still rocking in the world according to Doc!!! I eagerly await each new book and I am not disappointed. This one has another current story line which lets you know that the author is on his toes and doing his homework. I am very glad that the youngest little fellow is finally being brought into the house....good move. Keep on writing Al Rennie and we will keep on buying, reading and enjoying. I have read many stand alone books and many series and this series rates right up there in the top two. Al Rennie rocks!!! M.M.S.

Al Rennie's Clearwater series always gets a 5 star rating from me. This series never gets old (even after the 32nd book), and the stories are clever and funny with mystery, thrills, and sometimes even a little sadness thrown and romance the Joe and Mia way. Start at the beginning and read it, you won’t be able to put it down. Sharon R.

I love all of the Clearwater series books. Al you have created another great book that I will be thinking about for quite some time. I love that you brought out bullying, a lot of that going on. My sister's granddaughter was just bullied at school this past week. She nipped it in the bud. Lol All the jokes we're great, love each and every character in the book. If we all were more like Joe Holliday, this world would be a better place as he always wants to give everyone a fair chance. You bring each character in to grab our attention from the first chapter Until the End. Great read, can't wait for the next book. Bonnie W.

Oh Wow. Clearwater Confessions is awesome. I have read every book in the Clearwater series and they are absolutely my favorite books to read. Mr. Rennie is such an amazing writer and scores another hit with Clearwater Confessions. This story keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Joe and his guys search for a missing girl, stop an incident in a Starbucks, find a meth lab, along with lots of other adventures that make you laugh, hold your breath, and not be able to stop reading till the end. Mr. Rennie gives us characters we love with Joe and his chips crew, his great family along with his brother Frank. Thanks Mr. Rennie, I can't wait for the next story. Merle

I love this series. The stories make me laugh, cry, and dream of adventures. I am always excited for the next one.

I am always so excited to pre-order my books from you, Clearwater Confessions did not disappoint! I have to tell you that this series is the only series that I can read the book in a day and a half because it is so hard to put down. I have to force myself to slow down and savor every word. My husband says, ‘lets take a trip to Canada, eh"? I love the story line of how Joe and Mia build their little, or should I say big family. The story line of Mrs. F and Ken Jackson had me on edge, but I love the riding in and shooting Joe’s way in to rescue them. I will be impatiently waiting for your next installment of Joe and Mia.

Thanks Bubba and my B&N card is ready for the next pre-order. I will be watching for it!

I wish to thank Mr. Al Rennie for the complete Valentine gift package. I am just waiting for the T. V. Series to come along. I have seen television series without this much so together. The writing and the plot (plots) are exiting and oh no, what could possibly go wrong. Ha, ha, ha. The character development has reached a point that we know each and every one of them, and love them, even the bad guys. I love bad guys. Every red blooded woman wants a bad guy, even if he is really just a bad boy. I will not give a spoiler, but, the whole book is an exciting read. The editing is professional and outstanding. The plot flows seamlessly and makes one wish there was a bag of popcorn and soda handy. One drawback, the next one is not out. I look forward to see what my Clearwater and their extended family is up to and what is the next speed bump they will have to hop over. Only Doc would call a dire situation a speed bump. Please, Mr. Rennie, keep writing. The suspense is killing your audience. Next stop, ladies and gentlemen, The New York Times Best Seller List!

I have enjoyed and waited in anticipation of every adventure with Joe and Mia and Max and Frank and Fred and Jeremy and all CHIPs fellow cohorts in the Clearwater series. I have read Best Sellers and Mainline authors in the Publishing world but these books are the ones that make me laugh, cry, hold my breath, and surprise me. I would be extremely unhappy if they stopped coming anytime soon. Please wait a little longer before you retire them and become a jockey, race car driver or whatever. Anything other writing these books would totally bore you to death!!

Cindy B

Clearwater Nemesis is the 35th addition to Mr. Rennie's Clearwater Series. I would highly recommend this series. First Mr Rennie is one great storyteller. All 35 books of the Clearwater Series are easy reading, action packed, populated with memorable characters, loaded with humor and filled with clever twists. I look forward to each new addition. Keep them coming Al, if possible write faster! You are becoming the Mark Twain of Canadian writers! E.J.

Hi Mr. Rennie, Once again you nailed it with Clearwater Penalty. You have an amazing sense of timing and a creativity that can’t be topped. I read about 100 books a year and you are by far my favorite author. I am thrilled by your ability to keep me engrossed by every one of your books. I appreciate Grisham, Brown, Balducci and many others; however, you are the guy that keeps me coming back as soon as you next book is released. You have an unbelievable gift and don’t let anything or anyone discourage you from entertaining your public. Thank you once again. Nancy

Love the books, can’t put them down and I even find myself slipping into some of the phrases!!! Not sure that will always be a good thing though! Carol

I found you first on Smashwords; after that, I kept hitting the buy button in iTunes. I laughed, cried, and told my patients how I almost went to You Tube to look for your video. I see patients in long term care facilities. I have shared your stories and with my patients living on the seawall in Galveston, Tx. You have brought life, love and a bit of silliness into the lives of my patients and have made me a better practitioner. I am forever in your debt. Katherine

Thanks Al for another chapter (Clearwater Hustle) in the lives of my favourite imaginary friends. I'll go and put some stars and comments on iBooks which is where I get my copies. Anthony Templeman

Double Cross is the most complex and surprising book yet. The plot lines completely surprised me and I loved the twists and turns. His ability to describe scenes made me feel like I was right there in Florida! Best of all, his ability to create in-depth characters and make me care about them is a rare gift and makes his books so much more enjoyable.

If you love slightly wacky mysteries, this book - in fact the whole Clearwater series - is a must read for you.

Congratulations Al on your 25th book in this wonderful series. I have enjoyed each and every one. It seems like I know the characters and can't wait for the next installment to see what's happening in their lives. There have been many changes since Clearwater Journals. You have to write faster Bubba. I just finished this one and I need more Joe and cast, eh. R.J.

Nancy’s Amendment to Annie’s Amendment – she’s blonde!

This is the Clearwater Series in the sequence that the titles were written.

The Clearwater Series in the sequence the titles were written.

1) Clearwater Journals

2) Clearwater Diaries

3) Clearwater Ambush

4) Clearwater Abduction

5) Clearwater Heat

6) Clearwater Kiss Off

7) Clearwater Showdown

8) Clearwater Magic

9) Clearwater Intrigue

10) Clearwater Danger

11) Clearwater Predator

12) Clearwater Extortion

13) Clearwater Killer

14) Clearwater Oops!

15) Clearwater Crazy

16) Clearwater Undercover

17) Clearwater Hunter

18) Clearwater Justice

19) Clearwater Skip Trace

20) Clearwater Assault

21) Clearwater Folly

22) Clearwater Homesick

23) Clearwater Hustle

24) Clearwater Stakeout

25) Clearwater Fit

26) Clearwater Double Cross

27) Clearwater Vice

28) Clearwater Escape

29) Clearwater Bubba

30) Clearwater Betrayal

31) Clearwater Penalty

32) Clearwater Deception

33) Clearwater Confession

34) Clearwater Promises

35) Clearwater Nemesis

36) Clearwater Glitz

37) Clearwater Mirage

Note to Joe and Mia fans

In today’s glutted writing environment, reader ratings and reviews can make a huge difference in the success of an indie author. If, as a reader, you have enjoyed a particular book, please take a few moments of your time to give it a favorable rating, and if you are so inclined, a positive short review. Your affirming assessment will mean a great deal to the author and to his or her chances of survival in the current literary marketplace.

Prologue

The old farmstead was set on two hundred acres of untended land covered in scrub bush and second growth trees. Two hundred feet away, and to the south of the main building, sat a dilapidated barn tilting badly to the south east. The structure was so sketchy that it looked as if it might just fall in on itself during the next big tropical storm. An old outhouse, still sometimes used, sat beneath a scrub palm tree just off the pathway from the house to the barn. The badly painted white wooden two story main house was what it had always been for years. Three musty bedrooms with peeling pink floral wallpaper from the fifties and a filthy bathroom took up all the second floor space. One of the bedrooms facing out onto the laneway and the county road had been converted into a tidy little office that the Major used. This space was where he stored the intelligence that was constantly being gathered. It was also where he worked on his laptop to communicate with the leaders of other cells. The General had given him the expensive, pre-loaded Asus laptop and told him to guard it with his life. It was a prized possession that only he used. The only other recently decorated room was where the main floor living room and dining room had once been. That gutted space had been refurbished and now served as the court for their trials and their meeting place. It was done up in the popular red and black swastika motif of the neo-Nazi and Aryan Brotherhood movement. The main centerpiece of the court, mounted on the open wall, was an ancient moth-eaten German flag that the Major claimed had hung at one of the Hitler Youth Movement Rallies back in 1939. He had found it on E-Bay and paid two hundred dollars for it. In another wall space was a sixty-five inch Samsung television, the better to watch the old black and white videos of their hero, Adolph Hitler. When they got tired of WW11 German propaganda films, there was always the PS-4 system to play ‘Call of Duty’ as well as a slew of other graphically violent games. When nothing else was working for them and the Major was busy in his upper office, a few of the younger members drank beer and watched porn.

The furniture picked up years ago at a Good Will Store was old and ratty and in most cases, dated back to the mid-fifties and early sixties. The solid pine wood altar with the cross carved into its face had been brought here from a bankrupt Baptist church. It was a nice modern touch for the court and doubled as a stand for the big screen television in what, even the Major would admit, was otherwise a pretty depressing place. But Major Iron promised them that their day would come. All of this filth would be a bad memory. It would be replaced by the power and the wealth that must surely belong to them when the time was right. The Major was the man in charge locally. He was someone you wanted to believe in. His leader, the mysterious man only the Major met with occasionally, referred to only as the General was a man of immense power and wealth. He was someone you better believe and you better obey or pay the dire consequences for your insubordination.

Aside from the big screen and the PS-4, the only truly modern aspect of the farm was the arsenal of weapons and ammo being stockpiled in the barn and in the house in preparation for ‘The Day of Reckoning’. All of the brothers knew that day was rapidly coming upon them. That was the same day that a few of the older members still referred to as The Day of the Rope.

That dumb snot Eastern kid, Dylann Roof, had got it right only he had gone off too early. It’s not a war when you’re the only one that is shooting at the sheep.

The Major had said that to his followers when the others up East had not joined Dylann. Now the dumb peckerwood kid was serving nine life sentences in some federal penitentiary in Colorado. How stupid was that …? But his day would come. Roof would be a hero when the revolution was over. The key was not to be forced into something prematurely. Take the fight one step at a time. ‘Quietly build your forces’ the General had ordered. ‘Align your strength with the strength of your allies. Get a good toehold in this mess that they called a mixed society and then strike with absolutely no mercy. Purify ….’

But all that was still only theory. The next practical step facing Amos Iron, commonly called ‘The Major’ by his followers, was what to do with this dumb-ass left-wing journalist they had caught nosing around their property and talking to the locals in town. Some journalist! When they grabbed him, he didn’t even have a cell phone. Even little kids these days have cell phones. And the driver’s license in his crappy wallet contained only one credit card and sixteen dollars. The license identified the guy as Bruce Finkelstein which was as Jewish a name as anyone could come up with. And Jews were aligned with ZOD. They were ZOD.

Amos Iron’s first thought was, ‘Maybe we should just clean out what he has left on his credit card and then put him on trial. When he’s found guilty of spying on us, we can execute him. Just be done with it.’ His second thought was, ‘We need to be careful. I should discuss this with the General face-to-face at our next scheduled meeting on Tuesday in Coral Gables. The Major’s third thought was, ‘Maybe we can learn something about who he’s working with or for and what they know about us. The General will ask me these questions. It would be wise to have the answers. And maybe if he lives until Friday night, we can have a rally around a big bonfire and another execution in the barn.’

‘Yeah, have a trial and find out what information this guy knows and then we can hang him. Take his body to the Jamieson farm and feed it to their pigs.’

That’s what they had done a few times before when they had sent out a hunting patrol to find the right ‘guilty person’ to use for the initiation of a ‘newbie’. The hunters had driven into Tampa in a truck and cruised around the slums searching for the right one. When the conditions were safe