To Catch a Thief: An Appalachian Gothic Tale

By Jason A. Adams

Sheriff Larry Crabtree’s quiet Appalachian community hides a dark secret.

From sickly young girls to dying cows, life drains from Larry’s town.

Granny shares wisdom in Larry’s dreams.

Larry must unlearn his common sense and rational ways.

Belief must return if Larry hopes to save innocent lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jason A. Adams
• Release date: Dec 7, 2018

Jason A. Adams

Jason A. Adams grew up in various Air Force towns, but Southwest Virginia has always been his homeplace. His military brat childhood exposed him to exotic locales, fascinating people from around the world, and a lifetime curiosity that informs his fiction.Jason is the author of many short stories based in and around the Virginia coalfields he lives in and loves. He currently lives on a forest mountain with assorted beasties, and his beautiful and talented wife, Kari Kilgore, also a writer of many wonderful stories.Find out more at www.jasonadams.info, where you can sign up for information on upcoming releases, and the occasional update from The Brain Squirrels.For all works released by Spiral Publishing, including Kari's many fantastic stories and non-fiction by Frank Kilgore, check out www.spiralpublishing.net.

Book preview

To Catch a Thief

To the memory of Granny Pearlie

To Catch a Thief

An Appalachian Gothic Tale

Jason A. Adams

Spiral Publishing, Ltd.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

About Jason

Also by Jason A. Adams

1

Sometimes an old dog’s nose is the only warning we get of the weird critters that seep through the walls of this world.

Larry’s great-granny had taught him that before he could look across her battered old kitchen table without being up on his toes. The old herb woman been full of lessons her granny had brought over from the old country, stories of other times and places, and of the magic that grew right up out of the lush earth. You could feel it in the woods, she said. You could listen and hear the wind and the trees layin’ their plans.

Larry used to love hearing her old voice drawin’ them other worlds down, sitting in one of the dark bentwood rockers while she twisted her cobweb hair up into its screaming bun, the air thick and hot and heavy as an old dowry quilt fresh from the washbucket. The critters, the normal critters, would be a-singin’ the summer to bed as the days got shorter and the temperature still soared.

Granny Pearlie’s old homeplace