Murder through a Killer's Eyes, Book Six

By Robert D. Coleman

Murder through a Killer’s Eyes. The first part of The Man in the Shadows Trilogy. Texas Ranger John Carter and his team investigate a killer that terrorizes Waco, Texas, an unpredictable killer that sometimes kills randomly and sometimes targets. But always works down the I-35 corridor and leaves a unique calling card.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert D. Coleman
• Release date: Mar 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9780463524831

Robert D. Coleman

Hi, my name is Robert Coleman. I was born in Waxahachie, Texas and spent the first 10 years of my life there. My family then moved to Irving, Texas where I graduated from MacArthur High School. I have been blessed with two amazing sons that I am very proud of. I have also been blessed with two grandsons that I love dearly. For the last 25 years, I have lived in Groesbeck, Texas. That area has become the center of my fictional books. I was always blessed with a great imagination. My teachers said I was a daydreamer in class. I could always come up with great stories in my head. My problem was always getting it on paper. I sometimes struggle with the English language. (I suspect I am dyslexic.) I was always too embarrassed to show anybody my work until I met a wonderful woman, who also happens to be a writing teacher. I reluctantly showed her one of my books. She read it and told me that the story was the hard part. Spelling and Grammer could be fixed. With her encouragement, I started reworking some of my stories and making new ones. Now 20 years after I put my first story on paper and almost 4 years after I started the rewrites, I have Murder and the Cold Case. I am very proud of it! I have another one almost ready (you can preorder it now), first drafts on 7 more, and several ideas for even more. So I hope this is the first of many. So thank you, Laura. Without your help and encouragement, this could have never happened.

Book preview

MURDER through a KILLER’S EYES

By Robert D. Coleman

Copyright ©2021 by Robert D. Coleman

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

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 1

John Carter heard a noise and opened his eyes, he was momentarily confused, and Carolyn reached over him and turned off the alarm clock. She lays her head back down on his chest. What was that? He said, still confused. She picks her head up and looks at him. It's the alarm clock, doofus. He raises his head. It's time to get up already? She lays her head back down. No, the clock is set 15 minutes ahead. So it’s really just 5:45 am and not 6:00 am. You are normally up before it goes off. What’s up with that? She says. He kisses her on the forehead. I don’t know, I slept hard. he closes his eyes for a moment and then opens them back up. Why is the clock set 15 minutes ahead? She moves her head around on his chest and says. So when it goes off I know it's ahead and have another 15 minutes to sleep. He is silent for a moment then says. Why don’t you just set it for 5:45 am, then you have an extra 15 minutes and the correct time? She raises her head. Who the hell wants to wake up at 5:45 am. He thinks for a moment. But Babe. If it goes off at 6:00 and it’s really 5:45, aren't you really waking up at 5:45 anyway? She raises up her head and looks at him. I have been doing it this way for 20 years, you’re running the risk of pissing me off, and you’re wasting my 15 minutes. He kisses her on the forehead again and says. Well, I sure don’t want to do that."

He gets up and puts on some sweat pants and shirt and slips on his house shoes and heads to the kitchen, and gets some coffee started. He stepped out on the back porch to see what the weather was like. It was a lovely chilly March morning. He returned to the kitchen and got him a cup of coffee and went back out on the porch, and sat down at the table.

He loved watching the sun come up. He always had, for some reason, he had always found it peaceful. He took a sip of his coffee. He watched as the squirrel named Rocky came down from a tree and ate some sunflower seeds out of the feeder he had made for him. He smiled and said. You’re hitting the sunflower seeds early Rocky, you’re going to get fat! Rocky turned his head and looked at Carter, and put another seed in his mouth. Carter took another sip of his coffee. Rocky had been born in the tree in his backyard. He had always enjoyed watching him.

The back door opened, and Carolyn came out in her housecoat. She pulled out a chair and sat down with her coffee. She takes a sip and says. I was wondering who you were talking to. I should have known it was Rocky. Carter nodded. Rocky is getting him some breakfast. He said. They sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the quiet. She looks over at him. What do you have going on at work today? She asks. He takes a drink of coffee. Well, if everything goes right, we should close out a case today. She nods. That’s good. But please don’t be late. We have that barbecue tonight, and you’re on the grill. he takes another drink and says. I won’t. I may even try to get out of there a little early.

She stands up and walks over, and kisses him. I’m going to get breakfast ready. She turns and walks back inside. He was looking forward to the Barbecue. They had invited many people that he had worked with here in town and his family, along with his team he worked with now. It would be great to see them all.

He got up and looked over at Rocky. See you later, Rocky, he said as he walked back into the house. As he walked through the kitchen, he saw that Carolyn was scrambling some eggs. Smells good, he says as he walks by her on his way back to the bedroom to get a quick shower and get dressed.

About 10 minutes later, he comes out of the bathroom freshly showered and shaved. Getting dressed, he gets one of his white shirts, pulls it on, buttons it up, and tucks the tail into his jeans. He looks in the mirror and combs his hair. He picks up his wallet, opens it up, takes his Ranger badge out, and pins it on his shirt. He picks up his gun belt and puts it on and then goes over to the gun safe and puts in the six-digit code and reaches in and takes out his 38 pistol that was his Papaw’s and has J.D.C. on the handle. He checks the load and puts it in his holster.

Walking to the kitchen, he finds Carolyn has breakfast ready and waiting for him on the table. He sits down, and she joins him at the table. She looks over at him and says. Becky and I have been doing a lot of looking around at colleges. But we are not getting a lot of help from Tom. He doesn’t even have any idea what he wants to study. Can you talk to him? They graduate in a few months, and we have to get this figured out. Carter nods. Ok, I will talk to him. Wow, we are going to have two kids in college. We should have spaced them out more. Was it your idea to have twins? She gives him a stern look, and he smiles at her. We will figure out a way to pay for it, he says.

Tom and Becky walk up. Becky puts her hands around her Dad and kisses him on the top of the head. Good morning, Daddy. She says. John looks up and her. Good morning, sweetheart. They all join hands and say a prayer, and then they start eating. Carter looks over at Tom. What do you think about the schools yall have been looking at? Tom takes a bite of bacon and says. I don’t know, Dad. They all look good. Carter takes a sip of coffee. So what do you want to study? Carter asks. Tom kind of looks up in the air and rolls his eyes. Let’s see, women, cars and parties, college life. Carter gives Tom a hard look and then says. You know that’s not what I meant. You need to take this seriously, or it won’t matter where you go. If you don’t make the grades, you will be back home. So you need to get with your Mom and sister and get this figured out! Tom holds up his hands. Ok, Dad. Don’t get your blood pressure up. It’s all good. Carter nods. Ok, it better be. He says.

Carter takes his last sip of coffee and stands up. I better get gone. He kisses Carolyn. Have a good day. She says as he walks around the table and kisses Becky on the head. By Daddy, Becky says. He walks around and puts his hands on Tom’s shoulders and leans down and says. We love you and just want you to do well. Tom smiles. I know, Dad, Tom says.

Carter turns and heads out to his car for the drive into Waco. One of the things he missed about being Limestone County Sheriff was the 5-minute drive to work. But on some days, it was not a bad thing. It gave him a chance to think. It had been almost a year since he took over the homicide task force, working both new and cold cases. His team had really come together. He quickly made the drive and pulled into the F Company parking lot, and headed up to the office.

Walking inside, he saw several Rangers working in the bullpen area. Entering into his office, he found Ranger Jessica James making coffee for him. She had her back to him with her long red hair pulled back into a ponytail under her Stetson Cowboy hat. She hears him come and turns to him. Morning Pops, I was getting you some coffee ready. Carter smiles as he sits down at his desk. Morning. How are you this morning? She hands him a cup of coffee, and he takes a sip. She sits down across the desk from him. I’m great. Will be even better when we get those DNA results. Carter nods. I’m looking forward to that too. Let me know as soon as you have something. She stands up. Will do Pops. She stands up and leaves.

Carter sits back in his chair and takes a sip of coffee. One of the perks of this job was good coffee. But he did miss Nancy Hall, his secretary back in Limestone County. He loved her, but she couldn’t make a good cup of coffee to save her life. He smiled, thinking of Nancy. He would see her tonight at the barbecue along with most of the people he had worked with as Sheriff.

He stood up and walked outside the office and looked around. He had put together a good team. There was Ranger Berry Martin. He was about 35 and had been with the Ranger’s about eight years. Then, David Hooks had been with the Ranger’s almost five years and Steven North for about two years. His tech person Pam Carr, and then there was Ranger Jessia James, who at 23 was by far the youngest Ranger, But she also had something special. She had the potential to be a great Ranger. He just had to teach her well and bring her along slowly.

He looked up to see Ranger’s James and Martin walking toward him, James smiling big. James handed Carter a folder. We got him, Pops. She said. He looked at it and then up at her. Let’s go pick him up, Carter says. James pumps her fist. Yes! she says. Carter looks over at her. I guess that means you want to go. She nods and smiles. Hell ya, I want to go. She says.

Carter, James, and Martin head out and get into Carter’s car and make the drive over to First National Bank of Waco and park. Ranger Martin sitting on the passenger side next to Carter looks through their folder and says. Floyd Mayfield works here as an investment broker for the last eight years. Carter takes the folder and looks at it and puts it up on the dash, and says. Let’s go get him."

They get out and walk up to the door, and Carter opens it and lets James and Martin walk in first, and then Carter follows them in. They look around, and a woman at a desk in the lobby asks them. Can I help you? Carter looks over at her. Yes, thank you. We are looking for Floyd Mayfield. She looks up at him. I’m sorry, Mr. Mayfield is in a meeting with a client. Can somebody else help you? Carter shakes his head. No, I’m afraid not. We need to see him now. About that time, another man walks up and says. I’m William Block, Bank President. How can I help you? Carter looks over at him. We are here to see Floyd Mayfield. Can you show us to him, please? Block looks at Carter and says. He is in the conference room with a client. Carter starts looking around. And where would that room be? Carter asks. Block, walks over and gets in front of Carter. "I’m afraid Mr. Mayfield can’t be disturbed