Special Preview
Here’s a little something from my current work-in-progress: “Blameless”. If anything does, this will be the book that gets me arrested the second I step off a plane in Manchester.
Today’s special post is just a little snippet - the introduction to Part One of the eventual four parts of the novel.
Part 1
Love and Hate
It was a cold morning in the harbor. Old Man Hutchins was in the doghouse again – something about his drinking problem. The old lady always thought he’d knocked back a few too many up at Fat Terry’s. He could take care of himself. He was not drunk. He was perfectly sober. He even told her as much.
“I’m soberly perfect, stupid broad,” he slurred as she slammed the door on his back.
Reggie Hutchins owned a small fishing boat he’d docked in the harbor. It wasn’t much, but it was the perfect place to hang after a night of drowning his liver if his wife didn’t want him at home.
Reggie managed to climb aboard without falling in – a true miracle these days. Perhaps Sybil would let him back home if he brought dinner with him. Luckily for him, he kept a pole and some bait inside the boat.
Within twenty minutes, he stumbled back out on the deck and took a seat. He cast his hook into the harbor and settled in with a bottle of Chang’s. It was another five minutes, and there was no movement from the line. Old Man Hutchins drew the line back in. After a few attempts, one that nearly impaled his right cheek, he successfully launched the hook and line back into the harbor.
A miracle! The line went taut. Even through his drunken haze, Old Man Hutchins could see it. He started to reel in his prize. Bugger was heavy, that was for sure. Had to be a marlin. Did they even live all the way up here? He’d hooked one in Baja years ago, but never here.
It was strange. The fish wasn’t putting up a fight. Oh well, it was his lucky day. In short order, the fish banged up against the hull. It was time to lift it up out of its home and into his.
Hutchins began reeling his catch up the side of the boat. His heartrate increased as he’d finally see the trophy he had won.
Old Man Hutchins let out a scream of terror as he finally came face to face with what he’d caught.
