Scales: Of Justice (Broken But ... Mending Book 3) (31 page)
Easily following the lightning shift of his brother’s mind, Dane said, “What’s to do – he’s a grieving man. His request isn’t unreasonable. And it’s done all the time.”
John visibly shuddered. “I never expected to feel so strongly about it, but after that earthquake… I don’t know Dane. I saw too much death. More than I should have – more than anyone should have. It seems wrong to dig up those poor earthquake victims again.”
“You’ve been living here too long. Some weird Haitian’s beliefs are rubbing off on you.”
John snickered, making Dane laugh. “Or not long enough. According to Tasha, Mother Earth claimed them and she won’t be happy if she’s forced to give them up again.”
With a sigh of disgust, Dane said, “That’s crazy talk. This guy lost his family. He wants to take the three of them home to Seattle and bury them properly. He needs closure. That’s all. What’s so wrong about that?”
John kicked a stray rock in the dirt. “I don’t know that anything is wrong with it. I guess if it were me and mine, I’d want to take them home, too. But it’s a mass grave. There are other bodies to consider. Other families who will be hurt.”
“Really?” Dane stared at him. “Like
how mass?”
John shot him a look before grimacing and staring off in the horizon. “I stopped counting at sixty. We did what we had to do. The dead…they were everywhere. Herman, our old neighbor, used his loader…Christ it was bad.”
Dane scrunched his face. John rushed to explain.
“God, there were children playing beside bloated bodies. They’d become dulled to them; there were so many. Oh don’t blame the children. They stayed close to the people they knew because they had no one else. That a dead mother or sibling lay within a few feet didn’t seem to matter. Even dead, they were a comfort.”
Dane closed his eyes as terrible images flooded his mind. He couldn’t imagine the horror. “I wasn’t judging. I just can’t envision what you went through. And to think of children sitting there, so lost and alone… Well…it’s a terrible thought.”
Shadows darkened John’s eyes. Dane was sorry for what John had been through. “That’s the thing about family.” Dane patted John on the shoulder and noticed his brother cringe.
“So you think this guy should be allowed to come in and remove his kin?” John wasn’t backing away from this one.
“I don’t have any say in this. I wasn’t aware that you did, either. I’m sure this man has already gone through the authorities. I’d suggest that you accept that this is going to happen whether you want it to or not. The team of specialists is going to be here soon. When they arrive, be nice to them. Helpful. They will probably be there for a day or two, a week or two max. Then they’ll be gone, leaving the others to rest in peace.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“I know. There are other people with loved ones in that grave. Maybe someone should suggest that all the victims be identified and even…” Dane pursed his lips and nodded his head, pleased with his idea. “Reburied properly. This guy has money. Maybe some of it should be put toward assisting the community to help them deal with disaster.”
John shook his head. “You don’t understand the full scope of the problem here. There could be hundreds of bodies there. We just kept putting them in then piling dirt and rocks on top to make sure they weren’t disturbed. We probably went overboard on that part.”
Dane blanched. “Hundreds?” He swallowed heavily. “Okay so maybe the team will need a little longer. Still something could be done for the other remains.” Dane winced. “Or at least the remains they can find and identify while they search for the ones they are shipping back to Seattle.”
John stared at him, and gulped. “That’s not helping.”
“Yeah. I know. Sorry about that.”
The two men stared at the half-completed building in front of them. Dane took an involuntary step back. Right now the damn thing resembled a skeleton reaching out of the ground.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Touched by Death –
Part 1
is FREE.
Part 2
is also available now.
Touched by Death – Part 1 –
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What she doesn’t want…is exactly what he needs.
Shunned and ridiculed all her life for something she can’t control, Samantha Blair hides her psychic abilities and lives on the fringes of society. Against her will, however, she’s tapped into a killer – or rather, his victims. Each woman’s murder, blow-by-blow, ravages her mind until their death releases her back to her body. Sam knows she must go to the authorities, but will the rugged, no-nonsense detective in charge of tracking down the killer believe her?
Detective Brandt Sutherland only trusts hard evidence, yet Sam’s visions offer clues he needs to catch a killer. The more he learns about her incredible abilities, however, the clearer it becomes that Sam’s visions have put her in the killer’s line of fire. Now Brandt must save her from something he cannot see or understand…and risk losing his heart in the process.
As danger and desire collide, passion raises the stakes in a game Sam and Brandt don’t dare lose.
Romantic comedy & suspense
Dani’s been through a year of hell…
Just as it’s getting better, she’s tossed forward through time with her orange Persian cat, Charmin Marvin, clutched in her arms. They’re dropped into a few centuries into the future. There’s nothing she can do to stop it, and it’s impossible to go back.
And then it gets worse…
A year of government regulation is easing, and Levi Blackburn is feeling back in control. If he can keep his reckless brother in check, everything will be perfect. But while he’s been protecting Milo from the government, Milo’s been busy working on a present for him…
The present is Dani, only she comes with a snarky cat who suddenly starts talking…and doesn’t know when to shut up.
In an age where breaking protocols have severe consequences, things go wrong, putting them all in danger…
Romantic comedy & suspense
It’s the first day of Ninna’s job in the local animal shelter…and a dog is talking to her. Not just any dog…a fat, old, smart-alecky Basset Hound who says his name is Mosey.
She can’t quit, she needs this job. And then there’s the yummy vet. Who turns out to live across the street from her in a much bigger house than her tiny house. Big enough to hold a few animals – including the mouthy Mosey. With all this going on, she doesn’t have time to worry about the rash of break-ins and the sense of being watched. She’s too busy worrying that she’s nuts.
When Ninna agrees to dog sit for the cute vet from work, she sees it as a trial at being a pet owner and a way to build on her budding relationship with the vet. For Mosey, this weekend means time to get to know each other.
For the stalker who’s tracking Ninna’s movements, it means…opportunity.
Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).
She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!
To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.
Dale’s Website –
www.dalemayer.com
Twitter –
@DaleMayer
Facebook –
facebook.com/DaleMayer.author
Psychic Vision Series
By Death Series
Touched by Death – Part 1 –
FREE
Second Chances – complete book (Parts 1 & 2)
Broken and… Mending
Glory
Biker Blues
Biker Baby Blues: Morgan, Part 4
Biker Blues: Salvation, Part 1
Biker Blues: Salvation, Part 2
Biker Blues: Salvation, Part 3
Shadow: SEALs of Honor, Book 5
Cooper: SEALs of Honor, Book 6
Standalone Novellas
Published Young Adult Books:
Family Blood Ties Series
Sian’s Solution – A Family Blood Ties Short Story
Standalone
Gem Stone (a Gemma Stone Mystery)
Career Essentials
Career Essentials: The Cover Letter
Career Essentials: The Interview
SCALES (OF JUSTICE)
Dale Mayer
Valley Publishing
Copyright © 2015
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN-13: 978-1928122-54-8
Kindle Edition
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