The Sand Trap
Authors: Dave Marshall
Tags: #love after 50, #assasin hit man revenge detective series mystery series justice, #boomers, #golf novel, #mexican cartel, #spatial relationship
What readers have said about
"The Sand Trap
"
" A combination of 'Tin Cup'
and 'Hunger Games' for Boomers!!
Mike
(senior golfer)
"
"Enjoyed it thoroughly – and
I am not a golfer...found the golf competitions well-done and
exciting for the reader. Now that we have Bubba Watson in the
headlights...maverick golfers have become quite the thing. Timely!
All the characters are likable, believable. I was impressed at the
sex scenes – well done! Proof that I enjoyed it is that I went thru
2 printer cartridges to print and read it."
Gerry (female,
early sixties, book editor)
"
I
think the book is absolutely fabulous. Not being nice or polite but
seriously. I laughed so hard when Melanie did Burt in on the
course. I must complain that I woke in the middle of the night and
was not able to get back to sleep. I was so pissed off at those
guys. Even though I told myself it was fiction I still had trouble
getting over it. You made it so real! I think both women and men
will really love your book, particularly if they have rudimentary
awareness of golf and a bit of a feeling about the west."
Jerry (male, sixties, Retired Professional, single
digit handicap golfer.)
I finished the novel
yesterday and I could not put it down! The story is riveting and
truly is a page-turner. Your style of writing is both intelligent
and engaging, and the character development exceptional. I am truly
honoured that you shared the manuscript with me and simply cannot
wait until it gets published … and of course hits the big
screen!
Marie, (President of her own
marketing company.)
"The book is absolutely brilliant. It is
guaranteed to be a best seller. I couldn’t put it down!!
PS...Do you have this
spatial relationship thing? When will you finish the next
one?"
Patricia (fifties, Vice President for
a large corporation, non golfer)
A novel of love, murder and golf
Published by Talon Lake Press at
Smashwords
Copyright 2012 D.G. Marshall
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this limited time,
free ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends for two
months after the initial publishing date. This book may be
reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes,
provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you
enjoyed this book, please let the author know at
[email protected].
For advice with your golf game email Melinda
at [email protected]
or twitter at @melindagolf
This book is a work of fiction and any
resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or
locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of
the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Adult Reading Material
*****
Many thanks to Jennifer, Wendy, Judy, Gerry,
Richard, Patricia, Robin and all of the others who encouraged me
and who helped edit and revise this story. A special thanks to
Marjorie for her diligent and pervasive editing, and kind
encouragement.
And much love to my spouse and lifetime
friend Sheila for her understanding and patience as I indulge in
yet another whim.
Cover design by x-height Graphics Inc.
Please note that I use Canadian spelling
throughout. You will see doubled letters (e.g. focussed), ou’s
(e.g. colour) and ‘re’ (centre) as well as a few other differences
from American spelling.
What readers say about "The Sand
Trap"
Chapter 2 Clapshorn College Discovers
Melanie
Chapter 3 Melanie Makes the Team
Chapter 5 Love and Other Things
Chapter 8 The First Day of Play
Chapter 15 The Club Championship
Chapter 23 Settling Into Paradise
Chapter 26 The Truth Will Set You
Free
Prologue
Even Chicharito would have been proud of the
goal that Juan scored.
Juan Carlos Sanchez was eighteen years old
and played for the Bravos, one of Nuevo Laredo's two entrants in
the Mexican premier soccer league. He joked with his friends at
every practice that he was as good as Javier “Chicharito”
Hernandez, Mexico’s most famous soccer player of all time, and he
figured that this goal would put the argument to rest. The Bravos’
crosstown rival was the Laredo Heat and the tensions were high when
the two teams met. This warm March evening was no exception and the
stands were full of screaming, exhausted fans from both sides of
town by the time the teams were tied at 2-2 at the end of
regulation time. Only two minutes were left on the referee’s
calculation of extra time when Juan executed a perfectly timed
leap, and headed a curving corner kick from Rodrigo Calderon, his
best friend on the team, into the far corner of the Heat net. The
Bravos fans went wild with excitement and as Juan slid to his knees
in celebration he was mobbed by his relieved teammates.
It was the most exciting moment of Juan’s
life.
But that was four hours ago, and now he and
his teammates, their girlfriends and other friends of the owners
and team sponsors were celebrating the win. Juan did not drink very
much and Consuelo his steady girlfriend constantly blocked the
groupies that wanted to touch the hero of the night. So while most
of his teammates and the hundred or so other guests partied without
restraint, he and Consuelo sat relaxed at one of the tables around
the pool and slowly sipped their Dos Equis. They greeted the steady
stream of friends as they congratulated him on his goal and the
Bravos victory.
The pool that they sat beside belonged to
one of the team’s sponsors and was located in a small, gated
residential suburb of Nuevo Laredo, a small Mexican city not far
from the U.S. border. The homes on either side of that house were
also owned by friends of the team, so the victory party was spread
out among all three houses and revelers lounged by the pools, in
the air conditioned living rooms and more than a few of his
teammates found their way to the bedrooms with newfound admirers.
It was a good party with many good friends and Juan was content.
The young people laughed and loved and even when the members of the
Heat showed up there were hugs and noticeable affection between the
team members of the friendly rivals.
“Great game,” the captain of the Heat
offered Juan as he gave him a hug. “We’ll have to watch you closer
next time!”
Juan did not know the boy, who was eighteen
as well, but had heard that his family was somehow mixed up in the
Sinaloa Foundation, one of the rival drug operations that had
turned much of the Tamaulipas area into a virtual war zone. None of
Juan’s friends or teammates was involved in any of that business
and the presence of some of the members of the Heat made him a
little uncomfortable, but he graciously accepted the
compliment.
“Sure,” he offered with a laugh. “You can
watch me score!”
The Heat captain smiled and went over to a
cooler beside the pool and pulled out a can of Pacifica from the
quickly melting ice. “Well maybe. But here’s to you tonight anyhow
Juan Carlos!” He snapped the tab on the beer and as it frothed over
the edge of the can he held it up in a toast.
Juan Carlos tipped his own bottle of Dos
Equis to the Heat captain and then turned his attention back to
Consuela. He reached over and touched her hand. “Want to leave and
find a quiet place?” His smile left no mistake as to his
meaning.
Consuela slapped his hand. “You're bad! I
know what you want.” But she gave him an equally mischievous smile.
“Later. Let’s just enjoy the party for a while?”
Juan faked a big frown and leaned over and
kissed her and wondered why he was so lucky to not only be a soccer
star, but also to have such a beautiful girlfriend.
Like the other young people at the party
this evening, they were celebrating their friendships the way that
young people everywhere would do. Their world was only as
complicated as school, soccer and budding love could make it. And
they were so intent on their celebration that none of them saw the
seven black SUVs that snaked in formation up the road leading to
the gate at the entry to the subdivision. They did not notice as,
with military precision, two of the SUV’s took position so as to
block the exit from the community. The police would later find the
security guard at the gate with a single bullet hole in his
forehead. The other five vehicles sped, still undetected by the
revelers, towards the three homes. The front SUV and the back SUV
stopped crossways across the road in front of the two houses to
further contain any escape and the other three in the middle each
chose a house and drove over the front lawns and up to the front
doors. Each vehicle disgorged five men all dressed in black with
red balaclavas covering their faces. Each man carried a machine
pistol and each had a bandolier of spare clips strung across their
shoulder. After they entered the house, two of the five took up a
position by the front door, while three went straight through the
living room and to the pool area behind each house.