Sample Scene: The Good Killers
Introducing Ben Rossi
Hi everyone! Sorry that this week’s post is a little delayed due to my having to work over the weekend. I also made quality control updates to both published editions of The Good Killers and My Favorite Suspects, fixing various typos and an apparently out-of-control quotation mark situation with the former book.
As I mentioned in the last post, Update: Ben Rossi Series Book 2, I’m working on the sequel my first full-length thriller novel, The Good Killers. I’m also juggling a full-time career and family, and that means I can’t crank out a novel every month, even if I really tried.
I’ve decided to share excerpts from The Good Killers while going through the process of writing the sequel and hope it will get everyone either back up to speed or intrigued by the characters and story.
This scene is about 1500 words, so I’ll split it into two posts.
Here we go…
The Good Killers is set in a rural county close to the Canadian border in Upstate New York. The protagonist, Ben Rossi, often teams up with his best friend, deputy Riley Lopez, to solve mysteries. He’s lost his job at the local hospital and so has been volunteering as a medic at a free clinic that’s run by another friend, Chul. Prior to this scene, Ben Rossi has been looking for a suspect named Ana, who is the key to Rossi getting his job back at the hospital. He thinks he’s spotted her leaving the clinic, and he’s off in pursuit:
Rossi hurried down the corridor to the waiting area. He saw, from the back, a short woman with a knit hat and a blue pompom on top, leaving the clinic. The outer door closed. Rossi rushed to the window.
In the parking lot, the woman looked left, right, then stepped off the sidewalk, hustling toward the far end of the parking lot.
Short woman, blue pompom, small face, brown skin, black hair. Plastic shopping bag in her hand.
Gotta be Ana.
Rossi ran for his coat. Ran back through the waiting room, shoving his arms clumsily into the sleeves, trying not to fall. Chul came of the of lavatory and shouted, but he was already outside.
Rossi's eyes darted between the few people out in the cold. Dressed in drab clothing, against the gray storefronts and lit by the overcast sky, everyone looked the same.
He saw the pompom first at the far end of the lot. The woman hustled along, leaning into the wind, hands jammed into her coat, arms pressed to her sides. The plastic bag was looped around her wrist.
Rossi dug his keys out of his coat while jogging to his SUV. Slammed the door, cranked the motor, slapped the gear selector into Drive. Looked up, around. At the edge of the parking lot, she'd turned to the right. Rossi backed out of the parking space. He drove the SUV slowly along the buildings of the strip mall, past the clinic, then turned left to follow the edge of the parking lot to the traffic exit. He stopped at the light. He could still see her, on the sidewalk, walking fast.
His phone chimed. A text message. He ignored it.
He pulled the SUV into a break in traffic and accelerated. Now what? Pull alongside and ask if she needs a ride? He practiced the line a few times. No, too weird, she'd run. Or scream. Or run away, screaming. Too much to explain to the police.
His phone chimed again.
Cars passed on his left. Some drivers made rude gestures. He hoped nobody honked. It might draw her attention and she could easily dart between buildings. He sped up. Now he would overtake her. The wind gusted. Her coat pressed against her on one side, and the loose tassels of her hat flew sideways.
He decided to drive past. He tried to get a better look at her face in the rearview mirror but her head was down. He drove to the next light, slipped behind another car, into the left turn lane. Where the hell is she going? He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.
His phone chimed. More text messages. He risked a glance. Three messages. One from Chul. The other two were from his supervisor. A memory flashed in his mind, of her squeezing his upper arm, the concern on her face, the pouty O of her lips. He dropped the phone in the center cupholder.
By the time the light changed, the woman was almost even with his SUV. He twisted his head to see her face. The frame of the passenger door blocked it. The car behind him beeped. Rossi had no choice.
He turned left, heading uphill.
She turned right.
He groaned. Looked for a place to turn around. He abruptly entered a small parking lot, between a bicycle shop and a consignment store, decorated with a RESIDENTS ONLY sign. Instantly regretted the decision. Cars were jammed in so tightly, the owners must've exited them through their sunroofs. Rossi struggled to turn the SUV around.
By the time he returned to the intersection, she was gone.
I hope you enjoyed this brief scene from the book! I’ll post the second half next week.
Items mentioned in this post (ad): The Good Killers
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