Murder on the Trinity

Book 3: School's Out

By: Sue Land

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Length: 3 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Sheriff Jonathan Lawrence has faced many dangerous and scary situations throughout his career. But today as he stands in front of two hundred graduating high school teenagers is the worse. The Governor was due to give the commencement speech but at the last moment he had called and ask his friend the sheriff to step in. An emergency would prevent the Governor from being there. Jonathan is beginning to doubt that there was any emergency, the Governor had simply chickened out. Outside in front of the school building he receives the parents and teachers expressions of appreciation. His smile gets a little bigger each time one of them expresses their opinion as to how wonderful his speech was. He basks in the praise until the screams of terror slam his eardrums. Jonathan turns toward the screams and in long strides he runs to the back side of the school building. Following the pointing fingers, he soon sees what the screams are all about. The figure of a man lies next to a concrete birdbath in a pool of blood. This graduating day would be one both parents and students remembered. EXCERPT
“What the hell is a retired KGB operative doing on the slab in my morgue?” “Well, I’d say right about now… being cut open by your favorite lab doc, Dean.” Sheridan managed to say without choking on laughter at his own joke. “Ha, ha, very funny Sheridan.” Came Jonathan’s humorless reply. “Couldn’t resist, ol’ boy. Gustaf was brought out of retirement six months ago by the Russian Secret Service. They had a special op for him” “What kind of special op?” Jonathan interjected, his irritation growing at the slow speed of Sheridan’s unraveling tale. “A few decades ago, Russia implanted some sleepers in the U.S. It seems Gustaf was the head of that little operation. He was activated to find these sleepers, deactivate them and send them back to Russia.” “So how did he end up here in my town? Dead?” was Jonathan’s only question that seems Sheridan was fully prepared to answer. He was also prepared for the fact that Jonathan was not going to like that answer. “Gustaf’s orders were also to eliminate anyone that did not want to return to Russia after all these years. So far, there have been two killed with a trail leading back to Gustaf. It seems wherever Mr. Gustaf goes death follows. First time it’s been his.” “That still does not tell me why my town?” “Oh hell, Jonathan, you know the answer to that question as well as me.” Sheridan answered with a sigh of impatience. “Yeah,” Jonathan replied, adding, “We’ve got a sleeper.” “So, I need to make a positive eye identification. Like I said, I’ll be there in a couple of hours and I expect you to buy me dinner.” “Sure, got some of the best barbeque you ever tasted.” “Sounds great, mouth’s watering now.” Sheridan answered. Hanging up, Jonathan buzzed Janie on his intercom, “Janie, tell Chester to come in.” A few seconds later, Deputy Chester Woods walked through the door with a cheery greeting, “Morning Sheriff.” Motioning for Chester to have a seat, Jonathan returned his greeting, “Morning Chester, how’s your wife, Vickie, feeling today?” “Oh, she is feeling much better Sheriff. The doctor tells us that the morning sickness should subside in another week or so. That made her feel somewhat better.” “Glad to hear that, you give her my regards.” He told Chester before bringing him up on the current morning’s events, it only took a few minutes. Chester sat quietly, absorbing what Jonathan said to him and by the time Jonathan finished, he knew his deputy was totally confused. It was evident when Chester asked, “I don’t understand, why would some KGB operative settle here? What do we have that they would want?” “That’s a good question, Chester. Maybe the FBI will be able to shed some light on that.”