Vigilante Blues
Dennis E. Smirl
- Sandeen
- has
- been
- living
- the
- quiet
- life—with
- no
- drama
- and
- no
- strife—until
- an
- old
- acquaintance
- shows
- up
- with
- an
- invitation
- to
- his
- 30-year
- high
- school
- reunion.
- Al
- Worthington
- says
- he
- wants
- Sandeen
- to
- meet
- and
- greet
- old
- friends
- and
- classmates—and
- then
- help
- solve
- the
- mysterious
- disappearance
- of
- Grace
- Goodman,
- a
- member
- of
- their
- high
- school
- class.
- Ignoring
- his
- misgivings,
- Sandeen
- agrees,
- and
- returns
- to
- a
- town
- and
- a
- past
- he'd
- tried
- to
- forget.
Initially,
- the
- task
- looks
- hopeless.
- Whatever—or
- whoever—caused
- Grace
- Goodman
- to
- disappear
- has
- left
- no
- evidence.
- As
- Sandeen
- digs
- deeper,
- he
- learns
- that
- Grace
- had
- been
- conducting
- an
- investigation
- on
- her
- own
- in
- an
- attempt
- to
- learn
- the
- secrets
- of
- an
- earlier
- disappearance.
- When
- Sandeen,
- Al
- Worthington,
- and
- Grace
- Goodman
- had
- all
- been
- juniors
- at
- Eastmoreland
- High
- School,
- Mr.
- Brannick,
- the
- band
- teacher,
- had
- stopped
- coming
- to
- work
- in
- the
- middle
- of
- the
- spring
- semester.
- There
- were
- no
- answers
- then,
- and
- thirty-one
- years
- later,
- no
- answers
- forthcoming.
When
- the
- investigation
- all
- but
- grinds
- to
- a
- halt,
- a
- second
- problem
- surfaces.
- Dr.
- Kathryn
- Aptekar,
- a
- college
- professor
- and
- one
- of
- Sandeen's
- ex-lovers,
- becomes
- the
- target
- of
- an
- arsonist,
- and
- then
- a
- bullet,
- as
- an
- old
- enemy
- decides
- to
- first
- teach
- Kathryn
- a
- 'lesson'
- and
- when
- he
- thinks
- she's
- suffered
- enough,
- kill
- her.
- Trying
- to
- keep
- his
- priorities
- straight,
- Sandeen
- attempts
- to
- investigate
- Kathryn's
- dilemma,
- stay
- within
- the
- boundaries
- of
- his
- rights
- and
- responsibilities
- as
- a
- journalist,
- and
- somehow,
- keep
- her
- alive.
None
- of
- this
- makes
- Amanda
- Carter,
- Sandeen's
- current
- gal
- pal
- and
- main
- squeeze,
- even
- a
- little
- bit
- happy.
- She
- isn't
- thrilled
- when
- he
- risks
- his
- life
- searching
- for
- Grace
- Goodman.
- She's
- a
- lot
- less
- thrilled
- when
- he
- tries
- to
- help
- Kathryn
- Aptekar,
- worried
- that
- he
- might
- not
- object
- to
- rekindling
- an
- old
- flame.
Ripping
- away
- at
- old
- wounds
- has
- always
- gotten
- Sandeen
- in
- trouble,
- but
- his
- insistence
- on
- finding
- and
- telling
- the
- truth
- may
- be
- pushing
- his
- luck
- further
- than
- it's
- meant
- to
- stretch.
- In
- yet
- another
- high-octane
- thriller,
- bullets
- will
- fly,
- people
- will
- die,
- and
- old
- secrets
- will
- be
- exposed
- painfully
- as
- Sandeen
- occasionally
- skirts
- the
- letter
- of
- the
- law
- in
- order
- to
- bring
- justice
- to
- the forgotten.
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