Thought I'd share another excerpt from Murder by the Mile. In this one, our stumbling hero Bernard makes a dangerous mistake and pays for it.
From Murder by the Mile
When Bernard ran after the fleeing figure, he had no thought for his safety or what he would do if he caught whoever it was. It was instinct. What could someone be doing there? Didn’t criminals often return to the scene of the crime?
He rounded the corner and saw the person – a man – plunge into the shadowed woods up ahead. Bernard crashed after him, running at an angle to intercept his quarry. Briars and branches lashed at his face and tore at his clothes.
He was certain now that he followed the murderer. Bernard found his stride as he ran. His body finally remembered the rhythm he had in high school when he ran cross country for the track team. He felt like he could run forever. His heart pounded as he raced across a small clearing. He nearly tripped, caught a tree to right his balance, and realized he couldn’t hear any sounds from the other man. He had lost the trail. Or ... the murderer had stopped.
He tried to catch his breath, listening intently for any noise that would betray the other’s presence. In the long shadows, he realized he had made himself a target. He eased around the tree, trying to move as quietly as he could. Fortunately the ground was free of leaf litter, but every step he took seemed to thunder. He stopped moving. Tried to hold his breath. He listened. His eyes strained, but he realized that the woods were darker than he had thought they would be. The trees blocked out what little light the setting sun still gave out.
The sounds of the woods reasserted themselves. Crickets, a few birds, tree frogs. The whining of mosquitoes. He slowly let his breath out. Had the other man slipped away? Maybe, but Bernard could almost feel someone near.
He slowly walked forward. A small stream meandered through the woods. Bernard slipped on a slick stone. His foot hit the water. The splash echoed through the woods.
A loud crash to the left!
Bernard raced toward it.
It was the murderer!
The chase was on again, but this time Bernard began to close the distance. He had caught his second wind, and even though the darkness was falling across the woods, he could see the red flannel shirt of the man.
He tried to force more speed out of his legs, but the uneven ground and grabbing briars and branches hampered his efforts. He was close, but he couldn’t close the gap. He hoped the other man gave out before him.
They ran deeper into the woods. Bernard’s world narrowed to the flashes of the red shirt in front of him. It was so dark now he couldn’t make any other details.
Slowly he gained.
The other man stopped, turned, and barreled toward Bernard!
Bernard tried to dodge, but his momentum carried him forward.
They hit.
They fell, rolling on the ground, Bernard’s speed carrying him over the man.
Bernard scrambled to his feet.
The man came up swinging a piece of wood.
Bernard ducked.
The man jabbed the wood into Bernard’s stomach.
Bernard couldn’t catch his breath, but as the man swung again, he caught the branch and held on.
The man pushed it and Bernard back.
Suddenly, there was no ground beneath Bernard.
He was falling backwards down a slope.
Then he was free falling.
He hit the ground hard.
Darkness closed around him.
Excerpted from Murder by the Mile. Copyright 2012 by Stephen B. Bagley. No copying of any fashion is permitted. Thank you for reading.
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1 comment:
Can't wait to read more!
Gail
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