Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. I’m continuing with my Romance Suspense And Justice for All. Our word this week is SHARP and I used SHARPLY. Please be aware that today’s scene is gory and may be disturbing to some. Despite the resemblance to current events in the world, this is a work if fiction and my imagination. Enjoy!
As soon as they were close enough, the fog lifted, and Maggie inhaled sharply. There were so many bullet holes in its starboard side that it was a miracle it was still afloat. As it was, it had started to list.
Harry leaned toward Daniels. “Was the boat anchored or adrift?”
“Adrift. The Coast Guard tied up to it and dropped anchor to keep it afloat and more or less where they found it, but with the weather and the current, they could be miles from where it happened.”
As Kelly maneuvered the boat closer to the other one, the truth of what had happened slapped her.
“My God,” she whispered, unable to take her eyes off the horrifying scene.
Rain mixed with the blood on the floor of the boat, destroying what could’ve been valuable evidence. The tarps covering the bodies were similarly soaked. Pete grabbed the side of the crime scene vessel and attached their boat to it.
As soon as the vessel was secure, Harry stepped aboard the other boat.
“Maggie, stay there, please.”
“No problem.” That place was the last place she wanted to be, all the blood reminding her of her own shooting.
“Since we don’t know what happened here, everybody keep your eyes peeled for anything coming toward us, and I mean anything. A goddamn goose is suspect right now. Dr. Eastman, will you join me please? Stay on the port side. We don’t want our weight to sink the boat.”
The coroner nodded. Gingerly, he joined Harry. Together, they peeled back the tarp.
The moment Maggie saw the mangled bodies, bile filled her mouth. This was far worse than any scenario she’d imagined. She clenched her teeth and looked away, but that didn’t stop her mind from dwelling on what she’d seen. The bodies were riddled with bullets, the faces and torsos covered in blood and unrecognizable.
Dr. Eastman bent down to examine the corpses. He stood and shook his head.
“For what it’s worth, they were dead within seconds. I’m supposed to wait until I finish the autopsy, but there’s no doubt in my mind that cause of death is massive blood loss from multiple bullet wounds to the head and body. I haven’t seen anything like this since Kandahar. I’m sure you’ll find that those are armor piercing bullets, and they went through their vests like knives through butter.”
Marina rushed to the other side of the boat and vomited.
Don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.
Living the Dream 
Just finishing up “A Case of Mistaken Identity”. Great book! I’ll review it on my blog and everywhere else. If you have a marketing push coming up, let me know and I’ll try to coordinate with that.
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Thanks Jacqui. No marketing push yet since I’m getting ready to have my hip replaced April 24. I hope to put something together this fall when I release the second book in the series. I’m really glad you enjoyed the book.
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Then, I’ll share the review in the usual places and at some point in the future, it’ll show up on my blog. Definitely an enjoyable read.
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Much appreciated
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Headed straight for this – riveting – including a swift pause to check the UK position re the possession of armor-piercing bullets.
How tough can Maggie be ? Her literal gut reaction to sickening multiple injuries is powerful. Needing to work with the medical photography team, any serious injuries I used to see were sustained in accidents – still challenging.
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It helps to have a nurse and a police officer to talk to for advice.
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Great scene bringing home the horror of these killings. Can’t wait to see the killer juiced!! Compelling story.
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Thanks
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Amazing description of a terrifying scene. I love than you tell it from her perspective and made her human. I am not sure anyone could handle that. Great job!
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Poor Marina. I honestly don’t know how LE deals with the horrible things they have to see. Thank goodness for them, though.
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For sure, but as the rate of suicide, marital breakups, and burn out plague them, you know not everyone can get over the cruelty and horro they see.
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OH MY!!! I don’t think I would have even made it to the edge of the boat before doing the same.
You write this scene so well that I swear you’ve stood there and seen this scene in real life yourself in order to be able to write this so well.
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Thankfully, I haven’t, but glad the realism slipped in.
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Yes – VERY realistic!!
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Wow. Sounds like a gruesome scene all the way around. Well done on making the scene seem real to the reader. Jillian
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