The
Crimson Key
by
Wes Dodd
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The
Crimson Key
Genre:Mystery
Publisher:
Outskirt Press
Release
Date: July 2012
Book
Description:
David
Paige, a young detective from Charleston, S.C., is about to embark on
an investigation of a lifetime—his own. After an unexpected tragedy
shatters his perfect world, he discovers that his mother had been
keeping a life-long secret from him, revealing that he is not who he
believed he was. With no family member to turn to, David has to rely
on his detective skills and a mysterious item left to him from his
mother—a crimson-colored key.
The
search for the truth takes David to New York City, where he runs head
on into lies, deception and murder, all in an attempt to cover up a
string of dreadful crimes. Then if this is not enough to deal with,
he falls for the daughter of a prominent man, both sharing an
undeniable attraction—which complicates his life even further.
It
isn’t until a near-death experience, and help from his mother
through several frightening nightmares, that the pieces of the puzzle
finally begin to come together. The Crimson Key ultimately unveils
many secrets, surprising many people including David—opening his
eyes and heart as well.
Chapter
1
On
a dark mid-November night in 1986, rain fell hard from the black sky
above, rain bitterly cold like liquid ice. The fierce wind whipped it
in sheets, punishing anything in its path. On the outskirts of
Philadelphia in a suburban neighborhood, a fiery red Z28 slowly
pulled to a curb in front of a small three-bedroom, single-story
brick house. The driver, a distraught young woman, slowly leaned
forward, resting her head on the leather-covered steering wheel. She
cried uncontrollably. A few minutes passed before she finally reached
up and turned off the ignition, silencing the motor and radio just as
Michael Jackson’s Thriller was ending. She sat up straight once
again, wiping her face in an attempt to regain her composure for the
clandestine mission ahead of her. She cast a pair of glassy eyes to
her right, drawn to a small basket much like a picnic basket in the
dark leather seat beside her. While she gazed relentlessly at the
basket, she realized once again that she had made the right decision.
Alice
Paige rose up in her bed, awakened by a pounding on her door. She
peered at the clock—1:07 a.m. She carefully placed her book on the
nightstand, the book she was reading when she drifted off. “Who is
at my door at one in the morning?” she thought to herself as she
slipped on her heavy brown robe. Reaching the front door, she pulled
the curtain back carefully, just enough to peek outside. Though the
front was dimly lit and the rain poured down, she instantly
recognized the figure that stood on her front stoop. The long blonde
hair and familiar curvatures of her slender face could be but one
person. Alice slowly opened the door and invited her twin sister,
Amber, inside.
Alice
and Amber were identical twins at birth, though now complete
opposites in many ways. Alice had light ash brown hair that she kept
very short. She never wore makeup and was considered plain-looking
and ordinary in her ways. Amber, on the other hand, was gifted with
rare beauty and a voluptuous figure. She did very well in beauty
pageants and at age eighteen went off to New York City in pursuit of
a modeling career. Alice remained hidden in her shadow.
Amber
entered slowly, carrying an odd-looking basket covered entirely with
a blue blanket, wet from the rain. She tugged a large suitcase on
wheels that seemed to be very heavy. She sat the basket down
gingerly, as if what lay hidden within might be fragile. Amber then
fell into her sister’s arms, releasing a flood of emotions. She
hugged Alice tightly, clinging firmly to her as if hanging on for
dear life.
