Between Good and Evil
Auburn Notch Mystery Book 1
By R.
Michael Phillips
Genre: Mystery
Published by Sunbury Press
With a broad smile and slight wrinkles at the corners of your eyes you snap shut your suitcase and grab the sunscreen without ever entertaining the notion murderers go on vacation too. What adds a chilling dimension to the idea is they look just like any other tourist in plaid shorts and a golf shirt until you catch a glimpse of the terrifying evil hidden behind their Foster Grants. It’s not something you’re likely to forget, especially once they look up over the postcard rack and realize you’re the one that got away.
Promise Flynn was an overly impulsive Metro Detective whose disregard for procedure finally resulted in her being shot and left for dead during an investigation. To repair her bruised ego and splintered confidence she abandons the callous dark alleys of Chicago to patrol the quiet, birch-lined streets of Auburn Notch—a favorite vacation spot of her youth. For two years everything was idyllic, until the body of a young girl found in the abandoned asylum outside of town awakens the insecurities she thought her new life would insulate her from. As the new Sheriff she begins her investigation refusing to accept the similarities between the young woman’s death and her own case, oblivious to being unexpectedly recognized and penciled in at the top of a clever murderer’s To-Do list. Her internal struggle intensifies when a discredited crime reporter from the past suspiciously arrives in town to resurrect his threadbare reputation, along with an FBI agent chasing down a lead in a cold case. Both men quickly become entangled in Flynn's investigation and her attempts to finally put her past to rest. Flynn reluctantly accepts the murder might be the work of the two men responsible for her hasty departure from Chicago, but Agent MacGregor insists the evidence points to a man he’s been chasing. As the rising current of her past threatens to pull her under, Flynn finds herself unprepared for option three.
The festivities in town were slowly petering out as the eleven
o’clock hour approached. The earlier-packed sidewalks along the main drag,
crowded with assorted craft and food vendors, were opening back up in ten-foot
sections at a time as booths were disassembled. The trendy watering holes were
still flush with business. The locals shuffled through the crowds grumbling
about quieter times, while the newly of-age drinkers were busy testing the
waters and carving out a space for themselves at the bar. The clusters gathered
around family activities had diminished proportionately with the ages of the
children attached to the extended arms of their parents. Cafés and eateries
were cleaning up after a long day of serving sandwiches, dinners, sweets, and
coffee to an overwhelming flock of locals and out-of-towners in for the
festival. The assortment of local college students hired for the event were
busy wiping down tables, eagerly anticipating a second wave of good tips. About
another thirty minutes they figured, as soon as the parents washed the cotton
candy and ice cream off all the little faces and they were nestled snugly
beneath their covers.
“Promise,” a shrill voice called out from one of the tables
on the sidewalk in front of the Auburn Coffee House. “Sheriff Flynn, do you
have a minute?”
As Sheriff Flynn approached the coffee house, she couldn’t
help but notice Mrs. Johnson seated at one of the tables on the sidewalk.
Policing the festival activities and the swelling of the population proved a
long and tiring three days. Chitchat remained at the bottom of her list of
things to do at that moment. She had hoped her hastened step, lowered head, and
obvious intention of ignoring any recognition of her would give the impression
of being off on police business. She paused, looking over the tops of the
crowd, hoping to see some sort of minor criminal activity going on. Nothing
major, she thought to herself. Public urination would work. Littering. A dog
walker not scooping. Anything? Her thoughts eventually drifted to the
possibility of a shootout in front of the bank as not being such a bad option at
that moment. It wasn’t to be. She caught a glimpse of Mrs. Johnson out of the
corner of her eye still waving. Not a distraction in sight. This town is too
damn law abiding.
“Sheriff Promise Mary Flynn,” called out Mrs. Johnson, as if
addressing a petulant child. “I’ve got a matter we need to discuss.”
Sheriff Flynn tucked her hopes of a shootout away and walked
over to the table. She took a deep breath and forced a smile. “I’m sorry, Mrs.
Johnson, I didn’t see you there. You see, I’m on my way—”
“Nonsense,” replied Mrs. Johnson cordially but firmly.
“There is always a moment for two civil servants to compare notes. Besides, you
have a whole department to handle the day-to-day policing of this fine town.”
Mrs. Johnson paused, looked out over her reading glasses at the sheriff, giving
the attractive, tall blond the onceover. “You know, it wouldn’t break any laws
if you did something with your hair other than stuffing it under that hat.” She
gave a petite snort to signal the end of her analyzing glance.
“With a little eye shadow, I would imagine some men might
even find you attractive.”
Sheriff Flynn clenched her teeth into what might be
construed as a smile and groaned. Forget the bank, a shootout right here will
work just fine. “If this is about the missing money from the swim club account,
Hank has been quietly looking into it. I can assure you—”
“No. No. No!” Mrs. Johnson replied, looking around and
making sure no one was listening. “Please keep your voice down. I don’t want
anyone to know I’ve asked you to look into that.”
Promise bit her inside cheek, continuing the conversation through
clenched teeth. “Is there something else on your mind, Alice?”
“Yes. There is something much more urgent I believe we need
to discuss,” said Alice Johnson. She pushed out the chair across from her with
her foot, giving a nod of direction to the sheriff. “Have a seat, this will
only take a minute. It’s the well-being of our citizenry at stake, and I know
it’s as much a priority to you as it is to me.”
There was no escape. Short of an actual crime being
committed at that very moment right in front of them, Flynn had no choice but
to sit, smile, and listen to what the councilwoman had on her mind. “Well-being
of the citizenry? I’m not sure I understand.”
The councilwoman pulled a green folder from her oversized
canvas tote, placing it down on the table in front of Flynn. “As you can tell
by these photos, I’ve made an extensive investigation of that dangerous curve
out by the old asylum. This photo here,” she continued, nudging one of the
photos out from the pile, “is of particular interest. You see that guardrail? I
kicked it a few times, and it broke clean away from the support going into the
ground. It’s that way along the entire length of the curve. It’s a deathtrap. I
know this is a highway department matter, but I can’t stand by when a potential
hazard to the fine people of this town is being ignored.”
Sheriff Flynn picked up the photo, making a careful
examination of the evidence. “Those temporary barricades should be just fine.”
She pointed to one in particular in the photo. “Like this one you had to move
in order to get close enough to kick the guardrail. As long as no one moves
them again, these will certainly protect the fine citizens of Auburn Notch.”
Promise paused for a moment. “I believe there is also a sign directing people
to use the fire access road as an alternative. It’s just up around the bend
from that curve.”
“Nobody is going to use that narrow, dirt road. I certainly
wouldn’t. Besides, most people don’t even know it’s there.”
“Well, I’m not sure what else I can do. At this point it’s a
matter between you and the highway department.”
“Luke Sanders said he has money appropriated to replace the
old guardrail in the new budget, but his department has a few other matters
higher on his priority list.” Councilwoman Johnson tidied up the pile of photos
and slipped them and the folder back into her tote. “Those wooden barricades
might be fine to block off a parade route, but a speeding car will go right
through them and over that embankment.”
Sheriff Flynn rose from her seat, eyeing her deputy coming
in her direction at a hastened pace. No matter what he wants, she thought to
herself, it was going to be an important matter in need of my immediate
attention. “Everyone knows how treacherous that stretch of road is. I can’t
image anyone speeding around that curve. If it will make you happy, I’ll talk
to Luke and see if we can’t get a few more caution signs posted further down
the road in both directions until his men can get out there. In the meantime,
try not to kick it anymore.”
Councilwoman Johnson’s eyes narrowed at the insinuation. She
responded with a grunt and a halfhearted smile. “Thank you, Promise, I knew I
could count on your support.”
Sheriff Flynn nodded. She felt a light tap on her shoulder.
“Sorry to interrupt, ladies.”
“What is it, Hank?” replied the sheriff brightly;
uncharacteristically appreciating his interruption whether or not it turned out
to be his usual bellyaching about something he would have done differently.
“It may be nothing, Sheriff,” replied Hank, turning the
sheriff away from the table and speaking quietly, “but we got a report there’s
a lit candle in a second floor window of the old mental hospital. I’ll take
care of it, I just wanted to let you know I’m goin’ up there.”
Sheriff Flynn didn’t respond. A quick gasp stole her voice.
She glanced passed Hank, her eyes rolling upward following the tree line.
There, perched on a granite crag a thousand or so feet in elevation above the
town, were the weathered edges of slate gables piercing the silhouette of a
tired length of pine trees. Where the spikes and dips clustered together were a
fair representation of the past health of such a grand structure, the sharp
drop-off to a flat, indigo tree line is deathly expressive of its sudden and
tragic end. Little more than the discarded shell of how it once appeared, there
remained a slight whisper of evil in its squalid halls. To Promise, this evil
had a different voice. A voice she never wanted to hear again.
“It’s those damn kids,” moaned Mrs. Johnson, her hearing as
acute as rumor had it. “You know, that group that walks around here dressed in
black with those God-awful tattoos and piercings. Vampires, that’s what I say
they are. Black shirts. Black pants. Black boots. Skulking about at night.
Always up to no good. What decent child has coal-black hair with a white streak
running down the left side? Up to no good, that’s what I say. I’ve a mind to
call their parents in front of the next council meeting . . .”
“Are you okay, Sheriff?” Hank whispered under Mrs. Johnson’s
rant.
Sheriff Flynn’s eyes remained fixed on the asylum. The chill
running up her spine muffled any recognition of what her deputy was saying. She
could feel a dull ache rising in her left shoulder. Not again. It can’t be. It
can’t be.
“Did you hear me, Promise?” interrupted Councilwoman
Johnson. “It’s those kids. Those vampires. Those damn—”
Sheriff Flynn raised her hand, shaking off the panicked look
she hoped went unnoticed. She took a deep breath, tempering her response. “We
don’t know anything yet, Alice. As for your vampires, I don’t think this town
has seen a bit of trouble from any of those kids. They just express themselves
a little differently than you and I.” She hesitated, trying to hold the words
back. The next remark went off like the snap of a mousetrap. “And if dressing
in black was a crime, they’d be sharing a cell with you. If you’ll excuse me, I
think I better go out and see what’s going on. I’ll make it a point to find you tomorrow after
I speak to Luke. Nice seeing you, Alice.”
Mrs. Johnson replied with a carping grunt. Before she could
mount her rebuttal, Sheriff Flynn and Hank were in the patrol car heading out
of town on Interstate 93 toward the abandoned mental hospital.
“What are you looking at?” asked Sheriff Flynn, giving a
quick glance over at Hank.
“If dressing in black was a crime?”
“Yeah, I’m probably gonna regret that.”
Hank paused, trying to get a read on the sheriff’s
expression. She actually looked spooked. They had been working together for two
years. Two irritating years, according to Hank. Auburn Notch certainly isn’t a
hub of criminal activity, just the usual share of traffic tickets and the
occasional dead body due to a house fire or accident. Nothing ever happened
that would warrant the mayor appointing some out-of-town, big-city detective as
sheriff instead of him. He had the town council’s ear and wasn’t bashful about
letting them know he was suspicious about her past. Hank was convinced it was
only a matter of time before he would uncover the information he needed to
replace his boss behind the big desk in the sheriff’s office. For the time
being, she was sheriff, and he just had to deal with it.
Promise Flynn might be some out-of-town detective, but she
spent many years vacationing in Auburn Notch with her family. One thing she
learned back then, there are no secrets in a small New England town. She was
very much aware of Hank’s resentment from her first day on the job and decided
to let him dig around all he wanted. Just to make it interesting, she also put
him in charge of the swim club investigation. She already had a good read on
what transpired, but giving the investigation to Hank would flush out his true
character. If he’s half the cop he tells people he is, he should have no
problem putting the pieces together. It will also test his loyalty. Flynn had a
feeling at least two prominent people might be involved with the missing money,
and one of them is a close friend of Hanks. If he comes up empty, writing
traffic tickets in a small town is going to be the extent of his law
enforcement career. Until then, she’ll just have to continue to ignore him
tugging at the rug under her boots.
“So why are you tagging along? I said I’d handle it.”
Flynn’s mind was elsewhere. By the time she realized he was
talking to her, Hank tried another approach to get an answer.
“Just kids. That’s all,” Hank huffed.
“What is?”
“The candle in the window of the asylum. I chase those damn
kids outta there once a week. You didn’t have to come along. It’s probably nothing.
Just a candle in the window of an old building.”
Sheriff Flynn looked over at Hank, her lips drawn tightly
closed. She shook her head and looked back through the windshield at the dark
road ahead. “It’s never just a candle.”
Michael is a classically trained artist turned mystery writer. By combining his creative talents with a passion for mysteries he conceived his first series—The Ernie Bisquets Mysteries. It introduced Ernie Bisquets, a retired London pickpocket who decided he was going to assist the London police with there most difficult cases—whether they want his help or not. Michael has completed 3 books in the series, and has plans for at least five additional books.
Michael travels a bit, especially to Great Britain, but also has a fondness for New England. He spent many winters in the shadow of the White Mountains, skiing and enjoying the beautiful countryside. Those fond memories are the backdrop now for the new Auburn Notch Mysteries being published by Sunbury Press. The main character is Sheriff Promise Flynn—an ex-metro detective who left a dark past and her big-city detective shield behind and moved to a small New England town. What follows is anything but therapeutic.
When he’s not painting or writing Michael is an avid antique collector, filling his current home—an 1894 Queen Ann Victorian he, his wife, and son are restoring—with an assortment of antiques from around the world. Michael also enjoys cooking, working in the garden, and playing in the yard with their two rescues, Beau and Pup.
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