City of Echoes (38 page)
Authors: Robert Ellis
Tags: #Fiction, #Mystery & Detective, #Hard-Boiled, #Police Procedural, #Thrillers, #Suspense
He knew her. He’d met her.
He gave her a long look.
She seemed so far away. He could barely see her. He could barely hear her. He felt his head drop back. Images began flashing through his mind. The moments he had spent sitting on his mother’s lap before she died. The relief he had felt when his aunt welcomed him into her home. A day he spent with Hughes in Afghanistan when they didn’t hear a single gunshot. Just the sounds of the people, the stillness of the mountains and plains. The last time he and Laura kissed—the good-bye kiss he had given her in the study when he realized what had to happen and why.
He tried to swallow but couldn’t.
He guessed that he was losing it. He could feel a hard wind churning up all the dust from the dirt road. He could see Gamble shielding her eyes and face, the dust cloud so dense that she almost disappeared. Even more, there was this roaring noise, this rushing noise, the sound of rotors—all of it becoming louder and louder, until he couldn’t hear Gamble’s voice anymore.
He looked up at the sky. A bird flew by. The sun seemed so bright.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many thanks go to my editors, Kjersti Egerdahl, Charlotte Herscher, and Marcus Trower, and to the entire team at Thomas & Mercer and Amazon. I’d also like to thank my agent, Scott Miller, for his advice and support. This novel wouldn’t feel authentic and true without the help of many good friends. Much thanks go to LAPD detectives Mitzi Roberts and Rick Jackson (retired)
from the Robbery-Homicide Division, Cold Case Special Section. And to Charlotte Conway, Peter Ellis, Neil Oxman, Mark Moskowitz, and “Wild” Bill Carey. In the end, this is a work of fiction. Any technical deviation from facts or procedures is my responsibility alone.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2015 Charlotte Conway
Robert Ellis is the international bestselling author of
Access to Power
,
The Dead Room
, and the critically acclaimed Lena Gamble Novels. His books have been translated into more than ten languages and selected as top reads by
Booklist
,
Publishers Weekly
, National Public Radio, the
Chicago Tribune
, the
Toronto Sun
, the
Guardian
(UK), the
Evening
Telegraph
(UK),
People
magazine,
USA Today
, and the
New York Times
. Born in Philadelphia, Ellis moved to Los Angeles to work as a writer, producer, and director in film, television, and advertising.
For more information about Robert Ellis, visit him online at
www.robertellis.net
.
Table of Contents
