Moments for the Heart

Welcome back mighty Warriors. Here we go with another addition to my Work in Progress. As I enter this week I am feeling every bit of my age. Yes, I am still young, but experiencing the realization that I am indeed older now. This week our oldest son turns 27. It seems that every year the calendar turns a page on him I feel every wrinkle. I will always remember that little boy sleeping on my chest listening to the Aladdin soundtrack.

Well, far from Agrabah and the Cave of Wonders, Grady is getting ready for his first assignment, the further investigation of why Stuart Nelson was attacked. This involves searching his vehicle.

Here is a bit from last week:

Was this a test? Grady looked at the files. He knew for now that Taylor would be a dead end. Their real lead would be the connection Taylor had to Nelson. And his first hunch was that there was a drug-running tie through his position as an Uber driver.

“Search Nelson’s car,” Grady said. “If he were running drugs, there would have to be evidence of it. We need to do it before he has a chance to dispose of it. While we are at it, we should search his place top to bottom. If we have a forensics team there, may as well sweep it for anything suspicious. Then we’d know for sure.”

Masters nodded. “Do it.”

SYNOPSIS:
Lieutenant Daniel Masters is a 27-year veteran Savannah Georgia Major Crimes Detective. He has seen many crime scenes like the one he saw last February. Little did he know this one would change his life. Grady, the newest addition to his team, is the first to see the abnormalities, but will the rest of the team listen in time. There is a serial murder on the loose in South Georgia, and for some reason the killer leaves their final victim alive right before committing suicide. But why? Masters and Grady must find out before its too late and the next killer strikes again.

SNIPPET:
Carmen smiled at him in recognition. He must have made an impression.

“You may still need a warrant for the car,” Carmen said. “You’re clear on the apartment, it’s still a crime scene. I will make a call. I know a clerk or two who can get hold of a judge on a Sunday,” she added with a wink. “I’ll have your warrant by lunch.”

Masters stood pointed toward the entrance gate, “The rest of the team will be up shortly. I’ll have you coordinate with them. You’ll run one team to search the car and send the other to the apartment. We need quick answers before Mr. Nelson is released from the hospital. If he is involved on a deeper level, we need to know.”

“Gotcha.”

***That is this week’s ten, or so. Here is a bit more to complete this scene. ***

Masters went into his office and closed the door. He picked up his phone to make a call.

Carmen turned to him, “I think he likes you.”

“Let’s hope so. I didn’t make too good of an impression last night.”

“He’s like that with everyone at first. Sarge downstairs has put him with so many newbies the last couple of months, I’m surprised he hasn’t gone mental.”

“What did he do? Sounds like punishment?”

“No. His partner cut out a few months ago. Case went bad. Can’t really discuss it. But Chief wants him with a partner and put Atwood is in charge of doing that. So, in a way, newbie detectives can be a punishment to a seasoned veteran. But Atwood and Lieu go way back. I think she is just toying with him. So, with you, he expected just another wet-behind-the-ear rookie. But you have common sense and have shown him you can think. It surprised him. But don’t let it go to your head. You still need to prove yourself out there. Just don’t screw this one up, Grady.”

Grady smiled. Somewhat relieved. “Where’s Nelson’s vehicle?”

“All his personal property is at his residence. We didn’t take anything. No reason to. He was the victim,” said Carmen.

A group of voices grew louder through the stairwell, the team, Grady assumed. Probably coming up from the morning debriefing with the chief. The buzzer sounded, and the gate creaked. Four detectives, all in street clothes, walked in. If they weren’t in the station, you probably couldn’t label one an officer. Grady figured that was the point. Other than the holster, each bore their own style. Three men and one female. They all took him in just as he was checking each of them out.

A stern warning from Carmen. And here comes the team. I was going to skip ahead a bit this week, but this snippet handled two things that were important to the story that were brought up in comments last week. One being the warrant. The second is something that Carmen tells Grady here. It is a statement he will repeatedly remind himself of throughout the novel, and this being the origin, I had to include the conversation.

Check it out!! On sale now!! $4 off regular price when you buy from the publisher!!…


Elissa Learns About Thankfulness
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, consider this charming story for your little reader. Book 4 in the Elissa the Curious Snail Series finds Elissa living with her human friend Francine. Elissa is sad because she cannot do some of the things her friends can do like fly or run. She eventually learns to be thankful for who she is and what she can do. Find out what that is when you cuddle up and read this book with your little one. It is available on Amazon at the link above.

Moments of the Heart is not just this website. I have a Facebook page that has something going on everyday of the week. Come on over, follow, and interact with my page to check it out! Here is what you can expect to find there.

—Monday is Memory Monday – I share an important event that occurred on that Monday or sometime that particular week.

—Tuesday is Talk About it Tuesday – I post a weekly video where I cover a topic that has meant something to me over the past week.

—Wednesday is when I post my blog for the week.

—Thursday is This or That Thursday – A weekly two option poll that raises the question, do you like this, or do you prefer that?

—Friday is Fun Fact Friday – I find and share an interesting or obscure fact.

—Saturday is for Weekend Writing Warriors – This is when I post my 8 Sentence Snippet from a current or past work.

I really am trying to make it fun and engaging. Something that people look forward to visiting. It has been something that has been on my heart (no pun intended) for a long time and I am now acting on it. I would love your support!!

– Little Reminders of Who I Am is now available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.

–The Five Barred Gate is still available on Amazon in Hardback, Paperback, and Kindle versions.

–You can purchase TFBG direct from me on my Home Page. The benefit of buying direct is you will receive a personalized signed copy!!

–My Children’s books, Elissa the Curious Snail are also on Amazon. There are 4 books about an adorable snail teaching children about prayer and believing in themselves.

–Finally you can see all updates regarding the progress of this current Untitled work in progress.

Fellow Warriors, I also have have a weekly blog that is posted in between these snippets. I would love to hear your thoughts.

AND if you have little warriors running around I now have many of my Children’s Short Stories on this website. They were originally on my Elissa the Curious Snail publisher’s website, but I now control that domain and have moved that content here. There are many stories for your little reader. These are great bedtime or anytime short stories.

In His Exciting Service,

Jeff S. Bray

Little Reminders of Who I Am

The Five Barred Gate

Elissa the Curious Snail Series

Check out amazing established and emerging writers at Weekend Writing Warriors. Each week we post new snippets from either published works or works in progress for each other to comment on. Gain insight of how the mind of a writer works and a behind the scenes look at works before they hit book stands everywhere.