A Dangerous Affair
Page 32
"With all due respect, Your Honor, I ask that Mr. Sullivan be released on his own recognizance and ordered to fulfill the terms of his original parole under my supervision."
"Sit down, Mr. Varden. I can't allow you to address this court."
"Your Honor, if I may approach the bench."
"This is ridiculous," the prosecution objected. "Your Honor—"
The judge sat forward on the edge of his chair. "Your objection is noted, Counselor." He frowned at the courtroom crasher. "This is not a White House dinner party, Mr. Varden. I suggest you tread very lightly, or the next words out of your mouth will land you in contempt."
Varden handed the folded letter to the judge.
"Why was this not brought to my attention earlier?"
"I apologize for the miscommunication."
The judge reviewed the letter and the signature at the bottom of the page. He cupped his hand on the microphone for a moment of privacy and signaled for the bailiff to return to his post. "These are serious accusations, Mr. Varden. There's no evidence to suggest anyone murdered the former state attorney or that he had any nefarious connections with the Florida State Police or the late Sheriff Blanchart."
"On the contrary, Your Honor, the interim state attorney was also presented with eyewitness testimony to substantiate Sheriff Blanchart's involvement in this matter."
"That doesn't address my concerns about the content of this letter."
"Yes Your Honor," Varden acknowledged. "But with all due respect, your concerns fall outside the scope of this decree."
"I decide the scope of things, Mr. Varden. Whatever favors this cost you, I hope they were worth it." He folded the paper and shook his head. "Step away from the bench."
Varden looked back at Lloyd.
The judge uncovered the microphone and addressed the prosecutor's table. "Was the prosecution made aware of this?"
"No, Your Honor. We were not."
The judge squinted. His unibrow furrowed between his eyes. "Apparently your boss forgot to send a memo."
"Your Honor," Mr. Tabor started, "I would like to request—"
"Save it, Counselor. Mr. Sullivan, I don't know what lucky star you were born under, but you better pray you never set foot in my courtroom again. I hereby order you remanded to the custody of Sergeant Varden. Per the guidelines of your original sentencing, you are ordered to complete the remainder of your parole. I also remind you that you are still subject to the Florida sentencing guidelines, and that any violation of said guidelines will result in the reinstatement of your full sentence, which you would be required to fulfill. Do you understand these terms as I've explained them to you, Mr. Sullivan?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
"Well then, Mr. Sullivan, you are free to go. Bailiff, please uncuff this man."
Lloyd raised his arms to the bailiff and felt the shackles drop away.
Jamie ran up and embraced her man with open arms. Tears fell like rain.
Varden waited for the marathon hug to finish and gave a nod to Leslie Dancroft seated in the back row. "Mr. Sullivan..."
Lloyd reached an arm around Jamie and shook Varden's hand. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Jamie turned her head and forced a smile to extend her own gratitude.
Varden smiled inside but kept a stern face. "Do me a favor," he said to Jamie. "Make sure he stays out of trouble this time."
The End
Page forward for excerpts from Jason Melby's other titles
ENEMY AMONG US
WITHOUT A TRACE...
Excerpt from
Enemy Among Us
Special Agent Jim McLeary endures a gauntlet of double-agents,
covert operatives, and a guilty conscience to prevent an elusive
enemy from unleashing a silent weapon of mass destruction.
by
Jason Melby
Disillusioned, yet sober in his humble surroundings, he pinched a single bullet from the clutter of .45 caliber cartridges on the folding table. He pressed the fat, copper round in the empty chamber and closed the match-grade slide on the five-inch barrel with a left-hand twist. He held his life in his own hands, a power he both revered and feared. Despite his shortcomings, he'd done what he could for his boys, finding solace in the notion his sons would thrive without him.
Alone in his thoughts, he had a decision to make, perhaps the last decision he would ever contemplate. For what he'd failed to accomplish as a father, met with equal downfall in his marriage and career. Wracked with guilt and the ensuing doldrums from a life of solitude and lost resolve, he sought refuge the only way he knew how. In his mind, the scales of indignity and hope teetered back and forth, rising and falling with the slow, methodic rhythm of a large vessel's wake rolling through the low-rent marina.
He squeezed his hand around the gun's rosewood grip, his fingers pressed against the double diamond texture. He cocked the hammer and brought the loaded weapon to his head, squaring the Lasergrip sights at his temple. For the third time in two days, he crept closer to the rim of a rocky ledge, staring down at the cavernous void, prepared to take his final step from a life he would surrender in a violent discharge of expanding gas behind a two-hundred and thirty grain bullet capable of shattering his skull like a porcelain vase.
With his free hand, he slid a quarter off the table and sat upright, shoulders back, chest out—his right index finger resting on the gun's four-pound trigger.
He flicked the quarter with his thumb, launching the coin into the air, where it wobbled in a shallow arc before clanging off the teak-wood floor by his feet, bouncing and spinning until it settled on George Washington's head.
What Jim McLeary failed to decide on his own, fate had chosen for him.
Enemy Among Us
by
Jason Melby
~
To purchase
Enemy Among Us
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit Jason Melby's eBook Discovery Author Page
www.ebookdiscovery.com/JasonMelby
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Complete your journey with an excerpt from
WITHOUT A TRACE...
Excerpt from
Without a Trace...
A dream vacation turns dangerous when a young wife and daughter disappear...
by
Jason Melby
A gold watch glittered on the headboard's built-in night table while an empty Dom Perignon bottle floated in a bucket of ice water. Silk roses extended from a crystal vase, their pink, symmetric petals in full bloom, basking in the light of immortality.
Awakened by a hand on her pillow, the woman opened her eyes and briefly glimpsed the knife-wielding stranger before a sweeping incision slashing from her trachea to her jugular vein silenced her attempt to scream.
Startled by his wife's thrashing movements, the husband awoke with a six-inch slit below his chin, grasping at his own throat in a desperate attempt to stop the bloody flow.
Victor wrapped the bodies in separate sheets and hauled his victims through the side deck near the helm. There, he tied mooring lines around their ankles and weighted the corpses with anchor chain. One heave, and he watched the bodies sink below the surface before he rinsed his hands at the transom shower and settled in the captain's chair at the helm.
In front of him, rows of rocker switches lined a walnut backdrop filled with radar panels and analog gauges assembled in a logical fashion. Radio and navigational aids complemented the independent throttle levers designed to control the twelve-hundred horsepower diesel engines.
He raised the anchor from its tenure at the bottom of the sea and brought the big motors to life. Then he eased the throttles forward to bring the ten ton vessel on plane en route to the Gulf of Mexico.
Without A Trace...
by
Jason Melby
~
To purchase
Without A Trace...
&
nbsp; from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit Jason Melby's eBook Discovery Author Page
www.ebookdiscovery.com/JasonMelby
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Jason Melby has lived throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, and most of Europe. A graduate of Virginia Tech and Johns Hopkins University, Jason currently resides in Melbourne, Florida. His suspense novels feature dynamic characters overwhelmed by extraordinary circumstances forcing them to confront their greatest fears.
You can contact Jason through his website www.jasonmelby.com
Table of Contents
Cover
Books by Jason Melby
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Excerpt from ENEMY AMONG US by Jason Melby
Excerpt from WITHOUT A TRACE by Jason Melby
Meet the Author