“Thank you, thank you,” I began. There were a few more pleasantries, then: “Ladies and gentleman, a political action committee aided by Congressman Williams attempted to destroy the Northwest Regional Crime Center before it achieved official designation. The motivation was money. As usual. When is it not? These men wanted to install private prison systems in the western part of the state and, to speed things along, they injected a psychopath into the most inflammatory investigations in the state.” I turned and gestured toward the committee.
Cameras clicked, reporters jostled one another to get the best angles.
“Think of that, ladies and gentlemen. A juvenile detention center run by a sadistic sociopath who murdered and raped at will.”
The crowd gasped. I knew they would. Williams was on the platform along with three members of the political action committee. The press had a heyday.
In the rest of the speech I made it clear that Frank Dimon had been duped. An “innocent bystander.” Bystander was hardly a good label for the agent in charge, but it was certainly better than the “thief,” “corrupt manipulator,” and “depraved rapist” that the press was gleefully typing into their iPads. Dimon looked like he wanted to sink through the Earth’s crust, but it was the best I could do for him.
I ended on a positive note, pointing out the exemplary work done by my team and my recommendation that the whole western half of the state be partitioned into regional crime centers, using ours as an example.
“The political action committee did not intentionally inject a psychopath into our structure, but they had no business telling us who to hire. They are not qualified to judge the merits of proposed personnel.” Originally the line had read “they don’t know shit.” But I had softened it.
I looked out over the shocked silent crowd. “Money corrupts. Politicians will stop at nothing. Vote. Make your voice heard.” Before I sat down, I turned to the governor and asked him to form a committee to investigate the involvement of the men advocating the prison systems.
Mics were thrust under our noses and I answered the same question over and over. “What are you going to do next?”
“Heal. Then finish planning the structure of our regional system and help launch others.”
Dorothy was surrounded by fans waving books for her to autograph.
It was a very good day.
Author’s Notes
The Garden of Eden really exists. Although I’ve tried, words cannot describe the peculiarity of this place. It’s matchless Grassroots Art. The term refers to art created by people with no formal training. The creator, Samuel Perry Dinsmoor, was a Civil War soldier (Union side). The soaring structures which embodied his religious and political outlook are breathtaking. It was a huge undertaking and an engineering marvel. The balance achieved at great heights in sculpture after sculpture is testimony to his genius and persistence. Kansas ranks third in the States in the number of grassroots art sites, after Wisconsin and California.
My mysteries have varied from one sub-genre to another. That is probably not a good idea. It wasn’t planned. It’s just the way the stories have worked out.
Deadly Descent is more of a traditional mystery with a healthy dollop of suspense. Lethal Lineage is a locked-room mystery. It was more than a little scary from a construction viewpoint, as locked-room mysteries are fiendishly difficult to write and the readers are a savage lot. They pounce on any inconsistency. Hidden Heritage contained a secret, but I had returned to a traditional mystery again, with a strong mix of history. It dealt with water rights which will soon be the most lethal worldwide fight in this century.
The impetus to write each book has involved a powerful image. In the case of Deadly Descent, it was a line from my favorite book of poetry, The Spoon River Anthology. A woman was standing in the crowd murmuring, “my son, my son,” while a politician was giving a speech. With Lethal Lineage the image was that of a female priest dropping the chalice during communion. The image in Hidden Heritage was that of a man drowned in a livestock truckline’s washout pit.
And for this one, Fractured Families…well, let’s just say a totally soulless serial killer was essential.
The words psychopaths and sociopaths are often used interchangeably. Usually. Mostly. My editor asked for the proper word for describing my villain and I chose psychopath rather than sociopath because of the work done by some psychiatrists who describe psychopaths as being the more organized and intelligent of the two. And scarily enough, quite a number of psychopaths had loving families. In fact, most psychopaths and sociopaths are not killers. But they can sure play thunder in the workplace and in people’s lives.
I’m a rather peaceful soul by nature. I hope the image for my next book will be something less scary.
As for prisons for profit—it’s one of the fastest-growing industries in America. Challenge, investigate, and do a little bit of sleuthing on your own before you go to the polls. As always, follow the money!
Acknowledgments
I especially want to thank my dear friend, Mary Alice McComb, clinical and forensic psychologist, for referring me to books about psychopaths and sociopaths that were based on sound scholarship. Fractured Families evolved into a much more frightening book than I had intended when I began.
The suggestions of Annette Rogers made this a much stronger book. I deeply appreciation her editorial insight. I thank John Crockett for his eagle-eyed ability to catch errors.
Multiple award-winners Barbara Peters, editor-in-chief, and Robert Rosenwald, publisher, have built Poisoned Pen Press into a literary powerhouse that has garnered worldwide acclaim. I am deeply grateful to be one of their authors. Their support is legendary and all of us lucky enough to publish with Poisoned Pen praise them to high heaven.
And again, I want to thank my wonderful agent, Phyllis Westberg, at Harold Ober Associates. She keeps all my literary shenanigans sorted.
More from this Author
For other books, upcoming author events, or more information please go to:
www.poisonedpenpress.com/Charlotte-Hinger
Contact Us
To see more Poisoned Pen Press titles:
Visit our website: poisonedpenpress.com/
Request a digital catalog: [email protected]
Fractured Families Page 29