The Scuba Club
Page 26
And then her air hose failed during a night dive in heavy currents.
The truth of the matter is, I have no reason in the world to want to murder my dear wife of forty years. I married way out of my league at the outset, and four wonderful decades together haven’t changed that reality one little bit. So I’m just going to take all the ribbing I suffered from my friends as nothing more than plain old good-natured fun. At least, I hope that’s all it was…
But you can see my dilemma, here. Elizabeth and I haven’t been scuba diving since that fateful trip, but the next time we do take that plunge, if something dire does happen to befall my lovely and brilliant wife, well:
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, you have before you Exhibit Number 1, Mr. Fomby’s own detailed accounting of just exactly how he schemed and plotted to murder his wife in a way that could only be construed by the other members of their cozy little scuba club as an accident. Except that it wasn’t.”
Even as talented and brilliant a trial lawyer as I’ve convinced myself I am (I mean, you gotta believe in yourself, even if everyone else is saying otherwise), I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t take myself on as a client under those circumstances. As our old friend Tony Espinosa once said, “99 percent of the time it’s the husband who did it.”
Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed this sordid little tale, a modern variation of a sorts on Agatha Christie’s classic Murder on the Orient Express, and the start of a new series of adventures starring disgraced former FBI agent Gavin Larson, who I hope is finally managing to redeem himself once again. And who, like myself, has come to realize just how lucky he is to have a lifelong loving partner at his side.
In addition to my usual shoutout to all my friends and family who have supported me in this new writing gig I’ve found, I would especially like to thank my wonderful editor, Kara Vaught, and my cover designer, Cathy Helms of Avalon Graphics. While the stories may have originated deep within my tortured soul, you the reader would never have selected this book to trudge through in the first place if the cover hadn’t tugged at your heart and brain, and you would never have gotten much farther than the first chapter if you had encountered the grisly crime scene of mutilated English that Kara had to clean up from my earliest drafts. All the way to my “final” draft.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge all of you out there, my readers. Writing can be a lonely existence, and every author I know wrestles with what our readers actually think about the words we struggle over every single day. Did I go too far with this? Did I over-explain the science in that? Does the story move along at a good pace throughout, or does it bog down frustratingly in various spots like an Ayn Rand rant?
So, here’s my offer. If you like these stories, but you want them to be even better in the future, go to this book’s page on Amazon or Goodreads and tell me what you think. It’s free, it only takes a second, and it really helps other readers sort through all of the millions of books out there to find one special little story to help take them away from this crazy world we live in. If only for a short while.
And, while I’m at it, thank you. If you are reading this passage, you must have enjoyed at least some part of this story, which brings a great deal of warmth to my heart. Also, if you have never tried diving and it’s something that might intrigue you, by all means pull out a permanent marker and scribble that in near the very top of your own personal bucket list! One of the unfortunate outcomes of global climate change is the accelerating destruction of our world’s precious coral reefs, the home and lifeblood of all manner of fascinating and colorful creatures. Wait too long, and they may quite literally all be lost to you forever.
And with that mournful note, cheers, and good health to you!
Rene
Other Books by Rene Fomby
Resumed Innocent (Sam Tulley #1)
The Chi Rho Conspiracy (Sam Tulley #2)
New Rome Rising (Sam Tulley #3)
The Game of War
Private Eyes
From Russia With Fur (Private Eyes #2)
With Her Majesty’s Secret Corgis (Private Eyes #3)