Fallout

de Lila Beckham

"Joshua Stokes is the charismatic and dedicated sheriff of Mobile County. Known for his manners, strength, and old-fashioned approach his passion for maintaining the pride and chivalry of the 'Old South' make him a desirable lawman. If asked to use one word to describe him, most folks would say, trustworthy. Women find Joshua attractive and although he could have his pick of available women in the county, he chooses to live alone. He enjoys the solitude afforded by his 160-year-old cabin that sets alongside the Escatawpa River at the Mississippi State Line. It was once the residence of the overseer for the Caledonia Plantation. The plantation covered over a thousand acres along the river back in the 1850's when William Moffett, a cotton broker who rebuilt the old home, owned it. Joshua is a spiritual man unconcerned with material things. He spends a great deal of time sitting on his porch, drinking whiskey and reminiscing the past. However, he is also a lonely man who drinks too much and hides his pain behind a brave face and dry wit. The discovery of the heads of victims from as far back as the late nineteen-thirties has him wondering if his mother had fallen victim to a serial killer and not ran off with another man as his father had thought she had. The events of the past few months have him on edge. He has things he needs to do, things he needs take care of, and with this new rash of murders, he has new worries. He knows that there will be repercussions for his having to shoot Tom Stringer, and since then it had been one thing after the other that needed his attention. Now, the authorities were looking into his shooting and killing Tom Stringer. The inquisition is more of a nuisance than a worry. Joshua feels he was justified in shooting Tom. He just wants everything to settle down so that he can delve deeper into the disappearance of his mother."--Cover.