A Son's Tale

THE THIRD SECRET‡

THE FOURTH VICTIM‡

*Shelter Valley Stories

‡Chapman Files

Other titles by this author are available in ebook format.

For my father, Walter Wright Gumser, and big brother, Walter Wright Gumser, Junior. Together as angels just as you were together on earth. I miss you both so much!

Contents

Chapter One (#u4ee441e0-d94c-5492-bffc-a7ee0e8484b5)

Chapter Two (#ub3cc60ed-ba01-589c-9778-836fef22d461)

Chapter Three (#u3811a5ba-e5e6-5d3c-9fc2-23744975d83d)

Chapter Four (#u9e4e5622-76db-519d-8e27-0cdabe216314)

Chapter Five (#u8e6efee6-527d-5721-97c4-25fd84131715)

Chapter Six (#u76872edd-70e5-535d-acdf-d03dc21f39d2)

Chapter Seven (#uf83ac2bb-5fd8-5b01-b1b6-a531233091bc)

Chapter Eight (#u40a0aff4-1924-513e-a1ae-9638dbfe7233)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirty (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirty-One (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Excerpt (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ONE

WHENHEFIRSTOPENED his eyes, Cal Whittier had no idea what time it was. Squinting against the light from his bedroom window, he focused on the ceiling above him.

Memory came back in bits and pieces. Piling on top of him, weighting him down to the bed.

He’d had dinner with Joy the night before. Their standing Thursday night date. He and the petite banker had been dating for four months—longer than usual for Cal. He liked Joy.

But then he’d liked all of the women he’d dated. One thing he’d never had a shortage of was women.

He and Joy had each had a glass of wine at the restaurant—a steak place, he thought. He could remember ordering his medium-rare. They’d had patio seating. Joy had commented about the misters—an outdoor staple during Tennessee summers—making her hair frizzy.

She’d ordered a salad. And they’d decided to try the house wine.

He’d overindulged.

Cal was careful about his drinking. He had a nightly ritual. A glass of whiskey before bed to help him sleep. And if that didn’t work—if he was still up writing—he allowed himself another. But he never got drunk. And he almost always drank alone.