EXECUTION IN E Read online

“The guards came and…”

  “The guards broke up the fight, but Miss Cunningham wouldn’t stop screaming. Wailing. Calling for her sister, over and over and over. Terrifying to watch. The guards couldn’t calm her, so they sent for an ambulance.”

  “Poor Vivian.”

  “We all heard what happened to her sister, gossip in this village being what it is. The anguish of losing her sister that way must have pushed her over the edge. Sorry. Miss Markham hasn’t checked out yet. I can ring her, if you like. Not sure if she’ll see you, though. She refuses to leave her room until the swelling in her face goes down. She won’t let anyone in except housekeeping and room service.”

  “No, thank you,” Gethsemane said. “And thank you for the information.”

  The trip to Carnock, with its menacing trees and threatening brambles, felt as desolate as always. However, this time concern for what she’d find when she crested the hill kept her anxiety at bay. She reached the old asylum and headed straight for the rear of the building, not heeding the weeds and rubbish as she made her way to the low stone walls covered with her namesake rose. She poked her head into the entry way and scanned past the lush blossoms to the garden’s back wall. He sat on the bench in the corner, knees drawn to his chest, bottle of whiskey beside him.

  “Frankie,” she said.

  He didn’t look at her. “I don’t want any lectures on how I shouldn’t be moping, I shouldn’t be drinking, I shouldn’t be hiding away in a corner, or how soon I’ll get over it.”

  “How about I just sit next to you and not say anything.”

  He raised his head. “That’d be all right.”

  He moved the bottle and she sank down next to him on the bench. He rested his head on her shoulder and they sat, surrounded by sweetly perfumed beauty in the middle of decay.

  About the Author

  A writer since childhood, Alexia Gordon won her first writing prize in the 6th grade. She continued writing through college but put literary endeavors on hold to finish medical school and Family Medicine residency training. She established her medical career then returned to writing fiction.

  Raised in the southeast, schooled in the northeast, she relocated to the west where she completed Southern Methodist University’s Writer’s Path program. She admits Texas brisket is as good as Carolina pulled pork. She practices medicine in North Chicago, IL. She enjoys the symphony, art collecting, embroidery, and ghost stories.

  The Gethsemane Brown Mystery Series

  by Alexia Gordon

  MURDER IN G MAJOR (#1)

  DEATH IN D MINOR (#2)

  KILLING IN C SHARP (#3)

  FATALITY IN F (#4)

  EXECUTION IN E (#5)

  Sign up for Henery Press updates

  and we’ll deliver the latest on new books, sale books, and pre-order books, plus all the happenings in the Hen House!

  CLICK TO SIGN UP

  (Note: we won’t share your email address and you can unsubscribe any time.)

  We’d love to hear what you thought about this book. No matter how brief or how long, reader reviews make a difference. Thank you!

  Henery Press Mystery Books

  And finally, before you go...

  Here are a few other mysteries

  you might enjoy:

  PILLOW STALK

  Diane Vallere

  A Madison Night Mystery (#1)

  Interior Decorator Madison Night might look like a throwback to the sixties, but as business owner and landlord, she proves that independent women can have it all. But when a killer targets women dressed in her signature style—estate sale vintage to play up her resemblance to fave actress Doris Day—what makes her unique might make her dead.

  The local detective connects the new crime to a twenty-year old cold case, and Madison’s long-trusted contractor emerges as the leading suspect. As the body count piles up, Madison uncovers a Soviet spy, a campaign to destroy all Doris Day movies, and six minutes of film that will change her life forever.

  Read all about it—plus all the books, authors, series, and sales you need to find your next favorite read!

  CLICK FOR HENERY PRESS

  PUMPKINS IN PARADISE

  Kathi Daley

  A Tj Jensen Mystery (#1)

  Between volunteering for the annual pumpkin festival and coaching her girls to the state soccer finals, high school teacher Tj Jensen finds her good friend Zachary Collins dead in his favorite chair.

  When the handsome new deputy closes the case without so much as a “why” or “how,” Tj turns her attention from chili cook-offs and pumpkin carving to complex puzzles, prophetic riddles, and a decades-old secret she seems destined to unravel.

  Read all about it—plus all the books, authors, series, and sales you need to find your next favorite read!

  CLICK FOR HENERY PRESS