Following an injury, Atlanta Detective Tammy Sharp returns to her hometown of Pocahontas, Arkansas. Her reasons are twofold: to comfort her mother and unravel the mystery surrounding her Uncle Ellis's untimely demise.
Upon her return, Tammy discovers her ex-boyfriend, Jace Eubanks, has taken up residence just two doors down in a house left to Tammy by her uncle. Adding to her surprise, her mother has found companionship with the local sheriff, whom Tammy begins to view as a potential suspect in her uncle's unsettling death.
As Tammy delves into her investigation, Jace stumbles upon a link between her uncle's death and a long-forgotten individual. Tammy also receives mysterious texts instructing her to find gold her uncle hid or face dire repercussions. Despite uncovering a trail of clues, a critical piece of the puzzle remains elusive.
With a mounting roster of potential suspects, Tammy sets aside her personal sentiments and teams up with Jace to crack the case.
Ultimately, Tammy triumphs by locating the final clue left by her uncle just in time. She uncovers the concealed fortune and identifies the culprit. In the aftermath, she and Jace reconcile and embark on a new chapter together.
Following an injury, Atlanta Detective Tammy Sharp returns to her hometown of Pocahontas, Arkansas. Her reasons are twofold: to comfort her mother and unravel the mystery surrounding her Uncle Ellis's untimely demise.
Upon her return, Tammy discovers her ex-boyfriend, Jace Eubanks, has taken up residence just two doors down in a house left to Tammy by her uncle. Adding to her surprise, her mother has found companionship with the local sheriff, whom Tammy begins to view as a potential suspect in her uncle's unsettling death.
As Tammy delves into her investigation, Jace stumbles upon a link between her uncle's death and a long-forgotten individual. Tammy also receives mysterious texts instructing her to find gold her uncle hid or face dire repercussions. Despite uncovering a trail of clues, a critical piece of the puzzle remains elusive.
With a mounting roster of potential suspects, Tammy sets aside her personal sentiments and teams up with Jace to crack the case.
Ultimately, Tammy triumphs by locating the final clue left by her uncle just in time. She uncovers the concealed fortune and identifies the culprit. In the aftermath, she and Jace reconcile and embark on a new chapter together.
If there was one thing Tammy Gail Sharp had learned over the past ten years as an Atlanta homicide detective, it was never to hesitate when facing a killer. Then what would cause her to stand there like a fool instead of pulling the trigger? Because Chip Reeker looked young enough to be her child.
The child sheâd never have.
The basement in the small home Chip shared with his grandmother reminded Tammy of the sauna she frequented at the gym â tiny and hot enough to melt a bucket of Rocky Road ice cream in seconds. Sweat clung to her scalp, and she had no doubt her chestnut hair looked as greasy as Chipâs bleached blonde locks.
His right hand shook as it clung to the pistol. His open-mouth breathing caused his chest to move up and down. Despite his bloodshot eyes, Chipâs round face almost looked angelic as his finger twitched on the trigger of the 22-caliber pistol in his short, plump hand.
âThereâs no need for anyone to get hurt,â Tammy said as her eyes worked to align with Chipâs. âYour grandmother asked me to stop by to talk to her.â
A tendon in Chipâs neck twitched before he adjusted his view downward. âShe was going to fill your head with lies.â The bulge of his throat rippled with every swallow.
She didnât want to believe heâd shoot her. He hadnât even been on her radar as a suspect in his fatherâs murder â not with his solid alibi. Now that theyâd made an arrest, what could be the reason? And where was his grandmother?
âPlease put the gun down so we can talk.â
The scent of too many animals and dirty bodies in a small space assaulted Tammyâs nostrils as she continued her stare-off with the manchild. Teeny meows broke the silence, followed by loud purrs from a cardboard box at the end of the worn brown sofa. A black cat poked her head out of the box. She meowed again, glanced at Tammy, and disappeared.
As Tammy gripped her Glock 19, she considered ways to diffuse the situation. âChip, please put the gun down. Iâm just here to speak to your grandmother. Thatâs all.â
Chipâs gaze darted to the box of cats and lingered there for a moment. His brows softened, and the hand holding the weapon slackened until it dropped to his side.
Relief twirled inside Tammy. Her gaze left Chip, and she took inventory of the room. Three computer monitors sat on an L-shaped desk. A massive TV screen hung on the wall above the desk. A plush black office chair and gaming consoles completed the space. Bright images of a virtual world kept flashing on the screens.
The only door in the room creaked open a few inches. A dim light shined on a pedestal sink. Tammy froze. Miss Reeker peeked out from around the bottom of the door. Dried blood was caked around her nose. She moaned and struggled to sit up.
A burst of panic lit Chipâs eyes right before he thundered toward Tammy.
In the blink of an eye, Tammy whirled about and advanced on Chip. Using the butt of her gun, she struck him across the head. He fell to his knees and glared at his grandma and Tammy. Tears pooled on his lashes.
Tammy anchored her gaze to his as the bullet tore through her chest. Her back hit the wall, but she didnât feel it. Her legs buckled. She crumbled to the floor.
Chip didnât spare her a glance as he escaped up the stairs. She shouldâve disarmed him. Because of her reluctance to shoot, she could meet the same fate Daddy had all those years ago.
What a stupid rookie mistake.
It couldnât have been more than a minute before Tammyâs partner, Thomas Riggs, yelled for her to stay with him. Where had he been anyway? Outside on the phone. Thatâs right. He mustâve heard the gunshot. His face seemed to jump around as he leaned over her. He pressed something on her chest as he yelled into his radio, âOfficer down!â
As Thomasâs breath tickled her cheek, a sweet chocolate scent reached her nose. He mustâve been in the candy stash she thought sheâd hidden. What an odd thing to think about. Shouldnât her life be flashing through her mind?
Another officer leaned on Tammyâs other side. She pointed at Miss Reeker. It seemed to take every ounce of strength to speak, but she had to. âHelp her,â she moaned and pinched her eyelids tight.
Thomas moved close to Tammy's ear. âIâm so sorry. I shouldnât have ever let you come in alone.â
Let? Did he say he shouldnât have let her come in? Theyâd been partners for almost five years â surely, he knew no one let Tammy Gail Sharp do anything.
âYouâre one of the strongest people I know, Tammy. Stay with me!â
Tammy wanted to live, but she couldnât find the will to open her eyes. She tried to tell him it was okay. If only her mouth would cooperate.
As darkness loomed, she wondered how sheâd greet Daddy on the other side.
Atlanta Detective Tammy Sharp was in the hospital recovering from an on-duty gunshot injury at the time of her uncle's death back in Pocahontas Arkansas. Tammy is having trauma-related emotions as well as grieving the loss of her uncle and worrying about her mother who is trying to deal with these events. Once recovered enough, Tammy decides to be with her mother for the time being and travels back to the little town where she grew up. Once there she feels she has traveled back in time and discovers her former boyfriend has also moved back. Waves of emotion and memories consume her at first seeing Jace Eubanks, who had broken her heart some years back. The nostalgia of former times with Jace and observing her mother starting a relationship with the town sheriff have Tammy on an emotional rollercoaster. Then the real craziness begins with a burglar in her mother's house, a fire started outside another time, and text messages to Tammy's phone from an unknown source warning her about dire repercussions. Tammy and her mother do not believe that Uncle Ellis' death was an accident and now they are pursuing every lead to find the killer among them.
Several interesting characters in the story are involved in some way or other with the investigation and many clues are exposed that Tammy needs to unravel. This is not a simple who-done-it type of novel. This is a fast-paced and complicated tale with lots of action. It is also an emotional journey into Tammy's past with heightened feelings about Jace interwoven with pain and anguish of what used to be. She also questions about what she wants in her future. Tammy has lingering issues from being a shooting victim as a detective that now confounds her abilities as an investigator of her uncle's death. I found the characters are multi-dimensional and endearing with complicated personal histories that brought a lot of depth to the story. There are many twists and turns to keep up the suspense and ultimately a few surprises that speed up the action even more. Readers who enjoy a little romance in their novels can have that too. I rate this book a 4/5.