Title: Closure
Author: FJ Donohue
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Book Blurb:
Sean McCarthy lives with the guilt of his father's failure to solve a crime. Years back, a child was abducted and as a boy Sean saw the vehicle. Now 40 years later he sees it again. If he cannot unravel the mystery, a heinous crime will go unsolved. He will never have closure.
If you like a gripping short read novella, this Upstate Mystery is for you!
Excerpt:
It was late in the afternoon on a hot August day in Scranton back in 1975. Sean McCarthy was sitting on his front steps looking out over the street, waiting for his dad to come home from work. They would be playing catch at the park that evening. He noticed a neighborhood kid, Eddie Filmore walking down the street. He was about four houses away on the other side. A slick 1975 Pontiac Bonneville 4-door hardtop with a two-tone blue paint job pulled up next to Eddie. The boy started talking with the driver. Then he got in the car. Eddie waved as the car drove by. Eddie was never seen again.
The Scranton Times-Tribune usually arrived by mail two to three days after publication. Sixty miles between Binghamton and Scranton yet 2-3 days by mail. Such is the modern age thought Sean. He could read a digital version but he was more comfortable with a newspaper in hand. He liked the feel of it. Like all the newspapers today, the Times-Tribune was struggling with providing a good local news feed. Not enough money to pay reporters. The whole industry was changing so rapidly.
It was a Saturday morning about four weeks ago. Two editions of the Times-Tribune were on the kitchen table waiting for him. The High School football season was long over and the school year was winding down. He had taught three classes this year. Geometry/Trigonometry, Algebra II and AP math, which meant a heavier dose of calculus. Although most of his problem children were in the Geometry/Trig class, he still enjoyed it the most. Geometry and trig could take you to a place where you defined spatial relationships. Some of them saw that, others didn't, but all told, he had good kids this year.
Now he had time to catch up on the hometown news. He wasn’t really concentrating just leafing through the papers looking for something to catch his interest. Mostly just looking at pictures. He was in the local news section of the Thursday paper when a picture jumped out at him.
“Jesus Jenny!” cried Sean, “it can’t be!”
“Are you talking to me?” asked Moira. She had just come into the kitchen. “You don't look well at all, is something wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost.”
“Well,” said Sean, “maybe closer than you think.”
“Seriously Sean, you don’t look well. What's going on?”
“Do you remember me telling you about the kid on our street back when I was 12 or so who got into a car and was never seen again?”
“Not in any great detail,” replied Moira, “but I do remember you and your sister talking about it at a family gathering.”
Sean handed her the paper and pointed to the picture. According to the reporter, it was a 1975 Pontiac Bonneville 4 door hardtop. It was in original condition, never restored. Other than the usual repairs like battery, brakes, plugs, tires, etc., the car was an original according to the newspaper. The article said it was a Scranton car and had stayed local.
"That's the car! The one that took Eddie! I'm sure of it!"
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Why is your featured book a must-read?
It shows how a man’s commitment to the memory of his father helps unravel a long unsolved mystery.
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Author Biography:
I’m a retired International Sales Director, having worked in the commercial and military flight simulation industry for over 30 years. I lived in Brussels (Belgium) and Bonn (Germany) for eight years and met my British wife in Brussels. Before my career in the flight simulation industry, I was an Armaments and Electronics Maintenance Officer in the USAF during the Viet Nam conflict. We have three children and seven grandchildren.
Since retirement I continue to chase an ever-elusive golf game.
Home is a small town in central New York State where the novellas are set.
I'm a volunteer mediator and Lemon Law arbitrator and this occasionally appears in the stories. An underlying theme in my novellas is people helping people. In spite of the difficulties and crime that may surround us, there is always hope in friendship and good neighbors.