Rising Moon: A Jesse McDermitt Novel (Caribbean Adventure Series Book 19) Read online

  “And more rigid,” I said. “Balsa core with carbon fiber mat.”

  “What’s this?” she asked, looking sideways at the board’s nose.

  I held it up, so the image painted on the tip was upright. “It’s said that if you save a life, you’re responsible for it.”

  When I moved the board in front of my face, covering one eye, she gasped. “It’s a picture of your eye.”

  I moved the board to the side and winked. “I’ll be watching you, Cobie.”

  She flung her arms around me and the tears began to flow. Finally, she broke free and picked up her new board. “The kids are gonna freak.”

  Then she turned to Donna and asked, “Can I take it over to Cable Park and try it out?”

  I could see the fear in Donna’s eyes. She’d almost lost her child and I knew she never wanted to let Cobie out of her sight again. Donna looked at me and I nodded.

  “Be back in time for dinner,” she said.

  Cobie ran into the trailer to change.

  “I took her to a cosmetic surgeon in Orlando,” Donna said, explaining the bandage. “When I explained the circumstances, he agreed to perform the surgery immediately. It’s almost healed, but she doesn’t want to see it till it’s gone. Thank you for that and for everything else. The scar would have been a constant reminder.”

  “She’ll be okay,” I said. “Give her time. I have a friend she should talk to and get to know.”

  “Oh?”

  “Her name’s Charity Styles. She was on the swim team in the Sydney Olympics and won a medal.”

  “I’ve heard of her.”

  “After 9/11, Charity became an Army helicopter pilot and flew missions in Afghanistan. She was shot down and captured by the Taliban.”

  Donna’s hand went to her mouth.

  I nodded somberly. “She endured the same thing Cobie went through. We work together sometimes.”

  “Work together?”

  “After the Army, she became a cop in Miami, then worked for a while with Homeland Security. She’s a martial arts expert in many disciplines and now works with my agency from time to time.”

  “She lives here in the Keys?” Donna asked, as Cobie came running out of the house.

  “I won’t be long,” she said, giving her mother a hug. Then she turned to me. She’d removed the bandage and the scar was healing very well. “Thank you, Mister McDermitt.”

  Then, like a flash, she’d hopped in the little Ford and was driving away.

  I looked beyond the flats just to the north, where an old sailboat rode at anchor about a hundred yards out.

  “Charity doesn’t exactly live anywhere,” I said, in reply to Donna’s question. “That’s her boat out there, Wind Dancer. I’ve asked her to be Cobie’s storm.”

  Donna looked puzzled. “Storm?”

  “Something a wise old man told me,” I replied mystically.

  “Where is she?”

  I shrugged. “Probably over at Cable Park.”

  Don’t miss the next exciting Jesse McDermitt novel, Rising Tide, to be released on April 26, 2021. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PDWCJ6M

  If you’d like to receive my newsletter, please sign up on my website:

  www.waynestinnett.com.

  Every two weeks, I’ll bring you insights into my private life and writing habits, with updates on what I’m working on, special deals I hear about, and new books by other authors that I’m reading.

  Charity Styles Series

  Merciless Charity

  Ruthless Charity

  Reckless Charity

  Enduring Charity

  Vigilant Charity

  Jesse McDermitt Series

  Fallen Out

  Fallen Palm

  Fallen Hunter

  Fallen Pride

  Fallen Mangrove

  Fallen King

  Fallen Honor

  Fallen Tide

  Fallen Angel

  Fallen Hero

  Rising Storm

  Rising Fury

  Rising Force

  Rising Charity

  Rising Water

  Rising Spirit

  Rising Thunder

  Rising Warrior

  Rising Moon

  Rising Tide

  The Gaspar’s Revenge Ship’s Store is open. There, you can purchase all kinds of swag related to my books. You can find it at

  www.gaspars-revenge.com

  As I write these closing remarks, it is the morning of October 23, 2020. On this day in 1983, Islamic extremists detonated two truck bombs, which rocked the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 307, including 220 of my fellow Marines. I think of them often; on a mission of peace, they were mostly young men with a full life ahead of them, cut short by Hezbollah cowards. I will never forget.

  Knowing that I would finish this book some time around this day, I brought back an older character, Owen “Tank” Tankersley, who was with Jesse on that fateful day in 1983. This allowed me to explore Jesse’s emotions more fully and try to explain why he is the way he is, what drives him to “stand up” when needed. I’m quite pleased with the result and hope you were too.

  A special thanks to the people at Aurora Publicity who have made it possible for my books to now be purchased just about anywhere books are sold. Since earlier this year, they have slowly been introducing my books to a much wider audience.

  Thanks also to Lala Projects for the seamless integration of my website and for the beard-o-meter. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out at www.waynestinnett.com. It’s a hoot. When they learned I tend to let my beard grow between releases, they came up with this crazy idea to use my ‘man-hair’ growth as a progress bar of sorts.

  As always, I give thanks to my wife and family for their support. Sometimes, even without knowing it, they contribute directly to the story. Greta is and always will be my anchor, holding me fast in turbulent waters.

  I’ll be sending the second draft to my beta team shortly, which is made up of long-time friends, fellow Marines, pilots, doctors, lawyers, fishermen, divers, and locals in the Fabulous Florida Keys. Without their knowledge and insight, this story would be kinda drab. We can thank Jason Hebert, Mike Ramsey, Glenn Hibbert, Dana Vihlen, Debbie Kocol, Alan Fader, Tom Crisp, John Trainer, Katy McKnight, Charles Hofbauer, Drew Mutch, Charles Hanner, Deg Priest, Rick Iossi, and Debbie Cross, for this not being so boring.

  After my beta team, the manuscript goes to the desk of Marsha Zinberg with The Write Touch editing service. The two weeks she spends polishing my manuscripts is one of the most important steps to turn a story into a novel. Thanks also to my final proofreader, Donna Rich, who always has the last critical eye on my work.

  Then the manuscript goes into the studio for audiobook recording. While Nick Sullivan doesn’t read it with a critical eye to prose or grammar, he does find things that might be changed to make the overall listening experience, and by default, reading experience, even better.

  The interior look of this book came from the formatting skills of Colleen Sheehan of Ampersand Book Interiors. Thanks also to my cover designer Shayne Rutherford, of Wicked Good Book Covers, who makes sure the outside look of the book catches the readers’ eye.

  As you can see, there are a lot of people involved in bringing you this story, but it all started with a story. A lot of my story ideas come straight from TV shows like Forensic Files, which Greta and I watch every evening. This novel is no exception. What happened to Cobie Murphy happens more often than you know and not usually with the same outcome.

  Lastly, I owe a heart-felt thanks to you, my readers. Without your continued support of my work, none of this would have happened. You’ve made it possible for a 62-year old man to realize the dream of his 12-year old former self. Thank you.

 

 

  or reading books on Archive.