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  Incident on Ten-Right Road © 2019 Randall Silvis

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used factiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

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  For more information contact:

  Riverdale Avenue Books/Dagger Imprint

  5676 Riverdale Avenue

  Riverdale, NY 10471

  www.riverdaleavebooks.com

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  Cover photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

  Digital ISBN: 9781626015104

  Trade ISBN 9781626015111

  Hardcover ISBN 9781626015128

  The short Story “Snap” originally appeared in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

  First edition, June 2019

  Praise for Randall Silvis’ Work

  A LONG WAY DOWN, Sourcebooks Landmark

  Ryan DeMarco Mystery series Book #3, forthcoming June 2019

  “Silvis is at it again, striving for a blend of crime story and literature, mutilated bodies and lapidary prose.”

  —Booklist

  “Words cannot adequately describe this novel and Silvis’ beautiful writing. He infuses lush, poetic and evocative descriptions [with] plenty of action and suspense to drive this thriller; however, Silvis has a unique way of reaching down into the soul of his haunted characters… There is darkness, suspense, action, misery, death, violence. Despair and sorrow. But there is also good, beauty, joy, hope, compassion and light. A series not to be missed!”

  —JDC MustReadBooks

  FIRST THE THUNDER, Thomas & Mercer

  AN AMAZON TOP TEN BESTSELLER

  “Randall Silvis is an author’s author. Those who write for a living (or aspire to do so) could hardly do better than to study his significant body of work, which has been critically acclaimed and recognized throughout the world… First the Thunder is an impressive work—one of this year’s best—by an author who never disappoints. Set aside a long evening and start reading. You won’t want to stop, even as you reach the end of the story.”

  —Bookreporter.com

  “Silvis is a self-made master of fiction. His writing elicits visceral imagery, palpable conflict, and a core understanding of the human condition. First the Thunder is no different. A redemptive story of heartbreaking brilliance, First the Thunder is a must-have on your library shelves.”

  —Bestselling author Susan Wingate, host of

  Dialogue: Between the Lines radio podcast

  ONLY THE RAIN, Thomas & Mercer

  AN AMAZON FIRST READS SELECTION

  AN AMAZON #1 BESTSELLER

  “A gifted storyteller, a master of complicated human souls, Randall Silvis brings readers…a remarkable heartrending blend of literary, drama, mystery, suspense, and psychological thriller. Most importantly, as with all Randall Silvis books, Only the Rain is thought-provoking and insightful. The author’s lyrical prose is spellbinding, drawing you into the raw and emotional world of his characters.”

  —LibraryThing.com

  “Only The Rain is noir at its best—dark and tender, beautiful and brutal. A classic crime novel for the modern age.”

  —Rebecca Drake, best-selling author of

  Just Between Us

  WALKING THE BONES, Sourcebooks Landmark

  A BEST BOOK OF 2018: JDC MUST READ BOOKS

  “Silvis’ deeply satisfying sequel to Two Days Gone (is) filled with the psychological language of memory and dreams (and) heart-pounding moments of suspense…. Silvis smoothly blends moments of exquisite beauty into a sea of darker emotion to create a moving story heavy with the theme of the ‘past is never past.’”

  —Publisher’s Weekly starred review

  “Walking the Bones is a tour de force. I read this novel in one long, breathless gasp. Outstanding!”

  —Karen Dionne, international bestselling author of

  The Marsh King’s Daughter

  TWO DAYS GONE, Sourcebooks Landmark

  FINALIST FOR THE HAMMETT PRIZE FOR LITERARY EXCELLENCE IN CRIME WRITING

  “A gripping new literary thriller… The fact that this book will be marketed as genre fiction is misleading; it’s more than that. It’s literature posing as a mystery…one of the best reading investments you will make this year.”

  —BookPage

  “…a suspenseful, literary thriller that will resonate with readers long after the book is finished. A terrific choice for Dennis Lehane fans.”

  —Library Journal starred review

  “(In this) chilly suspense novel…Silvis tells his parallel stories… with finely tuned sensitivity.”

  —New York Times Book Review

  THE BOY WHO SHOOTS CROWS, Penguin/Berkley

  A BARNES & NOBLE BOOKSELLER’S PICK

  EDITOR’S PICK JANUARY MAGAZINE

  “(A) stunning, elegiac tale of love and loss....”

  —Minneapolis Star Tribune

  “A masterpiece... a work of genius, a novel so filled with such immense imagery and strength as to make you catch your breath.... I cannot recommend this book more strongly.”

  —Over My Dead Body Magazine

  “Poetically written, finely-wrought, richly imagined... a literary thriller of the first order. Randall Silvis gets to the hearts and souls of his characters like few other, if any, novelists….”

  —New York Times bestselling author John Lescroart

  IN A TOWN CALLED MUNDOMUERTO, Omnidawn

  EDITOR’S CHOICE TOP TEN BEST BOOKS OF 2007, SFSITE.COM

  “This beautiful, melancholy novel from Silvis unfolds as a timeless Central American seaside fable… A masterful storyteller, Silvis doesn’t waste a word in this tale about ‘the tart nectar of memory’s flower.’”

  —Publishers Weekly starred review

  HEART SO HUNGRY, Knopf Canada, Vintage Canada

  A TORONTO GLOBE & MAIL

  BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

  REPUBLISHED AS NORTH OF UNKNOWN

  BY THE LYONS PRESS

  “Through Silvis’ masterful research, empathetic sensitivity, and skilled storytelling, readers are treated to a tantalizing adventure that celebrates one woman’s steadfast love and uncommon courage.”

  —Booklist

  “Vivid, comprehensive, and compelling.... Heart So Hungry is a notable addition to the literature of northern exploration.”

  — The Globe and Mail

  DISQUIET HEART, Thomas Dunne Books

  EDITOR’S PICK JANUARY MAGAZINE

  RE-RELEASED BY SOURCEBOOKS LANDMARK 2017

  “There have been, in the past five or six years, several books written with Edgar Allan Poe as a protagonist. None has brought the man so clearly to life as Mr. Silvis has done.”

  —The Blue Iris Review

  “Atmospheric and cleverly researched, (Disquiet Heart) races to a sparkling denouement.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Moody, emotionally tortured, and convincingly atmospheric, (Disquiet Heart provides) a graphically described descent into Poe’s opiate addictions.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  ON NIGHT’S SHORE, Thomas Dunne Books

  NEW YORK TIMES

  RECOMMENDED READING LIST

  RE-RELEASED BY SOURCEBOOKS LANDMARK 2017

  “A riveting tale of murder and betrayal…. On Night’s Shore drips with descriptive power.”

  —The New York Post
r />   MYSTICUS, Wolfhawk Books

  “Mysticus is that rarest of rare books, the one that stays in the brain long after the hands have put it down, the book that heaves the heart as much as it haunts the head, the book for the longest of the long runs that yet remain.”

  —Lee K. Abbott, author of Living after Midnight

  “Lyrical and parodic, philosophical and stylish and elegant. A tour de force. Mysticus is Silvis’s most important novel to date…a book that washes away genre like passing steps on wet sand; a book where literature and thought are the heroes.”

  —Collages & Bricolages,

  An International Literary Magazine

  DEAD MAN FALLING, Carroll & Graf

  “A superbly written and eminently readable crime novel.”

  —Booklist

  “Randall Silvis’s voice moves with a subtle depth and compassion that entrances the reader, drawing one deep within this absorbing narrative. Very highly recommended.”

  —WordWeaving,com

  UNDER THE RAINBOW, Permanent Press

  “A funny, engaging journey toward some pretty sweet truths.”

  —The New York Times Book Review

  “One of the funniest books of the year. It is about human resiliency as much as human oddness, and its message is ultimately upbeat. Highly recommended.”

  —Library Journal

  AN OCCASIONAL HELL

  PERMANENT PRESS, BALLANTINE BOOKS

  FINALIST FOR THE HAMMETT PRIZE FOR LITERARY EXCELLENCE IN CRIME WRITING

  “The storyline is riveting—complex, convoluted, and compelling; Silvis engages the reader from first word to last. I couldn’t put this novel down.”

  —Los Angeles Reader

  “An Occasional Hell is a first-rate novel, a fast-paced, highly suspenseful murder mystery so very well written that it brings new literary distinction to the genre. A stunning performance by a writer of exceptional talent.”

  —John W. Aldridge, author of

  Talents and Technicians

  EXCELSIOR, Henry Holt

  “A funny and touching fable (transformed by) the author’s gift for tart comic dialogue and screwball invention. A ruefully comic, entertaining and ultimately impressive first novel.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Splendidly funny scenes. (The main character) is ingratiating and despicable; he has a complex appeal to the best and worst in human nature.”

  —Pittsburgh Press

  THE LUCKIEST MAN IN THE WORLD

  UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH PRESS, AVON BOOKS

  WINNER OF THE DRUE HEINZ LITERATURE PRIZE

  “Silvis is an engaging storyteller... seductively entertaining. (His) ear for natural speech and eye for the ways individuals accommodate themselves to their perceived reality is combined with the dark humor that has the pulse of life.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Wonderful stories. Randall Silvis is a masterful storyteller.”

  —New York Times Book Review

  For my sons, Bret and Nathan

  heart of my soul

  soul of my heart

  

  Table of Contents

  Incident on Ten-Right Road

  Watch and Listen

  A Little Rest

  Snap

  On the Verge

  And Sometimes the Abyss Winks at You

  About the Author

  Also by Randall Silvis

  Author’s Note

  This collection of crime stories includes scenes, images, and language that might be considered graphic and unsettling, and is not suitable for immature readers. The title novella is a prequel to my Ryan DeMarco Mystery Series; its action takes place eight years prior to the action of the first novel in that series, Two Days Gone.

  The story “Snap” originally appeared in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

  If you enjoy these stories, please let others know about them.

  An Amazon review would be greatly appreciated.

  Incident on Ten-Right Road

  Case # 20-N-09AC-20-2009/08/12

  Victim: Meghan Malinda Fletcher, 19, Caucasian

  Investigator: Sgt. Ryan DeMarco, Pennsylvania State Police Troop D, Mercer County PA

  The following case notes and interview transcripts (with additional notes recorded immediately post-interview, or sometimes post my transcription of the interview) have been prepared for my own personal reference. Pertinent pauses and sounds have been indicated in the transcript. No other use of this document is authorized without my written consent.

  On the afternoon of August 13th, after conducting an initial investigation into the incident occurring in the early morning hours of August 12th at 201 Ten-Right Road in French Creek Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, French Creek Township Chief of Police Lloyd Melvin contacted the State Police to request assistance from their evidence recovery team. Not long afterward, he indicated to Troop D Station Commander Lukovich that a full homicide investigation was not something his three-man department could handle effectively. Commander Lukovich assigned the case to me. The following narrative was reconstructed from a verbal summary provided to me by Chief Melvin.

  On the evening of August 11th, from approximately 7:20 p.m.-12:40 a.m., Meghan Fletcher (19) and Tad (Theodore) Blyler (25), both residents of Mercer County, were observed by several individuals at the Taco King Grille on Route 22 one half-mile south of Hubbard, Ohio. They had dinner in a booth in the restaurant section, then moved to the barroom where they danced and played pool until leaving for home.

  According to bartender Shirley Eppinger (48), Fletcher consumed two cans of Diet 7-Up while in the barroom area; Blyler consumed eight shots of Jack Daniels. The restaurant receipt shows an additional soft drink for Ms. Fletcher, two draft beers for Blyler. Blyler later denied to Chief Melvin that he had shared any of his whiskey with Fletcher, but admitted that “she might have sneaked a sip or two” when he wasn’t looking.

  Two other customers (Laitshaw and Pizzuti, on separate Individuals Questioned Contact list) stated that Fletcher and Blyler argued prior to leaving the establishment for the evening. The argument started in the pool table area, but was continued outside after first Fletcher, then Blyler exited the building. The argument apparently concerned Fletcher conversing with her former boyfriend, Alex Gessler (21). Gessler and Fletcher ended their relationship shortly after his graduation from West Middlesex High School; Fletcher and Blyler started dating that same summer. However, according to Melissa (Missy) Cochran (19), who identified herself to Chief Melvin as Fletcher’s best friend, Fletcher continued to “hook up with” Gessler on the sly whenever he was home from Denison College, which was approximately once a month and over school holidays.

  At the time of her death, Ms. Fletcher was a part-time student at Mercer County Community College, and worked approximately 25 hours per week at the local 7-Eleven convenience store.

  Cochran also stated that Blyler was “jealous as hell” and “would have dropped Alex on the spot” had he known about the continuing relationship between Gessler and Fletcher. Blyler is a former Amish, having left the community after rumspringa; he has lived on his own for the past three years. He is employed as a carpenter with Bryce Construction.

  Eppinger stated, and was corroborated by Laitshaw and Pizzuti, that after the argument outside the establishment, which lasted for approximately 10 minutes, Blyler returned to pay the bar tab. He and Fletcher then drove away in his pickup truck. The time was approximately 12:40 a.m. Eppinger stated that Blyler did not appear drunk but “he did look mad enough at somebody to do some damage.”

  At approximately 1:11 a.m., Blyler’s truck was seen pulling into the driveway at 201 Ten-Right Road by Richard Mark Hickman (63), resident of 100 Ten-Right Road, the only neighbor of Meghan Fletcher and her mother Junie (36). The houses face each other across opposite sides of the road. Ten-Right Road is a gravel lane approximately 100 yards off old Route 68 in French Creek Township; it dead-ends at a small gra
vel parking lot at the entrance to State Game Lands #42.

  Hickman is a retired science teacher at French Creek Area High School, from which Fletcher and Cochran graduated. He stated to Chief Melvin that he was in his side yard watching the Perseid meteor shower through a pair of astronomical binoculars mounted on a tripod when Blyler dropped Fletcher off at her home, and that she climbed out of his truck “in a hurry,” then ran up onto the porch, appeared to fish a key out of a hanging basket containing a spider plant, unlocked the front door, returned the key to the basket, and entered the house. Blyler’s pickup truck then “tore off with a godawful squeal of tires.” The time was “precisely 1:11,” according to Hickman. Shortly after that, he said, the lights went out in the Fletcher home. He continued to watch for meteors for another half-hour or so, then went inside to bed. He heard no other anomalous or suspicious sounds that night, and slept until approximately 8:00 a.m. the following morning.

  Junie Fletcher, mother of the victim, later stated to Chief Melvin that she was in bed but awake when her daughter arrived home. She did not rise out of bed or speak to her daughter but took note of the time, which corroborates her neighbor’s statement: 1:11 a.m.

  Junie Fletcher stated that she rose from bed at 5:05 that morning, washed and dressed for the morning shift at the Belmont Diner on route 19, a brisk 20-minute walk from her home. At approximately 5:25 she scribbled a note for her daughter and left it under the saltshaker on the kitchen counter: Meg—I’m running late and its raining so I’m taken the truck. Besides your grounded. One day for every minute late just like I said would happen. C u around 2. Love you!!! According to Chief Melvin, the rain started at approximately 4:00 a.m. that morning and “kept drizzling” until approximately 6:30 a.m.