BOOK PREVIEW
CODE ORANGE CANCUN
1: Serena
No more tears now; I will think about
revenge.
Mary, Queen of Scots
BADSELL MANOR
KENT, ENGLAND
I stared at
the monitor and blinked hard. It
felt like some invisible hand had seized my throat, which was totally
ridiculous. I was alone in the room. Just Unix, Macintosh and me.
On the screen, a news article had popped up, marking
the ten-year anniversary of a tragic hit-and-run accident. The photo of a
mangled dark blue SUV dominated the page. The forgotten odors of spilled petrol
and oil slammed my senses and my hand flew to the small scar over my right
temple. I gagged. My eyes watered as I swallowed hard to push down the unbidden
bile.
The sensible thing would have been to click off, but
I hadn't seen this particular story before. I scrolled to the next photo.
It was a headshot of a young couple. Smiling at the
camera. Doctors Marlena and Martin Vandermer. Killed in a senseless accident.
Survived by their four-year-old daughter Serena.
My parents.
