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>> Heat Wave Melanie Kent Summary from Backcover: THE HEAT IS ON Summer, 1955: During one of the most brutal heat waves in recent memory, Sam Leaps into a sheriff in small-town Oklahoma. A young white woman has been viciously murdered, and the only suspect is black - an honest man who stands to lose everything if convicted. Sam must move fast to prove the man's innocence - while keeping the peace in a town about to be torn apart by racial violence. Meanwhile, the real killer is watching Sam's every move - waiting for the perfect moment to end the investigation for good ... ISBN: #1-57297-312-9 (USA) Copyright: 1997 by MCA Publishing Rights Printing History: Boulevard edition/November 1997 Pages: 235 Cover Art: Stephen Gardner Excerpt: Gene picked up the phone and listened for a second. He stopped and asked the caller to repeat something. He then pulled the phone away from his ear and handed it to Sam. "Caller said something about murder, Will." Sam's heart began to race as he picked up the heavy black receiver. "Sheriff's office, Sheriff Williams speaking." Gene and Doc stood by the phone, watching Sam. The high-pitched voice on the line gasped for breath, as though the person had been running. After a few deep gasps a voice answered. "Sheriff? Sheriff Williams? You've got to come out here. Real quick." "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down there." As Sam talked into the phone he pulled the notepad from his pocket and sat down to jot the information down. His fingers froze with the pencil poised above the pad. "You're calling to report ... a murder? Doc Adams forgot about having to leave in such a hurry and moved closer to the desk. He leaned over Sam's shoulder and watched what Sam was writing. "What's your name?" Sam asked the caller. "It's Clyde. Clyde Snyder. I work at the Hole. Oh, Sheriff, it's awful. I never saw a dead person before." The voice on the other end of the phone began to rise in pitch and intensity. "Okay, Clyde. Where are you calling from?" |