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Falling On Southport
by M.J. Slater
Book Blurb:
Perfect marriage. Prestigious family. Political privilege. Abigail Lethican’s world unravels when her husband admits to infidelity. Reeling from his betrayal, she follows him—only to become the prime suspect when he turns up dead. With her trial looming and the media circling, she finds an unexpected ally in her handsome and enigmatic neighbor. As they search for the truth, Abigail discovers her husband's polished facade concealed a maze of dangerous secrets. Sometimes, the deadliest lies hide in plain sight.Excerpt:
My grandfather stood erect. His powerful form was equally matched against Jim’s. My grandmother sat in her wheelchair. She was immaculately coiffed with the cardigan of her twin sweater set arranged over her petite shoulders, but her expressionless face remained intent on the wall in front of her.
“Hello, Grandfather!” Bounding down the stairs, I leaped down, hugging him hard and breathing in his scent. “It’s so good to see you.” I kneeled and took my grandmother’s hand in my own. “Hello, Grandmother, I’m your granddaughter, Abigail.”
My grandmother looked up and smiled. “That’s so nice. You know, you have such a nice face, dear. Maybe you can help me. Do you know when they serve lunch on this flight?”
My mother stepped in and wheeled her mother to the kitchen. “Yes, ma’am, lunch is being served right now. Allow me to take you to your seat.”
“She’s getting worse,” I said to no one in particular. “Yes, she is. The doctor is not very positive about her progress. The nature of Alzheimer’s, you know,” Grandfather said, looking up at Jim and clapping him on the shoulder. “I’ve been talking to your fella here, Abigail, and I approve. He has a fine head on his shoulders. I’d better go check on your grandmother and maybe sneak a canapé or two.”
Alone now, I looked at Jim and smiled. “So you’ve met Grandfather. What do you think?”
“I mean, he’s great. I feel giddy. It’s crazy that the senator is your grandfather. He’s been behind every major piece of legislation for forty years.”
“Well, he’s still just Grandfather to me. I’m glad you got a chance to meet him. He means a lot to me.”
Devin walked in, slightly unstable. “Aha, I see you’ve met the esteemed senator and worshiped at his alter no doubt.” Miraculously the words were not slurred. Jim’s fist clenched. “I just introduced myself. You know, you should consider yourself lucky to have such a great man in the family. My grandfather was best known for his moonshine.” He paused. “Then again, maybe you would have had more in common with him than you do the senator.”
Devin’s face grew dark and his chest puffed up, the rage rolling off of him toward Jim. I cut in between them, immediately hit by the smell of alcohol on my brother’s breath. “Relax! Cut it out. This is not the place to start one of your childish fights. Also, you stink of booze. It’s not even two in the afternoon. Keep it together. Dad is going to kill you. Maybe you should go have some coffee. Or let’s all go get something to eat in the kitchen. Mom made deviled eggs. You both like those. Maybe you could bond over that.”
Devin’s hostility toward Jim set off alarm bells in my head. He was a born curmudgeon, but his new predilection for plain cruelty was off-putting. “Just ignore him,” I whispered in Jim’s ear as we headed toward the kitchen door. “Apparently, he and Dad had a big fight. He’s just upset and taking it out on you.”
“That’s no excuse for it. If he wasn’t your brother, I would have taken a swing at him.”
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