Guilty Until Proven Innocent by Robert Archibald - Book Tour + Giveaway
Mystery/Thriller
Date Published: July 17, 2020
Publisher: Blue Fortune Enterprises LLC, Cactus Mystery Press
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When Sherry and Beth discover what their boyfriends have been up to, they want in on the action. Working as vigilantes and providing justice for wrongs committed is a noble thing to do, but the women decide the stakes need to change.
Once again, the conflict is personal.
This follow-up to Roundabout Revenge follows former Professor Phil Philemon as he and his friends continue to seek elusive justice for victims who may not have been able to speak for themselves. Lurking in chat rooms, the group finds a large number of women who have been sexually harassed on the job. Sexually harassed in horrible ways. Harassed until their jobs, their reputations, and their sanity is on the line. And what they find is that the story of he said-she said is not always one that ends well.
But not everything goes as planned, and soon the four friends need to come to terms with a larger reality, including a crime of arson and an FBI investigation.
Excerpt
Bob turned around and
looked at Sherry. Oh my God, thought Sherry.
He’s going to recognize my car. The
other guy saw her car too, and he pulled out his pistol and began shooting at
her. A shot hit the windshield on the passenger side shattering it spraying a
few small shards of glass toward Sherry.
In a panic, Sherry jammed
her car into reverse and backed away fast. She heard a couple more shots, but they
didn’t hit her car. After backing up about 200 yards, she shifted into drive
and turned on to a farm road. While her compact sedan wasn’t great on dirt
roads, Sherry sped. She knew this farm road, a shortcut to her house. She
seldom used it. A closed gate was situated at the far end of the road. At the
gate, she slammed on her brakes and hurried out of the car. She glanced back
down the way she’d come. Bob probably knows this road, too. No one was
coming. She drove through the gate and stopped on the other side. She had
always been taught to close gates behind her.
When Sherry got to the
main road, she half expected Bob and the other guy would be waiting for her. Luckily,
they weren’t there. Driving quickly to her house, she ran in the front door
shouting for her mother. When she found her in the kitchen, she ran to her
saying, “Mom, we’ve got to pack a few things and get out of here in a hurry.”
“What? Slow down dear.
What are you saying?” her mother said.
Sherry took a deep
breath. “On my way home, I witnessed a shooting. Bob McFall, you know, from
down the road, and someone else ran two people off the road and then dragged
them out of their car and shot them.”
“Oh my God. How
terrible!”
“Yes, and I’m pretty sure
Bob recognized my car. They took a few shots at me as I drove away. We’ve got
to get out of here. I’m a witness, so they’re sure to come after me. Go
upstairs and put a few things in a suitcase. We can find a place in town to
spend the night.”
Gladys Ahearn didn’t
climb the stairs quickly. Sherry had started throwing things in a small bag. A
car pulled up, so she ran to the window. It was Bob McFall and the other guy.
Thinking quickly, Sherry moved to the side of the window. She’d have been a
perfect silhouette if she kept standing in front. She told her mother to stay
away from the windows.
“What’s happening?” asked
her mother.
“They’re here!” Sherry yelled.
She looked out the window
again and saw Bob and his friend get out of their car and take out two big gas
cans, two boards, and a hammer from the trunk of the car. One of them went to
Sherry’s car and splashed gas on it. He then backed away and threw a lit match
on the car. It went up in flames with a big whoosh.
About the Author
Robert Archibald was born in New Jersey and grew up in Oklahoma and Arizona. After receiving a BA from the University of Arizona, he was drafted and served in Viet Nam. He then earned a M.S. and Ph.D in economics from Purdue University. Bob had a 41-year career at the College of William & Mary. While he had several stints as an administrator, department chair, director of the public policy program, and interim dean of the faculty, Bob was always proud to be promoted back to the faculty. He lives with his wife of 47 years, Nancy, in Williamsburg, Virginia.
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