This posting is a day late for a couple of reason. As I write it, I’m in a hotel in Wrightsville Beach right next door to Wilmington where much of the action of Sand Sharks take place, but my internet connection is too iffy to connect properly and I forgot to pack the little gizmo that sends pictures from my camera to my laptop.
After lunch at “Jonah’s” yesterday, we walked along the River Walk and took pictures of the exact spot where a judge’s body was found.
The log that you see here below is the twin of one Deborah thought she was seeing when she originally spotted him.
In the spring of 2008 when I was first began the book, Megan Verlee, a young reporter from the local NPR station and one of my courtesy nieces, offered to drive me around Wilmington and show me aspects I might have missed on earlier visits. We were down on the River Walk when I came across this site. “It’s perfect, “ I said, snapping away with my camera. Megan pointed out the craggy branches that might catch and hold the dog leash with which the judge was strangled.
We were so absorbed that we didn’t notice that someone had paused to watch until we heard a cultured South Carolina accent from behind us. “Excuse me?”
We turned and saw an elegant older woman in pearls and a designer suit. “May I ask what y’all are looking at?”
Megan’s eyes danced with mischief. “We’re just looking for a good place to dump a body.”
Without blinking or missing a beat, the woman said, “Oh my. Now isn't that interesting?” and drifted on down the River Walk.
By the time you read this, I will have met with my judge friends here and heard their critique of the legal aspects of Christmas Mourning, which is tentatively scheduled for November 2010.
(Postscript: Happily, they say I didn’t let Deborah make any reversible errors in her courtroom rulings!)
