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    Guest of Honor: A Novelette
    Guest of Honor: A Novelette
    Guest of Honor: A Novelette
    Ebook68 pages52 minutes

    Guest of Honor: A Novelette

    By Mark S. R. Peterson

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    About this ebook

    18-year old Megan Dust lives the wild life. Parties, booze, boys--you name it, she does it. Her parents don't care what she does, and when she is home they ignore her. Their attitude started over a year ago when Megan's older brother was tragically killed in a car accident.

    Then, when her parents die on the same road that took her brother, Megan decides to start over and move far away. She auctions off her parents' property, a country home in northwestern Minnesota, and heads down to the Twin Cities.

    Megan knows hitchhiking is dangerous, but lately has become a way of life. And this time is no different. She gets picked up by Bart Simms, an attorney from Minneapolis, who agrees to take her where she needs to go. But only after he conducts a bit of estate planning business.

    The Engels are a farming family who live not far from Megan's old place. They revel peacefully in their secluded backwoods sanctuary, and have a strong desire to keep as much of the government away from their family's farming legacy. Hence the reason they sought the impecable skills of Bart Simms, who has a deep reputation for saving many family farms from unwanted death and estate taxes.

    But Megan has a problem with the Engels. She has never heard of them, and she's lived in the area all of her life.

    When she explores their home, she finds more that is out of sorts. She discovers a picture of a teenage girl. A girl who resembles that of a recent murder victim from Minneapolis.

    Is there more to this backwoods family than meets the eye?

    This suspenseful story was inspired by the gruesome real-life tales of Ed Gein and the Master of Horror himself Stephen King.

    Also included in this is a bonus serial killer short story titled "Hatchet Harry".

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMark S. R. Peterson
    Release dateApr 20, 2013
    ISBN9781301076635
    Guest of Honor: A Novelette
    Author

    Mark S. R. Peterson

    Born in small-town northwestern Minnesota, Mark S. R. Peterson knew he had a love of writing as far back as 2nd grade.His genre interests are as expansive as his musical tastes–from classics like Mozart and Beethoven to heavy metal like Poison and Metallica. He writes thrillers, horror, science fiction, and fantasy, and even dabbles into nonfiction and inspirational.He is a graduate of Bemidji State University, majoring in criminal justice and psychology. He wrote his first book between homework and achieving his 2nd Dan black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He has over 15 years of law enforcement experience and currently lives, according to a Washington Post article, in the “ugliest county” in the United States.BEHOLDER’S EYE is his first published thriller novel, the first in his Central Division Series. KILLZONE is the first in his Shadowkill trilogy.

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      Book preview

      Guest of Honor - Mark S. R. Peterson

      GUEST OF HONOR

      A novelette written by:

      Mark S. R. Peterson

      Copyright 2013, 2017 © Mark S. R. Peterson

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold

      or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person,

      please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did

      not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to

      the vendor and purchase your own copy.

      Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      For the latest news on upcoming publications, consider joining my mailing list: Author Mark S. R. Peterson

      Want more to read? For a list of all my books by your favorite retailer, please click on this link for a complete listing.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Novelette: Guest of Honor

      I. King Of Trails

      II. The Finer Points of Estate Planning

      III. The Maroon Boat

      IV. Sandy

      V. The Engels

      VI. Samantha

      VII. Justice

      VIII. Vigilante Extraordinaire

      Dedication

      Afterword

      About The Author: Mark S. R. Peterson

      Bonus Features:

      Short Story: Hatchet Harry

      Excerpt from Thriller Beholder's Eye

      I.

      King of Trails

      A semi rolls on by. No brake lights.

      Megan Dust isn’t worried about finding a ride. Sooner or later someone will stop. They always do. More than likely, it’ll be a guy, noticing her long tan legs and denim mini-skirt. In the meantime, she strolls right along the grassy border edging the shoulder, peering south along Highway 75—AKA the King of Trails. The road is a two-laner that starts out at the Canadian border and cuts along the western edge of Minnesota, straight down to the Iowa border.

      Megan grew up about seventy miles south of Canada, on a farm near Warren, Minnesota.

      Another semi speeds on by, followed by a line of three cars.

      The rear one brakes.

      Shit.

      It’s a cop.

      This is the risk she runs hitchhiking. Not that she’s doing anything wrong. She’s eighteen and free to do what she wants.

      And right now all she wants is to go down to the Twin Cities.

      It’s one of the white county deputy cruisers. It turns around and its engine roars, accelerating toward her. Then, just when she thinks the car is going to pass by, it eases onto the shoulder and whips behind her.

      Megan steps into the grass.

      The cruiser eases forward.

      Hey, Megan, I thought that was you, Deputy Phil Cross says after rolling down the passenger’s side window. What the hell you doing? Don’t you know hitching is dangerous? Especially dressed the way you are.

      She smiles, for she has the type of body that’s been known to increase the heart rate of most men she encounters, be it the grocery store clerk or her math teacher or even the local clergy.

      She knows hitchhiking is dangerous. Six months ago, she went to a concert down in Fargo. The guy who picked her up was a chatty little shit, talking about how he’d just left his wife who’d been cheating on him for close to twenty years. Then, he pulled off onto a gravel road.

      At first, she thought he was taking a detour. But, as the doors locked, she knew this wasn’t going to turn out well. Lucky for her, the passenger’s door didn’t lock properly. The guy was also extremely overweight and had a heart attack right when she started running away.

      Yeah, I know, Megan says. But then again so is just plain living. We could all get cancer or be in a car wreck or . . . we could just die.

      Phil cracks open his door, and waits for a semi to drive by before exiting. He leans against the hood. I’m sorry about your folks, he says.

      She glances up and down the highway. I know.

      I just wish there was something else that could’ve been done. Anything I can do to help now? Need any money?

      She shakes her head.

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