Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Bone River
    Bone River
    Bone River
    Ebook122 pages1 hour

    Bone River

    By G. Ernest Smith

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Sarah, a young woman suffering from bee stings, poison ivy and heat exhaustion has been waiting at a river encampment for hours for her boyfriend. Bone Ramsey and his squad happen upon her and offer their help. They make a good effort to find him but to no avail. Her boyfriend has vanished without a trace. They wait for a ransom call, but it never comes. Weeks later when everyone has moved on and the boyfriend has been forgotten, he surfaces 160 miles away, and he has another man's personality and memories. Ramsey and his large friend Porkchop are determined to get answers, but first Bone Ramsey has to tangle with a biker gang and he's armed with nothing but a gallon of milk!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherG. Ernest Smith
    Release dateMar 13, 2015
    ISBN9781311632395
    Bone River
    Author

    G. Ernest Smith

    G. Ernest Smith is a retired Space Shuttle launch team member who lives near Cape Canaveral, Florida with his wife, Mary Beth. He has a son, Brandon, and a daughter, Mona, a brother, Jeff, and a sister, Gwen, who all live in California.He enjoys sailing, Harley Davidsons, fishing, writing, Miatas and eating (not necessarily in that order). He has been a contributing writer for Cycle World and Florida Touch and Go magazines.He is a graduate of Rollins College and the Florida Institute of Technology and holds a Masters degree in Computer Science.

    Read more from G. Ernest Smith

    Related to Bone River

    Related ebooks

    Suspense For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Excerpts From The Works Of The 2024 Whiting Award Winners

      Apr 10, 2024

      The 2024 Whiting Award winners were announced Wednesday night. Below are excerpts from their work.

      19 min read

    • Article

      Righteous

      Jan 22, 2019

      Righteous
      8 min read

    • Article

      Ira & the Whale

      Jun 14, 2022

      It is dark in the whale and hot. The air is difficult to breathe. Ira is coated in gunk, sweating in his black Speedo. The whale’s heartbeat booms and echoes like a giant drum. It’s intimidating. It sounds tribal, ritualistic, as Ira wades through th

      15 min read

    • Article

      A Hard Man To Forget

      Jan 8, 2024

      A Hard Man To Forget
      4 min read

    • Article

      Uncontrollable, Irrelevant

      Dec 6, 2022

      My sister called me the other day. She wanted to let me know that I had once more been merciless and cruel in my relations with our parents. “They say there’s a lot of anger in you,” she said. “It makes them mad. It hurts their feelings. They think y

      14 min read

    • Article

      Six Dart Out

      Sep 10, 2023

      Marc figured the girl was a vegan. Her puke had overflowed the sink and run onto the floor—tomatoes and rice marinated in microbrew lager. He’d told Vegan Girl to slow down, but her friends had won the turning-21-peer-pressure battle. Admittedly, Mar

      9 min read

    • Article

      I Met Myself Coming Back

      Oct 6, 2022

      I Met Myself Coming Back
      6 min read

    • Article

      Watch Your Step

      Nov 19, 2020

      Watch Your Step
      5 min read

    • Article

      Starbucks and Shipwrecks

      Jan 18, 2019

      Starbucks and Shipwrecks
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Escaped Jaguar

      May 9, 2019

      The Escaped Jaguar
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Missing Limousine

      Sep 28, 2021

      The Missing Limousine
      21 min read

    • Article

      Three Poems

      Jan 1, 2020

      In class, I stared because of the blood going blue.The chalk that coated our fingerly teeth.The way we lapped each other (on the shorewhere the flowering). I gave away our location. Smacked my lips in the coat closet.Sucked at her teeth. We, on all e

      4 min read

    • Article

      Kerre, Quite Contrary

      Jul 3, 2022

      Kerre, Quite Contrary
      7 min read

    • Article

      In The Spotlight: Your Writing Genre - Busting

      Apr 4, 2024

      What an inventive lot the WM writers proved themselves to be with the ‘Genre-busting' submission call! The response was terrific, with a postbag full of playful, off-the wall writing that read as if its creators had a gonzo riot mashing up elements f

      5 min read

    • Article

      Monster

      Dec 1, 2022

      Monster
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Freshening

      Sep 15, 2018

      My cashier’s black hair was beautiful. Though not unlike mine, it was shinier and thicker, and hung glamorously down to her waist. It looked strong, too, like Christopher Reeve’s in the Superman movies. A strand of Superman’s silvery hair could hold

      21 min read

    • Article

      Summer Beach Reads

      Jan 10, 2021

      Summer Beach Reads
      7 min read

    • Article

      Festival

      Sep 15, 2018

      My husband, who loved festivals, who was a great fan of festivals, wanted to get to the square in time for the first band at eleven o’clock. From bed, the dog and I watched him dress. He tried on various T-shirts, declaring some of them too tight and

      13 min read

    • Article

      MUM IS MISSING Liane Moriarty

      Sep 8, 2021

      MUM IS MISSING Liane Moriarty
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Wrong Shampoo

      Apr 10, 2022

      Brandy scoured the rows of bubble gum bright shampoo bottles. How much time had passed already? She looked to the front of the store but couldn’t see the checkout lines. She had only been to Jeff’s apartment once so far and didn’t remember what brand

      16 min read

    • Article

      MUM IS MISSING Liane Moriarty

      Sep 8, 2021

      MUM IS MISSING Liane Moriarty
      7 min read

    • Article

      Written In The STARS

      Oct 12, 2021

      Written In The STARS
      6 min read

    • Article

      His Brilliant Career

      Mar 19, 2023

      His Brilliant Career
      9 min read

    • Article

      Life In The past Lane

      Aug 27, 2021

      Life In The past Lane
      5 min read

    • Article

      Cricket Ceague

      Apr 1, 2019

      Penelope Berkeley, age 9 Mars Hill, NC Night had fallen, and Luna awoke from where she had been sleeping in a cornfield. She moved steadily through the stalks with barely a sound, keeping her eyes on the glittering glass rooftop of the greenhouse in

      7 min read

    • Article

      Ghost Girl, Banana

      Aug 21, 2023

      By the time I was 25, there were only two things I remembered about Mumma. The first was that she smelled of watermelons, the second was that we were happy. We’d taken our father’s name of course, but a name is only half a story. The other half exist

      6 min read

    • Article

      100-WORD-STORY COMPETITION Winners

      Aug 16, 2022

      We’ve been delighted by the huge response to our 100-word-story competition. The entries have flooded in thick and fast during the past few months, but while we’ve enjoyed reading every story, only a few can come out on top! You, our readers, voted t

      5 min read

    • Article

      Year Of The Rat

      Nov 24, 2020

      Year Of The Rat
      11 min read

    • Article

      Some Gringo

      Dec 4, 2020

      Some Gringo
      23 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Bone River

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Bone River - G. Ernest Smith

      Chapter 1

      Sarah sat in front of her cabin tearfully rethinking her life. Not being an outdoorsman, she’d had a disastrous day. She didn’t get along with nature, and it seemed to have a death wish for her. She knew this before she tripped on the nature hike and fell into a swarm of yellow jackets. She knew it before she dropped her phone into a patch of poison ivy. She even suspected it before she was attacked by a crazed territorial bird. Who knew osprey eagles were so protective of their nesting grounds? Stupid bird! She was just trying to get a picture.

      Why had she let Kyle talk her into this trip? And where was he anyway? He’d been gone way too long. She was sitting on the stoop in front of their rented cabin along the St. Johns River under a leafy shade tree. This was supposed to be a dream vacation according to Kyle. They were going to be in a natural setting away from the city. True, it was beautiful to look at. It was peaceful watching the gently flowing olive river water. Small pools swirled and eddied in the current. Stately sable palms swayed in the breeze on both river banks. Long legged graceful white birds waded in the shallows. She watched one dart its head underwater and come up with a glistening silver fish in its long narrow beak.

      But it was so bloody hot! She removed the silver clasp from her shoulder length chestnut hair, recaptured the loose strands and fixed it again, then she wiped the back of her sweaty neck with a tissue. The August sun was merciless in Florida! It must be a hundred! A curtain of heat shimmered above the gravel pathway before her, and the air carried the odor of dead fish because of the nearby fish camp. This is not the time to be outside in this climate. She wanted to be somewhere indoors out of the suffocating heat where they had air conditioning. But every time she mentioned it to Kyle, he said stop whining. So compassionate! She was tired and hot and parched and hungry and her face hurt. She dug out a small mirror from her purse. The red splotches on her swollen face were still there, her cheeks looked like bright pink saddlebags. The welt from the bee sting under her left eye had shrunk some, but the ones around her mouth were still very pronounced. Criminy! She was a mess! She reached down and loosened the bandage on her right knee. It still looked pretty raw. She touched it gingerly. Ouch!

      When she got home she was going to kiss her little dog Toby, then she would kiss her microwave, her computer, her Hi-Def TV, her thermostat, her bed. She took out her phone and tried to call Kyle again. It went to voicemail. What the hell! Where are you, Kyle? she cried. She couldn’t help it. She was miserable. She pulled her knees up to her chest, hugged them, buried her aching face in them and let her frustrations out in a flood. Her tears soaked her face and her knee bandage, and her nose began to run. Her shoulders shook with each sob.

      Then a voice spoke to her. It had a deep timber like the voice of God. Are you okay?

      She looked up, wiped her eyes and saw a man standing twenty feet in front of her on the footpath. He was huge! Easily the biggest man she’d ever seen! Should she be afraid? She fished a tissue out of her purse and wiped her nose and chin. Ouch! She’d forgotten about her bee stings. She craned her neck to look up at him.

      What happened to you? he asked, pointing at her face.

      He seemed safe enough. I got stung by bees.

      "A bee did all that?"

      Well, no. Bees and poison ivy.

      Did a bee shred your shirt too?

      She pulled at her torn red cotton blouse. No. An eagle did that. God! I’m wrecked!

      Glad to meet you, Wrecked. My name is…

      No, my name’s not…ah… She caught the twinkle in his eye. You’re joking.

      Just tryin’ to cheer you up. You’re havin’ a bad day, aren’t you? He chuckled.

      There was nothing funny about it, thought Sarah, but she nodded and started chuckling too. It was insane, but she had to laugh at her plight even though she’d been crying a few seconds ago. It was good having someone to talk too, even if it was a total stranger.

      I’m not havin’ a real good day either. I was supposed to go fishin’ with my buds, but I got caught in traffic this morning on I-4 and missed ’em. They went without me.

      She gave him a look that said please.

      Okay, okay, he said holding up his big hands in surrender. You got me beat.

      My boyfriend went to settle our bill and get the car. That was four hours ago.

      Four hours! It shouldn’t take that long.

      No. I went to the office but they hadn’t seen him. So, then I called him and it keeps going to voicemail. I’ve left nine messages.

      He frowned. Somethin’s wrong.

      Yes. She studied him. He looked like one of those men she saw dancing with fire batons at the Hawaiian Inn. He was bald, had broad Polynesian features and scowled like those fierce Hawaiian warriors.

      Did he say he was comin’ back here?

      Yes. He said he’d be right back. She slapped at a mosquito. I’m about ready to call the police.

      Before you do that… He looked at his watch. My buds will be back soon. They might be back already. The guy I work for is a private investigator. He might be able to help figure this out. He fished something out of his pocket and handed it to her.

      What’s that?

      A towelette loaded with mosquito repellent. It works. Just wipe your arms and legs.

      She tore open the small packet, sniffed it, then wiped it on her arms, legs and the back of her neck. She was afraid to touch it to her bloated face. Thanks.

      He smiled and nodded.

      Is your boss good at finding people?

      One of the best. At least he’ll have an idea where to start lookin’

      Okay. She looked up at him. How tall are you anyway?

      He shuffled his feet and said, About 6’ 7."

      "Holy crap, you’re tall!"

      Yeh, he laughed and shuffled some more. He seemed uncomfortable talking about himself.

      • • •

      She watched the motorboat come in and dock. There were three men aboard it with shades and black ball caps. Her big friend greeted them and then cleated down their bow and stern lines. They did a lot of good natured taunting and laughing.

      This bass was looking for you, PC, said one holding up a large fish, "but I told ’im you couldn’t come. He was real disappointed!"

      Yeh? said the giant standing on the dock. "Well, he lowered his standards quite a bit if he came home wit’ you."

      Hey, said another man. There’s lots o’ beer left. You better get to work and drink your share, PC. He threw a bottle of beer to the giant who caught it easily, nodded and twisted the cap off.

      One man seemed to be in charge. He was older, early forties maybe, salt and pepper hair and had a serious look. Kind of a fervent intensity. Muscles bulged beneath his white T-shirt. Another man was shorter but had bulging muscles too and tattoos. The third man had sandy hair and freckles and was beefy like a football player. These men all had a hardened look and moved with efficiency, stacking coolers, gas cans and gathering gear. They each seemed to have a job to do. Kind of like military men, but their hair was wrong. Ex-military probably.

      The leader stepped off the boat onto the dock and the giant walked up to him and said a few words. He cast a glance at Sarah, nodded and said something. The giant came back and said, He said he’d help you after he pulls his boat out.

      Okay.

      Sorry, I didn’t get your name.

      Oh, sorry she laughed. My name’s Sarah Woods. She extended her hand.

      Her hand disappeared in the giant’s. My name’s Poh-choh-oop-ah Toma, but no one can pronounce it. Just call me Porkchop or PC.

      "Okay, PC. Is that your boss? The private investigator?

      Yes. He nodded toward him. He’s a former Army Ranger and Orlando cop.

      So, he’s pretty good?

      Oh yeh! He definitely knows what he’s doin’.

      They watched as the tattooed guy backed up his big black SUV with the boat trailer on it. The other two offered guidance. They got the boat loaded and pulled it up onto the parking area.

      He used to be a cage fighter in Miami too. Retired undefeated. The giant, Porkchop, took a long drink of beer. He’s the best fighter I’ve ever seen.

      Sarah wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I disapprove of violence, she said and immediately cringed. Criminy!

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1