"Wrecked"

Tricia Fields lives in a log cabin on a small farm with her husband and two daughters. She was born in Hawaii but has spent most of her life in small town Indiana, where her husband is an investigator with the state police. A lifelong love of Mexico and the desert southwest lead to her first book, The Territory, which won the Tony Hillerman Award for Best Mystery. Her second novel, Scratchgravel Road, was followed up by her newest book, Wrecked, released this month. She is currently working on the fourth book in the series, Fire Break, featuring border town Chief of Police, Josie Gray.

Fields applied the Page 69 Test to Wrecked and reported the following:

As was the case with my other two books, page 69 is a pivotal scene, and introduces one of my favorite bad guys, Wally Follet. At this point in the story, Chief of Police Josie Gray has discovered that her longtime love interest, Dillon Gray, is not only missing, but his secretary was murdered in his office. When Dillon didn’t show up for a planned event, Josie let petty jealousies keep her from checking his house and office. She imagined him spending the night with his pretty secretary, Christina. When Josie discovers Christina’s body in Dillon’s office the next morning she realizes her insecurities could have cost the woman her life. To further complicate matters, she discovers that Dillon’s disappearance may be connected to her past involvement with a Mexican cartel.

In the excerpt below, Josie and her partner Otto have discovered a key player in the murder of Christina and the disappearance of Dillon. Wally Follet, who appears to be a sleazy salvage dealer, has connections to the Medrano’s, a Mexican cartel with a vendetta to serve against Josie. Wally Follet is connected to a con game that is worth millions and could cost Josie everything that matters in her life.

Excerpt from page 69:

The office was cool and the shattered glass had been swept away. Christina’s chair had been removed and taken to the police station as evidence. It didn’t change the horror of what had happened, but it was a relief not to look at the bloodstained chair.

.........

After spending another fifteen minutes checking through desk drawers and searching closets, they were ready to go back to the department to begin sifting through documents. Before they left, Josie found the key to Dillon’s post office box in his desk drawer and took it with her. She occasionally picked up his mail and knew that his box was number 246.

Josie locked up the office and Otto drove to the post office, where she retrieved the mail with no issue. Seated in the car again, Josie flipped through the pile of bills and came across a letter addressed to Dillon from the United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas.

“This looks like a summons for federal court,” she said.

He glanced at the envelope. “Better open it.”

Josie quickly read through the letter and said, “Dillon received a summons for the district court in El Paso. The case is against a Walter Frank Follet.”

“Wally Follet,” Otto said. “That’s one of Dillon’s clients. I remember seeing the name in the database.”

“He runs the salvage yard. Wally’s Folly.”

Otto nodded and glanced at Josie. “I know who Wally is. I’ve never had a run-in with him, but I can’t imagine him ever winning businessman of the year.”

Josie turned in her seat and looked at him. “A federal indictment? Motive for a murder and kidnapping?”

“If a guy like Wally thought it would keep him out of jail? Absolutely.”

Learn more about the book and author at Tricia Fields's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: The Territory.

The Page 69 Test: Scratchgravel Road.

Writers Read: Tricia Fields.

--Marshal Zeringue