Linda Griffin

Where is Julie Morgan?

In the small town of Morgan's Landing, fourteen-year-old Julie Morgan disappears on her way to school after a spat with her twin sister. Detective Jim Brady uncovers a few suspects—Is it fired school janitor Bear Wayans, paroled sex offender Raymond Ochner, Julie's computer teacher David Hartwell…or his own teenage son Colin? Jim can't believe his son could be involved, but his wife is convinced the boy is hiding something. He needs to find Julie before the worst happens—and keep the peace at home.

Morgan’s Landing 

Excerpt:

Young Colin Brady, fourteen and restless, gave the ocean a quick glance from his second-floor bedroom, but he was more interested in the figure of a girl marching up the street in the direction of the high school. She was one of the Morgan twins, but at that distance he couldn’t be sure which one. She wore her blonde hair in a ponytail today, a style he found particularly attractive. He didn’t linger at the window for long before he thudded down the stairs in his chunky sneakers.

“Colin!” his mother called from the kitchen. He barely paused at the foot of the stairs to gather up his backpack and his light windbreaker. Frances came to the door and took in his haste with a knowing glance. “Aren’t you going to eat breakfast?” she asked.

“No time,” he said.

“The eggs are almost ready,” she protested.

“No time,” he repeated and dashed for the door. He wanted to catch up with the Morgan girl before she started up the hill.

Frances returned to the kitchen and scowled at the frying pan. “Something is wrong with that boy,” she said.

“There’s nothing wrong with him,” Jim said mildly. “He’s just being a boy. I was the same way at his age.”

“You were not,” Frances countered. “I knew you then. You were perfectly reasonable, and you ate breakfast every morning. Something is wrong with him.”

He didn’t argue with her. He folded the newspaper beside his plate and picked up his fork as she served the scrambled eggs and crisp, sweet bacon strips. “You make a good breakfast,” he said. “If I was fourteen, though, I might have other things on my mind.”

Frances shook her head. “He is not normal,” she insisted.

Jim would have reasoned with her, but baby Sarah cried in the next room, and she hurried out to tend to her. They had been delighted to finally have a little girl after years of disappointment, but an infant was a lot of extra work.

****

Heather was taking a math test when Mr. Scarlett, the vice principal, called her out in the hall to ask if she knew where Julie was. He was unusually stern.

“She has Phys Ed this period,” Heather said. Shouldn’t he know that?

“She’s not in class,” Mr. Scarlett said. “She wasn’t in Computer Applications first period, either. Your mother says she didn’t stay home sick.”

“No, she left before I did,” Heather said. She was mystified, and as the situation sank in, she experienced the first shudder of real fear. Julie liked school, and she would never cut classes. Their parents would kill them if they even thought of such a thing. They were not overly strict, but they were firm in their expectations that their daughters would always do the right thing.

She dug her cell phone, silenced during class, out of her purse, and dialed her sister’s number. It rang four times and went to voicemail. “It’s me,” she said. “Where are you? Call when you get this.”

****

“Julie Morgan is missing.” Jim Brady took the call at 10:30. He had been with the Morgan’s Landing Police Department for twelve years, and this was only his second missing person case. The first had involved a three-year-old boy who had wandered away and been found within the hour. He still remembered the emotions associated with that hour: the overwhelming anguish of the boy’s mother, the sharp desire to make sure his own son was safe. This time Colin was in school, and Jim resisted the urge to call Frances—of course the baby was safe with her.

Buy links:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZY1YR6V 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/morgans-landing-linda-griffin/1147054902 

https://books.apple.com/us/book/morgans-landing/id6743084781 

Author Bio: Linda Griffin knew she wanted to be a “book maker” as soon as she learned to read, and she wrote her first story, “Judy and the Fairies,” at the age of six. Her passion for the printed word also led her to a career with the San Diego Public Library, including 22 years managing the Central Library fiction collection. She retired to spend more time on her writing and has had stories published in numerous literary journals.  Morgan’s Landing is her tenth book from The Wild Rose Press. In addition to the three R’s—reading, writing, and research—she enjoys travel, movies, Scrabble, and visiting museums and art galleries. For more information, visit her website: https://www.lindagriffinauthor.com/