Stinger
by
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The house was dead quiet. He bit his lower lip and began to descend the stairway. He kept his right hand on the railing and supported some of his weight with that arm, trying to keep the stairs from creaking. He went slowly, one stair at a time, pausing to listen at each. The fourth stair emitted an audible squeak beneath his foot. Tachycardia washed over him. He froze. He did not blink, nor even breathe for what seemed like five minutes. When his heart rate began to slow, he continued his descent. At the next to the bottom stair, he paused. The windowless family room was totally dark. He felt for the wall switch he knew to be at the bottom of the stairs, and slowly moved it to the on position. Nothing. S**t. For a brief moment, he evaluated the situation, then backtracked up the stairs, avoiding the fourth. He went to the kitchen and softly opened several drawers until he found Janice's junk drawer. There was a small flashlight inside. He hoped the batteries were okay. He slid the switch to the on position, producing a bright, steady beam, then snapped the flashlight back off. Something told him to try the ceiling light and he reached for the wall switch. Nothing. He looked across the room at the microwave oven. The clock was off. He knew the power had been cut. The phone sat on a small desk by the pantry closet. Gently, he picked up the receiver. It, too, was dead. Jesus.
Evan choked back his rising panic and made his way back to the stairway. He descended as before, avoiding the fourth stair. At the bottom, he paused and listened, breathing soundlessly through his mouth. Hearing nothing, he flicked on the flashlight and played the beam across the room. He fought off the scream that rose in his chest. It looked as if a large animal had been butchered in the room. The carpet was soaked with body fluids, the walls and ceiling spattered with blood and bits of tissue. A shotgun blast, or maybe two, had perforated the wall on the far side of the room. He felt the bile rise in his throat and forcibly subdued the urge to vomit. Someone had died here. Died, hell. Had his god***n s**t blown away. He played the flashlight around the room again to see if he had overlooked a corpse. If there was one, it was not in this room. He knew he had to check the rest of the house. Then he would call the authorities. He moved to Beetle's workshop and slowly opened the door. Again he listened, turning his head slightly to one side. This time, he thought he detected a faint sound behind him. The hair on the back of his neck began to stand up. It was the same, primal warning he had felt many times in Vietnam. He started to turn around and felt the cold steel press hard behind his ear. "Freeze, ***hole," hissed a low voice behind him. "Don't even ****ing breathe."
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About the Book
Stinger is the story of one week in the lives of two, old college roommates who live in different parts of the country but who stay in contact and try see each other as often as possible. One, Evan Cottrell, is a geologist, and the other, David "Beetle" Bailey, is an engineer, or maybe he isn’t. A cryptic call sets in motion a series of revelations about their relationship and immerses the pair into the murky world of ultra-right wing fanaticism and clandestine government counter-terrorist activities. The two friends uncover a domestic militia organization’s plot to attack the ultimate target. Instantly they are propelled into a race against time and unknown enemies to devise and implement a plan to counter the threat. From a remote jungle airstrip in Colómbia, to the ready room of the John F. Kennedy, from the clandestine drug laboratory in the Mexican desert to the cockpit of the Navy EA-6B Prowlers, from the abandoned warehouse in St. Louis to the Situation Room at the White House, the two cross-purpose plans evolve and scream toward their shocking conclusion. What people are saying about STINGER
"Suspenseful and entertaining...plot is well-crafted...characters are interesting and believable. Skillful use of detail grips the reader until the shocking conclusion. This tale of Evan Cottrell’s immersion into the obscure world of intrigue and espionage is a real page turner."
--Ira Herman, Managing Editor, Aegina Press, Inc.
"An action-packed thriller... suspenseful and engaging. Stinger is recreational reading at its best."
--Marlene W. Edgell-Hammond, President, Greenscape Analytical Labs
"In his terse, down-to-earth style, Denemark brings home the chilling reality of extremist terrorist doctrine - NO TARGET IS UNTOUCHABLE! A captivating novel...brings the reader face-to-face with the peaceful world’s vulnerability. Suspenseful reading."
--Richard B. "Stovepipe" Brown, Capt., USAF, Ret.
"‘STINGER’, a person or thing with the ability of power to wound. We have powerful stingers in this novel, both in the form of weapons and characters...intertwined in a fast-paced reading experience that pits aviators against a ruthless terrorist group."
--Ed Rauh, Director, Jackson County Library
"Right on. A real page turner."
--Buck Bender, Col., USAF, Ret.
"A thrilling new novel and novelist whose ‘techie’ approach is evocative of Ian Fleming and Tom Clancy. Stinger is an absorbing and fast-paced account of a domestic anti-government terrorist organization’s plot to attack the ultimate target."
--V. S., Central Intelligence Agency, Ret.
"Amazingly authentic...highly enjoyable reading adventure. I salute the author for his ability to put the reader in the carrier’s ready room and in the cockpit of the Navy jets."
--Dean McKnight, M.D., F.A.C.S., Capt., USN, Ret.
"Enjoyable reading. Well done."
--Wilson Livingood, Sergeant at Arms, United States House of Representatives
About the Author
Eric Denemark was born in Chicago in 1947 as part of the post-war baby boom and grew up in different parts of the country as the family moved with the advancement of his father’s career as a university administrator. Mr. Denemark earned a B.A. degree, magna cum laude in geology from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin and a master’s degree from the University of Kentucky. After serving a tour of active duty in the USAR where he earned the distinction of graduating 1st in his class from Infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, Mr. Denemark taught in the Lexington, Kentucky public school system and the University of Kentucky’s Community College system and worked with several of the country’s major coal producers before assuming the responsibilities of President and CEO of a geologic and engineering consulting company. Mr. Denemark retired in 1999 to pursue his interests in writing, flying and automobile racing. He lives with his wife Jackie and their Alaskan Malamute, Tundra near Ripley, West Virginia.