Murder In A Small Town Part II

Rogues Blog #4:

There's been a murder in Port Townsend - a marine biologist who knew too much. Her body was found at the base of a steep bluff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca and transported to Kosec Funeral Home (there's no morgue) by Deputy Coroner Real Robles (who is also the Funeral Director) as authorized by Prosecuting Attorney Scott Rosekrans (who is also the Coroner). Meanwhile, the autopsy was performed by a pathologist and his wife (from out of town) who arrived with five black trunks (the instruments of death). Shades of Stephen King anyone?

Now Real Robles is an interesting guy (and very helpful in researching all this murder stuff). He knew what he wanted to be from the age of six which, for most young boys then was a fireman, or astronaut, or major league baseball player. Not Real! He wanted to be a Mortician. Go figure! "Why?" I asked? "I just did," he said. He watched a lot of "Quincy ME" growing up. Anyway... Real told me an interesting factoid that will make you smarter than your friends: the percentage of bodies cremated in Port Townsend is 88% vs. a U.S. average of about 33%. The reasons you ask? A highly educated population (which tend to favor cremation) plus many folks have relocated here (thus their families/histories are somewhere else). And if you're curious about the crematorium? It's in the garage out back... that's it below.

Coming up... the Makah Tribe and their unique history with whales... Go Packers!

Real Robles - Funeral Director

Crematorium

Scott Rosekrans - Pros Attny

The Whale Called Killer...

Rogues Blog #3:
Many consider the great white shark to be the ocean's top predator... not even close. In a showdown with a killer whale it's not a fight it's an execution. In fact Orcinus orca (6 tons) will often dine on gray whales (30-40 tons), attacking in packs. It's why killers are often referred to as "wolves of the sea." These are Transient killers (mammal eaters) vs. Resident killers (fish eaters). Transients and Residents look very much alike and sometimes share the same waters, though they never mingle or mate, a unique phenomenon among known species of animals.

The rogue killer whales in "Rogues," however, happen to be slightly larger than 6 tons. In fact, they are 120 feet long and weigh 100 tons! Impossible? Not exactly. Scientists are quick to point out that only about 1% of the deep seas have ever been explored. We know much more about far off galaxies than we do about the oceans. Bottom line: they're not sure what is down there. So check out the gray on the left... killer on the right. Grays beware! Packers too! Go Bears!

Murder In A Small Town...

Rogues Blog#2:



A body is found at the bottom of a 100' bluff at Fort Worden State Park and the Port Townsend Police have a murder on their hands (a key development in the story). So what happens next? Would a team of detectives, CSI unit, and coroner converge on the scene like they do on TV? In researching that question I met with Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Scott Rosekrans and the answer is... not exactly.

I can't reveal what actually does happen, of course (rather fascinating developments that come out in the book), but Scott was very gracious (he has agreed to the use of his real name) and invited me up to the clock tower above his office in the historic old Court House (opened in 1893). Quite a treat since few people in PT have ever been up there. No wonder this Prosecuting Attorney refers to himself as "Quasimodo!"

Stay tuned... in Blog #3 you'll meet another "real character," former LAPD homicide detective (and now PT resident) David Lambkin.

Rogues: 100 TONS OF PURE MENACE...

Blog #1:
Dear Friends - Happy New Year! As many of you know I am renting a home in Port Townsend, WA through April to complete work on a novel that takes place in and around this area. I've been here since 1 November and have connected with some interesting folks, many of whom you'll meet in the weeks and months ahead if you have the time/interest to follow the "Rogues" Blog. Those characters include Prosecuting Attorney Scott Rosekrans (he is also the Coroner) and two elders from the Makah Tribe on the Olympic Peninsula (their people have lived on that land for 4,500 years). 

Anyway... this is Blog 1 and includes a 1 pp. Synopsis of the book, below (future Blogs will be shorter, I promise). If you like what you read, you might want to stay tuned... for murder, mayhem, a creature without equal, and plenty of small town quirkiness (The motto of Port Townsend: "We're all here because we're not all here!). Until next time...

Best,

- bill

Ps: To follow Blog click "Follower" button on top right... to "Post a Comment" you'll need to establish a Google account (quick and easy to do!) or post on my Facebook page :)

ROGUES

A Novel

by

William Neal

SYNOPSIS

They roam the seas in freedom. With no enemies save man.

IN PUGET SOUND. They are out there in the water… listening, stalking. For millennia these colossal creatures have roamed undetected in the polar abyss, the stuff of myth and legend. Now, forced from the only home they have ever known by an ecological meltdown, they are on the move. The countdown to carnage has begun!   

IN CHICAGO. A different kind of predator is on the loose. Homicide detective Abby Kendall investigates a brutal mass murder even as she struggles with her own demons. After exposing a cabal of dirty cops, Abby has become a pariah at the local precinct. Meanwhile, she is being pursued by a fiendish serial killer bent on revenge.

IN SEATTLE. Renowned marine biologist Katrina Kincaid delivers devastating news to the GM at Kingdom of The Sea Oceanarium. Samson, the magnificent orca that drives the park’s obscene profits, is dying. Animal rights activists threaten to shut down all 15 theme parks owned by Chandler Global Enterprises (CGE), a crippling financial blow.

IN SAN FRANCISCO. CGE Chairman Mitchell Chandler, a.k.a. the “one-eyed dragon,” cooks up a diabolical scheme to derail the activists drawing on the ancient teachings of an infamous Chinese warrior. Chandler’s sidekick: the beautiful Savanna Sokolov. Savannah is not only charming and brilliant she is also the world’s most daring art thief.

IN THE BERING SEA. Captain Zora Flame, at the helm of a 68 foot crabber, completes a harrowing maneuver in angry, 90 foot seas that sends shivers up the spines of even the most seasoned mariners. Her daring exploits turn her into a media darling: part Greek goddess, part punk rocker. Thelma and Louise rolled into one!

THE EVENTS THAT FOLLOW take readers into a world of razor-edge suspense and international intrigue, a story as timely as today’s ecological challenges and as timeless as the mighty creatures themselves. Rogues is an explosive thriller that shatters the mold, blurring the line between right and wrong, good and evil, justice and revenge – while seamlessly weaving together a cast of unforgettable characters, including a Leviathan infinitely more terrifying than Moby Dick or the marauding shark known as Jaws.