C.C. Warrens: Thursday’s Featured Author

Another Thursday, My Friends! I’m excited to have suspense author C.C. Warrens (Crystal Craig) here! If you haven’t read her Holly Novels, you must! The rich descriptions will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, and the narrative turns the pages themselves! Today, she is sharing an excerpt from her upcoming book Imperfect Justice. Be sure to comment and give her a warm welcome!

 

 

 

Imperfect Justice blurb:

Few things are as captivating as the dark and twisted stories splashed across the front pages of newspapers, and Holly’s abduction is no exception. Holly is counting down the hours to the moment her foster brother’s trial begins, the trial that everyone says will bring a sense of closure and justice. But Collin has no intention of going down without a fight, and if Holly and her loved ones can be certain of anything, it’s that Collin never fights fair.

Excerpt:

The courtroom artist was already in motion, defining and shading the cheekbones of the defendant, who sat alone at his table.

With his charcoal gray suit, porcelain skin, and black hair, Collin Wells was a picture of charm and sophistication—quite a contrast to the disturbed man Shannon knew him to be.

Could the artist capture the coldness in his eyes with her row of colored pencils? Was there a particular shade for soulless monster?

“Prosecution may now give its opening statement,” the judge announced.

“Thank you, your honor.” Shannon offered an appreciative nod to the judge as she rose.

Thomas Tipper—an older man with a halo of feathery gray hair and eyebrows as thick as bushes—was not the judge she would’ve chosen for this case. Or any case, really. Around the office, he was quietly known as Tame Tipper, because he was so laid back and lenient. He didn’t have the backbone to be a t-ball umpire, let alone a criminal court judge, and Shannon had wallowed in a few glasses of wine when she learned he would be presiding.

Tipper had thrown out two of the three DVD’s Shannon had intended to use as evidence—because the villain’s face and voice were distorted beyond recognition—and forbade her to mention any “history of abuse” between Holly and Wells prior to February. Wells had argued that the claims were unsubstantiated, and that they would unduly bias the jury against him.

Shannon had nearly lost her composure during that meeting. But with her luck, that would’ve been the moment Tipper decided to spontaneously sprout a few vertebrae and hold her in contempt.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” Shannon said, addressing the jury. “Throughout this trial, you will learn about the heinous crimes Collin Wells committed against two innocent young women.”

She held up a photo of a girl with creamy skin, flowing red hair, and eyes the color of burnt honey.

“This is Holly Cross. For those of you familiar with the Kansas Carver case, Holly’s family was one of several dozen families targeted by the serial killer, Edward Moss Billings. She was orphaned at the age of nine. Now twenty-nine, Holly has lived her entire adult life in fear. Not of the man who murdered her family. But of this man.”

She gestured to Collin.

“Holly made herself clear on more than one occasion that she did not want Collin Wells to be a part of her life. But he forced his way back in, because, ladies and gentlemen, that is what this man does.” She paused for emphasis. “When he wants something or someone, he doesn’t accept no for an answer. Out of fear, Holly moved and filed for an order of protection against him, but he refused to let her live her life in peace. When simply tormenting her was no longer enough to satisfy him, he abducted her and held her prisoner for four days in an abandoned warehouse, where he subjected her to unthinkable cruelties.”

Some of the jurors flicked furtive glances Collin’s way, searching for the monster beneath the civilized veneer.

“But he didn’t stop there,” Shannon said, recapturing the attention of the jurors. “To further torment Holly, he facilitated the abduction of her best friend, Jace Walker, who was taken just three days later.”

She flipped to the second of four pictures in her hand and held it up for the jury. An Asian woman with remarkable blue eyes and a contagious smile filled the frame.

“This is Jace Walker.” She flipped to the third picture, which displayed the same young woman, only this time her wheelchair was visible. “She spends her time mentoring children and other disabled athletes, encouraging them to never give up and to always push for their dreams. If not for the intervention of the police department, this young woman likely would’ve died.”

From the details Shannon had gathered from her witnesses, Jace had been found with a noose around her neck.

“And Collin’s third victim,”—she revealed the fourth photograph: a brunette in her late thirties— “Rachel Glass. There’s no question that Rachel Glass was complicit in the abduction of both Holly Cross and Jace Walker, but Rachel was neither violent nor unlawful by nature. She was a battered wife, desperate to escape the man who abused her for the entire length of their marriage. Collin Wells molded her into what he needed her to be, and he manipulated her until she was no longer of use. She was found murdered in the same warehouse where Holly and Jace were imprisoned.”

She returned the photos to the folder on her desk, giving her opening statement time to settle in the minds of the jurors. After a pause, she locked gazes with each of the twelve jurors. “Collin Wells is here today to answer for his crimes, and I need each and every one of you to help me find justice for his victims.”

Expected Publication: Fall 2019

Recommendations: Read The Holly Novels first. Criss Cross is currently free to newsletter subscribers, along with a bonus short story.

A little more about C.C. Warrens: 

Jesus and laughter have brought C.C. Warrens through some very difficult times in life, and she weaves both into every story she writes, creating a world of breath-stealing intensity, laugh-out-loud humor, and a sparkle of hope. Writing has been a slowly blossoming dream inside her for most of her life until one day it spilled out onto the pages that would become her first published book.

If she’s not writing, she’s attempting to bake something–however catastrophic that might be–or she’s enjoying the beauty of the outdoors with her husband. One of the many things she’s learned since she started this journey is that the best way to write a book is to go on a long stroll with her husband. That is when the characters–from their backgrounds to the moments that make them laugh or bubble over with anger–come to life.

 

Connect with C.C. Warrens:   

https://www.ccwarrensbooks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ccwarrens

https://amzn.to/2GA4tWG

www.twitter.com/ccwarrens