A Knight in the Ville: The Diary

A diary contains the deepest, darkest, and most intimate desires of its owner. When aspiring author Sky Williams finds an ancient dairy in the mountains of Tennessee, he unlocks the secret to the minds of various famous people, and the result is a bestselling novel. Now a rich man, he returns to his hometown of Sistersville to write the sequel. But the diary is changing Sky's personality, and his erratic behavior soon draws the attention of Chief Curtis Knight. But someone else has also returned to the Ville. Jessica Long, the young beauty who had an affair with Curtis, is back, and she has a baby boy in tow. Revenge, deceit, and lust are in play as the story hurls toward its shocking ending.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

A Knight in the VilleThe DiaryBy Steven E. WintersAuthorHouseCopyright © 2015 Steven E. WintersAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-5049-3232-5CHAPTER 1The crackling voice on the radio came just as Curtis Knight was raising a spoonful of chili to his mouth. "Tyler dispatch calling Sistersville Unit 100."Grabbing his walkie-talkie, he responded, "This is Sistersville Unit 100. Go ahead, dispatch.""Please respond to a domestic disturbance at the Sky Williams residence on North Main Street. Caller reports two females fighting in the front yard."Curtis shook his head and sighed. It never failed ... he always got a call when he sat down for dinner! "Ten-four! I'm on my way!"Rising from the kitchen table, he placed the bowl in the fridge and walked outside to his patrol car. He jumped inside and fired the Ford up, not bothering with the lights and siren since the Williams house was only a few blocks away. As he rounded the diamond square at the city building that separated north and south Main Streets, he recognized the two females ahead and winced. It was Erin and Sharon Harris, also known as the Harris twins.Curtis pulled over on the opposite side of the street from the Williams house and shut off his cruiser. He jumped out and ran over to the sisters, who were standing on the sidewalk, screaming obscenities at each other. "Whoa! Whoa! That's enough! The next one of you who screams is going to jail!"The sisters stopped screaming and took a step away from each other as Curtis got in between them. "Erin, I want you to go stand by the back of my cruiser while I talk to your sister. When I'm finished getting her side of the story, I'll talk to you. Now go!"Erin lowered her head sheepishly and walked across the street to the cruiser. "Now, Sharon, you just have a seat on the curb here and tell me what in the world you two are fighting about."Sharon pulled her auburn hair back from her face and slowly sat down. "I was just here visitin' my man, and she comes runnin' up here with her mouth flappin', talkin' all 'kinda of shit.""Let's keep the language civil, okay? That ugly word doesn't sit well coming from the mouth of such a pretty young lady."Sharon blushed and murmured softly, "Sorry." "That's okay. Now let's start over.""I was here seein' Sky. We been datin' 'bout a week now, and Erin caught wind of it and is tryin' to stir stuff up. She used to date him, but they broke up, and now she's jealous."Curtis nodded and took out his notepad. "Where is Sky?""He ran inside when she pulled up."Curtis chuckled and jotted down a few lines before closing the notepad. "You can go on inside the house, Sharon. I'm going to talk to your sister."Sharon nodded and stood, casting a glare in the direction of her sister before marching up the front steps onto Sky's front porch. She pulled on the front door, but it would not open. Just then, a window opened on the second floor, and Sky Williams leaned out. "Hey, Curtis! I want both of these crazy women off my property ... NOW!"Sharon stepped off the porch and looked up at Sky. "Baby, let me in!"No! I'm done with you, Sharon. It's over! You and your crazy sister are too much drama for me! Don't ever come back!"Sharon burst into tears, and within a few seconds, Erin was racing across the street to hug and comfort her. "How dare you dump my sister like this, Sky Williams? You're an asshole!""Yes, I am! Now get off my property, and don't neither of you ever come back!"Curtis walked over to the sisters and patted Erin on the shoulder. "It's time to go. Since he instructed you in my presence not to return to his property, if either of you come back here, I'll have to arrest you for trespassing.""Don't worry about that, Officer! Neither of us will ever be coming back here! Come on, Sharon."After the sisters left, Curtis looked up. "Sky, come downstairs and let me in."While he waited for Sky to open the front door, Curtis shook his head. The Harris twins were notorious in the area for fighting over the same men. Some of the local folks referred to them as "Erin and Sharin'" because whenever one girl developed an interest in a man, the other one wanted him, too. At twenty-three years of age, both girls stood about 5'7" and were blessed with pretty faces, fine bodies, and long, flowing red hair. Their only flaw was that they were both plumb crazy. Curtis hoped that they would return to their Doddridge County farm and stay there.The front door opened a few inches, and Sky Williams peeked through the crack before opening it completely. "Come on in, Curtis! Sorry about all this. I guess all the stories about those gals are true!""Like you didn't know that," Curtis mumbled as he pushed past Sky and entered the house."Oh come on, Curtis! Can you blame me? I mean, they're freaking twins! Isn't that every guy's fantasy?""I've found that fantasy and reality don't mix well, Sky. But I do get it. Still, when you play with fire ..."Sky laughed and finished his sentence, "... you get burned! Have a seat, old friend. Can I get you a soda pop or some sweet iced tea?""That sounds good. Go light on the ice and heavy on the sweet."As Sky headed to the kitchen, Curtis sat down on the sofa and picked up a copy of his friend's novel, which was sitting on the coffee table. After graduating from high school in Sistersville, Sky had moved to North Carolina, where he had written articles for several magazines and had some poetry published. But this was his first novel — Inside the Great Minds of History — and it had catapulted Sky Williams into the national limelight. The book had risen to number three on The New York Times Best Sellers list and had remained in the top ten for six months. After selling the movie rights to Hollywood, Sky had recently returned to the Ville a rich man."Here you go, Curtis. Heavy on the sugar," Sky said as he handed Curtis a large, frosty mug."Sky, I haven't had a chance to hang out with you since you moved back. But I was hoping it would be under better circumstances.""Amen to that! We've come a long way since high school, eh? Now here you are, the chief of police! That's awesome.""Kind of pales in comparison to being a famous writer, but yeah, I'm a pretty big deal here."Both men laughed and spent the next hour reminiscing, before Curtis started to feel hunger pangs. He was anxious to get home and warm up that delicious chili Amy had made him."Don't be a stranger, Curtis. Drop by anytime.""I will, Sky. And remember, reality and fantasy don't mix!"After Curtis left, Sky closed the front door. He walked over to the coffee table and picked up his book. Oh how very wrong you are, Curtis, he thought as a twisted smile formed on his lips.CHAPTER 2Jessica Long pulled her silver Lexus into her parents' driveway on McCoy Heights just after 1:00 a.m. The porch light came on, and the back door opened. John Long came out of the house and walked over to her car."Hello, Daddy!""Jess, we need to talk. Before you start to unpack, I need to know: are you here to make amends with your mother, or do you have another agenda?"Jessica pretended to pout and decided to turn on the waterworks. She knew her father would give in to her. He always did. "Daddy, I've missed you so much!" The tears were faker than her eyelashes, but they flowed easily when she wanted them to."I can't stand raising my son without you in his life. He needs a role model, and you're the best man for that job. I need you, Daddy. He needs you!" Jessica turned the faucets on full blast. Her father opened her car door and leaned in. He then wrapped his arms around her and gave her a strong hug."I never doubted you, baby girl. But your mom ... well, she ...""I know, Daddy. But that's my fault. I pushed Mom away. I just want to come home and be your little girl again. I want us to be a family."While her father carried her suitcases inside the house, Jessica unbuckled her son's car seat. He had slept for most of the trip, which had taken nearly eleven hours. Jessica looked at his face and smiled. You look exactly like your father. There's no way he could deny you!"Everything is in your room, and I set up your old cradle for the boy earlier tonight.""Thank you! Is Mom up?""Yes, but she's not feeling up to seeing you right now. Just give her some time, Jess. She does love you. Good night."Jessica gave her father a hug and kissed him on the cheek. She took a few cans of baby formula from her tote bag and placed two of them in a kitchen cupboard. She opened the other and prepared a bottle for her son. After he finished the bottle, she carried him upstairs and tucked him into the cradle. Jessica changed into a long nightshirt and lay down on her old bed. She was asleep in a matter of seconds.The smell of bacon and coffee greeted Jessica the next morning as she slowly awakened. Her mom had always been an early riser, and the familiar smells took Jessica back to her childhood days. Her son was also awake, and he began to cry softly. Jessica picked him up and unbuttoned her nightshirt so that he could suckle on her breast. Holding her son in her arms, she stood and slowly made her way downstairs to the kitchen. There stood her mom, keeping a watchful eye on the bacon as it fried on the stovetop."Good morning, Mom."Harriet Long turned and looked at her. "Do you think it's proper to breast-feed your son in the kitchen? I know you lack moral decency, but for God's sake, your father might see you."Jessica had expected this opening barrage and was not shaken by the hostility and contempt in her mother's voice. She countered with a cheerful tone, "Actually, I put some of his formula in the cupboard last night. I'm sure you must have noticed it. I'm weaning him off the breast milk. Sorry if it offends you."Her mom looked at her with cold, steely eyes. "Don't try to out-bitch me, Jessica! Let's get something straight right now: I don't want you back in my house. You disgraced me and destroyed my social standing in this town. The only reason you are here is because of your father. I love him, and he has begged and begged me to give you a second chance. I will tolerate your presence, but in the end, we both know that you're not going to stay."Jessica pulled a bottle of orange juice from the fridge. "Oh, Mom! You're so silly! Of course I'm going to stay! Did you really think that I would come back here without a plan? I watched you manipulate people while I was growing up. You were elected as president of the Twig Association and president of the Band Boosters and the PTA. You were always looking to be a status symbol in your tiny, pathetic world. You always got your way, and the entire time, you made people think it was their idea. All I have to do is manipulate Daddy into letting me stay. After all, I learned from the best."Jessica's mom took a step toward her, pointing with the steel spatula in her right hand. "You ungrateful little bitch! I made you! I pulled strings to get you on the cheerleading squad. I did everything to make you the most popular girl in Sistersville!""That was your dream, Mom. I never asked for it. You only wanted me to be popular so that you looked good.""And you made sure that didn't happen, didn't you? You went and had an affair with a married man. My life was perfect until then.""Your bacon is burning." Jessica smirked as she turned and walked into the living room.Jessica's father was sitting on the sofa, reading the morning paper. "Good morning, Daddy!""Well, good morning, young lady! Did you sleep well?""Oh, Daddy, I slept like a log! It's so wonderful being home."Jessica walked over and gave her father a hug. "So, how about we go downtown and get some breakfast?""I think your mother is making breakfast, Jess.""Oh, I was just in there talking to her. She burned the bacon. I think you and I need to spend some quality time together anyway. Plus you will get a chance to show off your grandson to all your buddies!""Well, okay. Let me get my shoes on, and we'll head downtown to the diner."Jessica's mom walked into the living room and shot her daughter a hateful look. "John, I'm going back to bed. I have a terrible headache."Her husband looked up from tying his shoe. "I'm sorry to hear that. You seemed fine earlier.""Yes, well ... the pain just came on suddenly while I was in the kitchen."CHAPTER 3The calls began streaming in at around 6:00 a.m., and there were a lot of them. Multiple car tires had been slashed all over town during the night. Curtis Knight called Sergeant Steven Andrews at home and asked him to assist him. "I've got twenty-two reports so far, and I can't answer them all."A few minutes later, Andrews called Curtis back. "They got my squad car, too. Both front tires are cut."Curtis sighed and advised Andrews that he would come and pick him up. Make that twenty-three so far, he thought.After picking Andrews up, Curtis decided that they could split the complaints between them if he drove his personal vehicle. He drove to his house and told Andrews he would be available by walkie-talkie. "Give me a handful of those incident reports from the trunk, Steven. I'll use my personal camera to take pictures." After deciding which calls each of them would respond to, Andrews drove off in the cruiser. Just as Curtis was backing his car out of the garage, Amy pulled into the driveway. He stopped, put the car in park, and got out to greet his wife. "Hey, babe! How was the nightshift?""Long! I only had two patients on my wing, and they both slept through the night.""Except when you woke them up every hour to ask how they were feeling?"Amy slapped him playfully on the arm. "Oh, you are sooooo funny!""Sorry. Listen, I have to run, babe. Someone slashed a bunch of tires all over town last night."Amy frowned. She was disappointed that she couldn't spend a few minutes with him. "Okay. Love you!"She watched him drive off before putting her car inside the garage. She unlocked the kitchen door adjoining the garage, closing and locking it behind her before dropping her keys on the table. As she debated whether to take a shower or soak in a bubble bath before going to bed, the front doorbell chimed. "Oh bother!" she muttered. She walked into the living room and peeked out the window. She saw her friend Marcie Johnson standing on the front porch.She opened the door and invited Marcie inside. "What are you doing up so early?""Curtis called Steven out to help him take reports. Someone slashed a bunch of tires last night, including two on Andrew's police car.""Yeah, I saw Curtis a few minutes ago when I got home. People are so stupid! What's the point of slashing tires?""I know, right? Anyhow, I figured that since I was up, I'd walk over here and see how you were doing. Did you have a good night at the hospital?" "It was a good night but a long one. I didn't really do much.""Would you like to go out for some breakfast? We can walk over to the diner if you want. I'm buying!"Amy was about to say no, but the hopeful smile on her friend's face made her change her mind. "Okay, but give me time to take a quick shower. There's instant coffee in the cupboard over the stove if you want some."Curtis pulled in front of the newly opened Sistersville Museum at the corner of Diamond and Wells Streets and climbed out of his car. There were two cars parked nearby with slashed tires. The owners were not around, but Curtis began writing up the reports anyway. He jotted down the vehicle identification and license plate numbers, and he took some pictures with his digital camera. He left notes on both windshields, asking the owners to call him with their insurance information and advising them that a report would be on file at the police station the next day.The next stop was on North Main Street, directly across the street from Sky Williams' house, where Curtis had been the day before. This time, the complainant was waiting for him. Curtis felt a knot forming in his stomach when he saw the car owner, Councilman Bradly Ford."Well, it's about time you got here, Knight, considering I called twenty minutes ago and the police station is only half a block away!""I apologize, Mr. Ford. I'm a little overwhelmed this morning with the number of complaints. Do you have your vehicle registration handy?" (Continues...)Excerpted from A Knight in the Ville by Steven E. Winters. Copyright © 2015 Steven E. Winters. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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