Death of Innocence
Description
Raymond Harris has looked into the eyes of the dead before, but none ever touched him like the eyes of a sixteen-year-old girl found murdered in an abandoned house on the outskirts of Franklin, Kentucky. Her death struck a nerve, because Ray knew her.
Ray knew her likes and dislikes. He knew everything about her, because she was his Godchild. She was the granddaughter of Ray's best friend, and Ray knew her grandpa would seek revenge.
Finding her killer would become the driving force in Ray's life. The deceased was beautiful, kind, and caring. Everyone loved her, and she didn't desire to die.
Her name was Innocence.
More details
Person
Kentucky has always been my home. I was born in Owensboro and raised in Daviess County. Life was simple back then. I grew up with outhouses, hand-pumps, and coal stoves. If you wanted hot water, you heated it on the stove. Both of my parents have passed on. I have a half-brother, Danny, but most of our younger lives he lived with his father, so we didn't get to see each other often. Looking back, sadly, it was like being an only child. My closest friends were the cows, chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, turkeys, geese, ducks, and horses my dad kept on our small farm. I hope I didn't leave anyone out. Farm animals can be so jealous. Our grocery store ? mason jars of mom's canned vegetables and the occasional trip into town to the IGA.
My dad was a woodsman. You could give him a shotgun, a box of shells and a book of matches, and he could disappear into the forest for weeks. I used to hunt with him, but I was never the woodsman. I can't tell you how many deer, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons and ground hogs I've eaten. My wife, Stephanie, and I have five kids (three boys and two girls) and eight grandchildren (five boys and three girls). All but one son live here in town. You should see Christmas day at our house.
I've had several jobs during my lifetime. When I was thirteen, I had a summer job. I was a soda-jerk at the Utica Junior High School playground. The school is now defunct. It is not my fault the school went defunct. As an adult, I started out as a janitor. Loved the work, but not the pay. Mapping came next. In other words, I was a draftsman who created maps from surveys. I did that for over twenty years. Mapping fulltime and going to Brescia College (It's now a University) at night, I got a BS in Computer Science. Career change. I was a Computer Analyst for over twenty years.
There came a day when I realized I was the dinosaur of Computer Science. Technology had passed me by. So, I up and retired. That was in 2014, and I haven't missed working a day. Truth be known, I do miss the people I worked with. Notice, I've said nothing about writing. I could tell you a pretty good story, but putting it on paper was another thing. Stephanie, my wife, asked, "And why not?" I had no answer.
