Sneak Peek into Isolated by D. M. Slate

Blurb:

As Anthony and Jazmine embark on their honeymoon to southern Mexico, they have no idea the dark trail that’ll unfold before them. The couple signs up for an ATV tour and snorkel trip offered by their resort.  Two days later Anthony stumbles out of the Mexican jungle bloodied, half dead and suffering from amnesia; he’s the prime suspect in Jazmine’s disappearance.  Through his multiple interrogations, Anthony struggles to regain his memory in order clear his name and discover the whereabouts of his missing wife.

The international search for Jazmine reveals nothing and the F.B.I. are convinced that Anthony is involved, somehow.  As bits and pieces of his memory return, he leads F.B.I. Special Agent Monroe on a trail of clues that implicate the couple’s ATV tour guides.  Further investigation reveals that Jazmine has been sold to a drug-lord in Panama, and nothing will stop Anthony from trying to rescue her.  As he enters the foreign country, the distraught husband only causes greater chaos. 

With the F.B.I. in fast pursuit to Panama, the race against the clock begins.  When the authorities close in on the suspect’s house hoping to recover Jazmine, a grueling discovery is made; Anthony is already at the house.  As the case comes to a close, Anthony is shocked to discover that this wasn’t a random crime. 

Excerpt:

The door of the interrogation room suddenly opened.  FBI Special Agent Monroe barged through, closing the door swiftly behind him. The agent placed his coffee cup on the table but remained standing. He crossed his arms in front of his broad chest and glared down his crooked, beak-like nose. His salt-and-pepper hair was parted to the side and a bold knot finished the top of his tie. He was an intimidating man, six foot four inches tall, two-hundred fifty pounds, with the hardened attitude of a veteran investigator. 

Anthony looked up from the table, asking calmly, “How many times are we going to do this?”

Without flinching Monroe answered, “Until you tell me the truth.”

This was the sixth time in the last three weeks that Anthony had been in this seat.  Every time it followed the same routine; Monroe probed and Anthony’s scrappy past came back to haunt him. Life had become a whirlwind of chaos since his honeymoon in southern Mexico.  He scowled at the agent.

“I already passed the lie detector test.  Isn’t that enough proof for you?” 

Monroe’s upper lip twitched as he glared at Anthony. For a minute, the FBI agent didn’t respond, prolonging the awkward silence. Anthony refused to break their eye contact. Finally, Monroe spoke candidly.

“I just want to find your wife.”

Anger bubbled in Anthony’s chest, exploding from within. He screamed at the FBI agent.

“Don’t you think I want to find her, too?  She’s my wife; I love her!” 

Scorching pains shot through his skull. Anthony flinched and massaged his temple. The world spun madly around him. He took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm down, but the wound in his forehead throbbed with each thumping beat of his heart.  Agent Monroe moved around the table and took a seat in the other chair. He reached for the coffee cup and deliberately slid it across the tabletop in front of Anthony. His finger slowly traced the rim of the cup as he scrutinized his suspect. 

Anthony was frustrated with what he saw as the F.B.I. man’s petty little mind game.

“Is there a reason you called me down here again? If not, I’ve got more important things to do, like find my wife.”

“That’s just it. We all want to find Jazmine. Hell, we’ve got an international media-circus going with this case. Everyone across the globe has seen her face plastered across the news. The best search and recovery teams in the world are out there right now looking for her.”

Anthony frowned at the agent. Monroe went on.

“But no one can find her; not one single trace of evidence. And you come wandering out of the Mexican jungle, all bloodied up, beaten and half dead, claiming you can’t remember a thing. Two entire days, just vanished from your memory.”

Anthony gritted his teeth. He knew the scenario, all too well. Overnight, he’d gone from being a loving newlywed to a murderous husband, thanks to media implications.

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