THIS IS
HOW I LIED
Author:
Heather Gudenkauf
ISBN:
9780778309703
Publication
Date: May 12, 2020
Publisher:
Park Row Books
With the eccentricity of Fargo and the intensity of Sadie,
THIS IS HOW I LIED by Heather
Gudenkauf (Park Row Books; May 12, 2020; $17.99) is a timely and gripping
thriller about careless violence we can inflict on those we love, and the
lengths we will go to make it right, even 25 years later.
Tough as nails and seven months pregnant, Detective Maggie
Kennedy-O’Keefe of Grotto PD, is dreading going on desk duty before having the
baby her and her husband so badly want. But when new evidence is found in the
25-year-old cold case of her best friend’s murder that requires the work of a
desk jockey, Maggie jumps at the opportunity to be the one who finally puts Eve
Knox’s case to rest.
Maggie has her work cut out for her. Everyone close to Eve is a suspect.
There’s Nola, Eve’s little sister who’s always been a little... off; Nick,
Eve’s ex-boyfriend with a vicious temper; a Schwinn riding drifter who blew in
and out of Grotto; even Maggie’s husband Sean, who may have known more about
Eve’s last day than he’s letting on. As Maggie continues to investigate, the
case comes closer and closer to home, forcing her to confront her own demons
before she can find justice for Eve.
Excerpt:
Maggie Kennedy-O'Keefe
Monday, June 15, 2020
As I slide out of my
unmarked police car my swollen belly briefly gets wedged against the steering
wheel. Sucking in my gut does little good but I manage to move the seat back
and squeeze past the wheel. I swing my legs out the open door and glance furtively
around the parking lot behind the Grotto Police Department to see if anyone is
watching.
Almost eight months
pregnant with a girl and not at my most graceful. I'm not crazy about the idea
of one of my fellow officers seeing me try to pry myself out of this tin can.
The coast appears to be clear so I begin the little ritual of rocking back and
forth trying to build up enough momentum to launch myself out of the driver's
seat.
Once upright, I pause
to catch my breath. The morning dew is already sending up steam from the weeds
growing out of the cracked concrete. Sweating, I slowly make my way to the rear
entrance of the Old Gray Lady, the nickname for the building we're housed in.
Built in the early 1900s, the first floor consists of the lobby, the finger printing
and intake center, a community room, interview rooms and the jail. The second
floor, which once held the old jail is home to the squad room and offices. The
dank, dark basement holds a temperamental boiler and the department archives.
The Grotto Police
Department has sixteen sworn officers that includes the chief, two lieutenants,
a K-9 patrol officer, nine patrol officers, a school resource officer and two
detectives. I'm detective number two.
I grew up in Grotto, a
small river town of about ten thousand that sits among a circuitous cave system
known as Grotto Caves State Park, the most extensive in Iowa. Besides being a
favorite destination spot for families, hikers and spelunkers, Grotto is known
for its high number of family owned farms – a dying breed. My husband Shaun and
I are part of that breed – we own an apple orchard and tree farm.
"Pretty soon we're going to have to roll
you in," an irritatingly familiar voice calls out from behind me.
I don't bother turning
around. "Francis, that wasn't funny the first fifty times you said it and
it still isn't," I say as I scan my key card to let us in.
Behind me, Pete
Francis, rookie officer and all-around caveman grabs the door handle and in a
rare show of chivalry opens it so I can step through. "You know I'm just
joking," Francis says giving me the grin that all the young ladies in
Grotto seem to find irresistible but just gives me another reason to roll my
eyes.
"With the wrong
person, those kinds of jokes will land you in sensitivity training," I remind
him.
"Yeah, but you're
not the wrong person, right?" he says seriously, "You're cool with
it?"
I wave to Peg behind
the reception desk and stop at the elevator and punch the number two button.
The police department only has two levels but I'm in no mood to climb up even
one flight of stairs today. "Do I look like I'm okay with it?" I ask
him.
Francis scans me up
and down. He takes in my brown hair pulled back in a low bun, wayward curls
springing out from all directions, my eyes red from lack of sleep, my untucked
shirt, the fabric stretched tight against my round stomach, my sturdy shoes
that I think are tied, but I can't know for sure because I can't see over my
boulder-sized belly.
"Sorry," he
says appropriately contrite and wisely decides to take the stairs rather than
ride the elevator with me.
"You’re
forgiven," I call after him. As I
step on the elevator to head up to my desk, I check my watch. My appointment
with the chief is at eight and though he didn't tell me what the exact reason
is for this meeting I think I can make a pretty good guess.
It can't be dictated
as to when I have to go on light duty, seven months into my pregnancy, but it's
probably time. I'm guessing that Chief Digby wants to talk with me about when I
want to begin desk duty or take my maternity leave. I get it.
It's time I start to
take it easy. I’ve either been the daughter of a cop or a cop my entire life
but I’m more than ready to set it aside for a while and give my attention,
twenty-four-seven to the little being inhabiting my uterus.
Shaun and I have been
trying for a baby for a long, long time. And thousands of dollars and dozens of
procedures later, when we finally found out we were pregnant, Shaun started
calling her peanut because the only thing I could eat for the first nine weeks
without throwing up was peanut butter sandwiches. The name stuck.
This baby is what we
want more than anything in the world but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that
I'm a little bit scared. I’m used to toting around a sidearm not an infant.
The elevator door opens to a dark paneled
hallway lined with ten by sixteen framed photos of all the men who served as
police chief of Grotto over the years. I pass by eleven photos before I reach
the portrait of my father. Henry William
Kennedy, 1995 - 2019, the plaque reads.
While the other chiefs
stare out from behind the glass with serious expressions, my dad smiles showing
his straight, white teeth. He was so proud when he was named chief of police.
We were all proud, except maybe my older brother, Colin. God knows what Colin
thought of it. As a teenager he was pretty self-absorbed, but I guess I was
too, especially after my best friend died. I went off the rails for a while but
here I am now. A Grotto PD detective, following in my dad’s footsteps. I think
he’s proud of me too. At least when he remembers.
Last time I brought my
dad back here to visit, we walked down this long corridor and paused at his
photo. For a minute I thought he might make a joke, say something like, Hey, who's that good looking guy? But he
didn't say anything. Finding the right words is hard for him now. Occasionally,
his frustration bubbles over and he yells and sometimes even throws things
which is hard to watch. My father has always been a very gentle man.
The next portrait in line
is our current police chief, Les Digby. No smile on his tough guy mug. He was
hired a month ago, taking over for Dexter Stroope who acted as the interim
chief after my dad retired. Les is about ten years older than I am, recently
widowed with two teenage sons. He previously worked for the Ransom Sheriff’s
Office and I'm trying to decide if I like him. Jury's still out.
Excerpted from This is How I Lied by
Heather Gudenkauf, Copyright © 2020 by Heather Gudenkauf
Published by Park Row Books
Author
Bio:
Heather
Gudenkauf is the
New York Times and USA Today bestselling
author of many books, including The
Weight of Silence and These Things
Hidden. Heather graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in
elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages.
She lives in Iowa with her husband, three children, and a very spoiled German
Shorthaired Pointer named Lolo. In her free time, Heather enjoys spending time
with her family, reading, hiking, and running.
Social
Links:
Twitter: @hgudenkauf
Instagram: @heathergudenkauf
Facebook: @HeatherGudenkaufAuthor
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