Part of Series
Was it raining outside? Dale Johnson wondered as he woke up. It was dark and he could hear the sound of rain hitting the roof. Suddenly, he was pelted with something small and hard. He opened his eyes and sat up, nearly fainting in the process. His head was pounding. What the hell happened? He was pelted again and realized he was being hit with small pieces of corn. His stomach twisted and his heart pounded. He wasn’t in his house; he was in the grain silo! Struggling to his feet, he lurched to the wall and found the hatch. He found the latch and pushed, but it was stuck fast. Pounding on it, bloodying his hands, he tried again and again to unlatch the door. The grain was now being emptied into the silo in a rapid rate. Dust from the corn was filling the interior and Dale coughed as he continued to fight with the door. “Help me,” he yelled, “I’m caught in here!” The roar of the auger and the dump truck drowned out his voice, but he kept calling out and pounding on the metal door. “I’m in here,” he screamed, as the grain filled the bottom of the silo, first covering his feet, then his knees, his hips and finally, it was waist high. He thought about his family, especially his wife, who would be waiting supper for him. He thought about his grandkids, who he’d never see grow up. He thought about his kids and prayed they wouldn’t blame themselves for the accident. Finally, as the grain moved up past his chin, he took a final deep breath and thought about dying. A farm accident or murder? Could the murderer be one of his own children? And how will the ghost’s legacy change Mary’s future?
Author
Terri Reid is the author of the Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mysteries. An indie author, Reid uploaded her first book “Loose Ends” in August 2010. By the end of 2012, “Loose Ends” had sold over 82,000 copies and, as of the writing of this bio, was the number one bestselling book in Amazon’s ranking of Ghost Stories in the Book/Literature & Fiction/Genre Fiction/Horror/Ghosts section and the number two in the same area in the Kindle eBooks section. She has eight other books in the Mary O’Reilly Series and has enjoyed Top Rated and Hot New Release status for many of them in the Women Sleuths category through Amazon US. Her books have been translated into Spanish and Portuguese and are also now also available through CreateSpace and Amazon in print versions. She is also working on an audiobook for “Loose Ends.” Reid has been quoted in a number of books about the self-publishing industry including “Let’s Get Digital” by David Gaughran and “Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors” by Claire and Tim Ridgway. She was also honored to have some of her works included in A. J. Abbiati’s book “The NORTAV Method for Writers – The Secrets to Constructing Prose Like the Pros.” She has also had the distinct privilege of guest blogging for Joe Konrath. Reid is from Northwest Illinois, near the town of Freeport, the home of her fictional characters. Her background is in marketing and public relations. She is married, is the mother of seven children and the grandmother of eleven. Her constant writing companions are Riley, a Bernese Mountain Dog-Golden Retriever mix; Hans, a German Shepard mix; and McDuff, a Siamese cat.
