Votive Candles

The River Front: Introduces Alex as Cincinnati's first Black female detective. The Girl on the Grill: Deals with the murder of a young woman by a local drug distributor. Missing: Alex solves a fifteen year old abduction cold case Maggot: Alex's work with the DEA has a Mexican Drug cartel boss attacking her. Racist: Alex is targeted to be killed by a racist. Votive Candles: A local priest gives Alex a new perspective of crime. Country Road: An organization that is killing young women is eliminated by Alex Pool of Blood: On vacation Alex is asked to help a case involving a serial killer. Sins of the Daughter: A demented person kills individuals and buries them along the Canadian Border. These are the cases that Cincinnati's first black female detective, Alex Evercrest. Her attackers make the mistake of underestimating her willingness to take immediate and lethal action. Action that remains within the law but results in many casualties. Votive Candles The silence, the long Nave and high pointed ceiling held up by two rows of white columns seem to echo the silence of the empty church. It spoke of the smallness of the person walking up the aisle. Alex walked slowly carefully looking left and right to ensure that the person she was seeking was not trying to exit, as she walked slowly toward the Alter. She resisted approaching the confession booth to her left. She looked to the devotional votive candles flickering in the dark of their alcove. She resisted her urge to light one of her own and ask for the help she felt she needed. She stopped at the steps leading up to the alter and slowly rotated to take in the whole. She took a deep breath trying to decide what her next move would be. Suddenly, and silently she sensed a presence and as she turned she instinctively took a dive to the floor. The swoosh of the decorative long handled ax buried its blade into the end of the pew. She shouted, "do not shoot, do not shoot" to her two backups as she sprang back up right, flipped over the seat and onto the platform and swiftly retaliated with the small knife to the leg and a sweeping kick to the attacker's left knee. The crack resounded throughout the Nave and seemed to echo repeatedly as she followed with a swift hand chop to the side of the neck. She looked down on Father Chris Jones. She took out her handcuffs and put them on his wrists Back at the compound the doctor set the broken leg bone and said that with a brace Father Jones would be able to walk. Word had leaked that Father Jones was a pedophile and had been working with the children of the town. A mob approached the villa and Alex and her captive had to exit on the secret trail that led from the villa into town. With the help of Adolfo and one of his helpers they made their way to the town and then drove to the nearest airport. Trey, Bill, and Trevor met Alex at the airport in El Paso. It was back to Cincinnati where yet another twist to the assignment awaited the two top Cincinnati detective teams.