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© 2007, Jennifer
McKenzie Reviews For MEN OF ALASKA: HEART OF THE STORM by Jennifer McKenzie Heart Of The Storm has suspense, action
and a tender romance. There is some back and forth between Charlene
and Ethan, but there is an undeniable chemistry between them as well.
The twists in the plot keep the story flowing, and the end is a bit
of a shocker. Heart Of The Storm is a story where the good guys win
and true love stands the test of time. Sample Chapter For MEN OF ALASKA: HEART OF THE STORM by Jennifer McKenzie God, it stinks in here. Charlene Henderson sat in the blue plastic chair, trying to keep her nose from wrinkling to keep the distaste from her face. The smell of the maximum security jail waiting area was foul and stale. Human sweat, cheap perfume and disinfectant combined to make her first visit with a prisoner memorable, but not in a good way. Looking around, she saw others also waiting to talk to prisoners on visiting day. They looked worn and tired as if they had lost all hope. Charlene tried not to look at anyone directly or fidget in her chair. Most of them were visiting family, loved ones. They were people who cared. The man she was visiting was no loved one of hers. She felt out of place. She noticed her reflection in the bulletproof barrier that kept prisoners locked away from the visitors. A long row of cubicles, each with a phone to speak to the inmate and a sheet of glass set between visitor and prisoner, was the last place she expected to be. It surprised her that the glass was reflective. In it, she saw a tall, curved woman in a green tank top and black tailored pants. She tried to rearrange her features to get rid of the angry scowl twisting her features. Normally, she was the ultra cool administrator who couldn’t be ruffled. Today was different. She sat very still. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled back in a clip and flowed to meet her tank top in natural curls. The only movement she made as she waited for the man she had come over three hundred miles to see was to flick some lint off her pants. When the buzzer went off and the door opened, Charlene looked up. Jack Dory was grayer than she remembered. He looked thinner and less threatening than eight years earlier when Charlene had known him. Jack’s legs and hands were shackled. The rasp of the chains clanking rattled Charlene’s nerves, but she kept her face blank. He sat down and pulled the black phone receiver to his ear, moving his long black hair out of the way. Charlene reached for her phone, almost wishing she had a handkerchief as a barrier to touching it. “So, you’re Bull Henderson’s daughter,” Jack Dory said. Charlene almost sighed with impatience since those were almost the exact words he’d used when he met her as a nineteen-year-old. “I’m also Kevin Henderson’s sister, Mr. Dory.” Keep cool, Charlene. Rage and frustration strained inside her. “You’re here about Kevin?”
Jack’s tone became strident and his black, scruffy eyebrows rose. “Yes, Mr. Dory.” Reasonable, Charlene. Stay reasonable. “The Phoenix police called me when they found out that you were one of the missing fishermen on my brother’s boat. You remember The Daughter of Norway, don’t you?” Jack’s muddy brown eyes fell away. “I remember,” he muttered. “The Daughter of Norway disappeared eight years ago on the Bering Sea during king crab season. All five men were thought to be lost. The boat was never recovered. Yet, here you are.” Charlene leaned forward. “Jack Dory, deckhand on The Daughter of Norway, lost at sea. Oh, and wanted for first degree murder in California.” Jack Dory didn’t look at her. Charlene wanted to scream at him. Instead, she remained calm, almost casual. “Where are the other members of the crew? Where is my brother?” “They’re dead.” “Are they?” Charlene narrowed her eyes and clutched the phone tightly. “Then tell me, Jack Dory, how did you survive?” “I mean, I think they’re dead.” His eyes were wide and restless and his voice squeaked. That sounded like fear to her. “Let me tell you what your position is right now.” Charlene leaned back in the chair. “You either tell me what happened on The Daughter of Norway eight years ago, or get the death penalty. I have depositions from the families of your two victims. They’re willing to only seek life in prison if you will help me locate where The Daughter of Norway went down.” Go slowly, Charlene. “If you cooperate, you don’t get sent to California to face the death penalty.” She held his gaze. “But if you lie to me, the death penalty is back on the table. You’re going back to California, Jack. It’s up to you whether you go back and wait to die or spend your life in prison.” Jack Dory was silent, his head bent, staring at his feet. Charlene waited. Finally he looked up. “I left them alive. When I got away from them, they were all alive.” His voice was shrill and panicked. Charlene leaned forward. “Where, Jack? Where did you leave them?” “I left them on Big Diomede Island.” Charlene just stared at him for a minute. “That’s impossible,” she said sharply. “That’s miles north of their last known location and it’s across the border in Russia. Kevin wouldn’t take the boat there.” “It’s true.” Jack wheezed and whined. “I left them when we ran aground on Big Diomede. Ross and Sean forced the captain to go north toward the Russian border and then the storm hit us.” “Ross Perry and Sean Cowell? The other two deckhands?” “Yeah.” Dory put a shaky hand up to his eyes. “That was the worst night of my life.” “And Jason Iverson? What about him?” “Ross kept a rifle on me and Jason. Sean made your brother keep steering, but there was a storm and the boat got slammed. Jason got hurt and we got blown onto the island.” “Then what?” Charlene forced the words through a tight throat. “Then, Ross pushed us all onto the island and the minute I could, I got in one of the life rafts and took off. I drifted into Little Diomede Village.” Dory clenched his fingers together. “It took me weeks to recover. No one there knew who I was and I didn’t tell them. I told them I fell off a supply boat and got out of there when I could. I was sure that Ross killed Jason and your brother and I didn’t want to be next.” “You left them there to die?” Charlene’s voice was deceptively calm. The rage was building in her. Her brother hadn’t died at sea. He didn’t drown. He’d been murdered. “I don’t know if they died or not,” Dory whined. “What part of Big Diomede, Jack? Could you point it out on a map?” “I guess so.” He didn’t look her in the eye. Charlene pulled out a geological survey map of Alaska and the surrounding islands and pressed it against the glass between them. She pointed to Big Diomede. “Where?” Jack reached his hand up to point and then withdrew it. “How do I know you’ll keep your promise and I won’t get the death penalty?” Charlene wanted to pound her fists in frustration but she maintained her control. “You don’t. This is your only offer. If you don’t cooperate with me, the victims’ families get to decide.” Her gaze bored into his. “They aren’t feeling very compassionate at the moment, Jack.” Jack reached up his hand and pointed. Charlene pulled the map down and rolled it up carefully. Dory looked at her. “What about some protection for me? What if those guys find out that I ratted them out? They’ll try and kill me.” Charlene’s eyes went cold. “Once they find out you’re alive, Mr. Dory, they’ll want you dead anyway. That is not my problem.” She began to pick up her purse and put it on her shoulder. “You’ll be in prison. Perhaps they won’t get you there.” She placed the receiver back in place and rose. The panic in Dory’s eyes grew frantic and he put his hands on the glass. “You can’t do that! I helped you! You wouldn’t have known what happened if I didn’t talk.” His muffled voice came through to her. Charlene’s face tightened and she let Dory see the anger and pain she had been hiding. She picked up the phone again. “You left him to die. You’re a coward and a murderer. Saving your skin wasn’t part of the deal. All I promised was that the victims’ families wouldn’t seek the death penalty. I’ve done that. What happens to you in prison is your problem.” Slamming down the phone, she turned and walked away from him. “You’ll be sorry! I know more than I’ll every tell. Your precious brother was no angel.” Charlene ignored the man as he was dragged back to his cell. She waited until she was out in her car before she allowed bitter tears to fall. Oh, Kevin. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. |