{"id":260280,"date":"2026-07-13T17:33:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T14:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/fester-descent-crawford-smith\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T17:33:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T14:33:23","slug":"fester-descent-crawford-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/fester-descent-crawford-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"Fester Descent – Crawford Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I believe it would help us direct our search.\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s just take that off boil, Martin. There are a number of considerations we have to weigh. You know the Schmidts still swing a lot of weight with certain elements in town. Powerful elements. I certainly wouldn\u2019t want to do anything that might endanger anyone\u2019s job\u2014especially mine! Ha ha!\u201d Martin steamed.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d had a good relationship with all of the mayors he\u2019d served under\u2014Thad Lincoln was the third. Both were fully aware Martin\u2019s position was an appointed one, and the mayor was the one who could appoint and fire the chief constable. Never before had one of them so overtly threatened him with his job. \u201cSir, are you preventing me from continuing with my investigation?\u201d asked Martin. \u201cNo, no, no\u2014nothing like that.<\/p>\n

I wouldn\u2019t think of interfering in a police investigation. I\u2019m just saying, given the current situation, it would be best for all involved to wait until tomorrow. I will speak with the interested parties, and I\u2019m sure we can arrange to have anyone you like be made available for an interview. There\u2019s no need to pester a judge, Martin.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s wait a few hours and take care of it then. I really think that\u2019s the best course of action, don\u2019t you?\u201d Martin thought nothing of the sort. He paused before continuing. \u201cHonestly, Mr. Mayor, I think the best course of action is for me to interview the Schmidts immediately.\u201d \u201cWhy?\u201d demanded the mayor. \u201cCertainly, you don\u2019t think one of them is involved, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

That was exactly what Martin thought, but again he held his tongue. In the background, he could hear the chopper approaching. \u201cThe idea is preposterous,\u201d continued the mayor. \u201cThis is one of the oldest and most respected families in town. You cannot go around accusing them of wanton crimes with no evidence!\u201d \u201cSir, I would never make such an accusation without adequate evidence.\u201d \u201cGood, then it\u2019s agreed. We\u2019ll wait until tomorrow and when everyone has had a chance to calm down, we deal with matters in a civilized fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSir, I rather think \u2026\u201d Martin had to raise his voice\u2014the helicopter was right overhead now. \u201cI can\u2019t hear you!\u201d shouted the mayor. \u201cThe chopper must be there! We\u2019ll talk in the morning.\u201d Then he hung up. Martin stared at the phone for half a minute. Never had he encountered such naked political meddling in an investigation. Sure, traffic tickets got fixed and misdemeanors got swept under the rug, but this was a whole new level of interference. He could go ahead and get the warrant\u2014or try to.<\/p>\n

No doubt Pierre Nast\u00e9 could pull some strings in Weaverville and delay the whole process anyway.<\/p>\n

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First published by Sweet Weasel Words 2026 Copyright \u00a9 2026 by Crawford Smith All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.<\/p>\n

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or localities is entirely coincidental. The words and thoughts of the characters are not meant to be offensive to readers; they\u2019re merely characterizations, meant to convey the attitudes and worldview of certain characters.<\/p>\n

Please don\u2019t get your shorts all in a bunch over it. First edition This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy Find out more at reedsy.com OceanofPDF.com for NancyAnne OceanofPDF.com Acknowledgments Special thanks to Kim Smith and Jess Truhan for helping me bring this project from concept to completion with their patience and valuable suggestions. Also, many thanks to Rob Padovano, who helped straighten out some of the legal and procedural issues in the book. Any errors or outright BS are mine, not his. Thanks to my aunt, Claudia Pattison, for helping me proofread and generally clean up the text.<\/p>\n

It was great to have Paula Guran back to edit this work. I always love working with her, and always grow as a writer when I do. Above all else, super-extra-special thanks to my wife NancyAnne, for putting up with all of my foolishness. OceanofPDF.com I Part One September 1995 OceanofPDF.com W Chapter 1 here the hell\u2019s my money?\u201d<\/p>\n

snarled Cecilia Schmidt. She lounged behind the enormous mahogany desk that would be in her possession for another few minutes. On the other side of the desk were her two most hated in-laws: Ophelia Schmidt and her husband Herkimer. Ophelia was the aunt of Cecilia\u2019s late husband, Emile. When Emile died and left everything\u2014including control of the family business\u2014to Cecilia, Ophelia had become her b\u00eate noire and opposed her at every turn.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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