Watson Falls - A Small Town with a Deadly Secret

Mack Peters enjoys the good life now, but it always wasn't that way. Twelve years before tragedy struck on a lovely Sunday morning as Mack and his father, Beverly Hills Police Chief Bill Watson, finished their breakfast on the patio of a Beverly Hills restaurant.  At the time Mack was a member of the LAPD. In his quest for peace of mind he resigned from the LAPD and backpacked through Europe for an extended time. 
   After Mack returned to the States, the former LA cop struck it rich when he came up with an ingenuous idea that gave him a lot of free time and produced millions of dollars. If asked what he does for a living, he says with a smile, "I go to my mailbox and collect checks."
With a thriving business that practically runs itself, he has the luxury of being able to take off on trips when the spirit moves him. His friends Marcie and Kurt Conklin suggested that he visit a quaint town in Washington State called Leavenworth, and it wasn't hard to persuade him. But they had an ulterior motive—a motive that resulted him agreeing to help one of their friends track down her missing sister. That led him to the remote small town of Watson Falls and a situation and people more deadly than he could have ever imagined.

***

The morning after his latest nightmare, Mack's mind was made up. Instead of putting on his uniform, he dressed carefully in khakis and a cream-colored knit shirt, shaved and ran a brush through his thick sun-streaked hair. He fixed on his image in the mirror above the double sinks. Strong chin—his father's chin—straight nose, a face that could only be described as handsome. However, the hazel eyes that stared back at him had a haunting air of sad determination. They seemed to shout, "I just can't do it anymore!"

When he arrived at the station that morning, he waved aside questions about his lack of uniform and strode directly to Administration, where he requested a Resignation Form 01.50.00. He filled it in, then submitted it to his commanding officer who would, in turn, give it to the Chief of Police for approval. There was no turning back. With that action, Mack walked away from the life he had dreamed of since he was a kid.

The night before he had stared at the ceiling for a few hours while waiting for dawn, unable to go back to sleep. Some people count sheep. He relived early memories of watching his father rise from detective up through the ranks to Chief of Police, dedicated to keeping his city safe. He always pictured himself doing the same thing, but in those black pre-dawn hours he faced the realization that it wasn't going to happen. Not now. Not ever.