The Culling Read online

  It was after she’d made the turn up the side street on which her house stood that she began to have second thoughts about the sound of the footfalls behind her. They’d turned into the tree-lined narrow street that ended in a cul de sac three houses beyond hers moments after she had. She didn’t know any of her neighbors, but couldn’t recall any of them who would be coming from downtown at this time of day. Most were elderly retired couples who spent all day sitting on their porches or working in their tiny gardens.

  She walked faster. Her house was now in sight, but the sidewalk, a dark gray blur in the shadows of the overhanging trees, seemed to stretch on forever. Her heart began to race, pounding in her chest like the native drums she’d heard during her visits to villages in Senegal. She clutched her purse against her small breasts and lowered her head. Could it be, she asked herself, a mugger? One of the lowlifes that infested the downtown areas, including the National Mall, preying on unwary tourists? If so, why was he so far out from town? She thought of the document in the folded envelope in her purse. What if he wanted her purse? Could she perhaps remove the money and placate him, thus not risking the incriminating document accidentally falling into the wrong hands?

  The sound of the footsteps behind her was getting closer. Lesley wanted to run, but knew that her short, stocky legs weren’t up to it. Suddenly, she felt the heat of anger and stopped in her tracks. The sound of footsteps stopped as well.

  ___________________________

  The White Dragon in paperback is available on most retail book seller sites. The Kindle version is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.uk.

  Other books by this author:

  The Buffalo Soldier series:

  Buffalo Soldier: Trial by Fire

  Buffalo Soldier: Homecoming

  Buffalo Soldier: Incident at Cactus Junction

  Buffalo Soldier: Peacekeepers

  Buffalo Soldier: Renegade

  Buffalo Soldier: Escort Duty

  Al Pennyback mysteries

  Color Me Dead

  Memorial to the Dead

  Deadline

  Dead, White, and Blue

  A Good Day to Die

  The Day the Music Died

  Die, Sinner

  Deadly Intentions

  Death by Design

  Till Death Do Us Part

  Deadly Dose

  Dead Man’s Cove

  Dead Men Don’t Answer

  Death From Unnatural Causes

  Deadly Paradise

  Kiss of Death

  Other fiction

  Angel on His Shoulder

  She’s No Angel

  Child of the Flame

  Pip’s Revenge

  Wallace in Underland

  Further Adventures of Wallace in Underland

  Dead Letter and Other Tales

  The White Dragons

  The Dragon’s Lair

  The Last Gunfighters

  Nonfiction

  Things I Learned from My Grandmother About Leadership and Life

  Taking Charge: Effective Leadership for the Twenty-first Century

  Grab the Brass ring

  African Places: A Photographic Journey Through Zimbabwe and southern Africa

  There’s Always a Plan B

  About the Author

  Charles Ray has been writing fiction since his teens. He won a Sunday school magazine writing contest when he was thirteen, and having his byline on a short story published in a national publication forever hooked him on writing. During his time in the army (1962-1982) he often moonlighted as a newspaper or magazine journalist, and was the editorial cartoonist for the Spring Lake (NC) News, a weekly newspaper, during the 1970s. In addition to his writing, he was an artist/cartoonist and photographer for a number of publications, including Ebony, Eagle and Swan, and Essence, and had a monthly cartoon feature and did several covers for Buffalo, a now-defunct magazine that was dedicated to showcasing the contributions of African-Americans to the country’s military history.

  A native of Texas, he now calls Maryland home. For more on his writing and other projects, check one of the following Web sites:

  http://redroom.com/member/charles-a-ray

  http://charlesaray.blogspot.com

  http://charlieray45.wordpress.com

  http://www.twitter.com/charlieray45

  http://www.facebook.com/charlieray45

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesray45/

  http://www.viewbug.com/member/charlesray