Rough Country

01The Call of Duty

The tranquility of Virgil Flowers' fishing retreat was abruptly shattered by the insistent ring of his phone. Lucas Davenport's voice on the other end was grave, pulling Flowers away from the serene waters and thrusting him into a world of chaos and murder. The crime scene was the Eagle Nest Lodge, a sanctuary for women seeking respite from the relentless demands of their lives. The victim was Erica McDill, a woman whose ruthless ambition had made her a formidable figure in the advertising industry. McDill was a woman of power and influence, her name synonymous with cutthroat business strategies and an unyielding drive for success. Her death, while tragic, was not entirely unexpected to those who had crossed paths with her. The list of her enemies was long, and Flowers knew he had his work cut out for him. The women of the Eagle Nest Lodge were a tight-knit community, their trust hard-earned and not easily given to outsiders, especially not to a male law enforcement officer. Yet, Flowers, with his easy charm and genuine empathy, managed to slowly chip away at their defenses. He discovered that McDill had been at the lodge for a business retreat with her colleagues from PyeMart, a retail giant with its own share of controversies. As Flowers delved deeper into the labyrinth of McDill's life, he unearthed a tangle of secrets and deceptions. McDill had been spearheading a contentious ad campaign for PyeMart, a move that could have far-reaching implications. This revelation added a new dimension to the case, broadening the pool of potential suspects. Flowers also found himself navigating the stormy waters of McDill's personal life. She was embroiled in a bitter divorce and had recently severed ties with a colleague in a relationship marked by volatility. These personal vendettas added another layer of complexity to the case, forcing Flowers to sift through a tangled web of personal and professional grudges to uncover the truth. Haunted by a past case that had ended in tragedy, Flowers found the McDill case stirring up old ghosts. Yet, he remained steadfast in his pursuit of justice, driven by a deep-seated conviction in the significance of his work. Despite the shadows of his past and the complexities of the present, Flowers was determined to bring McDill's killer to justice, no matter what it took.