Synopsis

Political intrigue meets romantic suspense in this high-stakes, split-narrative thriller that follows entrepreneur Ben Johnson as he sets out to find the man responsible for the attempted murder of his lifelong love, Acadia LaFleur.

“The SCOTUS Affair” weaves in a compelling, emotional love story between star-crossed lovers. After a secret affair spanning decades almost ends the tragic death of Acadia, Ben stops at nothing to find the man responsible for sending her down a flight of stairs and into a life-threatening coma. The racial and financial differences and familial obligations that keep them apart complicate Ben’s attempts to protect her and, ultimately, come to a head as Ben discovers her own family is tied up in the incident as they leverage their political power for personal gain.

With the help of his PI friend, Dimase Augustin, Ben risks his own life to ensure justice is served to his life-long love, and his dedication and persistence demonstrate that love is both the greatest motivator and most powerful force in the face of evil.

Excerpt

Dimase thought about the house, which was not somewhere one went on a casual stroll. There were no vagrants in the area, so if the attacker hadn’t been an arbitrary person passing through and there was no obvious motive, that left only one alternative: a contract hit.

Then Dimase saw a third possibility. If it hadn’t been a break-in by a homeless vagabond or a politically motivated hit job, could it have been for love? That idea brought him back to Alphonse. Was it possible Alphonse had known about Acadia and Ben Johnson for all those years? Or maybe he only recently had found out. Could he have hired someone to do the job out of pride, jealousy, or revenge? When he looked at it in that light, Alphonse became as strong a suspect as anyone.

Dimase had been sitting at the desk in his hotel room, manipulating an unlit cigarette between his fingers as he ran different scenarios through his mind and sketched out notes on a small pad. First things first, he decided. It was time to start narrowing down the possibilities. He picked up his phone and made arrangements to meet with the sheriff.

An hour later, he was sitting across from Sheriff Roy, reviewing his thought process from earlier in the day.

“So you actually think it might be a homeless person?” the sheriff asked. “We don’t get much of that around here. It’s not like a big city.”

“Actually, Sheriff, I really don’t think that’s it. I just want to rule it out. Did your boys pick up anyone like that in the days around the attack? Are there any hippies living in the woods or any local drunks who get lost from time to time?”

“No, I don’t think so,” the sheriff replied. “I mean, we have a few habitual drunks, like anyplace else, but I’ve never known any of them to wander out of town in that direction. I’ll double-check the arrest records. I don’t think we picked up anyone like what you’re describing.”

“Okay, I had to ask. If you see anything that should point us in that direction, will you let me know?”

“Of course,” the sheriff replied. “So you think it was a hit?” His eyes were open wide.

“I don’t know,” Dimase said, “but right now, it fits better than any other explanation. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I suppose so,” the sheriff said, “but who would order such a thing? And why?”

Dimase decided to continue to play his cards close to the vest. He still hadn’t mentioned anything to the sheriff about the partial nail he’d recovered. He also didn’t want to say anything about Alphonse being on his list of possibilities for arranging a hit on Acadia. Sharing that information with the sheriff would probably have been a fast track to getting thrown off the case if the sheriff leaked word back to Alphonse or any of the LaFleurs. “I don’t know, but that’s what we have to find out,” Dimase said, standing and shaking the sheriff’s hand.

Just then, one of the sheriff’s deputies stuck his head in the door. “Sheriff, I’ve got the sheriff from Beauregard Parish on the line. You two are both going to want to hear about this.” Dimase and Sheriff Roy looked at each other, and Dimase sat back down.

“Put him through,” the sheriff said.

“Who are they?” Dimase asked.

“Two parishes over, about sixty miles from here,” Sheriff Roy replied. He picked up the phone on his desk. “Roy here. Yes. Yes, I see. No shit. Jesus H. Christ, you have to be shitting me. You think there’s a connection? All right, send me what you’ve got, and I’ll send you our file. Yeah, check it out, and let’s talk. Okay, right. Thanks.”

Dimase looked at Sheriff Roy expectantly. “What’s going on?”

“You’re not going to believe it,” Roy replied. “We’ve got a murder that might be connected to Miss Acadia.”

Now it was Dimase’s turn to look wide-eyed. “How so?” he asked.

“Home invasion. Single woman home alone. Guess what he killed her with? A baseball bat is what it looks like. Beat her to death.”

“Oh shit!” Dimase exclaimed. “That’s nothing,” Roy said. “Guess what her name was?”

“No clue,” Dimase said.

“Acadia LaFleur.”

About the Author

Stephen L. Bruneau is an author, financial services professional and entrepreneur.  He is the founder and majority shareholder of Boston 128 Companies Inc., serving hundreds of corporate clients. Bruneau is a frequent industry speaker, active philanthropist and has won numerous industry and humanitarian awards. A graduate of Tufts University with two bachelor’s degrees in political science and psychology, he draws from his background to create exciting thrillers that explore corruption, revenge and the inner workings of the human psyche. “The SCOTUS Affair” is his second novel, following his well-received debut, “The MIT Murders.”

Facebook * Twitter * Instagram