A decorated homicide detective will be blinded rather than face the truth of who is responsible for his wife’s death.

SYNOPSIS:

BLIND PURSUIT by Debi Yazbeck

Julia Holloway (47) once anUT All-Star diver and swim champ is still an athlete. Lieutenant Abe Holloway is the most decorated Homicide Detective in Slowbend, TX located between Houston and the Louisiana border on the Trinity River. Stephen Holloway, their son and successful lawyer in Houston, has an oedipal complex for his mother. Seena Holloway, their daughter still in highschool, centers her life around Abe.

Coroner Hugh Winslet, British (50) and Julia had an affair for years. He is the blood father of Seena, though Julia never revealed that secret. Hugh figured it out when Abe donated at a blood drive. Dr. Annette Sanford, psychiatrist, both private and consult to the Slowbend PD presents Abe with an award at a banquet. She has been in love with Abe from afar for years.

Julia drowns late Friday night at their boathouse on the Trinity River. Stephen finds a suicide note but never tells anyone. Hugh rules it “accidental” and Abe’s Captain closes the case. Abe is in shock but returns to work because that’s what he does. His new young, geeky partner, Daniel Johnson, not hindered by grief, cannot understand how Julia died and insists they investigate. Abe sneaks Julia’s file back out of the archives and is shocked to learn how much alcohol and prescription drugs were in her system. Seena and Stephen’s relationship, never very good, degrades. Stephen hounds Abe about Julia’s death.

A trip to a pain clinic Abe did not know Julia visited - the doctor admitted to the pain relievers but not Xanax… The next day the doctor’s murdered. Abe loses 25% of his sight at the murder scene - causing tunnel vision, but refuses to wonder why, even when a cryptic text appears on his phone. A trip to an old source for information about Xanax (no results) is then found murdered - Abe’s sight at 50%.The Captain sends Abe home until he can correct his vision problem. Another cryptic text about “a murder in his own home” and Abe’s vision descends to a pin prick tunnel.

Annette is kidnapped, bound and dumped in Abe’s living room during a massive electrical storm. Abe tries to stop the kidnapper and loses his gun. The kidnapper scoops up Annette and runs for the boathouse to drown her. Seena grabs the gun and guides Abe to follow. The kidnapper is Stephen. He accuses Abe of loving Annette and wanting Julia dead and throws the suicide note at Abe. Before he can kill Abe, Seena shoots Stephen. Abe’s vision corrects itself except for the first 25%. He dives into the water to save drowning Annette.

Weeks later, Seena, Abe and Annette are making s’mores at the boathouse. Hugh joins them. Abe finds scraps of paper from Seena’s desk that are the practice pages for Julia’s suicide note. Abe’s vision is now perfect... Just as Daniel appears and asks Seena if she ever gave her mother any of the Xanax Annette prescribed to Seena.