After a French artist and killer commits suicide-by-cop at JFK, a Russian history professor steals the body, sparking a centuries-old manhunt on both sides of the Atlantic.
Possessing a quixotic fondness for difficult careers, Paula R. Stiles has driven ambulances, taught fish farming for the Peace Corps in West Africa and earned a Scottish PhD in medieval history, studying Templars and non-Christians in Spain. She is the author of upcoming dark fantasy novel, "The Mighty Quinn," co-written supernatural mystery novel, "Fraterfamilias," and non-fiction medieval history book, "Templar Convivencia: Templars and Their Associates in 12th and 13th Century Iberia." She is Editor in Chief of the Lovecraft/Mythos 'zine/micropress Innsmouth Free Press. You can find her at: http://thesnowleopard.net.
We wrote the rough draft of "Fraterfamilias" and the other two books in the trilogy the summer of 2001, and the story is set in the spring of that year. I had previously been through JFK a few times, so I remembered there being the lockers that are now a major part of this scene. Later, when I researched incoming flights, the terminal's map and the lockers' position for the book's revision, I found a lost-and-found help number for them. However, when I called it, it turned out the number had been disconnected. It seems that the lockers were removed post-9/11 due to the possibility of foreign terrorists using them to place bombs.
Book Excerpt
Fraterfamilias
Ballard watched intently as Farrell moved through the airport, walking briskly from one camera’s range to the next. Ballard was particularly intrigued by the way Farrell looked straight into the camera – not once, but three times. Very unusual. Farrell passed through the small crowd around the baggage carousel and straight into the Customs room; he presented his papers and two small bags without hesitation. All of his movements were purposeful and sure. Physically, he was in good shape – spare, light on his feet for an older man. Ballard knew him to be stronger than he looked. He had already seen the tape of this man breaking a woman’s neck; what he could not picture here was whether there was any remorse for any of it.
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