Excerpt from Sand Castle: The Prologue

The yacht was rocking gently to and fro, creaking as a boat does in the water. It was located out in the deep Atlantic, miles from the Delaware shore. The sun bounced off the top deck, reflecting beams of light from the railing. As the Coast Guard cutter gently pulled along the starboard side of the yacht, nothing seemed amiss, except that this 50-foot boat seemed to be deserted. Initially, Commander Jefferson Matthews had thought that Shannon Mahoney, young daughter of the vessel's owner, was overreacting because her father had not returned for the night. Perhaps he was out on the water, enjoying sailing time since his wife was visiting her family on Cape Cod. But now the Commander and the entire crew sensed danger with the eerie quiet and apparent abandonment of the boat. The Commander ordered the boarding seamen to be cautious. They quietly boarded the boat, holding their weapons, ready to use them. There was soon a call for the Commander to come down to the cabin. He jumped aboard and descended the stairs into the large cabin. There was John Mahoney and his assistant; hands tied behind their backs, kneeling in a slumped position. Both had been shot in the head, execution style. This seemed to be a professional hit. Matthews was frozen in the moment. He knew now that the daughter had a right to be concerned. Matthews radioed the news of the murders back to shore. The daughter and the absent wife would be informed and an investigation would ensue. Matthews instinctively knew that this was big news. Mahoney was the CEO of a national, high-profile construction company, whose roots were once reputed to be in organized crime. His Italian American wife, Teresa, was part owner of that company and member of the family that was liable for those roots. These murders were big news.