THE ASSOCIATION
Footlight Theater, Book 4
“Ryder”
Judy Kentrus
Love never dies…
The Association
Footlight Theater, Book 4 - Ryder
Copyright 2017 by Judy Kentrus
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publishers, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Author: Judy Kentrus
Publishers Note: This e-book of fiction was written for your own personal enjoyment. Names, characters and places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording without the permission in writing from the publisher.
Book Title: The Association by Judy Kentrus
Edited by: Joyce Lamb Editing
E-Book ISBN: 978-1-5323-3810-6
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to the real deal
Sgt. Joseph C. Kentrus
and
Det. Charles “Mack” McCarthy
They served the badge proud.
Summer of 1984
The space shuttle Discovery took off on its maiden voyage; The Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles; the lives of Everett Troy, Jackson Vance, Mason Trent and Ryder Wayne were changed forever.
Once a week, under the cover of darkness, they hid beneath the boardwalk and plied their adolescent bodies with beer and hard liquor. Sixteen was considered the age of innocence, but their naiveté was stolen when they witness a man being dragged onto the moon-brightened beach and a gun pressed against his forehead. Thunder from crashing waves camouflaged the killing shots.
Shock sobered their drink besotted brains and they waited until the killers had left before they made their escape. Scared out of their minds and with their breaths reeking of alcohol, they made their way to police headquarters. No one believes they witnessed a murder, but for one rookie cop. He drives them back to the scene, but the body is gone, like it never happened
A week later, they each receive a note. If they open their mouths, they and their families would suffer the same fate.
As The Association, they watch each other’s backs. The boys think they’re home free until a couple of months before they graduate high school. Cocaine is found in Everett Troy’s locker. His admittance to Julliard School of Music is rescinded; Jackson Vance and Mason Trent grades are tampered with and they lose their scholarships to Ivy League schools; an unregistered hand gun shows up in Ryder Wayne’s locker, killing his chances to go into the FBI.
Despite the threat hanging over their lives and being blackmailed by unknown forces to maintain their silence, they achieved success in their chosen professions. Everett Troy, Oscar and Tony Award Winner; Jackson Vance, High School Principal; Mason Trent, Publisher of the Beacon Pointe Gazette; Ryder Wayne, Lieutenant on Beacon Pointe Police Force.
Thirty four years after that fateful night, they’ve reached the middlescence of their lives and decide, as The Association, to fight back and look into the murder. During their investigation, they’re shocked to learn how much influence the killers have made on their lives and the women they love.