The Other Side of the Rainbow

September 24, 1987

The Detective

The road directed Detective Carol McCloskey west, and the Colorado sunset offered up streaks of pink, orange, and purple that reminded her of Cyndi Lauper’s hair. Carol ignored the man spewing threats from the back seat as she drove. She would rather be on a run in the fresh air with the soles of her Adidas hitting the pavement and music playing through her Walkman’s headset. She wanted to enjoy the twists and turns along Highway 114, so she pressed on the gas pedal lightly and turned up Suzanne Vega’s hit song, “Luka.” Carol had purchased the cassette tape along with a fanny pack large enough to hold her Walkman when she was buying a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles coloring book for Harrison from the hospital gift shop.

Hayden Preston, her suspect and Harrison’s father, leaned toward her. He stank of stale cigarettes and fast food, and his greasy hair covered much of his pale face. “Can you turn that crap off?”

Amy Bronne, Carol’s partner and a key character in this suspense novel, turned up the volume. She hit her chest with a fist and belted out the chorus.

Carol laughed and then met Hayden’s scowl with a grim expression. He had beaten his wife to death. For that, he deserved to be tortured with Amy’s off-key crooning. Through the rearview mirror, she saw a dark sedan trailing far behind her; a red Jeep behind it.

“Stupid dykes.”

Carol laughed again. Amy was a tough cop who lived with her socialite parents and dated mostly white-collar men. Last night, Ray, Carol’s boyfriend, asked her how many times someone had called her a dyke that day. She’d given him an exaggerated number, and then he’d seduced her.

Amy lowered the music. “Carol, do you think breaking a child’s bones makes some men feel like tough guys?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hayden answered.

“Maybe just killing their wives does that,” Amy said.

Hayden growled. “I didn’t kill nobody. I did everything I could to keep Sophie from hurting herself and Harrison. She…” He stopped talking and turned away.

Amy continued. “I get it. You were the ideal husband and father before you accidentally beat Sophie with a bat.”

He spat at her. Flecks of putrid spittle landed on Amy’s face and jacket. She turned her face away, her chin jutting forward in the familiar tactic she used to control her anger.

“You two don’t know anything,” Hayden said.

“Enlighten us with your tale of fiction,” Carol responded.

The highway opened up to a huge pasture for miles. The red Jeep passed a little too close on the left, and Carol tightened her grip on the steering wheel. The dark sedan closed the large gap between them. Carol encouraged the driver to go around her department-issued Taurus with a tap on her brakes. She was in no hurry to get to her precinct in Corona.

“You want a story? I’ll tell you a story.” Hayden laughed. “It won’t even matter if you don’t believe me. You lesbos, with your big shoulder pads and helmet hair messed up big time letting Sophie’s parents near Harrison. Whatever happens to him is on you.”

A mental image of the four-year-old next to Ester Gimble, his maternal grandmother, made her heart sink. The boy—silent, thumb in his mouth, eyes distant—stared up from that hospital bed. The woman, frail but strong-minded, held his hand and tried her best to assure him that he would be okay. Carol lifted her foot off the gas pedal. “What do you mean?”

Amy closed her visor. “Carol?” She turned to look behind them.

Hayden yelled, “Who do you think jacked up Sophie? She’s the one who sold our—”

The back window shattered.

Blood sprayed the interior windshield. The radio exploded.

Amy pulled out her gun and shouted, “Five o’clock.”

A man leaned out of the rear driver’s side window holding a rifle and fired again. A bullet hit the quarter panel with a penetrating thud.

Carol cranked the steering wheel away from the gunfire, straightened the swerving car, and gunned it.

The other car sped up too.

Carol swerved to the left.

Another bullet hit the trunk. Amy fired her weapon.

Carol shouted into the two-way radio, “Officer needs assistance. Shots fired! Shots fired. We are heading south on US-114, passing mile marker…” She checked for the green sign. No traffic was headed north. “I’m turning back toward Gunnison! Do you copy?”

“10-4,” a voice responded over the airway.

Carol drove across the yellow line, into the open field, and steered back north. The tires screeched behind her, and the smell of burning rubber filled the air.

Amy kept her gun pointed at the assailants.

The other vehicle, a black Cadillac de Ville, followed.

Carol braced for the possibility of oncoming traffic, but the road was clear. Back on the pavement, she slowed and swerved, hoping to get the other car to swerve as well.

It did.

Amy fired. “I’m out.”

Carol pulled her gun from her shoulder holster, offering it to Amy.

Amy grabbed it and fired, hitting the Cadillac’s windshield near the driver. The de Ville flipped and then rolled. Metal gave way to the impact. Breaking glass followed. The Caddy stopped upright, its top caved in.

Carol slammed on the brakes, and the Taurus skidded to a stop. She flipped a U-turn to face the Cadillac and drove toward it slowly. It was a newer model. Possibly a rental. Carol stopped at a safe distance. “What about—”

“Oh, crap,” Amy gasped, handing Carol her gun back. Hayden lay crumpled on the floor, and blood smeared the upholstery. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”

Carol reloaded. Using her door as a shield, she pointed her gun at the sedan while Amy reloaded.

She saw no movement in the other car.

Carol kept her gun at the ready until Amy was in position.

Using the passenger door, Carol snuck around to the backseat and checked for a pulse. “No. I’ve got nothing.” She stood.

Another sedan zoomed toward them, a gun pointed out of its window. Carol dove to the ground. Bullets peppered the asphalt around her and the Taurus. She held her breath, expecting searing pain any moment.

How would her parents react when they were told of her death? Would they even bother to drive the four and a half hours to Corona from Denver? No. But Michael and Kit would race out to collect her remains. Their twins would never know her. Her times with them flashed through her mind. Hand holds. Book reads. Goodnight kisses.

I signed with New Degree Press in July 2022. When I received the email from Ryan Porter at New Degree Press at the end of June, I was deeply focused on finishing my work-in-progress, Philomena’s Body, and my membership site, Step It Up SISTERS. I didn’t believe the email was real. I waited to return it until after my July fourth vacation. I did some research on them, trying to remember when I had submitted the novel. I submitted it in March of 2022, and when I didn’t hear back by May, I had added the submission to my ‘rejections’ file. Not knowing what a hybrid publisher was left me wary about the Zoom call.  

During our call, Ryan explained New Degree Press’ origins and philosophy, which piqued my interest. I told him I wanted to discuss the opportunity with my husband, which I did, but I also wanted some time to reflect and do further research. I shared the information with Phil, and when he heard about Georgetown University and the fact that over 1500 books had been published, he encouraged me to ‘go for it.’  

He truly knows me well. I thrived at the University of Denver, and any chance I had to return to a ‘student’ like higher education program was ideal for me.  

I signed.  

I am so glad I did. The experience has pushed me and encouraged my growth as a writer and as a ‘soon-to-be’ published author. I sold 233 copies during the pre-sale campaign, and I can’t express how supported and loved I felt with those early sales.  

Revision began on September 1, 2022. My editor Kehkashan Khalid guided me in improving the storylines, character development, settings, and more. She advised me on what to cut as unnecessary text while emphasizing that I wouldn’t need to copyedit or proofread the book; that would come later when I was finished writing the best story I could. I think a quality of an editor must be ‘therapist’ or life coach because Kehkashan ‘talked me off the ledge’ a few times when I feared that my book, a suspense novel featuring Detective Carol McCloskey, would never be ready on time.  

The tight schedule I was on worked well for me too; otherwise, I think I would still be editing the book. Kehkashan was right—the copyeditor and proofreader were amazing.  

While I was in my 16-week editing phase, the graphics department developed mock-up book covers, making changes until we landed on what I believe is an AMAZING cover. Then they created a book reveal video...  

I would love to work with them again in the future on the Carol McCloskey book–we’ll see.

I originally created Detective Carol McCloskey in a suspense novel titled “Brotherly Love.” While editing the book, I struggled to weave in her complex history surrounding her brother’s murder. I also labored to integrate a complicated case she solved a few months prior to the events in Brotherly Love, which take place in 1989. This challenge led me to decide to write a book about that case, but even as I worked on it, I found myself wrestling with the implications of her brother’s death.

There were two reasons for my struggle. First, my skills simply weren’t up to par yet, and second – the story captivated me. I met with Julie Cordova, a book coach, who suggested I try writing about her brother’s murder first. If I managed to capture it well, I would establish a strong foundation for a compelling series character. I began writing the story under the title “Auntie M,” initially hoping it would become a novella. However, it unexpectedly evolved into a full-length novel.

In one of its early drafts, I changed the title to The Other Side of the Rainbow, which fits it much better for many reasons. I thought there was a chance that a publisher might propose a different title, but New Degree Press agreed it perfectly encapsulates the book’s themes.

The working title for Book Two, The Lollipop Guild, also seems fitting. It is currently undergoing redevelopment with the necessary edits reflecting all the improvements to the storyline that occurred while preparing The Other Side of the Rainbow for publication.

The original story featuring Detective Carol McCloskey (formerly Brotherly Love) hasn't been retitled yet. There have been so many enhancements to Carol’s storyline that it will likely require significant rewrites to integrate it into the series. I suppose I will just have to wait and see.

As a bonus, I am including a sneak peek at The Lollipop Guild when you purchase a signed copy of The Other Side of the Rainbow, along with a few deleted scenes.