Something Bad Wrong

PRAISE FOR ERYK PRUITT “There are storytellers who seem to come to us fully formed. Bards who create worlds and characters that captivate us instantaneously. Eryk Pruitt is such a storyteller, and Something Bad Wrong is such a book. A kaleidoscope of Southern Gothic traditions seamlessly combined with an incredible murder mystery, all told with Pruitt’s unique, indomitable style. Something Bad Wrong is some very, very good writing.” —S. A. Cosby, bestselling author of Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland “Something Bad Wrong hits on every cylinder—expertly plotted, deliberately paced, deeply human, incredibly relevant, and just utterly absorbing. This is a golden example of the genre.” —Rob Hart, author of The Paradox Hotel and The Warehouse “I still can’t believe Something Bad Wrong wasn’t written specifically for me. A gripping page-turner about a cold case murder with a gutsy true crime podcaster as a main character. It’s the most devourable mystery novel I’ve read in years.” —Brooke Cain, Raleigh News & Observer “Something Bad Wrong is more proof that Eryk Pruitt is one of the most original, dynamic, and powerful voices writing today. While his uncanny flair for language and acute observation set him apart from his contemporaries, it’s never lost that, foremost, Pruitt is a natural storyteller—the kind of person quietly telling a story to a group of people at a table in a restaurant, and by the end of the evening, the entire restaurant is listening, rapt. At a time when contemporary crime fiction is putting out outstanding title after title, Something Bad Wrong belongs on a bookshelf among the best of the best.” —E. A. Aymar, author of No Home for Killers “A rising crime-fiction star, Eryk Pruitt is at the height of his powers with Something Bad Wrong, a page-turning story of people caught between truth and lies, justice and corruption, and life and death. Pruitt utilizes his experience as an (excellent) true crime podcaster to expertly plot a narrative that weaves two timelines, rich with twists and mystery. Above all, Pruitt has the crime writer’s greatest gift of being able to slice into the human heart so he can show you its darkest, bloodiest chambers.” —Jordan Harper, Edgar Award–winning author of She Rides Shotgun and Everybody Knows “Eryk Pruitt has crafted a nail-biter of a crime novel, a slice of the American South populated by unforgettable characters and peppered with dialogue so razor sharp it would make Elmore Leonard nervous. It dances deftly across the years, equal parts gasp inducing and profound, a warning that although past evil may fade from our memory, some bad things ought never be forgotten. Perfectly paced from beginning to end, Something Bad Wrong is a propulsive runaway freight train of a story that will grab you by the throat and hang on until the very last page.” —J. G. Hetherton, author of Last Girl Gone and What Lies Beneath ALSO BY ERYK PRUITT Townies: And Other Stories of Southern Mischief Dirtbags Hashtag What We Reckon This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Otherwise, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Text copyright © 2023 by Eryk Pruitt All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Thomas & Mercer, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Thomas & Mercer are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781662507052 (paperback) ISBN-13: 9781662507069 (digital) Cover design by Caroline Teagle Johnson Cover image: © Richard Nixon / plainpicture For Carolyn and Tim CONTENTS START READING PRELUDE PART I CHAPTER ONE JESS KEELER CHAPTER TWO JAMES BALLARD CHAPTER THREE DAN DECKER CHAPTER FOUR RED CARTER CHAPTER FIVE JESS KEELER CHAPTER SIX JAMES BALLARD CHAPTER SEVEN JESS KEELER CHAPTER EIGHT RED CARTER CHAPTER NINE JACK POWERS CHAPTER TEN JESS KEELER CHAPTER ELEVEN JAMES BALLARD CHAPTER TWELVE RED CARTER CHAPTER THIRTEEN JESS KEELER CHAPTER FOURTEEN JAMES BALLARD CHAPTER FIFTEEN RED CARTER CHAPTER SIXTEEN JACK POWERS CHAPTER SEVENTEEN JESS KEELER CHAPTER EIGHTEEN JAMES BALLARD PART II CHAPTER NINETEEN DAN DECKER CHAPTER TWENTY JAMES BALLARD CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE JESS KEELER CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO RED CARTER CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE JACK POWERS CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR JESS KEELER CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE JACK POWERS CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX JAMES BALLARD CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN JESS KEELER CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT DAN DECKER CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE JACK POWERS CHAPTER THIRTY JESS KEELER CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE JAMES BALLARD CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO JESS KEELER CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE RED CARTER CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR JAMES BALLARD God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December. —J. M. Barrie PRELUDE [END MUSIC CUE] JESS KEELER: When we first began investigating the Lake Castor Christmas Eve Murders of 1971, it was easy for us to become mesmerized by what few sensational aspects were available to the public. Such lack of detail often serves as an aphrodisiac for true-crime junkies like myself. Newspapers reported that on December 24, 1971, Linda Harris and Steven Hicks vanished after attending a small gathering with colleagues and friends, only to be discovered two weeks later. For nearly fifty years, their killer, or killers, has never been identified. It would be easy for us to describe for you, in lurid detail and living color, the gory nature of the crime scene photos or the autopsy reports. Even easier to relay four decades of rumor and