A Straight Road to Hell
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Melissa Ann Parker was in her eightieth year the day she walked the last mile. She had been on death row for twenty years after having been convicted of the brutal murder and arson cover up of her only son, Kendall. There were no family members present. She had none. There were no angry vengeance seekers eagerly awaiting her last mortal moment. She would have been the only person to qualify for such a role and she was in no position to wear two hats that day. The warden was there as was the chaplain and customary medical personnel. There were a few attorneys who had worked on her case in some capacity. There were several reporters present, pen and pad in hand. And that was about it. We all watched soberly as Melissa Ann Parker, the oldest woman ever to be executed in the State of Texas, drew her last breath. We watched helplessly as her frail body trembled delicately like the leaves of an Aspen before she became eternally still. It was at that point that we all noticed the smile on her face and the aura. I can't speak for the rest of the witnesses, but I will forever wonder what on earth she was thinking in those last few minutes of her life that gave her so much peace. Her face glowed as if it had been backlit.
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About the Book
At the age of eighty, Melissa Ann Parker was the oldest woman ever to be executed in the state of Texas. Her crime of passion—the murder of her only son, Kendall—was one that she refused to ever explain. She took the reasons for her actions with her into death. During her twenty-year tenure on Death Row, she meets reporter Charlie Dodson, who is sent to interview the oldest person awaiting execution in Texas. Charlie becomes enchanted with this strange, ethereal woman, continuing to visit her until her demise. After her death, he discovers that she has left her considerable estate to him. In order to put her memory to rest, he resolves to uncover the reason for her crime. His efforts lead him down a path of corruption so dark and evil, the worst criminal would have loathing for persons who could involve themselves in such a venture. Charlie’s quest for understanding is rich in intrigue, deception, vice, and danger, but he can’t step away until he knows why Melissa Ann chose to brutally murder her only son.
About the Author
Jerry Boyer holds degrees in English, chemistry, and early childhood development from universities in El Paso and Houston, Texas. She was raised in El Paso, Texas, across the border from Ciudad Juarez. Now retired, she practices her writing skills in her sixty-five-year-old home in El Paso’s upper valley.