Case File #001 — The Silence That Melted Into Screams

Every detective has a first case.

Not the kind they brag about—the kind that leaves scars, burns ties, and teaches you that “solved” doesn’t mean “clean.”

Murder Doesn’t Clock Out: Before Quinlan is the prequel to Teardrops of Lake Tawakoni.

Seven past cases will finally be told—the ones that shaped Loretta and David Smitty before Quinlan ever entered the picture.

Here’s a taste of the first:

He dug through faded folders until he pulled out a thin one with warped edges.

CASE FILE #001 — CANDLELIGHT MOTEL — JEFFERSON, TX — OCT 2015 .

Loretta exhaled. “Well. There it is.”

David lowered himself onto the floor beside her. “Our first real test.”

They were still with the Texas Violent Crimes Task Force back then—fresh, stubborn, and stupid enough to think they could handle anything Texas shoveled at them.

She almost smiled. “Our first real mistake.” He nudged her arm. “Come on. We solved it.” “Oh yeah,” she said, “after a human wax museum, a building fire and you losing your favorite tie.”

The Candlelight Motel wasn’t just a crime scene—it was the crucible. The case that taught them the difference between chasing justice and surviving it.

🔥 Seven cases.

🔥 Seven lessons.

🔥 And every one of them left a mark.

Before Quinlan, there was Jefferson. Before the lake, there was the motel. And before the detectives you thought you knew, there were two rookies learning the hard way that murder doesn’t clock out.

Think The Candlelight Motel sounds bad? That was just Case File #001. Six more are waiting in the dark.

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Until the next body drops,

Loretta & David Allseitz

"Unmasking evil, one body at a time"