1
Ground Zero!
Ground Zero, that’s where it all begins and ends. As
the plane circled above the islands surrounding Boston,
Zack closed his eyes so he could concentrate on what
Grandpa had said. “School’s out for the summer. We need you here Zack. It’s complicated, and it’s tricky. You’ll understand
everything better when you arrive. The mystery
begins and ends with Ground Zero!” Grandpa would
say nothing more, except to give him a long list of
links to specific Internet sources that Zack was to read
about the witch trials in Olde Salem Village, and then
the history of the Danvers State Mental Hospital. Zack
couldn’t imagine what the connection was between
the witch trials of the 1600s and the spooky hospital
where mentally ill patients were treated in the 1800sbegins and ends with Ground Zero!” Grandpa wouldsay nothing more, except to give him a long list of links to specific Internet sources that Zack was to read about the witch trials in Olde Salem Village, and then the history of the Danvers State Mental Hospital. Zack couldn’t imagine what the connection was between the witch trials of the 1600s and the spooky hospital
where mentally ill patients were treated in the 1800s.....
Zack fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion. His
dreams always got the best of him, especially when he
was working a case. Everything melted together, and
his imagination played tricks on him. A stern looking
man in a black magistrate’s robe with a tall pilgrim hat
and a grim look on his face was seated at a long pine
table with a wooden gavel in his hand. Zack recognized
the man from his research as John Hathorne, a wealthy
land owner during the 1600s. He was watching some
young girls about 12 years old, behaving strangely,
crawling on the floor, contorting themselves into weird
positions, and making strange animal noises. They wept
at the sight of the woman who was on trial. The girls
kept pointing at the old woman and screaming loudly,
“Hang the witch!”
The first woman being accused of witchcraft in his
dreams was Rebecca Nurse, an elderly woman, about
70 years old. People in the audience testified that she
was a wonderful lady, a church-going lady, and could
never be a witch. But apparently, the magistrate or judge believed the young girls who by now were foaming at the mouth and scratching themselves until they
bled.
The gavel went down and the magistrate bellowed,
“Guilty as charged. You will be hanged as a witch on Gallows Hill.”....
Instantly, the scene changed to a giant, red brick,
Gothic-style hospital on a towering hill, overlooking
miles and miles of woods. Its numerous spires appeared
to touch the clouds above...
People were trapped and wailing everywhere. A thunderous banging on walls, and high-decibel screaming permeated the air in a rhythmic pattern, as if it were an ordinary part of life at the hospital. It drew no attention from any of the doctors and nurses in the hospital who went about their business as if they could not hear the infernal noise....
A man who looked just like the magistrate, John
Hathorne, but younger, with shorter black hair and a
long white coat and stethoscope hanging from his neck,
was trying to calm her down and administer the biggest
needle Zack had ever seen. The woman clung to her
quilt as if her life depended upon it.
The woman screamed,
“Not again,”
but the doctor kept sticking her with the needle, over and over. Zack could feel an evil presence and the cold dampness
which pervaded the cell, but he tried to save the woman
anyhow. Though he was invisible, and no one could
hear him, he was screaming to stop hurting the lady.
Sweat began to bead on Zack’s forehead. Everything
seemed so vivid and real. He could see clearly everything
that was taking place, and he could smell the vile
scent of evil within the cell. He was sure the doctor was
shaking him. Just before the doctor injected Zack with
the long needle, Zack squirmed and screamed, “NO!”
Now that you have previewed this fast moving adventure/mystery, look for the Purchase Now Button at the bottom of the page. Purchasing your own copy is really easy, inexpensive and there are a variety of ways to buy. The book will be mailed to you right away.
The third book in the Z-Dawg series finds Zack in attack mode again. Zack and Grandpa are living in a haunted apartment building, high on a hill, in a place that was once Ground Zero for the witch trials held in 1692. Then, in 1874, The Danvers State Mental Hospital was built on this exact spot! This place is haunted. Dead bodies have been callously tossed into unmarked graves after torturous experiments done to them at the hospital. There is screaming and moaning coming from the walls and floorboards of the condominium, where 14 year old Bridget Bradshaw, and her mom live. Bridget is a descendant of Sarah Bradshaw, who was accused of witchcraft by John Hathorne. Hathorne placed a curse on her family for all eternity. Then, her great, great, grandmother, also Sarah Bradshaw, was tortured in the mental hospital because of a horrible secret that she carried to her grave. Bridget and her mom need help. How will Z-Dawg help reverse the curse and set the tortured spirits free after 300 years? Evil resides in this dark place, at Ground Zero! 
