Introduction and Prologue
Butterfly Lake, First Edition Copyright © 2019 by Robert J. Saniscalchi. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN: 979-8-619-101713 Author: Robert J Saniscalchi
Editing by Autumn Conley, Matt McAvoy
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
BUTTERFLY LAKE, A Rob Marrino and Tex Larson Thriller
Comments for the Story: Review- James A. Cox at Midwest Book Review- Butterfly Lake Critique: “Butterfly Lake effectively showcases author Robert J. Saniscalchi’s genuine and entertaining flair as a novelist for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling that is perfectly suited to action and adventure that will grip the reader’s full attention from first page to last."
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“Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.”
GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON
This story is dedicated to the men and women in Blue, all Veterans who served in the U.S. military, and to those who serve and protect America today.
A special thanks to friends and family for their encouragement and support. Thanks to my editors for the finishing touches and my new cover designer, they all did a great job.
PROLOGUE
Rob pulled off of the interstate and continued on the road leading to the town of Pinecrest, Pennsylvania. Pinecrest was a quiet place for the most part, but when the busy summer and ski seasons came around, the population doubled, at least.
Rob drove past the hospital and police station, then stopped at the GetGo store to gas up the Mustang and grab a coffee to go. As he continued, he thought to himself: We sure had us some good times up on the lake; Little Robby caught his first fish here. He eventually made a right turn and headed past the old general store, up the winding road to Butterfly Lake.
With the last of the long hills behind him, Rob pulled into the driveway and hit the brakes in a hurry. In front of the car, a covey of doves flashed up into the pines, as a pair of bushy-tailed gray squirrels stood watching, before scurrying out of harm’s way. Rob continued onward, parked the car, then took a deep, rejuvenating breath of the cool, fresh mountain air. He got out and opened the trunk, looking at the family cabin with a smile on his face. He remembered the drives to the cabin with his Dad and their hunting trips in the big woods. Sometimes, they would work on the cabin in the morning and go fishing on the lake after lunch.
The old cedarwood structure wasn’t much, but it had good bones - the kind one could get used to. Inside, there was a cozy stone fireplace and a loft with two bedrooms. The wooden-plank kitchen table bore the dings and scratches of times gone by, and was awaiting more.
One step outside the back door carried visitors into another world. The cabin sat on a plot of land at the edge of an ancient forest, chock-full of pine, oak and hemlock. A stone’s throw away was the natural, spring-fed waters of Butterfly Lake, its ripples glimmering with flickers of reflected golden sunlight. A narrow, worn trail wound its way through a copse of trees, down to a small boat dock at the water’s edge.
Rob inhaled the crisp, cool air once more, then resumed preparing the cabin for his best friend, Tex, and his family. Beth insisted on a cleanup day each time they left so the inside was nice and clean. He turned the heat and water on and checked around the place, then went to the garage and found the fishing gear in a heap on the floor. He decided to give it some much needed attention. Rob thought about his friend Tex and hoped it would be a relaxing, reinvigorating vacation for them…
