Response to Libel Suit

I apologize to my faithful followers who were planning to get a glimpse of me during the upcoming pre-sale book tour. I have been distracted and slightly delayed by a frivolous libel suit filed by the father of Destiny Blande. I have never even met this man. I cannot even recollect his first name at this moment. In fact, he was in absentia when his daughter was being tried for serial murder. He was nowhere to be seen while I single handedly saved her from capital punishment.

Why is it that someone who never appeared in public while his daughter’s well being was in jeopardy is now so interested in protecting her “good name?” What a fascinating sequence of events.

Destiny’s daddy contends that my book, If She Did It, misrepresents his daughter. The initial quandary here is that the book is not about his daughter. It is a fictionalized account the Satin Strangler, with a protagonist named Daphne Blain. If there are similarities in the book between Destiny and Daphne, then they are coincidental, per the legal disclaimer therein.

It would appear that nearly everyone still believes that Destiny Blande is guilty of the Satin Strangler crimes. Fortunately, the 12 citizens making up the jury did not agree with the populace at large. Perhaps Destiny’s daddy should drop to his self-righteous knees and thank me for that. No. Instead, he is pursuing me through the courts for this so-called libel.

If you believe that Destiny Blande is the Satin Strangler, then you will believe that my story is about her. That is for you to decide as the reader, but it is certainly not my intent. If you are more interested in the details of how the murders could have been committed, then my book will satisfy your craving. If you want to picture Destiny Blande walking in Daphne Blain’s place, using Daphne’s hands to tighten satin stockings around victims’ necks, then I cannot manipulate your imagination.

An esteemed lawyer of my stature need not tolerate an insufferable maggot like Destiny’s daddy. I apologize to all of my faithful followers for any inconvenience resulting from his behavior. As I say, he is a maggot. In case he is reading this, I cannot be accused herein of committing libel against him, because he cannot literally be misconstrued as a maggot as defined in the dictionary:

n - a soft-bodied legless grub that is the larva of a dipteran fly (as the housefly) and develops usually in decaying organic matter or as a parasite in plants or animals

In celebration of the libel suit against me, here is a preview of a later chapter from my book – a chapter that I did not originally intend on releasing until the print version. I dedicate this to Destiny’s daddy.


If She Did It, by Horace P. Krouch
Chapter 20: In Bed With a Strangler

“Daphne Blain” and “Henry Crow” were living under incredible tension for months. Unless you have been a defendant or a lawyer in a murder trial, you have no way of imagining the emotional overload. Every hour in the courtroom is the culmination of hundreds of hours preparing. Every word can help to make your case, or destroy it. The stakes are high; a life waits in the balance. In this case the future of a young woman was at risk.

Daphne and Henry were on edge during all that time. The acquittal released the life and death tension that characterized their relationship, but it forced them into a new sea of emotion. Heretofore, they had been in a purely business relationship. Now they had to decide whether to carry that through to a personal relationship, or go their separate ways.

Henry was only a little beyond indifferent to this issue, although he enjoyed Daphne’s company. He had just freed himself from a pending relationship and had his next few dates lined up in the queue.

Daphne was still feeling vulnerable and felt reassured by Henry’s presence. She saw him as her savior, a personality larger than life. She was experiencing the conversion from admiration to love. He was used to this scenario. These were emotions he had seen many times before in his defendants, particularly when the stakes of the case were highest. He had been careful not to give in to the temptation of falling in love with any of the other women he defended. Maintaining a professional relationship was of utmost importance.

The difference between Daphne and his other clients was her aggressiveness. She had to get what she wanted, and in this case she wanted Henry.

Yesterday Daphne came over to his office to gather copies from her file. Henry worked alone, and had a habit of leaving his office door unlocked. Daphne made her way inside. She swung open the door of his office, smiled, and moistened her lips. She reached back to unfasten her chignon and shook her auburn hair free. Her eyes flashed a malachite glow.

“I have your files,” he said.

“You know that’s not why I’m here,” she said while closing the blinds.

“What do you want, then?” he asked, though well aware of the answer.

Daphne pinned him to the wall, grabbed his shirt collar, and kissed him. He simultaneously felt the warmth of her against his entire body, and could feel her heart beating against his chest. Within seconds their clothes were lying around his desk, and the files were spilled across the floor. She skillfully swung him up onto the desk so he was lying on his back, and then pounced on top of him like a lioness. The ease of the motion was part instinct and part experience.

During their lustful interplay, she periodically ran her fingers along his neck, causing shivers throughout his body. At first he grabbed her wrists, blocking her from getting a strong grip. But she seemed energized from the challenge, each time becoming more forceful.

He found himself letting her go progressively further toward cutting off his breathing, which made her excited and brought him more satisfaction than he ever would have anticipated. For a moment, he no longer cared whether she tightened her grip.

By the time his survival instincts re-engaged, he was completely defenseless. His face was red hot as he became light headed. His vision faded as his body experienced a soothing release.

Daphne had no intention of killing Henry. He provided her with a new emotion – one that she could never have with her victims. Was it love? Regardless, she wanted more from this relationship than killing could provide.

She released her grip. In the moments that it took for Henry to regain full consciousness, she was already dressed and walking out the door.

-----

This is post #55 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB. 

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.