DEATH NOTICE by Lolli Powell Copyright 2020 Laurel Heidtman This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. ✽✽✽ All characters and locations in this work are fictional. Any resemblance to living persons or places is purely coincidental. ✽✽✽ Cover from: SelfPubBookCovers.com/ thrillerauthor This book is dedicated to all the real life law enforcement officers who put themselves in danger every day so we don't have to be. Contents Title Page Dedication CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 13 CHAPTER 14 CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CHAPTER 18 CHAPTER 19 CHAPTER 20 CHAPTER 21 CHAPTER 22 CHAPTER 23 CHAPTER 24 CHAPTER 25 CHAPTER 26 CHAPTER 27 CHAPTER 28 CHAPTER 29 CHAPTER 30 CHAPTER 31 CHAPTER 32 CHAPTER 33 CHAPTER 34 CHAPTER 35 CHAPTER 36 CHAPTER 37 CHAPTER 38 CHAPTER 39 CHAPTER 40 CHAPTER 41 CHAPTER 42 CHAPTER 43 CHAPTER 44 CHAPTER 45 CHAPTER 46 CHAPTER 47 CHAPTER 48 CHAPTER 49 CHAPTER 50 CHAPTER 51 CHAPTER 52 CHAPTER 53 CHAPTER 54 CHAPTER 55 CHAPTER 56 CHAPTER 57 CHAPTER 58 CHAPTER 59 CHAPTER 60 CHAPTER 61 CHAPTER 62 CHAPTER 63 About the Author Other books by this author CHAPTER 1 Murder fascinates people. Not the run-of-the-mill murders you see every night on the local news where a jealous husband kills his estranged wife or a nervous armed robber with a twitchy, trigger finger mows down a clerk. But serial murders, the ability of one human being to methodically and repeatedly take the life of another as a kind of hobby? Now that’s fascinating. As Jen Dillon looked around the chief’s conference room, she saw that fascination on the faces of the police officers seated and standing. We’re no different from the average Joe Citizen, she thought. Fascinated, scared, and feeling like we’re in the middle of one of our favorite TV crime shows. Only this wasn’t make-believe. This was real people dying, and it was their responsibility to stop it. So far, they hadn’t been successful—hence, the newly formed Task Force. The room meant for no more than ten was almost too small to accommodate the over twenty officers from the city, county, and several surrounding municipalities. Jen squeezed through the officers standing between the walls and the seated officers at the table. “Thanks for saving me a seat.” She slipped into the chair at the far end of the oval conference table and next to her friend and fellow detective, Jamie Mitchell. “I didn’t think you were going to make it in time.” “I had to drop Brandon off.” Jen nodded a hello to her sergeant, Lonnie Stephens, who was seated halfway around the table. “Have you ever tackled traffic outside a middle school at this hour?” “Fortunately I’ve never had the pleasure.” Jamie made no secret of the fact that she enjoyed being childless and intended to remain that way. At times Jen envied her, but she knew she wouldn’t trade her son for all the freedom in the world. It had been difficult raising him on her own after Jake’s death, but he had been a source of strength for her as well. “Believe me, you haven’t lived. Those mothers can be ruthless, and so can school bus drivers. There’s Al. He’s running later than me.” She waved at her partner of over two years. Al Williams was in his late fifties and had been a detective for eighteen years. He’d been born a chauvinist and swore he’d never be partnered with a woman. Two years ago, Lonnie had paired them, and the results had been surprising. They were one of the most productive teams in the city’s detective section. Although they hadn’t been too productive on the current case. They had worked the Edwards killing that had occurred two weeks ago, the second in what the department and surrounding agencies believed was the work of a particularly vicious serial killer. So far the two of them had done no better than the deputies had with the first killing that had taken place at a farmhouse in the county over six weeks before. Jen smiled at Al as he made a place for himself behind their chairs. “If I hadn’t gotten here so late myself, I’d have saved you a chair. “You could always do the ladylike thing and give yours up to this old man.” “Sorry. I never did have much respect for my elders.” “So I’ve noticed.” Al ran his fingers around his shirt collar in an attempt to loosen it and the tie. “Is it hot in here, or is it me?” “You think it’s hot now,” Jamie said. “Wait till the chief and the federal boys get here. They’ll be blowing so much hot air, you’ll think you walked into a blast furnace.” “Federal boys?” Jen said. “Who said anything about the feds?” “You mean you haven’t heard? The FBI’s in on this now.” “We were off yesterday. First time since Edwards, but Lonnie insisted we take a break. This is the first I’ve heard of it.” “Lonnie called me last night,” Al said. “I tried you till ten, then I went to bed.” “Brandon and I went to a movie, then got something to eat. Did you leave a message?” She waved her hand. “Forget I asked that. One of these days, Al, you’re going to have to make the move into the 21st century. So when did this happen?” “From what I hear,” Jamie said, “the feds got in touch with Buchan yesterday morning and insisted on getting involved.” “They called him? Why? So far the killer hasn’t crossed any state lines with his victims. And as far as we know, there’s only been the two killings. I know that’s enough for the feds to consider it serial, but still…” “Apparently his M.O. fits one of a serial killer that the FBI has dealt with in the past.” “They think it might be the same one?” Jen felt a chill run up her back. Two women killed by a monster were two too many, but
