by C. M. Sutter
Blood Legacy
by
C. M. Sutter
Copyright © 2021
All Rights Reserved
AUTHOR’S NOTE
This book is a work of fiction by C. M. Sutter. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used solely for entertainment. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C. M. Sutter is a crime fiction writer who resides in Florida, although she is originally from California.
She is a member of over fifty writing groups and book clubs. In addition to writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and dog, and you’ll often find her writing in airports and on planes as she flies from state to state on family visits.
She is an art enthusiast and loves to create gourd birdhouses, pebble art, and handmade soaps. Gardening, bicycling, fishing, and traveling are a few of her favorite pastimes.
C. M. Sutter
http://cmsutter.com/
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Blood Legacy
FBI Agent Jade Monroe - Live or Die Series, Book 4
FBI Agent Jade Monroe’s rare Saturday off doesn't last long. By midafternoon, she and her partner, Lorenzo DeLeon, are en route to Montana, where a young man's body has been discovered along the interstate. He's been branded, and from the reports coming in from neighboring states, other bodies dumped along freeways have been too.
Their intense multistate investigation leads nowhere, and they can only conclude that the killer is mobile—and vicious enough to brand and murder teenagers.
As Jade and Renz near the point of returning to Milwaukee without answers, an accidental witness and a teen on the brink of death give them a glimmer of hope. The lead may break the case wide-open, but only if the agents can stay alive that long.
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Table of Contents
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 1
Cassie grasped her sister by the shoulders and held her tight. Her knuckles were white, and her fingers dug in.
“Stop it! You’re hurting me!”
“Jolie, look me in the eye and listen carefully. As soon as we climb out the window and make it to the ground, we’re going to run as fast as we can. You have to promise me you won’t look back. We’ll head for the trees and then the boulders on that far ridge.” Cassie pointed toward the foothills. “We’ll make it. We can hide back there where they’ll never find us.”
Looking beyond her sister and toward the locked door, Jolie’s eyes darted left and right. Fear was overtaking her. That was obvious by her bulging eyes and raspy voice. “I’m scared, Cassie. I don’t want a bullet in my back. I’ll do the work, take the abuse, and accept my fate. It’s better than being dead. Bart locked us in this room for a reason. He doesn’t trust us.”
“That’s because he can see it in our eyes. He knows we’re about to run, but he doesn’t know when, and he can’t stay awake twenty-four hours a day. We’ll both be dead soon enough if we don’t leave. What do you think happened to the others? They just wandered off? Now let’s go! We have to hurry before he realizes we’re gone.”
After cutting through the screen with the penknife she’d found in the maintenance shed, Cassie inched out onto the roof. Once Jolie squeezed out behind her, Cassie closed the window.
“Now what? It’s fifteen feet to the ground, and this roof is steep.”
Cassie put her finger to her mouth. “Shh, keep your voice down. We have a limited amount of time. The sun’s just coming up, it’s foggy outside, and that’ll help hide us. It’s now or never.”
“How about never?”
“Take a deep breath, Sis. We can do this. Just walk where the rooflines meet, believe you can, and we’ll be fine. We’re going to creep as quietly as we can over to the maintenance shed and jump to its roof.” She looked at their sneakers and nodded. “Our soles are rubber, and they’ll grip the metal roof.”
“But it’s a four-foot—”
Cassie forced her sister to focus. “Look at me! A four-foot jump is nothing. The shed roof isn’t steep, and it’s only a one-story building. From there, we can lower ourselves to the ground. We have to do this while Bart is sleeping. Now go!”
With tears in her eyes and coaxed by her sister’s light shove, Jolie inched across the roof to the shed on the opposite side of the house. Cassie gave her a confident but stern nod.
“Jump. We don’t have time to waste.”
Jolie made the leap with Cassie on her heels. They crouched then scurried to the side of the shed where they could lower themselves to the ground. They wouldn’t be seen from the house, and as long as nobody heard them, they’d be fine.
Jolie whined. “It still looks far.”
“It isn’t. Just back over the edge and let go. You’ll only drop about six feet.” Cassie clung to the edge then kicked off the side of the shed while Jolie watched. She hit the ground and wiped her dirty hands on her jeans. “Come on. It’s easy. We don’t have time to screw around. The help will be waking up anytime now, so get down here!”
Jolie rolled onto her belly, backed over the edge, and pushed off. She landed on her butt and quickly righted herself, then they ran with every ounce of energy they had. They’d either make a clean break of it or get shot trying.
“My lungs are killing me, Cassie. Can’t we slow down?”
“No! Keep running. We don’t have solid cover yet. We’re still in the
open. We need to get to the trees as fast as we can.” Cassie grabbed her sister by the hand and picked up the pace. Speed was everything, and the trees were still a quarter mile away.
Jolie’s cries were agonizing. “He has four-wheelers, and they’ll catch up to us!”
“Not if they don’t know which way we went. As soon as we make it to the boulders, the four-wheelers will be useless. We’re younger and fitter than they are.” Cassie pointed through her labored breathing. “We’re almost there.”
The roar of four-wheelers starting up echoed through the valley. Cassie looked back but couldn’t see anyone yet. “Faster, Jolie, faster! They know we’re gone, and the sun just broke through the fog. They’re going to spot us any second now.”
An ear-piercing shot rang out and missed them by inches. Damp dirt sprayed up against their bodies, and Jolie screamed and hit the ground.
“Get up! Get up! We’re almost there. Only another hundred feet to the trees and boulders where we can take cover.”
Jolie scrambled to her feet, and another shot was fired.
“Run in a zigzag fashion. It’ll be harder to put a bead on us that way. Give it everything you have!”
The cracks of the rifles continued. Cassie yelled to her sister that they’d made it. She reached out and jumped over the nearest boulder. Jolie was right on her heels, and when she leapt up to clear the rocks, a bullet struck her in the back. Her body arched, she grunted, fell backward, and rolled down the hill. Stunned, Cassie watched in disbelief as her sister fell.
“No, no, no! Get up!” Cassie scurried down the rocks to her sister’s side and rolled her over. Blood ran from Jolie’s mouth and her eyes wore a death stare—she was gone. Cassie screamed, “This can’t be happening!”
The four-wheelers were closing in, and as soon as the next shot zipped past her right ear, Cassie bolted for the boulders again. She would try to squeeze between the large ones to keep from being an easy target. The four-wheelers couldn’t go anywhere except around the foothills, and by then, Cassie would be long gone. She focused on the evergreens higher up and ran.
I’m almost there. I’m almost there. They’ll lose sight of me in the trees!
Bullets pinged off the boulders, and she cursed her decision. The rock fragments sprayed everywhere and could easily injure her—or worse. Down the hill, Jolie lay dead, and the same fate was about to catch up with Cassie if she didn’t run like hell.
Chapter 2
I wasn’t really a baseball fan, but opening day was on a Saturday, I was in town, and no urgent calls or texts had come in. There was a fifty-fifty chance that the six of us could enjoy an uninterrupted day of hot dogs, burgers, beer, and unusually warm weather.
Jack had gotten opening day tickets months ago and invited Kate, Amber, and me to join him, Billings, and Clayton for an afternoon of fun, minus the shop talk if possible. But in our line of work, that probably wouldn’t happen. Cops were cops, and the job was in our blood. We couldn’t help ourselves.
As much as we would have liked to rent a shuttle and driver so we could get drunk if we wanted, cars were necessary in case somebody got called away. Since Clayton had a van and Amber had a sedan, they were the designated vehicle providers. Whichever two of us remained sober would drive the rest back to North Bend after the game.
We tailgated in the baseball field’s oversized parking lot until one o’clock, then it was time to go in and find our seats. I was already stuffed thanks to Jack’s great grilling skills, but a day at the ballpark was never complete without the stadium’s hot dogs and beer—maybe during the fourth inning.
Right after we packed up the vehicles with our food and grilling supplies, locked the doors, and headed for the main gate, my phone rang. Everyone stopped and glared at me.
“I thought you were going to turn the ringer off?” Amber said.
Her expression told me she wasn’t happy. “Sorry, but I bet your ringer is on too.”
“Yeah, it is, but because my boss is here, he’d be the one getting a work call, not me.”
I shrugged and answered anyway. The call was short and to the point. I was needed immediately at our headquarters. After dropping my phone in my purse, I stuck out my hand and waited.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not kidding, Amber, and I really have to go. You can drive my car until I’m back. It may be later or a day from now.”
“Or a flipping week.”
“Yep, or that. My car is much cooler than yours. You should be happy.”
Grumbling, she handed over her keys.
“I’m really sorry, guys. Jack, your grilling skills rock, and at least I’m not driving away hungry.”
I felt bad for bailing on everyone, but that was part of the job for all of us. They would do the same thing if an emergency called them into work, and we all knew it. I didn’t have any details other than Renz telling me to head straight to the conference room when I arrived. Our entire team would be there.
The drive wasn’t long since I was already in Milwaukee, and fifteen minutes later, I had my eye facing the retinal scanner as I went through the first security measure and then the others. After riding the elevator to the third floor, I walked the hallway to our conference room, where I heard voices. I did a quick head count, and Mike and Charlotte hadn’t arrived yet. I sucked in a silent breath of relief.
Maureen gave me a head tip as I entered the room and took my usual seat. “Sorry to take you away from your Saturday, Jade, but as we all know, we have a job to do, weekend or not.”
“Understood, Boss.”
Renz jerked his chin at me. “There’s fresh coffee in the pot if you’d like some.”
I pushed back my chair. “Sure.”
He raised his hand. “Stay put. I’ll get it. I’m closer anyway.”
I gave him a thank-you smile as he poured a cup and passed it to me. Maureen briefly explained why we were there but said she wasn’t going into detail until everyone arrived. What I knew for sure was that several of us would be leaving that day, and we would visit multiple locations.
Footsteps in the hallway were getting closer. Charlotte walked in, and Mike was several feet behind her.
Maureen tipped her head. “Have a seat, Agents, and let’s begin. I got word this morning that our assistance is requested in a number of states. I can send a few groups to different locations for a short time or one team that may be in the field for a week or more. My gut says one team with direct contact with law enforcement and eyeballs at each site is more productive than four teams scattered throughout the United States.”
Renz furrowed his brow. “What exactly are we looking at, Maureen?”
“Somebody who is mobile, has the ability to dump bodies anywhere, and a vehicle to do that with. That said, I’m leaning toward the perp being a cross-country trucker or a national sales rep of some sort who travels from state to state.”
I took my turn. “So bodies have been found along freeways? Is that what you’re saying, and why do we assume there’s a connection?”
“I am, and here’s why.” Taft slid a handful of photographs across the table. I took one and passed along the rest. “Brands?”
“Yes, and the pattern and location is the same on each body.”
“Wow.” Tommy rubbed his chin. “That’s a new one, and I wonder what the circle within a circle signifies.”
“That’s something we’ll have to dig into.”
“So the actual cause of death was what?” Mike asked.
“Bullet wounds, but according to the reports sent to me by each county ME, it seems that the type of gun used varied from shotguns to pistols to rifles.”
“Hmm… I wonder if changing guns was a deliberate act, one of convenience, or because of the distance the victim is from the killer.”
“Good question, Jade.”
Charlotte spoke up. “And the number of victims?”
“I’ve been notified of five so far, making them serial crimes.”
Taft looked at her notes. “One female found along I-80, one male found along I-90, another female along I-70, a male along I-35, and the last one, a female, along I-49. Those interstates run north and south, east and west, and go through most of the Midwest and Plains states. We have no idea where the point of origin was either.”
Renz spoke up. “The killer must dump the bodies late at night and on a lonely stretch of the freeway. Interstates are far too busy during the daylight hours to pull off something that risky.”
“Agreed. It’s a daunting task to go from one dump site to another in a different state, but we need the feet-on-the-ground experience and plenty of pictures from each crime scene. Most of us will be working day and night from our headquarters here as far as research, staying in close contact with law enforcement at each location, and going through reports and data. We’ll literally do everything from our end except be the physical presence at the sites. The agents flying out will visit each dump site, visit the nearest towns, listen for chatter on the street, convene with law enforcement, meet with the medical examiners, and at least have a phone conversation with the first responders and the individual who discovered the body. If they’re driving the interstate, the likelihood of that 911 caller being local to the area isn’t very great, but the state patrol or county sheriff’s office would have their statement.” Maureen glanced at each of us, and I knew what her next question was going to be—who wanted to go?
I spoke up. “I’m in if Renz is.”
He said he was on board, especially since neither of us was married or had a significant other or children to deal with. It made our decision easy.
Taft looked at each face. “If there are any objections, speak up now.”
The rest of the team said they were fine with it and that they would all put in the work necessary right from our base. All that was left was to come up with a route from site to site that made the most sense.