Readers and critical acclaim for Solange Ritchie’s writing…
FIRESTORM
“Ritchie well understands that one of the most compelling forces in writing a good novel is movement for it arouses the reader's natural curiosity as to how will the story end. No doubt, movement raises many questions and readers invariably want to know the answers, which is the key to Firestorm.”
—Norm Goldman, Bookpleasures.com
“What is great is not just the return of FBI forensic pathologist Catherine Powers. We also have the return of evil, danger and the makings of it that really makes the story take flight…This is what makes Solange Ritchie stand out.”
—Cyrus Webb, “Conversations LIVE” WYAD-FM & BlogTalkRadio.com
“FBI forensic pathologist Catherine ‘Cat’ Powers faces her horror, one she wished would vanish forever: the psychotically deranged serial killer known as The Burning Man, who displays his true-to form diabolical soul. The suspense does not let up till the last page.”
– Scott Meehan, author of Millennial Girl
“Firestorm is fast-paced and descriptive. Ritchie’s realistic description of forensics reads as very genuine, and it is clear it was thoroughly and meticulously researched to get even the minute aspects accurate – from the serial killer psychology to a wide variety of crime scene techniques.”
– Justin (J. Robert) Kinney, MS Forensic Science (CSI),
author of the mystery novelPrecipice
“A thrilling page-turner I found hard to put down. The forest scenes were so realistic that I could almost feel the heat of conflagration and smell of smoke and ash. Ritchie has a real winner with Firestorm.”
– Dallas Gorham, author of the Carlos McCray,
Private Investigator, mystery thriller series
“Firestorm explodes into action and suspense on the very first page, and the tension never lets up. This fact-paced thriller is filled with twists and turn that leave you breathless and rushing to find out what happens at the end of the book. And the ending leaves you wanting to read more of Ritchie’s books. Firestorm is definitely a must-read novel.”
– A.R. Alan, author of The Index Killer
“Solange Ritchie delivers another fiery thriller, Firestorm, with her compelling female heroine besting both an old and new nemesis, each whose evil will make your skin burn, with a promise of more to come. The heat starts on page 1, and inferno never lets up.”
– Steven G. Jackson, author of the techno-thriller
The Zeus Payload
“Firestorm is an intense battle between ‘Cat’ Powers, a hard-charging forensic pathologist/agent with the FBI, and psychopathic murderer who would make Hannibal Lecter cringe. Both are brilliant and determined to win at any cost.”
– Don Westernhavor, author of Missing Girl
“Firestorm is a gripping saga with characters you will pine to know more about long after you read the last chapter.”
– Kathy Porter, author of the Gray Guardians series.
“Firestorm keeps the pace fast and compelling. Ritchie keeps the reader fully invested in each step of the protagonist’s struggle to stop a murderous rampage of a pair of sadistic and vengeful opponents.”
– Susan Brandt, writer, Miami, Florida
“This fast-paced thriller will get hold of you from the first page and never let go. Firestorm realistically places the reader in the very heart of a firestorm.”
– George Jaramillo, former sheriff, Orange County, California
“Firestorm is most impressive. The characters are well thought out and the writing sharp
and quick. Ritchie knows how to rock an autopsy scene!”
– Pam Buchmeyer, writer, attorney, and columnist for the
Texas Bar Journal
“In Firestorm, Solange Ritchie exposes a level of pure evil that is truly terrifying in its reality. Noir at its best.”
– S.L. Menear, best-selling author of the Samantha Starr series
“Criminals have met their match in the FBI’s Dr. Catherine Powers. Firestorm is filled with twists and turns. Solange gets into the heads of serial killers with such accuracy, its truly chilling. A great read that will leave you wanting more.”
– Brent Romney, Esq., lead counsel in the Richard Ramirez Night Stalker criminal case.
THE BURNING MAN
“Taking a page from Ritchie’s ‘real life’ as a successful attorney, a resonating message in her books is that women are not just femme fatales or victims, but strong and capable people who must find a way to balance all the challenges of work and family.”
—Naples Herald
“A fluid, snaky thriller of great momentum that drives the boundaries of noir almost to the edge of darkness.”
—Norm Goldman, Bookpleasures.com
“The Burning Man promises to have you on the edge of your seat from the first page.”
—FreshFiction.com
“Every. Sentence. Jars. The prose, staccato, precise, burns…Fast and brutal, Cat Powers cuts to the chase as she puts her life, and the life of her young son, on the table.”
—Champagne Living
“The Burning Man promises (and delivers) a strong female protagonist whose complex life and issues are far beyond the usual onedimensional investigator persona seen in similar genre thrillers. It’s a powerful read for mystery and thriller fans who like their stories fast-paced, multi-faceted, and hot and spicy with emotional connections and psychological depth.”
—D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
DYING
DECLARATION
A Dr. Catherine Powers Novel
SOLANGE RITCHIE
Stony Hill Publishers
Copyright © 2019 by Solange E. Ritchie
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
Stony Hill Publishers
15757 Pines Blvd., #188
Pembroke Pines, FL 33027
www.stonyhillpublishers.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. It is a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to people, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Occasionally, real places and institutions are used novelistically for atmosphere. There is no connection between the characters or situations in this novel to any real-life events, people, organizations, or companies of any kind.
Ordering information
Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, educational institutions. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the address above.
Orders by US trade bookstores and wholesalers. Please contact BCH: (800) 431-1579 or visit http://www.bookh.com/ for details.
Printed in the United States of America.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Ritchie, Solange, author.
Title: Dying Declaration: a Dr. Catherine Powers novel / Solange E. Ritchie
Description: Pembroke Pines, FL; Stony Hill Publishers, 2019.
Identifiers: ISBN 978-1-947835-03-2
Subjects: LCSH Foresnsic Pathologists – Fiction. | Women foresnsic pathologist – Fiction.| Serial murders—Fiction. | Florida, Southern—Fiction.| Serial murders—Investigation—Fiction.| Legal fiction.|
Florida, Everglades – Fiction. | Suspense fiction.| Psychological fiction.| Mystery
fiction.| BISAC FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense.
Classification: LCC PS3618.17683 F57 2015 | DDC 813.6-dc23
First Edition.
22 21 20 19 18 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
DEDICATION
To Steven and Kathy, two amazing parents.
Your love and support mean the world to me.
And to my writing buddy and fellow author, Ray Flynt.
Our dignity is not what we do but what we understand.
The whole world is doing things.
—George Santayana, Winds of Doctrine
CHAPTER ONE
The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a heaven of Hell, a Hell of heaven.
—John Milton, Paradise Lost.
She has never felt more relaxed than she does at this moment.
Dr. Catherine ‘Cat’ Powers is sitting on a powder white sand beach at X’tan Ha Resort on Ambergris Caye in Belize. A cool, sweet smell perfumes the air. She can’t quite make it out. It is part ocean and hibiscus mixed with the smell of tanning oil. Something soft and sweet and fresh. It lights up her senses and relaxes her even more at the same time. The fine sand makes a barely audible crunch beneath Cat’s toes. The noon sun beats down on Cat, but she doesn’t mind at all. The warmth on her skin makes her feel alive, away from all those dark days in Washington, DC, when rain and snow and cold were her closest companions. Away from her job as head special agent and forensic pathologist for the FBI, a job that takes her all over the United States investigating and solving what she calls “the worst of the worst” criminal cases.
To her left, farther down the beach, Cat sees mansion-sized vacation homes tucked among tall swaying palm trees, their windows and doors closed and covered with hurricane shutters. Soldiers standing guard against the rain, wind and tropical elements when the rainy season comes.
To have a house like that someday.
In this heaven.
It is everything just as it is supposed to be.
Cat watches a sportfishing boat go by out at sea, its engine barely audible over lapping waves. Joey plays on the white sand beach trying to build a sandcastle that keeps collapsing. Each time it does, Joey laughs and laughs and laughs. Belly laughs from Cat’s eight-year-old boy.
Cat loves to hear his laugh. She loves to hear the innocence returning to her child’s soul. Joey’s innocence had been lost because of Cat’s work. His innocence taken by Eric.
It happened because of me.
Would she ever forgive herself for that? Could she ever forgive herself for that?
It does not matter now.
All that matters right now is Joey’s sweet laugh. It rings like a symphony orchestra in her ears. It radiates through her soul.
Cat loves watching as Joey’s innocence returns.
She loves this powder sand, this turquoise green ocean that transitions to deep cobalt blue, this newfound sense of peace and tranquility. In her mind, she wonders, Why can’t it always be like this?
Cat’s cell phone rings by her side and she knows the answer instantly.
It cannot be like this because there is evil in the world.
It is her job to hunt evil down. And to kill it, if need be.
Cat had set her phone for international roaming, hoping it would not ring while she and Joey were on vacation.
Another phone call means another criminal case.
More bodies, more killing and more death.
She waits for the fifth ring before she answers the call. She is reluctant to answer, but she has no choice. She watches a seagull fly over green lapping waves, casting a dark shadow on the water. Cat knows in this instant that this phone call means darkness will descend over her life and Joey’s life once again. Her sixth sense tells her she is right.
There will be darkness like she has never seen.
Not even in her wildest dreams.
* * *
He has disappeared before.
He will do it again.
It is easy.
He only needs to wait.
* * *
Sarah Shaw is the kind of prostitute who can pass for a regular girl. With long silken hair that smells like a spring day and oval hazel eyes, she has a bone structure that is delicate and refined. In another life, she could have been a Russian billionaire’s mistress or royalty of some kind. Here, she is a mistress of a different type.
A mistress of the streets.
Sarah has had a hard life, but it does not show on her skin or her face. At least not yet. She looks fresh and pure.
Today, that will change. Today, her life will change forever.
* * *
Cat finally picks up her phone, wishing she could let the call go to voice mail. But she can’t.
Nate Conners, the southern regional head of the FBI, is on the line. His voice holds Cat’s attention. It is full of tension. Cat knows what this call means.
“Cat, I’m sorry.”
Dr. Catherine Powers says nothing.
“You know I can’t call anyone else but you.”
Cat simply sighs. Nate Conners is apologizing for an assignment he hasn’t even given her yet. She waits and says nothing.
“We have another one. A body dump. This is number four. Near Miami, off the I-75 freeway.” His voice is stressed. He talks at a quick clip.
Cat knows the ask will come next.
“It needs your attention, Cat. I’m so sorry you have to come in. But there’s no one else to call. You’re too good at what you do.”
“Fine.”
Cat is upset that Joey’s vacation will be cut short. But this is part of her profession. It is part of her life. It is what she chose. It is what she does. She listens to what little additional detail Nate can provide over the phone. She listens to what little the FBI knows and hangs up. Instinctively, she walks over to where Joey is playing and lifts him in her arms. He hugs her, putting his sandy little hands in her hair. She does not mind. He looks at her and says, “I know, Mommy. It’s time to go.”
She looks down at him. “Yes, baby. Mommy is sorry. It is time to go.”
* * *
He is an invisible man. This is his gift from God. One moment, he is there. The next, he is gone.
In this moment, his eyes meet those of Sarah Shaw. Her beautiful oval eyes are filled with fear. Even a dumb prostitute can understand what I am going to do to her. He enjoys his power over her. That look in her eyes. The fear. The dread.
She is his now and will always be his. She understands it.
There is no escape.
His rig serves as his transportation. But it also proves useful in these kinds of situations.
Today, Sarah Shaw makes the mistake of asking him if he wants to have some fun at a truck stop off of Florida’s Alligator Alley, a stretch of road that cuts right through the middle of the Everglades. He knows what she means by “fun”—all the long-haul truckers do.
There are young girls like this at all the truck stops. But Sarah catches his eye with her long hair. Hair that hangs long past her waistline. That and the fact that she looks relatively clean.
She must be new at this, he thinks. New to the streets. New to this life.
Not yet spoiled. No pimp has beaten her to within an inch of her life. Drugs have not gotten ahold of her heart, mind and soul.
When she asks him the question, he just looks at her and smiles. He does not need to say anything. She knows what his smile means.
Come on in, baby.
I’ll give you one hell of a ride.
She smiles back and winks at him. He likes that about her instantly. She is smart and sassy.
He reaches over calmly, opens the passenger-side door to the cab. She climbs in and scoots onto the leather seat next to him. Her black leather skirt is hiked up just so, to show off her long trim legs.
She is teasing him.
He knows it. She knows it.
In the end, they will have nothing in common, but he allows her the fantasy of it
now. From the look in her eyes, she seems to enjoy the way his eyes travel over her body. Her eyes, mouth and hair hanging straight just so. That leather skirt and those long legs. She is wearing four-inch black platform heels that make her legs look even longer.
Yes, she looks gorgeous. She knows how to work it.
He feels a rise as he takes her in with his eyes.
She meets his gaze and then looks away, as if she is not sure about this.
In a low voice, he reassures her. “Don’t worry, honey. I won’t hurt you.”
Her gaze returns from somewhere outside the cab. She meets his eyes with a pleading look. It is clear she does not like this. In her soul and eyes, he can see that in her heart, she was happy once. There is a longing there. For times past. For things that can never be changed. Knowing that words and actions can never be undone.
From the look of it, she is not happy with this. She is doing what she needs to do to survive.
She does not respond to him verbally. She just looks at him.
He takes his right hand off the big steering wheel and puts it on her leg, patting her inner thigh. “It’s all right, baby.”
She seems unconvinced.
“Let’s go,” she says, her voice just a small whisper.
He takes his hand off her thigh, turns over the ignition and pulls his truck around the other eighteen-wheelers. Below him, he can feel the power of the long-haul Peterbilt truck.
It is big, massive and intimidating. Like him.
It is deception and seduction. Like him.
It is movement and mayhem. Like him.
Dying Declaration Page 1