by C. M. Sutter
“That makes two of us. Your head is bleeding, Kate.” Jack looked over his shoulder. “I need an EMT to check her out.”
Another gurney was wheeled toward us.
I held up my hand. “That isn’t necessary.”
“Put her on that gurney and tie her down if you have to.” Jack smiled. “I’ll catch up with you two mavericks in a minute.” He looked at Glover, still lying on the road. “Got a short version on him?”
“Poison, I think. Have the lab test that vial the deputy bagged.”
“Okay, get these two out of here. I’ll be along shortly after we clean up this mess.”
Chapter 69
It was Wednesday, and five days had passed since the crash in Pierceville. I wondered if that was some kind of a sign. My last name was Pierce, and even though Glover tried to kill us that day, he was the one who met his demise on Lonely Road. It was ironic, and the demons that must have haunted him got the best of him in the end. A man who thought he was superior to the rest of the world died just like any ordinary person and alone in his own personal hell.
We sat in the conference room and waited for Jack. Our morning update was about to begin. Clayton and Billings sat across from Amber and me, chuckling like two grade-schoolers.
I gave them the best glare I could muster up. “Really, boys, what’s your problem?”
“Us? We don’t have a problem,” Clayton said. He pulled his phone from his pocket and snapped a picture of Amber and me.
“You’re so juvenile,” Amber said.
“Here, take a look for yourself.” Clayton turned his phone and showed us the picture. “I’m putting that on our social media site. It’s priceless. Two detectives with butterfly stitches across their foreheads and one with black eyes. How are we supposed to take you seriously?”
I couldn’t help laughing. We looked a mess.
Jack walked in minutes later and grinned at Amber and me. I rolled my eyes, and Amber shook her head.
“Okay, we have a lot to discuss this morning, and I promise to do it with a straight face. In all seriousness, I just spoke with Lena. The autopsy on Glover showed an enormous brain mass, likely cancerous. He did say he was dying, right, Kate?”
“That’s what he said, sir, but that doesn’t justify his actions.”
“I totally agree. At least now that the investigation is over, the families can put their loved ones to rest.” Jack flipped through the sheets of paper in front of him. “According to the lab, the residue in the vial was potassium cyanide mixed with water—a deadly cocktail for sure.”
I spoke up. “He told me he was going to kill himself the same way he killed Isabelle.”
“Yet her remains were never found, and now he took that secret to hell with him,” Amber said.
“True enough.” Jack summarized the first sheet of paper aloud. “So, when it was all said and done, Isabelle Glover was murdered by cyanide, Becca Morbeck was killed with clostridium botulinum, Daphne Cole died from a fentanyl overdose, and Naomi Hahn lost her life from being suffocated after eating poisonous berries and mushrooms.”
“And poor Mrs. Kittleman had a heart attack because Glover scared her to death,” Billings said.
“I guess we’ll never know why Glover had some properties set up in a C Corp in St. Thomas.”
“Actually, I do know the reason,” Jack said.
We all faced him and waited for the aha moment. I smirked. “Well, let’s hear it, already.”
“It’s far from any reason we thought of. I called the bank yesterday before I left work to tell them of Glover’s death. I thought I should make them aware of his passing and the legalities associated with his properties. Here, the ones under his name could possibly be sold, and the proceeds ought to go to the victims’ families. At least, that’s what I think should happen.”
“But the ones under the umbrella of the C Corp can’t be attached to him personally,” I said.
“Exactly. It turns out the benefactor of everything owned by the C Corp will remain in the Virgin Islands. A clause in the paperwork states that the company will be dissolved, the properties owned by the C Corp will be sold, and the funds will be used as an endowment to remodel and enlarge the University of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas and St. Croix.”
We sat in silence, all likely shocked by the revelation. We couldn’t make up something like that. An evil lunatic who was a true mad scientist actually had a generous and loving side toward a group of islands in the Caribbean that mattered to him deeply. I wondered why.
“Apparently, the banker knew Glover well. He told me that Martin met Isabelle on St. Thomas during a summer vacation. She had been living in Charlotte Amalie at the time and taught at the university. They got married at Bluebeard’s Castle, high on the mountainside, and lived on St. Thomas for two years while they accumulated properties on the island. Their intention was to retire there and live out their lives in one of their ocean-view homes. That’s all the banker knew other than that they moved to Madison, Glover’s hometown. What likely happened was that Isabelle eventually grew tired of Martin’s superiority complex and had extramarital relations with a few students at UWM. Martin went off the rails after that, and unfortunately, she was the first to die.”
I sighed. “I wonder if the brain tumor affected his personality.”
“Lena thinks so and said he had some pretty hardcore drugs in his system along with toxic levels of aspirin. His head must have been killing him—literally.”
I nodded. “And I felt his pain, but it turned him into a narcissistic monster and a woman hater.”
“It did, but now it’s time to wrap up everything related to Michael Morton and Martin Glover.” Jack glanced at the clock. “I could sure use a good cup of coffee. We have a full day of paperwork ahead of us.”
Amber pushed back her chair and stood. “Although that was far from subtle, I can take a hint. How about a twelve-cupper of the best coffee in town?”
Jack grinned. “Now that’s what I’m talking about. Thanks, kiddo, and thanks to all of you. I couldn’t ask for a better team of detectives.”
THE END
Thank you!
Thanks for reading Imperious, the second book in the Psychic Detective Kate Pierce Crime Thriller Series. I hope you enjoyed it!
Start at the very beginning of the Monroe sisters’ world and meet each character as they’re introduced. The Detective Jade Monroe Crime Thriller Series is where it all began, and Maniacal, the flagship book, is the first book in that series. Sergeant Jade Monroe, a detective in the sheriff's department of a fictitious Wisconsin town, is introduced. Jade has more crimes to solve and murderers to apprehend than most detectives, but she's a tough cop, determined to prove herself, and gets the job done. The books are listed in order below:
Maniacal
Captive
Fallacy
Premonition
Exposed
The Agent Jade Monroe FBI Thriller Series follows on the heels of Exposed, Book 5 in the Detective Jade Monroe Crime Thriller Series. Jade has advanced to the big leagues. She’s now an FBI agent in the serial crimes unit. She has more ground to cover and more criminals to apprehend with her new partner, J. T. Harper. Currently available books are listed in order below:
Snapped
Justified
Donors
Leverage
Malice
The Amber Monroe Crime Thriller Series follows on the heels of Malice, Book 5 in the Agent Jade Monroe FBI Thriller Series. This series focuses on Jade’s sister, Amber, a new recruit in the Washburn County Sheriff’s Office. She has big shoes to fill, and all eyes are on her. Currently available books are listed in order below:
Greed
Avenged
Vendetta
Atrocity
Travesty
The Psychic Detective Kate Pierce Crime Thriller Series follows on the heels of Travesty, Book 5 in the Amber Monroe Crime Thriller Series. This series focuses on Kate Pierce, a psychic detective at the Wash
burn County Sheriff’s Office. Kate has gotten her share of ridicule over the years for her work as a psychic, but it’s that very gift that has landed her in the lead role in solving many cases that nobody else could figure out.
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