“I said get out,” Avery said.
“Go, Marcus,” Rose said. “Go before she really kicks your ass.”
Marcus got to his feet and did just that. He gave one final look back to both of them before taking his leave.
“Mom…you didn’t have to,” Rose said. “But I won’t even pretend like I didn’t enjoy watching that. It was sort of awesome.”
“Rose, no man has the right to put his hands on you like that. You can’t—”
Her phone rang again, interrupting her. When she checked it, she saw the number she had been looking for…one she had not programmed in but recognized right away. It was from the hospital.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Detective Black, this is Dr. Chambers. There have been some complications with your partner and we’re going to have to rush him into surgery.”
“What?” Avery said, sitting down hard on Rose’s couch.
“He went into heart failure about twenty minutes ago. He’s being prepped right now and I’ll be scrubbing in. It’s a risky surgery but without it, he won’t last another hour. I just thought you’d want to know.”
Avery was already halfway across the room before she said “Thanks” and killed the call.
“Mom? What is it?” Avery asked.
“Ramirez…he’s—”
“Need me to come with you?”
Avery shook her head, struggling to keep the tears in, and left the apartment. The stairs were nothing more than blurs as she raced down them. She felt the tears sliding down her cheeks as she went through the lobby and then to her car.
Just as she got behind the wheel and clicked the safety belt into place, she got the third bad call of the morning. She answered the phone with trembling hands, not recognizing the number. She almost didn’t answer it but thought it could maybe be someone from the hospital with an update.
“Hello?” she asked, doing her best to keep her voice from cracking.
“Yeah, is this Avery Black?” a man’s voice asked.
“It is,” she said.
“Detective Black, this is Nathan Everson from South Bay House of Corrections. We’ve um…well, there’s a shit storm over here right now we thought you might like to know about.”
“What is it?” she asked, her mind still on Ramirez and getting to him as quickly as she could.
“Well, it’s Howard Randall.”
“What about him?”
There was a heavy pause on the line before Everson responded.
“We have no clue how it happened,” he said, “but Howard Randall has escaped.”
NOW AVAILABLE!
A TRACE OF DEATH
(a Keri Locke Mystery--Book #1)
“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.”
--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone)
From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense.
Keri Locke, Missing Persons Detective in the Homicide division of the LAPD, remains haunted by the abduction of her own daughter, years before, never found. Still obsessed with finding her, Keri buries her grief the only way she knows how: by throwing herself into the cases of missing persons in Los Angeles.
A routine phone call from a worried mother of a high-schooler, only two hours missing, should be ignored. Yet something about the mother’s voice strikes a chord, and Keri decides to investigate.
What she finds shocks her. The missing daughter—of a prominent senator—was hiding secrets no one knew. When all evidence points to a runaway, Keri is ordered off the case. And yet, despite pressure from her superiors, from the media, despite all trails going cold, the brilliant and obsessed Keri refuses to let it go. She knows she has but 48 hours if she has any chance of bringing this girl back alive.
A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, A TRACE OF DEATH marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.
“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”
--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)
Book #2 in the Keri Locke series will be available soon.
A TRACE OF DEATH
(a Keri Locke Mystery--Book #1)
Did you know that I've written multiple novels in the mystery genre? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!
Blake Pierce
Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seven books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising five books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising four books; and of the new KERI LOCKE mystery series.
ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), and A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Amazon!
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE
RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES
ONCE GONE (Book #1)
ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)
ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)
ONCE LURED (Book #4)
ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)
ONCE PINED (Book #6)
ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)
ONCE COLD (Book #8)
MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES
BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)
BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)
BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)
BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)
BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)
AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES
CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)
CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)
CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)
CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)
KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES
A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)
A TRACE OF MURDER (Book #2)
A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)
Cause to Fear Page 20