Undersheriff Martinez gave a hint of a tiny smile as he organized paperwork on the desk. “Very well.”
* * *
Katie drove her uncle to the cemetery to pay his respects to the woman he had loved more than anything. They both walked to the grave site. Katie felt strange, remembering that day when she accompanied her uncle to say goodbye to her parents. They had suffered too many losses for one family. The overwhelming grief filled Katie as she waited for her uncle to say a few words.
Her uncle kneeled down as if his loss weighed heavy on him, physically. His shoulders were more rounded and his stride had been weaker than usual, but he was a strong man and time would begin to help him heal.
“Claire, if I could do anything to bring you back or stop your killer that night—I would. I hope you knew that I loved you more than you’ll ever know. You came into my life and made me whole again. And for that I’m truly blessed. I love you,” he said and laid a red rose on her gravesite.
Katie kneeled and left a small wildflower bouquet for her. She quietly said a prayer and stayed for a moment before she joined her uncle again.
“You, Katie Scott,” he said, “you are going to follow the rules and be careful from now on.”
“Of course.”
“I love you.” He hugged her tight. “It’s just you and me, kiddo.”
“What are you going to do with the house?”
“Sell it. I can’t live in it now.”
“You can stay with me until you find another place to live.”
“No, you need your space and I don’t want to scare away Chad. So I’ve rented a condo near the golf course.”
“You hate golf,” said Katie.
“Maybe I’ll try it again. What do you think?”
“I think you’ll still hate it,” she laughed.
“Maybe tennis?” he said.
“I could see you playing that.”
“I like the idea of hitting a tennis ball… making an ace… or whatever.”
Katie laughed with him as they walked back to the car.
“That’s what I want to hear. Laughter. Now when will I get to go to a wedding?”
“Hey, give a girl time to get her life straight first,” she teased.
“You know Chad isn’t going to wait forever.”
“Uncle Wayne, maybe he doesn’t want to get married. I’m not sure if I want to.”
“Who doesn’t want to get married? C’mon, a detective and firefighter… what better team than that?”
Fifty-Five
Tuesday 0900 hours
What I realized was weakness wasn’t the hardest thing to admit. Asking for help was the hardest thing you could do. There was no shame or society stigma attached to it. Everyone had times when they needed a little help. And today was my time to ask for that little bit of help. Sound mind and a firm focus was your closest friend, so treat them with respect and they will repay you three-fold.
Katie sat in the office of Megan Carver, therapist for PTSD and anxiety disorders. This time she was more relaxed, but still guarded.
“I’m glad that you’ve decided to come back. So what’s on your mind, Katie?” said Dr. Carver, her voice calm and soothing as she spoke.
“Losing a family member. Can we start there?”
“Of course, we can start with anything you feel like talking about.”
“My aunt was murdered since that last time we spoke.”
Dr. Carver remained quiet. She was stoic even if the news had completely shocked her. “What was the best thing you liked most about your aunt? Tell me about her.”
“Kindness. She always knew how to treat people and make everyone feel special,” she said. “I think we could learn from her. I think everyone could.”
“She sounds wonderful. What else?”
“Trusting. She could always keep a secret or be there for you if she said she would. Trust and kindness go together, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’m having a difficult time processing her death,” said Katie. It was strange hearing her voice say that.
“Let’s just take it one step at a time, and we’ll work through it together. Okay?”
Katie took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”
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Books by Jennifer Chase
Detective Katie Scott Series
Little Girls Sleeping
Her Last Whisper
Flowers on Her Grave
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Emily Stone Series
Compulsion
Dead Game
Dark Mind
Dead Burn
Dark Pursuit
Dead Cold
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Chip Palmer Series
Scene of the Crime
Body of the Crime
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Standalones
Silent Partner
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Short Stories
First Watch
Never Forgotten
Available in Audio
Little Girls Sleeping (Available in the UK and the US)
Her Last Whisper (Available in the UK and the US)
A Letter from Jennifer
I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read Flowers on Her Grave. If you did enjoy it, and want to keep up to date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Sign up here!
This was a special project and series for me. Forensics and criminal profiling has been something that I’ve studied considerably and to be able to incorporate them into a crime fiction novel has been a thrilling experience for me.
One of my favorite activities outside of writing has been dog training. I’m a dog lover, if you couldn’t tell by reading this book. I’ve had the incredible opportunity to train with my local police K9 association, which includes several counties in California. My dog is certified in trailing, scent detection, and advanced obedience. I loved creating a supporting canine character for my police detective.
I hope you loved Flowers on Her Grave and if you did I would be very grateful if you could write a review. I’d love to hear what you think, and it makes such a difference helping new readers to discover one of my books for the first time.
I love hearing from my readers—you can get in touch on my Facebook page, through Twitter, Goodreads or my website.
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Thanks,
Jennifer Chase
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authorjenniferchase.com
Little Girls Sleeping
Detective Katie Scott Book 1
Order it now!
* * *
She looked at the smiling, eager face of the little girl in the photograph, with dark hair, bright-green eyes, a missing front tooth, and her entire life ahead of her. Chelsea was last seen walking back from a friend’s house one summer afternoon. She never made it home…
* * *
An eight-year-old girl, Chelsea Compton, is missing in Pine Valley, California and for Detective Katie Scott it’s a cruel reminder of the friend who disappeared from summer camp twenty years ago. Unable to shake the memories, Katie vows she won’t rest until she discovers what happened to Chelsea.
* * *
But as Katie starts to investigate – her PTSD flashbacks kept at bay with the help of her loyal ex-military dog, Cisco – the case reveals itself to be much bigger and more shocking than she feared. Deep in the forest, she unearths a makeshift cemetery: a row of graves, each w
ith a brightly coloured teddy bear.
* * *
Tracing the silk lining the coffins, Katie links the graves to a stack of missing-persons cases involving young girls – finding a pattern no one else has managed to see. Someone in Pine Valley has been taking the town’s daughters for years, and Katie is the only one who can stop them.
* * *
And then another little girl goes missing, snatched from the park near her home…
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Compulsive and gripping crime fiction for fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh. Katie Scott’s first case will have you on the edge of your seat and gasping with shock.
Her Last Whisper
Detective Katie Scott Book 2
Order it now!
* * *
Katie focuses her mind, trying to keep another anxiety attack at bay. The victim’s long brown hair is slick and wet, her body rigid in the grass. She looks more like a mannequin than the woman Katie had spoken with only yesterday, the woman she had promised to protect…
* * *
When a cold, naked body is discovered by a couple on a jog through the lush woodlands of Pine Valley, California, new recruit Detective Katie Scott is stunned to discover the victim is Amanda Payton – a much-loved local nurse and the woman at the heart of an unsolved case she’s been investigating whilst getting a grip on her crippling PTSD.
* * *
Weeks earlier, Amanda had run, battered and bruised, out into the headlights of a passing patrol car. She claimed to have just escaped a kidnapping, but with no strong evidence, the case went cold. The Pine Valley police made a fatal mistake…
* * *
Katie is certain the marks on Amanda’s wrists complete a pattern of women being taken, held captive and then showing up dead in remote locations around Pine Valley – and she won’t let someone die on her watch again.
* * *
But then a beautiful office worker with a link to the hospital where Amanda worked goes missing. With only days before the next body is due to show up, can Katie make amends for her past by saving this innocent life?
* * *
Totally gripping crime fiction for fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh. Nothing will prepare you for this nail-biting roller coaster ride…
Acknowledgements
I want to thank my husband Mark for his steadfast support and for being my rock even when I had self-doubt. It’s not always easy living with a writer and you’ve made it look easy.
A very special thank you goes out to my law enforcement, police K9, forensic, and first-responder friends—there’re too many to list. Your friendships have meant the world to me. It has opened a whole new writing world and inspiration. I wouldn’t be able to bring my crime fiction and K9 stories to life if it wasn’t for all of you.
Thank you to Marla Steckwren, LCSW, Cognitive Behavioral Specialist, who helped me address the PTSD perspective and to bring the therapy setting to life.
Thank you, Detective Michael Lyons (Ret.), Yonkers Police Department, who has been an inspiration to me for creating fictional cold cases.
This continues to be a truly amazing writing experience. I would like to thank my publisher Bookouture and the fantastic staff for helping me to bring this book and the entire Detective Katie Scott series to life. A very special thank you to my editor Jessie Botterill—your unwavering enthusiasm, patience, and amazing guidance have challenged me to become a better writer.
Published by Bookouture in 2020
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An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
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www.bookouture.com
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Copyright © Jennifer Chase, 2020
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Jennifer Chase has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
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eBook ISBN: 978-1-78681-815-7
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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