by Hopkin, Ben
Popeye said that was dumb, but he was just mad because she’d put him on the railing over the crocodiles. He was scared of crocodiles, even though he said he wasn’t. That’s why she’d put him there, so he’d have to admit it. He hadn’t yet, but with the screaming, Janey decided that it was time to go.
She ran out of the place where the crocodiles were kept and raced after Mala and Darc and Trey. Even Rachel, the guilty lady who wasn’t really guilty, was running over there. That proved to Janey that she was a good person.
Popeye said something rude, but Janey ignored him. He didn’t like strangers much. Plus he was peeved because no one would take him to see the bears. Janey kept saying that it wasn’t the right time, but you know how bears get when they’re cranky.
Janey was running super fast, faster than she’d ever run before, when something scary happened. There were two corners that came up right in a row, and she wasn’t sure where Trey and Darc and Mala had gone. She took a right turn, but there was no one there.
Well, that wasn’t really true.
There was a huge rhinoceros.
It was right in front of her, and it was snorting and lowering its head, like it was going to charge straight at her. The rhino’s horn was wet and shiny. Janey wasn’t sure, but she thought it might be blood.
The rhino tossed its head and started moving right toward where Janey was. She wanted to run, but there were concrete walls on either side of her. Maybe she could run away, but she wasn’t sure she was faster than the big animal in front of her.
She was just about to panic, when a big form ran into the rhino from behind. The rhinoceros turned around and Janey could see that it was Darc. He had gotten the animal to pay attention to him instead, and now he was in danger.
Looking past Darc, Janey could see where the rhino was supposed to go. There was a gate that was hanging open where the beast must have gotten out.
The lines in her head were telling her what to do. It was really scary. Even scarier than when the rhino had looked right at her. But she knew she needed to do it.
Janey started running.
* * *
There had been moments of terror in Mala’s life, up to and including being kidnapped by a homicidal maniac. But nothing could compare to this moment.
The moment she watched her little girl charge a rhinoceros.
Janey sped up to the animal, smacking the beast on the side as she passed. The enraged rhino tossed its head and immediately followed.
Right into its own enclosure. Darc moved in behind the rhino and slammed the gate back into place, and Janey darted under the small opening at the bottom.
Mala rushed over to the little girl and gathered her up in her arms. At some point, she’d have to talk to Janey about the kinds of risks it was not okay to take, but right now, all she wanted to do was hold her and make sure she was okay.
Bill Waterhouse rushed up to them, effusive in his thanks.
“You have saved our zoo, young lady,” he said, pumping the little girl’s arm up and down so fast it looked like it was going to dislocate her shoulder. “You can come here anytime you want for free.”
Janey made a face that said she wasn’t so sure about that, but Mala was pretty sure the COO didn’t see it.
“We need to make sure that high school group didn’t get hurt,” Trey said, scanning the park, apparently hoping to spot the teenagers.
“What group?” Bill asked, puzzled.
“The late night group…” Trey paused, looking over at his partner. “There was no late night group.”
“Ms. Phillips,” Darc intoned, and Trey nodded. He called out to one of the unis nearby.
“Block off all the exits to the zoo. I think I know where she might be.”
Mala moved to follow, but realized that Janey wasn’t beside her any longer. She looked over to the rhino cage and watched as Janey finished up another symbol. What looked like two side-by-side windows, the one on the right with a tail.
Janey looked up. The expression on her face was one that Mala rarely saw. She wasn’t smiling, but there was joy radiating out from her face that almost felt like it brightened up the dark night air around them both.
Whatever she had found, it was important.
* * *
Trey sped over to the monkey habitats. Specifically headed for the Patas monkey exhibit. When he’d been scouring the internet for other zoo killings to link this case to, he’d stumbled across something strange.
There had been a killing in a zoo in Idaho. It hadn’t been an escaped animal attacking a visitor, or even an unobservant worker getting mauled.
The killing had been of a Patas monkey.
It had been assumed that it was a gang initiation, as there had been multiple graffiti tags left in the park. There had been three suspects, but none had been caught. The entire community had been outraged.
As he neared the cages followed by Darc, Mala, Janey and Rachel, Trey spotted the form of Ms. Phillips, slumped in front of the Patas monkeys, who were all hooting softly, coming nearer to the form on the ground and then darting away.
In the woman’s hand was a needle.
“Hey!” Trey yelled. “Let’s get the medics in here. Now!”
At the sound of his voice, the old woman lifted her head and tried to fix her gaze on him. “They were murderers,” she croaked as Trey got near enough to hear her. “They killed those monkeys. And why? For a gang.”
To Trey’s surprise, Rachel burst out sobbing beside him.
“We were so sorry,” she slurred past her tears. “We felt so bad. We moved away, got new jobs. Johnny even tried to make up for it by volunteering.”
“Volunteering? You think that can make up for murder?” Ms. Phillips raised herself up on one arm, then slumped forward, unconscious.
“Come on! Medics!” Trey yelled again. He watched as the team swarmed around the sleeping woman, doing what they could to save her life. Whether or not they could, Trey was pretty sure it would only be a matter of time for her. She clearly hadn’t wanted to stick around after she took her vengeance on the monkey killers.
At his side, Rachel continued to heave huge sobs.
And thinking about this entire case, Trey kind of wanted to join her.
EPILOGUE
Darc stared at the page in front of him.
It was the full symbol. The stones at all three sites had come together, and now it made sense.
There was a part of him that wished that were not so.
Darc had never experienced that feeling before. He had regrets. Of course he did. But he had never had the desire to use some kind of whimsical magic to change events. That was just not logical. Magic was not real. Changing events was impossible.
And yet…
Mala approached Darc from the side, slipping her hand within his. He wanted to answer her touch by squeezing her hand, but he was not capable of movement. All his attention was riveted on the symbol in front of him.
“What wrong, Darc?” Mala asked. She glanced at the paper. “What does it mean?”
He finally found his voice.
“It is a symbol known as Dai Ko Myo.” He said, his voice incapable of expressing the gray spectrum that raged within him. “It is used in Usul Reiki to indicate enlightenment.”
Mala appeared perplexed. “That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing.”
“It has another meaning,” Darc said.
“What’s that?”
“It means ‘The Master’.”
The glowing lines of light converged around the symbol, extracting from it the meaning contained within. The shape spun about, ricocheting off the imaginary walls of Darc’s mind, landing finally and giving form to a structure that had been months in the making. One that would shake Seattle to its foundations.
For this Master had been there all along, nudging, guiding, maneuvering events. This one had been at the center of all of the killings that had been taking place.
And Darc had no idea who it wa
s.
Afterword
Thank you very much for continuing with Trey, Darc, Mala and of course, Janey!
If you did enjoy Darc Murders Collection, we'd love to ask you a favor and go back to Amazon and leave a review. We indie authors live and die by our reviews!
We’d also like to enlist your help. If you find any, and we mean any typos, spelling errors or anything funky, please contact us directly at [email protected]. Even though this book has gone through a gazillion edits, we are all only human and your input is greatly appreciated!
Missing Darc, Janey, Mala and Trey already? Don’t worry! There’s another trilogy in the works, with the first installation, 3rd Body, due out in mid 2014.
Can’t wait until then?
Check out the next section for more mystery/thrillers from Ben!
Other Works by Ben Hopkin
The Nursery Rhyme Murders Collection
Praise for The Nursery Rhyme Murders Collection...
"Come for the murder, stay for the three-dimensional, realistically fractured characters! … Long plane rides and rainy Saturday afternoons were made for books like this. If you like your suspense with a side of gruesome and a dash of humor, this is it."
Brandon Stanley
Amazon Reviewer
"Humpty Dumpty is a wonderful start to what I hope will be the first in a fun and thrilling series. I found myself flipping the pages to get to the end and what an ending. The story was well written and the dialogue was sharp, witty and fast-paced. The chemistry between the main characters, Joshua, Had and Cooper was magical… Eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series.”
Romano Robusto
Amazon Reviewer
“Another good crime scene series from one of my favorites. Once again …has brought together an interesting cast of characters. Each member of the team has flaws, just like real people. The concept of using nursery rhymes as a theme for murder gives the story a creepy edge. The plot twists will keep you guessing.”
J. Duarte
Amazon Reviewer
The collection includes…
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
the prequel short story to The Nursery Rhyme Murders Series
Humpty Dumpty
the greatly anticipated full-length novel
Old Woman in a Shoe*exclusive to the collection
the fascinating short story follow up to Humpty Dumpty
All Fall Down (will be added to the collection March 2014)
the rousing continuation of the Nursery Rhyme Murders Collection
Eennie Meanie Moe (will be added EXCLUSIVELY to the collection March 2014)
the bridge short story following All Fall Down
More praise for The Nursery Rhyme Murders Collection …
“I am a big fan of this author’s novels… So, I have been excited and waiting a long time for this story… I was not disappointed and continued to read every single page all the way to an ending that was unbelievable, made me feel a little sick, and left me just as speechless as Agent Sariah Cooper… I have never read an ending to a book like this ever and it’s a vision that will be with me for quite a while.”
Robin Lee
Amazon Reviewer
"For me, a book that inspires my imagination so much that I can see the movie playing along as I go is a great read – and this definitely does that. Highly, heartily recommended for fans of murder/mystery novels, fans of James Patterson, and fans of action/mystery movies.”
Knikki Jacobsmeyer
Amazon Reviewer
To sample or purchase The Nursery Rhyme Murders Collection, simply click here.
About the Author
Ben Hopkin
Ben Hopkin is a transplanted Texan. After being indoctrinated in the Lone Star State he was ripped from his ancestral home and whisked away to Los Angeles, where he was forced to appreciate fish tacos and sushi. While there, he worked as a professional actor, director, and producer, as well as teacher, which he loves most. He has now settled in Provo, Utah, with his wife and three children. Just in case there was any question, Provo is NOT a happy medium between Ft. Worth and LA, although his kids have made the transition from body boards to snowboards seamlessly.
Contact Information
Ben Hopkin
[email protected]
Website
Twitter
Internet database
Acknowledgments
So many people contribute to any book that it is hard to list them all. However, I intend to try!
This book would never have come into existence without, of course, the never ending support from my beautiful wife, Aimee. I love you so much.
Carolyn, who encouraged me well beyond where others would have given up. Your tenacity and friendship are what made me even considering the life of an author possible.
The many mentors I have had over the years who taught me what a good story looked like. We may have been talking about acting, but the principles are the same. I love you all.
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, places, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Darc Murders Mystery Collection
An Off Our Meds Project/published by arrangement with the author
FIRST EDITION
Copyright 2013 by Carolyn McCray
All rights reserved
Kindle Edition
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Any inquiries can be made to:
3524 South Star Lake Rd
Auburn, WA 98001
[email protected]
Table of Contents
Praise Page
Main Menu
DEVIOUS – The prequel short story to 9th Circle
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
EPILOGUE
DECEIVED – Another prequel short story to 9th Circle
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
9th CIRCLE – 9 Circles, Infinite Ways to Die – The full-length novel that started it all!
PROLOGUE
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
EPILOGUE
7th Sin – The sequel to the #1 hard boiled mystery 9th Circle
PROLOGUE
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
EPILOGUE
CARNAL – The bridge short story between 7th Sin and 5th Pentagram
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
5th Pentagram – The sequel to 7th Sin
PROLOGUE
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
EPILOGUE
Sinister – The wrap-up short story
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
EPILOGUE
Afterword
Other Works by Ben Hopkin
The Nursery Rhyme Murders Collection
About the Author
Contact Information
Acknowledgments
Copyright