JAKE’S HEART JUMPED and he celebrated silently when the megaphone blared outside the cabin. It was the RCMP. They must have been tracking Lucas since his escape, the local police perhaps still unaware of the situation.
The rifle clattered to the floor as Varick Lucas cursed and sprang to his feet. He looked in confusion toward the door, then at the rifle, then back at the door.
Jake contemplated diving for the weapon, but reconsidered. Lucas was waving the pistol, apt to fire at the slightest provocation.
The killer stooped, picked up the weapon, and backed up, the rifle in his left hand, the pistol in his right. He looked at his prisoners with wild eyes.
“You’ll never get away,” Jake said.
Lucas pointed the pistol at Jake. “It doesn’t matter. If I die, I’m taking every one of you with me.”
The megaphone blared again, repeating the same message.
Lucas tucked the pistol behind his belt and switched the rifle to his right hand. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked calmer. He moved to the door and shouted, “Save your breath. I’m not coming out.”
A muffled voice came through the door. “Lucas, my name is Sergeant Lance Brewer. We have you surrounded. Surrender now and nobody gets hurt.”
Lucas yelled back, his voice remarkably calm, “Stay back or everyone dies.” He glared at his hostages and lowered his voice. “All of you.”
“How many hostages do you have?” Brewer called.
“Plenty.”
“I’ve been authorized to negotiate with you. What do you want out of this?”
Lucas paced the floor, never taking his eyes off his prisoners. He returned to the door. “I want a helicopter out of here.”
“I can do that, Lucas, but I need a show of good faith from you. Send me two hostages.”
“The only thing you’re going to get is a dead hostage,” he shouted, and then leered at Matty, lowering his voice. “And it might be you.”
Matty looked up bravely. “I’m thirsty.”
“Shut up, kid,” Lucas said. “All I have is beer, and you’re too young for that.” He laughed at his own comment.
Matty held up his backpack. “I have some Coke in here.”
“Stay still and be quiet.” Lucas scowled at the boy. “You’re starting to annoy me.”
“Are you there?” Brewer called. “I can get you out of here, but I need two hostages.”
“I’ve changed my mind, Brewer. I’m not leaving.”
“We don’t want to break the door down, Lucas,” Brewer called back. “That won’t go well for anyone.”
“I’m thirsty,” Matty whined, looking ready to cry.
Annie leaned forward and touched her son’s arm. “Matty, just wait.”
Matty turned in his chair to face his mother. “But I’m thirsty.”
Lucas gave Annie a black look. “Let the boy have a drink. It might be his last request.”
Matty dug in his backpack. He removed a can and fiddled with the top. “I can’t open it,” he said, his lower lip quivering. He wrapped his hands around the container and held it toward Lucas. “Can you open it, please?”
Lucas cursed and took a step forward. He held the rifle steady and reached for the can with his left hand.
A sudden shower of bear spray shot from the nozzle as Matty gritted his teeth and pressed his thumb down.
Lucas staggered backwards, screaming with pain. Blinded by the spray, he stumbled against the table and fell to his knees, still retaining his grip on the rifle. The weapon fired and a bullet pierced the canoe over his head and embedded itself in the ceiling.
Annie ducked to the floor, taking Kyle with her, as Jake sprang forward and pulled Matty off the chair, dropping beside Annie. Holly had reacted by diving toward the wall, where she lay prone.
There was a sudden crash and the door burst inwards, splinters of wood spraying across the room.
Lucas blindly raised the rifle in the direction of the sound and pulled the trigger. Three shots sounded, then four more as Brewer knelt in the doorway and emptied his pistol into Varick Lucas.
Lucas howled—a horrible shriek that slowly faded as he wavered, and then crumpled to the floor. He lay still and lifeless, the blood from his wounds puddling on the rough wooden floor.
EPILOGUE
Sunday, 8:55 PM
ANNIE WAS EXHAUSTED, still shaken from their harrowing experience, and glad to be home. The coziness of her overstuffed chair made her sleepy and she snuggled in deeper.
Jake slouched on the couch opposite her, his feet resting on the coffee table, his head back, dozing. Matty seemed to have recovered remarkably well and was sitting on the floor, content to read a comic book.
When the doorbell rang, Jake blinked, stood, and went to the door. It was Hank. They were expecting him. The cop followed Jake into the living room and stopped to tousle Matty’s hair before dropping onto the other end of the couch.
Matty closed his book and looked up. “Hey, Uncle Hank.”
“Hey, Matty.”
“Did you hear about our weekend?” Matty said, as he climbed onto the couch and snuggled up next to Hank.
“Your father gave me some details on the phone, but I didn’t get everything.” He turned to Jake. “How’d you get home so fast?”
“After the RCMP interviewed us, they were good enough to help get our vehicles up and running. They brought the parts by helicopter and got us out of there immediately.”
“And what about the girl?” Hank asked.
“Holly? They gave her a lift home. She was pretty unnerved.”
“Who wouldn’t be?” Hank said, as he looked at his watch. “By the way, you might want to turn on the 9:00 news. Amelia called me on the way over. There’ll be a story on Varick Lucas coming on just about now.”
“Lisa Krunk has been trying to call us,” Jake said, as he grabbed the remote from the coffee table and switched on the television. “We didn’t answer the phone.”
On the TV, teasers for upcoming stories ran. Then, the familiar station logo flashed on the screen, the anchor took his cue, shuffled his papers, and looked at the camera. It was the Channel 7 Action News.
“Our top story. Escaped convict, Varick Lucas has been shot dead by the RCMP. In an exclusive report, here’s Lisa Krunk.”
The scene flashed to a view of Lisa in front of a large building.
“I’m standing here in front of RCMP headquarters. Earlier this morning, the RCMP raided a cabin in Algonquin Park where escaped convict, Varick Lucas, was thought to be holed up.”
The view switched to a highway panorama. Police cars lined the road, their lights flashing. A helicopter was seen touching down, and a stretcher, covered by a white sheet, was loaded into a waiting ambulance as Lisa continued.
“A team of tactical unit officers surrounded the building where Lucas was allegedly holding hostages. Attempts were made to negotiate, but when gunfire erupted from inside the cabin, officers entered by force, killing the armed Lucas, and freeing the five hostages.”
Jake sat forward when a picture of him and Annie flashed on the screen.
“In a surprising turn of events, it appears the hostages were citizens of Richmond Hill. Private detectives, Jake and Annie Lincoln, whom I’ve had occasion to interview several times in the past, were vacationing in Algonquin Park and taken hostage by Lucas. I’ve been unable to reach them for comment and details are sketchy at this time, but sources have confirmed, their eight-year-old son, Matty, was responsible for setting about the chain of events leading to Lucas’s defeat.”
Lisa came back on the screen, hugging the microphone.
“I’ll bring you more on this story as information becomes available. For Channel 7 Action News, I’m Lisa Krunk.”
The anchor appeared.
“Tune in tomorrow night when we’ll bring you an exclusive look at the life of Varick Lucas, along with further details of the RCMP manhunt culminating in his death.”
Jake switched off the television and looked at Hank. “Next time I ask you to come vacationing with us, maybe you should. It would have come in handy to have a cop there.”
Hank chuckled. “Why would you need me when you have Matty around?” He glanced down at the boy. “Isn’t that right, Matty?”
But Matty didn’t hear. He was fast asleep.
###
Did You Enjoy Justice Overdue?
Visit my Web Site for information on the rest of the series.
Want to know what's next? Sign up for my newsletter to get updates on future releases.
Please consider taking one minute to post a short review on Amazon. It would be much appreciated and will help others discover my books.
I’d love to hear from you. Send your criticism, thoughts and comments to [email protected], or contact me here.
Thanks for reading,
Rayven T. Hill
BOOKS BY RAYVEN T. HILL
BLOOD AND JUSTICE
The First Book in the Series
When sixteen-year-old Jenny James goes missing, and the local police are unable to find her, the girl’s frantic mother hires private investigators Jake and Annie Lincoln to search for her daughter.
When the body of Jenny’s boyfriend is discovered, the mystery of her disappearance deepens. Shaken out of their comfort zone of Internet searches and poring over public records, the couple soon find themselves facing the frightening possibility they are looking for the latest victim of a serial killer.
As more bodies pile up, the town is gripped with fear. It seems no one is safe, and the Lincolns race to solve an impossible puzzle before they become the killer’s next victims.
Buy BLOOD AND JUSTICE Now
COLD JUSTICE
The Second Book in the Series
Late one night an emotionally disturbed woman, Abigail Macy, witnesses a murder. She reports what she saw to the police, but out of fear that the killer will return to eliminate her as a witness, she keeps quiet about his identity. When the police investigate her claim, they find no evidence of a crime, and influenced by her psychiatrist’s diagnosis that she was delusional, the case is closed.
Abigail’s condition deteriorates, and she shuts herself away, withdrawn and distraught, refusing to speak to anyone except the occasional word to her husband. To ease her tormented mind, he hires private investigators, Jake and Annie Lincoln, to find a supposed killer, with no proof that one exists.
When Abigail is found dead two days later, the coroner concludes that she had committed suicide, however the Lincolns aren’t convinced of the verdict. Now, with the only witness dead, the challenge to unravel the truth and find a murderer becomes more baffling.
The Lincolns find themselves in danger of being the killer’s next victims as they are drawn into a perilous web of lies, deceit and cover-ups.
Buy COLD JUSTICE Now
JUSTICE FOR HIRE
The Third Book in the Series
A young girl who has been missing for eight months, suddenly reappears and commits a heinous murder. She claims not to know why she did it, or where she had been for the last few months. The girl's desperate parents hire private investigators, Jake and Annie Lincoln, to find the truth behind their daughter's disappearance, and why she would return and kill a stranger in cold blood.
An ex-con, who had seemingly turned his life around, becomes the next victim when a young boy shoots him, and then casually holds the gun to his own head, and pulls the trigger. An aspiring city councilor is executed in the same manner. None of the deadly murderers seem to be aware of their actions.
As the Lincolns race to solve the puzzle of why young killers are casually murdering without remorse, they are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy and become targets of a merciless assassin.
Buy JUSTICE FOR HIRE Now
CAPTIVE JUSTICE
The Fourth Book in the Series
When a woman is abducted and the self-proclaimed "Merchant of Life" demands strict adherence to his impossible terms, the police are perplexed.
Private investigators, Jake & Annie Lincoln, are drawn into peril when the kidnapper demands Jake deliver the ransom money. The exchange takes place as planned, but when the abducted woman's body is discovered brutally murdered, the search for an unpredictable madman begins.
As the kidnappings continue, the Lincolns own lives are put in jeopardy as they scramble to unweave this baffling puzzle before the treacherous murderer can claim more victims, among whom may be the Lincolns themselves.
Buy CAPTIVE JUSTICE Now
JUSTICE OVERDUE
The Fifth Book in the Series
Private investigators, Jake & Annie Lincoln, make plans to take a break away from their hectic schedule and relax. The family's goal of a peaceful weekend spirals into chaos when an escaped convict creates havoc and threatens the lives of everyone around him.
The trail of destruction leads from a sleepy town to the untamed northern wilderness, where the Lincolns own lives are endangered by the most unpredictable creature of all, the ruthless and inhumane Varick Lucas.
Buy JUSTICE OVERDUE Now
JUSTICE RETURNS
The Sixth Book in the Series
In this much-requested sequel to Blood and Justice, the first book in the series, private investigators, Jake and Annie Lincoln, are drawn into double jeopardy when a serial killer escapes from prison and hires them to find out who killed his parents, and why.
The detectives' own lives are at stake when they find themselves caught in a dangerous and deadly situation, torn between their moral obligation to investigate the cold case murders of the two innocent victims, and to catch the cold-blooded killer who hired them.
Buy JUSTICE RETURNS Now
PERSONAL JUSTICE
The Seventh Book in the Series
When a man is brutally murdered and the suspected killer has disappeared, the family of the victim hire private investigators, Jake and Annie Lincoln, to track down the missing murderer.
A dangerous and deadly pursuit begins, in which both the hunted and the hunters become embroiled in a lethal conflict that could result in the Lincolns forfeiting their own lives in their battle to bring a ruthless killer to justice.
Buy PERSONAL JUSTICE Now
COMING NEXT
SILENT JUSTICE
The Eighth Book in the Series
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rayven T. Hill was born in 1954 in Markham, Ontario. He has had a variety of occupations and careers since then, spending the last fourteen years as a computer programmer and web site designer.
His first novel, written in 1960, was an instant hit with his mother and one sibling. He then put his career as a novelist aside for half a century to concentrate on making a living, but has now ventured back into the world of writing.
His first real novel, Blood and Justice, was published as an eBook in June 2013.
He lives with his wife in Toronto.
Connect with the Author
You can go to my Web Site to contact me, or sign up for my newsletter to get updates on future releases.
Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or contact me by eMail at [email protected].
Tell Your Friends About Justice Overdue
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, businesses, organizations, events and incidents either are 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.
Published by Ray of Joy Publishing
Copyright 2014 Rayven T. Hill
Table of Contents
About this Book
Dedication
Connect with the Author
Books by Rayven T. Hill
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
>
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
Epilogue
Also by Rayven T. Hill
Coming Next
About the Author
Tell Your Friends About Justice Overdue
Justice Overdue: A Private Investigator Mystery Series Page 22