The Bloody Canvas

by KJ Kalis

  As Stella gave Kat all the information they had been searching for, she felt an eerie silence fall over the warehouse, where she and Eli were strapped to chairs. Now Kat and Eli knew everything. Would Stella shoot them the same way she had shot Bobby? A wave of nausea went over Kat. Any bravado she had was gone.

  Before she could say anything else, Kat heard a scuffle near the front door. Stella must have seen Kat gaze down the long aisle way between the stacks of crates. There was movement, low and fast. A growl came out of nowhere. Stella jumped up out of her chair as a big German Shepherd charged into the cage and at her. Stella backpedaled as she got pinned in the corner, the dog growling and barking. Kat could hear men’s voices yelling as they approached.

  “Kat? Eli? Are you there?”

  Henry and Carson burst through the door of the cage and quickly cut them out of their bindings on their chairs. The dog handler came in right behind them, shouting “Aus!” the German word for off as he cuffed Stella Rusu.

  Carson lifted Kat out of her chair to a standing position, “Are you okay?”

  Kat sighed, “Yes, I think so.” She glanced at Eli, “Eli, are you okay?”

  Eli stammered, “Yes. Yes.”

  Kat stood for a second in place, her knees weak from the adrenaline rush. She looked at Henry, “How did you find us?”

  He pointed at her pocket. “We tracked you through your phone. Sorry that it took a little time. We had to reach Van to get your account information and then deal with the British government. Nothing moves fast for the Brits.”

  Kat started to laugh. “Who knew not forgetting my phone today would be the thing that saved me?” She looked at Carson, Henry and Eli, suddenly feeling very grateful. “Well, the good thing is Stella admitted to everything. She’s the one that orchestrated Hailey’s murder, Oskar’s death, the forged artwork and I think even the drugs.” She glanced down the aisleway, seeing people move back and forth throughout the warehouse. An officer was standing over Bobby’s body. “She shot him, too.”

  Carson looked at her, “All right. Let’s get both of you outside and get you some fresh air. I think the medics should take a look, too.”

  He reached to grab her elbow, but she shrugged away. “Wait. What about the man in her office? She was upset because someone got away. He took her Mercedes.”

  Henry furrowed his brow, and spoke into his radio, “Anyone see a black Mercedes parked outside?”

  “Negative.”

  Henry looked back at Kat. “Do you know who it was?”

  “It was the same man that was on the plane. She called him Christopher. I think he was the art broker that sold the forged canvases on the open market.”

  Henry nodded. “We’ll find him. Don’t you worry about that, love. Let’s just get the two of you outside, get this wrapped up, and get both of you on a plane home.”

  Kat nodded. She liked the idea of going home…

  Epilogue

  It took another twenty-four hours of debriefing and travel arrangements before Kat and Eli could get back on a plane to the States. Carson decided to stay for an extra day or two just to make sure he had all the evidence he needed before going back and reporting to his chief. Officers from the Savannah Police Department had detained Dr. Abibi Roux from the art school but had to release her because of a lack of evidence. Her only crime was accepting an offer. She said she thought the art was properly marked as a copy. There was an ongoing investigation, but Carson wasn’t optimistic they’d get any charges to stick.

  The one thing that Carson’s department had been able to do was to place Miles in a new home and with a new psychiatrist. There would be a trial for the stabbing of Hailey Park, but Carson wasn’t optimistic about that either, “A ten-year-old? He will end up in juvy for a while and then out with a new family. We probably haven’t seen the last of him.”

  Kat called and texted Van and Jack every couple of hours until the plane took off from London. The few days she stayed there had been so hectic she only texted when she could. She knew they understood. But now, each time she saw their faces on video, she felt like she got closer to breaking down, but held back. She was strong. She knew that now.

  When she and Eli landed in New York City, she gave him a heartfelt hug. “I’ll miss you,” she said. “That was quite an adventure, wasn’t it?”

  He squirmed away. “It was. I’ll be glad to get back to my quiet life in Savannah. Please feel free to come to the shop again if you would like to buy something. Otherwise…”

  Kat laughed, “Of course, Eli. I understand.”

  On the flight between New York and California, Kat slept. She had never been so tired. The whine of the engines and the low hum of people talking didn’t disturb her at all. She woke up about an hour outside of the airport, drank a little bit of water and listened to some music. As the plane touched down, she felt a sense of joy well up in her chest.

  There was a long line of passengers getting off the plane, and then a long walk to the carousels where the suitcases would be delivered. Kat moved as quickly as she could, going down the escalator to baggage claim. Right at the bottom, she spotted them. Jack was jumping up and down holding a sign that said, “Welcome Home” in red and blue lettering. Van was standing right behind him, wearing a baseball hat, a rumpled T-shirt, jeans and flip-flops. She dropped her bag and ran, never being so happy to be at home.

  Two days later, after getting out of the shower, Kat got a text from Henry. Scotland Yard had tracked the art dealer, Christopher Lavaud, to Bulgaria. He had landed at their main airport just an hour before and was now in custody. “Thanks for your hard work, love. You made all the difference on this one.”

  Kat smiled.

  The dark world of art forgery and organized crime captures Kat in "The Bloody Canvas." Get it here!

  Get Kat's prequel short story -- FREE exclusive content and announcements on new releases — here!

  A Note from the Author

  Thanks so much for taking the time to read!

  After reading "The Bloody Canvas,” I hope that you've been able to take a break from your everyday life and join Kat on her latest adventure. There are more to come! In fact, while there's a sneak peek of the next book in the series right after this page, you could just jump right on over and take a look at “Sauk Valley Killer” here.

  Enjoy!

  KJ

  P. S. Would you take a moment to leave a review? Reviews from readers like you mean the world to me!

  “Sauk Valley Killer” — Book 6 of the Kat Beckman Thriller Series

  Chelsea Atkinson and Daniel Arthur are gone.

  Two high school seniors have disappeared without a trace.

  The Sauk Valley community is on edge, frightened for themselves and their children.

  But Chelsea and Daniel aren’t the only ones missing…

  Kat Beckman, an investigative journalist, starts the hunt for a serial killer that’s in her own backyard. Can she find him before he kills again?

  The trail to find him takes Kat back through her own dark past, a past she would have rather never visited again.

  If you like Tom Clancy, James Patterson and Lee Child, then you’ll love this fast-paced, action-packed psychological thriller – book six of the Kat Beckman series.

  Click here to get it now!

  Excerpt from “Sauk Valley Killer”

  The SWAT team breached the side door of the garage, Kat right on the heels of the last man in the line. Two officers charged Joseph and tackled him, flipping him over while he kicked with his legs and scratched at them with his hands, as they yelled, “Hands up!” Two more officers joined them, securing him and flipping him over. Within seconds, the takedown was over.

  Kat ran past the officers who had piled on top of Joseph and came to a stop, facing two enormous Plexiglas boxes overflowing with water, two bodies of what looked to be young girls floating in them. Her heart jumped in her throat, “Van!” she screamed, “Van!”

  Unlock all of the Kat
Beckman adventures now by clicking here to visit the series page or check out my website.