Vendetta

by C. M. Sutter

  Vendetta

  by

  C. M. Sutter

  Copyright © 2018

  All Rights Reserved

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  This book is a work of fiction by C. M. Sutter. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used solely for entertainment. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  C. M. Sutter is a crime fiction writer who resides in Florida, although she is originally from California.

  She is a member of numerous writers’ organizations, including Fiction for All, Fiction Factor, and Writers etc.

  In addition to writing, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She is an art enthusiast and loves to create gourd birdhouses, pebble art, and handmade soaps. Hiking, bicycling, fishing, and traveling are a few of her favorite pastimes.

  C. M. Sutter

  http://cmsutter.com/

  Contact C. M. Sutter

  Sign up for C. M. Sutter’s newsletter

  Vendetta: An Amber Monroe Crime Thriller, Book 3

  Three strikes and you’re out—or so the saying goes. But when three strange occurrences happen in the same week, Kate Pierce finds it far more alarming than a simple coincidence.

  Kate’s horrific nightmares have returned with a vengeance and cause her to doubt her role as a detective who is taken seriously by her colleagues. A stranger in town has an unusual attraction to Kate, and her former landlord has just been brutally murdered in her old apartment.

  The Washburn County Sheriff’s Office has its hands full trying to solve a murder without any suspects, but when a clue from an old case rears its ugly head, Kate pulls out all the stops to prove her worthiness to her team.

  The resident psychic detective has no idea of the adversary she’s up against, and her risky actions may cost the lives of her and her dearest friends.

  See all of C. M. Sutter’s books at:

  http://cmsutter.com/available-books/

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  Table of Contents

  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

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 1

  Late Sunday night, her screams broke the silence. It was after one o’clock, and we had gone to bed hours earlier. Now jarred awake, I shot straight up and listened. Jade’s bedroom door flew open, and I saw her run past my room. I tossed back my blankets and followed on her heels. The screams coming from the downstairs bedroom had turned to sobs as we closed in on the lower level of our condo. When we cleared the last step, Jade flipped the switch, and the recessed lights illuminated the basement. Kate’s bedroom was behind the closed door straight ahead.

  Jade called out Kate’s name as she turned the knob. When we entered, Jade’s hand hit the wall switch. Sitting upright in bed, Kate was tangled in her blankets, and her knees were pulled in against her chest. Tears filled her eyes, and her sobs caught in her throat. We rushed to her side and held her tight.

  “Honey, it was just a dream. Breathe in and let it out slowly,” Jade said.

  I reached for the tissue box and grabbed a handful. “You’re safe, Kate, and we’re right here with you. It was a nightmare. It isn’t real.”

  Kate looked frazzled and confused, as if she had barely survived a horrific attack. She reached for her throat and began to pant. “I can’t breathe.”

  Jade pulled back the blankets that had our friend and housemate in a tangled knot. It took a minute before Kate settled down.

  “Are you okay?” Jade asked.

  When Kate began coughing, I went to the bathroom to get a glass of water. I returned to her side and took a seat on the bed. “Here you go. This will help.”

  She nodded and took a deep gulp then handed me the glass. “Thanks, Amber. I’m so sorry I woke you guys. I dreamt he was back and strangling me. He had that knife.” Kate reached up and rubbed her neck.

  “The blankets and sheets had you all wrapped up,” Jade said. “Robert is dead, and there’s no way he can hurt you anymore.”

  “But the dream was so vivid, so real.” She wiped her eyes with the tissues then blew her nose. “The alarm is set, right?”

  Jade nodded. “I’d never go to bed without it set. We’re all safe, hon, and nobody can get past that alarm system or our guns. We’re good. Do you need some Sleepynight tea?”

  “Would you mind?” Kate gave Jade a tiny smile.

  “Not one bit. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  We watched as Jade walked out and went up the stairs.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I pulled back Kate’s curly hair and tucked it behind her left ear. The scars Robert Lynch had left on her neck were visible, and they always made me wince.

  “Not yet. Maybe after I write everything down and try to make sense of it. I did watch a slasher movie a few nights ago.”

  “Seriously? I thought you knew better.”

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “And a slasher film will help with that?”

  Kate shrugged. She looked up when Jade returned to the bedroom, carrying a cup of tea on a saucer.

  “Thanks, Jade. You guys should go back to bed.” Kate glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “We all have to get up in five hours. I’m so sorry I woke you.”

  Jade waved away her comment. “Don’t give it another thought. I haven’t had a full night’s sleep in years. Why start now?” Jade leaned forward and kissed the top of Kate’s head. “Drink that tea. It’ll help you sleep.” She tipped her
head toward the door. “Come on, Sis. Let’s go upstairs.”

  Chapter 2

  Once the basement lights went off, he rose from the frozen ground and brushed the snow from his winter jacket and pants. There was nothing more to see. The small lower-level windows, wrapped by the window wells, provided just enough space for him to peer in when he was pressed flat against the ground. He saw the three of them sitting together on the bed. From his research and Tony’s descriptions, he knew exactly who they were.

  Warren Ricks and Tony Lynch had been close friends. By sitting with Tony in the prison’s lunchroom at mealtime for the last two years, Warren had received plenty of information. He had heard the stories, knew the names, and grown to hate the women Tony wanted eliminated. Now Warren wanted them taken care of as much as Tony did, and he had been itching for his release date.

  When that day finally came, Lea, the Lynch matriarch, waited at the prison gate to pick up Warren. She would take over from there. Warren’s role was to follow to the letter the instructions Tony fed him. His main request was for Warren to kill the women in a manner Robert would be pleased with. Warren remembered Tony’s words. “Slit their throats and do Bobby proud.” He’d do the best he could, but at the end of the day, the women had to die by any means available.

  Warren received information about each woman, and the descriptions were engrained in his mind, thanks to Tony. The cash payment promised to him on proof of their deaths would definitely help him as months went by. He was a newly released inmate with no modern skills and no money. Twenty thousand dollars, pooled from Tony’s relatives, would take him a long way if he stayed under the radar and lived frugally until the right people heard that he was back in business. Jade—Robert’s killer—was worth twelve thousand dollars, and Kate was worth eight. Amber, the younger sister, didn’t have a price on her head but would die simply because she could be a witness to the murders.

  Watching the women from a distance, Warren would follow their every move then decide what the best execution method would be. Killing was in his blood, and no eight-year prison stint for armed robbery could squelch that desire. The number of murders for hire he had completed had never been discovered, but they were indicated by the dots of prison ink on his knuckles. He was the perfect person to carry out the crime, according to Tony Lynch. Tony had a vendetta against the Monroe bitch who shot Robert. The desire was seared deep into his and Lea’s hearts. Kate Pierce, the woman who’d defied death after having her throat sliced open—twice—needed to be put in the ground once and for all. The younger Monroe sister would be collateral damage.

  Warren pulled from his pocket the prepaid cell phone that Lea had provided for him upon his release from prison. He checked the time—it was nearing one thirty. With a thousand-dollar cash advance, he was on his own until the deeds were done. Time was of the essence, and the thousand bucks wouldn’t last long.

  He walked to the car and climbed in, his shoulders stiffened by the January chill. The stolen Altima that Tony’s uncle had snagged for him was reliable enough and had gotten him that far. A week’s stay had already been paid for at a twenty-dollar-a-day room attached to the back of a house on the outskirts of North Bend. Lea had found it on the internet and paid her neighbor to book it for her. Warren hoped to complete the task in a week’s time and head south to warmer weather. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he wasn’t a fan of the cold. He wanted to return to his old neighborhood, where he had connections, but first the deeds needed to be done.

  Chapter 3

  I couldn’t help worrying as I poured the coffee on Monday morning. Kate sat at the table, her chin resting in her open palms, and stared into space. She appeared to be in her own head, and I was sure she was trying to dissect the nightmare from last night. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot—she looked a mess.

  “I’m making toaster waffles for breakfast. Want some?” I pulled the package of waffles out of the freezer and set the butter and syrup on the table. “Kate?”

  “Huh?” She looked up at me as if she was holding back tears.

  “Do you want to eat breakfast with Jade and me?”

  “Okay.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Are there any legal pads or spiral notebooks in the house?”

  “Yeah, they’re in the second desk drawer on the right. The pens are in the center drawer.”

  “Do we have pencils?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe, and they’d be in the same place if we do.”

  Kate rose from the table and disappeared. I heard an exchange of words in the hallway. Jade must have finished her shower.

  Jade rounded the corner and came into the kitchen. “Morning, little sister.”

  I gave her a quick smile. “Morning. I’m making toaster waffles.”

  “That sounds good.” Jade opened the cabinet to the right of the sink and fished through it until she found the pink mug she was so fond of. She filled it with coffee. “Kate looks beat.”

  I nodded. “Those nightmares have to be taking a toll on her. I’ve never actually witnessed her having any before.”

  “Me neither, but they’re no joke.” Jade took her place at the table.

  Moments later, Kate returned with a legal pad and a pencil. She scooted her chair closer to the table, took a sip of coffee, and began writing.

  I raised my brows at Jade then popped two waffles in the toaster.

  Kate tapped the pencil against the paper, appearing frustrated. “It’s just not right. The man in my dream doesn’t look like Robert Lynch, but he behaved like him.”

  Jade covered Kate’s hand with her own. “The dream could have been a memory of his deeds but with a different character. It doesn’t mean it’s a premonition, Kate.”

  I added my two cents. “You did say you watched a slasher movie a few nights ago. Maybe you combined the movie character with a memory.” I placed a plate with two waffles on it in front of her.

  She sighed and set down the pencil. “You’re probably right. Maybe it was nothing more than a bad dream.”

  “I’m glad we agree on something. Now eat your waffles before they get cold.”

  Jade tipped her wrist. “Crap, I’ve got to go. I heard Milwaukee is getting lake-effect snow. I need to give myself extra time to get to work.”

  “Tell J.T. we said hi. We need to comingle law enforcement agencies again and have another party soon.”

  Jade slipped on her coat. “I’ll make sure to relay your message, Amber. Don’t forget to set the alarm. You’ve become forgetful lately.”

  “Sorry. It slips my mind when I’m running late.”

  Jade shook her head. “That’s why there are two of you. Don’t forget.”

  I took my seat at the table and placed a pat of butter on each hot waffle. The butter melted and ran down the sides to the plate. I gave the waffles a thick coating of pure maple syrup and dug in. I felt Kate’s stare and looked up. “Why are you watching me?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Sometimes these dreams feel like they help solve cases, and other times they feel like curses. I’d like to be as carefree as you and Jade seem.”

  I smirked. “We’re far from carefree. The only people who are carefree are lottery winners. No, I take that back. They get hounded for money from every third, fourth, and fifth cousin out there who never even sent them a Christmas card in the past. We all have our problems, Kate. Don’t think of your ability as a curse. You’re a gifted woman, and sometimes gifts come with conditions.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry I involved you guys with my drama last night.”

  “What are friends for? Speaking of friends, where’s Spaz? He’s usually snuggling up to you and begging for a saucer of milk before we leave.”

  Kate looked left to right. “That is weird. I haven’t seen him either. Maybe he’s downstairs.” She bit into the last piece of waffle. “I’ll check the basement while I brush my teeth.”

  I cleared the table, rinsed the plates, and then crossed the living room to th
e sliders. I turned the wand on the blinds and opened them. The deck, covered in a fresh dusting of snow, had cat prints all over it. I yelled downstairs to Kate. “Spaz is somewhere outside. Jade forgot to close the laundry room door behind her when she left, so now I have to find the damn cat before we leave.”

  The small kitty door alongside the dryer was perfect when Spaz wanted some fresh air. It led to the enclosure we had installed several years back when Spaz got loose and was found nearly dead the next day. Now when he wanted to go outside, the enclosure was perfect for him but only when the gate was closed. I pressed my face against the cold glass and looked to my right. The gate, unlatched and standing open, was wide enough for a cat to slip through.

  I mumbled profanities under my breath as I pulled my boots over my feet, put on my heavy parka and gloves, and headed across the deck. At least with the fresh snow, I could follow his tracks. I went into the woods, made a few circles, and then came back toward the condo. “Where the hell are you going, Spaz?” It appeared that he continued toward the street along the side of the house.

  Damn it, where are you? Why don’t cats come running when called, like dogs do? Maybe it’s time to trade your butt in for a dog. At least they do tricks, and they’re normally loyal to their owner, unlike you.

  I continued toward the street then stopped abruptly in my tracks.

  What the hell is that?

  I stared at the second window well and saw a definite shape on the ground, as if a person had been lying there. Looking around, now with my police instincts in high gear, I noticed shoeprints too, coming and going from the street. It was too early for anyone to be outside roaming their yard and accidentally crossing into ours, and we were on a cul-de-sac, anyway. Tromping through our yard wasn’t something our neighbors would do. I looked over my shoulder, and the only tracks behind me were my own. “What the hell is going on?” The gas and electric meters were near that spot, but I thought the readings were all done by mobile technology these days. I crossed the yard to the neighbor’s house. The snow by their meters hadn’t been disturbed. When I heard Kate yell from the patio doors, I turned.