Hunt and Prey (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 8)

by Kaylie Hunter

  My phone rang and I answered it, knowing it was Crater, lead SWAT officer on the raid. “Talk to me.”

  “We’ve got your guy, but he’s not going anywhere. You’ve got a green light to come inside. The house is clear.”

  I hung up and opened my car door, shutting it after Beast leapt out. I puzzled about what Crater meant as I walked down the sidewalk, then across the yard. At the front door, I motioned for Beast to stay before I stepped inside. The team was huddled together at the entrance to what was likely the living room. “What’ve we got?”

  Crater looked over his shoulder at me. “He’s a cop, right?”

  “I can’t discuss the case.”

  “Can you assure us that he deserved this at least?” he asked as he and his team stepped back to let me see into the room.

  “Damn…” I said as I walked past them. At first, I wasn’t sure what I was seeing was real. It was so bizarre. But my brain finally caught up with my vision, and sure enough, Stuart Grenway was duct taped to a chair in his living room, his throat slashed, an oversized red ribbon tied around his waist fashioned into a bow near where his belly button would be. The note taped to his chest simply said: Merry Christmas.

  I took a step back, then to the right a few steps, centering myself in front of the body. Taking another step back, I bumped into something. I looked over my shoulder to see a recliner. Glancing back and forth, I realized that if sitting in the recliner, the Grenway’s killer could’ve admired his work.

  “I need forensics.”

  “I already called in for a team,” Crater said. “So? Should we be feeling bad for him? Being he was a cop an all?”

  I looked up at Crater and his team. “If you ask me, looks like he died too quickly. I would’ve preferred a few broken fingers or cigarette burns. Even just a little bit of torture. Instead, the killer severed his artery. Grenway would’ve bled out within a minute or two.”

  “Man,” one of the guys I didn’t recognize said. “Remind me never to piss you off, lady.”

  “Watch your tongue, Tailor. Until you know Detective Harrison better, I suggest you shut it,” Crater said to the guy before turning back to me. “You good here?”

  I glanced around the room, then out the front picture window. Beast was lying in the grass in the front yard, rolling around on his back. I pulled my gun, keeping it held downward. “Yeah. Sure thing. Thanks for the help.”

  “Uh, we cleared the house,” Randol, Crater’s second in command, said. “There ain’t anybody in here.”

  “I’m just being careful. I’ve had a few close calls this week. I’m pretty sure the guy who did this,” I nodded toward Grenway’s body, “is the same guy who tried to kidnap me.”

  “Tried to kidnap you?” Crater said, his voice turning cold.

  I didn’t respond.

  “Fan out,” Crater ordered his men. “Set up a full perimeter. Two guys inside, the rest outside.” The men disappeared in different directions as Crater walked over to me. “Holster your weapon. We’ve got your back while you work the scene.”

  “Thanks,” I said, nesting my gun back into the holster. “You sure you don’t have to be somewhere, though?”

  “We get maybe three calls a week. Unless another call comes in, we’ve got the time. No worries.” He nudged my shoulder to get me to look up. “You need more protection after this?”

  “No. I’ve got a security team, but I left them at home. I forgot to call someone when I left the precinct.”

  “Call them now. Have them meet you over here.”

  “I will.” I studied the look on Grenway’s face. He looked almost peaceful for a deranged serial killer.

  “Now, Kid. Call your security team.”

  “Okay. Okay. Geesh.” I pulled my phone from my bag and called Bones.

  “Yo,” Bones answered.

  “I’ve been ordered to call my bodyguards.”

  Bones chuckled. “Quille?”

  “No. Crater.” I glanced over my shoulder at Crater. “He’s much scarier than Quille. He’s team lead for SWAT.”

  “I’m guessing you left the police station again without backup. Give me your location,” Bones said as he continued to chuckle.

  I gave him the address and was about to hang up when Crater took my phone from me. “Hey, dumbass, this is Crater,” he said into my phone. “What kind of bodyguard lets his clients ditch them?” Crater was quiet for a few minutes as he listened to Bones’ reply, then Crater disconnected.

  I laughed at the expression on Crater’s face. “You’re the biggest badass I know in Miami,” I said, patting his shoulder. “But Bones, well, he’s the biggest badass I’ve ever met. You might want to make yourself scarce when he gets here.”

  Crater looked a little nervous. “Is this guy big?”

  “Bones is ex-military turned biker who works private contract missions. He does a full cardio, weight lifting and martial arts training every day. He’s also a better shooter than me, both with handguns and sniper rifles. Did you think I hired some wanna-be to babysit me?”

  “Shit,” Crater said, running a hand over his buzz cut. “If he comes asking for me, my name is Fred. Crater left already.”

  I laughed before turning back to the scene and walking a wide circle around the body. I was careful to stay out of the path of the pool of blood. When I returned to the front, I squatted to look closer at the large red ribbon and note taped to the body.

  With the ribbon and note, the staging of the body looked almost playful. Not like mad psycho, but a quirky humor. The kind of humor one gets when they’ve seen a lot of bloodshed. If this was Mr. Tricky, then it would make sense. After the altercation with him in the ally, and again behind the truck stop, I was pretty certain he’d had some type of military training in his past life. And the death wasn’t drawn out like you’d see with someone with mental issues. It was quick. Efficient. Maybe a little too bloody for my taste, but hey, I was never in combat. But the way he left the body, tied up with a makeshift bow on him, suggested he knew I was coming after Grenway. He was playing with me. Having fun while letting me know he was three steps ahead of me. And I had to admit, Mr. Tricky was good. I doubted there would be any DNA left at the scene.

  My phone rang at the same time the forensic team arrived. “Hang on a minute, Kelsey,” I said before looking at the forensic team. “I need a full sweep of the house for prints. Doors, windows, the works. And I need everything searched, bagged, and tagged. This case will be reviewed by I.A. later, so be thorough.”

  “You got it,” one of the women on the team said.

  “Oh, and that recliner,” I said, pointing behind me. “I think the killer sat in it. Bag it.”

  “You want us to bag a lazy boy?” she asked.

  “Or whatever the equivalent is, yes,” I said before turning my attention back to the phone. “Sorry, Kelsey. What’s up?”

  “Now who sounds bossy?” Kelsey said.

  “Did you need something or are you bored and decided to derail my day?”

  “Touchy. Ouch. I called to find out why Wild Card and Bones went running out of here so fast. You in trouble?”

  “No. I’ve got SWAT watching my back until the boys get here. I found my serial killer. We’re processing his house right now.”

  “Great. Case closed. So why do you sound even more stressed out than before?”

  “My serial killer is dead.”

  “Did you shoot him?”

  “No! He was dead when I got here.”

  “Good. Stick to that story. Should I call a lawyer?”

  “I didn’t kill him! He was taped to a chair and his throat was slit. I think even I.A. would know that’s not my style.”

  “Then who killed him?”

  I looked back at the note taped to Grenway’s chest. “I’m pretty sure it was Mr. Tricky.”

  Kelsey was silent on the other end.

  I glanced at my phone, but we were still connected. “Hello? Nothing to say?”

  “I�
��m calling Bones. Do not ditch your security team again!”

  She hung up as I heard Beast bark. I stood to look out the window. Wild Card leaned over to pet Beast, as Bones pulled his phone from his back pocket, moving it to his ear. I watched him smile, then frown, then his head snapped my way. He pointed at me, then at the ground in front of him. I shook my head no. He snapped his fingers, then pointed again. I shook my head no again. Wild Card watched Bones, then me, and back and forth. He was smiling ear to ear.

  “Detective?” one of the forensic techs said. “We found something.”

  I smirked and waved at Bones before following the tech down the hall. In the bedroom, the tech waved a hand toward a walk-in closet. Inside the closet, multiple guns were mounted to the wall. A small desk sat along the back wall with a laptop and several files. Above the desk were what looked like hundreds of pictures taped to the wall. They were grouped in sets of four or five each, showing several different shots of individuals. I spotted Roseline’s picture and studied the grouping. In one, she was at work, behind the checkout counter. In another, she was entering our apartment building. In yet another, she was getting into her car. He’d stalked her. Ran recon on her for at least a few days.

  I took a step back, looking at the wall again. “There must be at least fifty victims,” I said to myself.

  “Detective? Sorry, I couldn’t hear what you said,” the tech said, standing by the closet door.

  “Photograph everything in here before bagging it. And call for extra help. It’s gonna be a long day.”

  “Will do,” the tech said, pulling the camera strap off her shoulder to start taking pictures.

  I walked down the hall and out the door, calling Quille as I stepped outside.

  “I’m still in the evidence room. Do you have Grenway at the station?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “He got away?”

  “Not exactly,” I said glancing back at the house.

  “I’m not in the mood, Kid. Spit it out.”

  “Grenway’s dead. But he’s got a shitload of evidence in the house that’ll prove he’s our hitman. I think it’s time to ask Internal Affairs to take over the investigation. Let them sort this shit out.”

  “Did you shoot Grenway?” Quille asked with a big sigh.

  “Why does everyone keep asking if I killed him?”

  Wild Card laughed, standing in front of me. Bones was next to him and rolled his eyes.

  “Well? Did you?” Quille asked.

  “No. His throat was slit.”

  “Good,” Quille said, sighing again. “We all know that’s not your style.”

  “I’m not even going to ask,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I.A.?”

  “Yeah, I’m good with that. I’ll give them a call. They can finish the damn inventory, too. I’m tired of digging through the boxes. We found enough to prove we’ve had evidence stolen in several cases.”

  “Send them to the scene and I’ll get them started. I’ll also give Ford and Chambers a call and tell them to start typing what they have so far and box up the rest.”

  “You did it,” Quille said.

  “Did what?”

  “Solved the case before the weekend. Miranda’s not going to believe this.”

  “If I don’t see you later, enjoy your cruise. I think I might take a few days off myself.” I disconnected and tucked the phone into my pocket.

  “Which one of these Rambo-wannabees is Crater?” Bones asked, nodding to the SWAT team.

  “A-Team,” I hollered over to the SWAT team. Everyone except Crater looked over. “I’m all set. Thanks for the extra protection.”

  “Anytime, Kid,” Roland yelled as he slapped Crater on the back and led the team toward their truck.

  Crater glanced over at me and dipped his head. “See ya.”

  “Bye, Fred.”

  Several of the guys chuckled. Bones’ head snapped their way, zeroing in on Crater.

  Wild Card grabbed Bones’ arm before he could move. “We’re on duty, remember? Besides, SWAT hung around and did our job for us until we got here. Crater had a right to call us out on letting Kid run the show.”

  Bones’ head snapped my way. “From now on, wherever you go, we go. Got it?”

  “No problem. I need to brief I.A. on this case before returning to the precinct to pack some files and write a few half-assed reports. Then, I plan on drinking daiquiris by the pool.”

  “Nice,” Wild Card said, bumping fists with me. “How long will the reports take?”

  I called Ford, then Chambers. I told Chambers to have Gibson start writing up the reports. If all went the way I planned, the reports would be ready for me to sign by the time I got there.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  KELSEY

  Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.

  “Nice to see you’re finally relaxing,” I said to Charlie as I sat on the chaise lounge beside her. “Heard you turned the case over to Internal Affairs. What was that about?”

  Charlie shrugged as she took a drink of her daiquiri. “Figured between the FBI and ATF, they’d steal the case, anyway. Might as well make them do the rest of the research and paperwork. Besides,” she said, glancing over to where Nicholas, Sara and Wild Card were playing a card game, “I want to spend some time with the kids while you guys are here. I feel like I’ve barely slept, let alone chatted with my favorite guy.”

  “He’ll like that. And it will keep him occupied while I work. It was nice taking the day off, but I also have a case to solve.”

  “When all this is over, think you guys will come back to visit? Miami, I mean?”

  I looked around at everyone. Grady and Bones were grilling food. Pops was barking over their shoulders that they were doing it wrong. Aunt Suzanne and Hattie had finally formed a friendship and were setting side dishes on a patio table as they laughed. Reggie was giving Maggie, Haley, and Bridget facials. Jackson, Ryan, Tech and Alex were drinking beer in the tiki lounge. Others were around, here and there, scattered inside and out. Everyone seemed happy, though. Relaxed. Like they were really on vacation.

  “Yeah,” I said, nodding. “We’ll come back. Maybe not until next year, but I think we should do this more often. I didn’t realize how much I missed it. Hell, maybe I should have Alex contact the management company and book a month rental now. Then it’ll be on the calendar.”

  “Or…” Charlie said. “We could buy it.”

  I looked at her but she just slurped her margarita through a straw as she smirked.

  “You’re not serious?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Why not? We’re rich.”

  “You’d move into the mansion?”

  “Hell, no. I couldn’t live in a place this big by myself. I’d never sleep. There’s a million places someone could hide and pounce as soon as I let my guard down.”

  “Then what? Buy it and let it sit vacant most of the year?”

  “A place like this—” Charlie said, waving her hand at the grounds and mansion. “Hell, we’ll have to hire someone just to sign the keys in and out. Aces guards alone would be begging for jobs in Miami so they could stay here. And we’ve got employees all over the country we could reward by letting them stay for a week. Then we can also write off the expenses.”

  I looked around again. I really did like it here. It was like having our own private resort. “Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

  Charlie slurped the last of her drink loudly through the straw before standing. “Better think fast. I put in an outrageous offer. We close on the sale Friday.” She hurried away to the bar, giggling.

  “Charlie!” I yelled, laughing and shaking my head at her. She was right, though. We could afford it.

  “You look happy,” Hattie said from beside me, handing me a cocktail. “Mind if I join you?”

  “I’d be honored,” I said, taking the glass. “I see you and Aunt Suzanne are getting on better. What changed?”

  “She took me with her to a wedding this afternoon. It was
so much fun. I love a good wedding.”

  “Better you than me.” I took a drink of my mojito.

  “How long do you think we’ll be in Miami?”

  “I’m not sure. Charlie wrapped up her case so we can focus on the Remirez cartel and this dentist office case. I’ll be glad when I have it sorted.”

  “In a hurry to leave?”

  “Not at all. I’ve been having fun. It’s been great.”

  “But?” Hattie asked, looking at me with that mother-knows-best look.

  “But… I don’t know. I just feel like a storm’s brewing. Like the feeling you get before a hurricane moves in, only this doesn’t have anything to do with the weather.”

  “Are you sure it’s not just the tension between Grady and Wild Card?” Hattie said.

  I glanced at Wild Card who was laughing as he slapped a card down on the table. The kids booed, tossing their cards down. I glanced toward the house, and caught Grady watching me. He glanced away, grabbing a plate to load some of the grilled burgers and hot dogs onto. “Nope. It’s not them. But I’m glad to see them staying away from each other right now.”

  “It won’t last, Sunshine. Sooner or later, you’ll have to choose.”

  “But not today,” I said, grinning over at her. “How’s the construction coming on the new cabin? I haven’t heard you talk about it in a while.”

  “Well, funny you should ask,” Hattie said, wringing her hands together. “Seems the contractors quit. That was the third construction company I’ve hired. They all seem to get spooked a day or two into the job and pack up and leave. Pops keeps telling me not to worry, but for the life of me, I can’t figure it out.”

  “Between us, I don’t even want the cabin. I’m not sure I ever did. Doesn’t feel right. I can’t have a place for Grady and me across the road from Wild Card’s home. It just feels wrong. Especially now that I know how he feels about me. Besides, when I’m in Texas I’m perfectly happy bunking down at one of the three ranches.”