by Mark Terry
Derek appeared next to me. "Brown leather jacket and black leather jacket."
Sirens filled the air as cops headed our way. I said, "Maybe we can get this guy to flip on Sasha."
Derek said, "Ivan makes a deal with Duncan and Wellton, cuts out Sasha. Sasha finds out about it and has his own brother murdered. That's cold."
Our man groaned and tried to sit up. Derek leaned past me and punched the Russian in the face. "Stay down, asshole."
And then the cops were there and Derek and I were standing around with our hands in the air.
#
It took a couple months to complete the investigation, which spiraled out of control and eventually involved the FBI, the Chicago PD, the Illinois State Police, and the U.S. Attorney General's Office.
Maria identified our two shooters as the men who had murdered four men in Chicago.
The remaining shooter, Viktor Lukyanenko, refused to talk, was charged with first-degree murder and was now serving four consecutive life sentences in the Menard Correctional Center. He also has a dislocated shoulder, a concussion, and, thanks to Stillwater, a broken jaw.
Sasha Sabitov was tried and found not-guilty of several charges related to the murders, including conspiracy-to-murder. He was found guilty of racketeering and money laundering charges, among others. He's serving eight years in a federal prison and appealing, although several people tell me he will probably not win. He's expected to be released in two years.
Senator Fred Duncan, apparently not connected to the murders, is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee, the FBI and damned near everyone else, for the way he manipulated his income, investments, and being about as corrupt as it's possible to be and still stay in office. He was reelected by the voters of the State of Illinois by a narrow margin.
I sent Austin Davis a thank you note. He sent me a gorgeous Vince Camuto silk scarf.
Derek Stillwater disappeared from view for several months, apparently sent on a secret mission by the Secretary of State. His pickup truck was totaled.
And me? Well, I went back to Chicago.
I thought it would be nice to investigate a nice, straightforward murder case.
The End
About Mark Terry
Mark Terry is the author of 20 books, including the popular Derek Stillwater thrillers. His novel THE FALLEN was the winner of The National Best Books 2010 Awards for Thriller/Adventure and his novel THE VALLEY OF SHADOWS was a finalist for the same award in 2011. His books have been translated into French, German and Slovak. He is also the author of over 1,000 magazine and trade journal articles. He is an in-demand ghostwriter for fiction and nonfiction, and writes fiction in the thriller, fantasy, and crime genres for adults and kids. Visit his website at www.markterrybooks.com.
