by Paris Morgan
“You were just acting?” Ryan squeaked. “None of your attitude for the past few weeks was real?”
“Nope. I thought if I stopped pursuing him and acted carefree, he might decide it wasn’t worth it. If the chase was gone, then he’d have no reason to keep doing it, right?”
Ryan let out a relieved breath. “Oh, thank goodness. I was scared that you’d gone crazy. I mean, more than you are by talking to things in your head, but not trying to save people was a bit extreme, even for you.”
“The Zodiac Master doesn’t care about the death of people. He’s using all of this for experiments and to have fun with me. It doesn’t matter whether I live or not, he’s going to keep doing it. I’m just the person who gets to try and catch him.”
“He said that watching me was like watching his favorite survival show.”
Something else was just there under the surface. I knew he’d said something important, but it was fuzzy.
“When can I get out of here?”
“The doctor promised he’d look at you when you woke up. Unless you’re having horrible symptoms, he’ll release you.”
“Great.” I sat up, waiting to see if I was dizzy. “I really want to talk to Lu about all of this. I’m missing something.”
An hour later, I was in the SUV with Ryan and Adam, headed back to the Happy Hills Facility. Today, it was anything but happy.
“They wanted to look over the scene before they moved the bodies, but I sent them word about the cause of death. The local coroner was overwhelmed, so we put them all in bags and once he’s tagged them, they’ll move them for testing before being released to their families.” Adam drove up to the front doors and parked in an empty space on the lawn.
Ryan said, “We were more worried about you, so the other agents on site took over with getting the families out of the room and helping to set it up as a crime scene.”
“I’ll go pack my stuff and then see Lu. When I’m done, I’ll meet you back here so we can go, okay?”
This was one instance that I didn’t need to see the dead bodies of the victims because they were my friends. I’d made good progress on my mental health, and now I was going to give myself a break on seeing them dead.
It didn’t take me long to pack up the few weeks of clothes and purchases, but it was bittersweet. I’d come to know Kara and Shelly very well. All of the things we’d bought on our shopping sprees was always going to remind of happy times with them.
I’d learned to not let the sadness overwhelm me, but to dwell on the good things we’d shared.
The door closed behind me and I took a deep breath. Releasing it with all of the negative emotions connected with their passing, I felt just a little bit better.
Just outside the elevator doors, Jerome stood, leaning against one of the columns waiting for me.
“The guys said you went up to pack. I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me, but I did want to make sure you were all right.”
“No, it’s okay.” I let my bag drop to the ground and reached my arms out to embrace him. “I’m sorry for not trusting you either. I’m really glad you’re alive.” I pulled back to look up into his face. “Things are better, but let’s keep working on our friendship until all this is behind us.”
“Then you forgive me?” He looked surprised.
“You’ve always been forgiven. I just couldn’t trust myself to let you back in my life, so if we can take things at a snail’s pace, that would be great.” I searched his face, hoping for a sign we could start somewhere.
He placed a soft kiss on my cheek. “I’d be honored if you’d give me a second chance. I promise to listen better this time.”
“Good enough. Now, I need to go see Lu real quick, and then we’re heading out. We’ve got a briefing.” The lie slid off my tongue before I could even stop it.
We probably did have a briefing, but that wasn’t the reason I needed to be far away from Jerome. I was more than likely going to jump his bones if we didn’t get some distance.
“No worries. The job comes first.” He gave me a smile. “I’m good with that. Just give me a call when you can grab lunch or something.”
“Will do.” I turned, grabbing my suitcase as I fled.
The corridor to Lu’s room was strangely quiet, as most of the residents were dead, and the few who were left had probably packed their stuff just as quickly as I had.
My hand was poised to knock, but his door was slightly ajar. I pushed it open, holding back my gasp.
It was empty.
The shelves of books and knickknacks had been taken out, leaving the office totally bare. All signs that Lu had ever practiced therapy in this room were gone.
I pulled back and looked at the door. All of the cute things he’d had on his door were gone as well. It was like he’d never been here.
Stepping back into the room for one last glance to confirm that I hadn’t dreamt it, I noticed a letter on his desk.
My name was written in bold letters across the front.
Leslie,
I’m so sorry. I had no idea that the vitamins I was giving to the patients were toxic. He told me it was a great place to redeem myself from my past and help others at the same time. I’m responsible for all of those deaths, but only because I allowed him to use me.
He wanted a way to keep tabs on you and make sure that you were doing okay. I’m sorry I betrayed your trust in this manner. I do hope that you can forgive me. The things we talked about were all real. I only wrote a report of things he mentioned that could be important.
I can’t believe he convinced me that he had your best interests at heart. I should have known when he had Kara taken that it wasn’t going to turn out good.
He thinks I’m dead as well. I’m not, but I have disappeared. Vitamins don’t interact well with my body, so I never took any of those, and the last pills are all in a bag in my desk.
I hope you get the bastard and can forgive me for what I’ve played a part in.
Sincerely,
Luigi
That’s where Adam and Ryan found me twenty minutes later, sitting motionless in his desk chair, staring off into space.
Another person I’d trusted had vanished from my life, and yet I didn’t really blame him. I’d been in the Zodiac Master’s presence, and knew he was a master manipulator.
Ryan took the letter from my hand and read it.
“Come on, it’s time to get out of here. Adam, gather that baggie from the desk drawer.” He took charge and put and arm around me as he directed me outside toward the vehicle.
He didn’t say anything else, but bundled me into the back seat, even reaching around to buckle the seat belt. I appreciated the silence.
My mind went to the cotton candy cloud and I got on a carousel.
“You going to ride that horse forever?” Mary Ann asked quietly around the sucker in her mouth.
I just nodded.
“Okay, I’ll stay with you for a while.” She hopped up onto one of the other animals and sat there with me.
After quite a while of silence, she finally poked at my inner peace. “You know it’s not the end of the world, right?”
“I do, but right now, I don’t want to deal with any of it.”
“That’s cool. I’m here if you need me.”
Somehow, that was a comfort.
Epilogue
Leslie was becoming more of a problem. She wasn’t behaving in the manner that I’d anticipated. I knew that most people learned or grew as individuals, but it was annoying in someone that was trying to put me away for life. Not that I’d ever give her a chance for that to happen. I’d take my own life first.
A knock on my door distracted me. “Come in,” I called out.
“Sir, your next appointment is here to see you.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
I looked at the petite woman standing in front of me. “Zesty. Sounds like a type of food. How do you think you can help me?”
Her smile was e
qual to that of an evil villain.
“I heard you were looking for someone who can make death seem like it came out of thin air. You want someone who’s agile and can fit a certain skill set. I’m the person for that.” She leaned forward and held out a phone with images of her kills on it.
“Hmm, interesting.” I nodded encouragingly. “I’ll inform you of my decision, but very impressive.”
The shut behind her, and I tapped my fingers on the desk. She was the most qualified, and could certainly give them a run for their money.
She was going to be the perfect person for what I needed.
Make sure to check out the next exciting installment of the Libra: Murders of the Zodiac
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If you enjoyed this story, please leave a review, even if it is one short sentence. Do you want to know when the next book comes out or to get to know me better? Feel free to stalk me on all the social media sites. (No real-life stalking because that’s just not cool.) Thanks for reading, and I hope to hear from you.
-Paris Morgan
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Alathia Morgan
Libra
Murders of the Zodiac
Book #9
Copyright © 2019 Alathia Paris Morgan
Libra-Murders of the Zodiac Book 9
This is a work of fiction and in no way is meant to portray actual people, names, places, events or situations. The ideas were from the author’s own imagination and any resemblance to people living or dead is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in the case of quotations for articles and reviews.
Editing by: Rebel Edit & Design
Book cover: Widget Wyvern Studios
Interior formatting: That Formatting Lady
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Social Media Contact
Dedication
This book is dedicated to Zesty PA. You were there urging me on from the moment I had the idea and now I’ve made you a killer. Our love of candy corn is real and I’ve glad I found a friend in you. Thanks for keeping me on track.
More from Paris Morgan
Murders of the Zodiac
Aquarius Book 1
Pisces Book 2
Aries Book 3
Taurus Book 4
Gemini Book 5
Cancer Book 6
Leo Book 7
Virgo Book 8
Libra Book 9
Scorpio Book 10
Sagittarius Book 11
Capricorn Book 12
Surviving Death
Witness Protection Book 1
Writing as Alathia Morgan
Against Zombies Series
Moms Against Zombies Book 1
Military Against Zombies Book 2
Co-Eds Against Zombies Book 3
Churches Against Zombies Book 4
Geeks Against Zombies Book 5
Governments Against Zombies Book 6
Infected History Series
Infected Waters: A Titanic Disaster
Infected Poppy Fields: A WWI Disaster
Infected Storm Troopers: A WWII Disaster
Writing Romance as Pepper Paris:
Summer of Love
Carter: Summers of Love 1
Kelly: Summers of Love 2
Wade: Summers of Love 3
Jay: Summers of Love 4
Chapter 1
I glanced over my shoulder, unsure if I’d lost the person pursuing me. Out of breath, I leaned against the brick wall hidden out of view of the street behind the dumpster.
When I’d left work, I had gone to one of my local haunts, hoping to relax with a drink or two before heading home. Someone must have slipped something into my drink, because no sooner had I walked down the street, she had jumped out in front of me. The superhero stood in my path, causing me to think I was hallucinating.
She looked like she had stepped straight out of a comic book, with her black, skintight, suit and long black hair. While all of the markings on her costume were Asian, her skin was a golden black instead of a pale white. She held a long thin blade thing that seemed more like bread knife, but a lot longer.
“Going home? It’s a little early, even for you, isn’t it?” She flipped that sword thing through the air a few times while giving me a creepy grin.
“How do you know what time I leave to go home?” I had sputtered at her.
“Oh, I know all about you. How you prey on women and take them home to get your rocks off. It’s about time it worked the other way around, don’t you think?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. Now, run. It makes it so much more fun for me.”
Something told me she wasn’t joking, so I took off at a run. I heard her behind me for the first few blocks, but I’d changed direction and headed back to the bar. She’d mentioned that it wasn’t my usual time to go home. Obviously, she’d been watching me, and I wasn’t going to take the chance that she might follow me home, or worse, waiting for me when I got there.
While hiding in the alley wasn’t exactly what I’d wanted, it seemed the safest course of action at the moment.
I turned my phone to silent and lowered the brightness setting so that she didn’t spot me as I texted a friend.
“Got myself into a situation and I need to be picked up. Can you help?” I texted my best friend, Travis.
This had to be one of those kind of vigilante things where the person dressed up as a superhero and tried to exact justice. I mean, I tried to have fun on occasion, but I never took advantage of girls who weren’t asking for it. It was always consensual fun.
Someone must have complained and this person was stalking me, hoping that I’d apologize.
The phone vibrated and I looked down at it.
“Sure, where are you?” Travis responded.
As I typed in the address for across the street, I heard the rattle of a can farther up the alley, but I couldn’t see anything that would have caused it to move. I hit send and poked my head around the corner of the dumpster.
From behind me, the wind moved, and I felt the blade against the back of my neck.
“You didn’t get very far, did you?” She gave a cackle of delight. “I’ll give you credit for circling back toward the bar. It’s something I would have thought of, but it’s too bad you still have to meet justice.”
“Justice? Take a picture of me on my knees and get it over with. I’ll tell whoever I upset that I’m sorry, okay?” I offered quickly.
“Not good enough. An apology isn’t what I’m looking for.” She lifted the sword from my neck, and as I turned to face her, she brought the sword down.
As she disappeared into the shadows, my ride drove up across the street and my phone started to vibrate on the ground.
When Travis couldn’t find me, he called the police.
***
Kevin
I had taken a job with the Urban Energy Corporation about six months ago. It was supposed to be an easy undercover job—apply to be one of the tech guys and fix their computer problems, while gathering information from the company at the same time.
Their systems hadn’
t been all that hard to work in, and I’d even upgraded some of their security protocols to help keep hackers—like myself—from getting inside. Which probably wasn’t what the FBI had in mind when they’d sent me undercover.
So far, everyone in the company had been really helpful, and no one seemed to know that I had a second agenda while at my job every day. The main thing that really bothered me about this undercover work was the fact that I wasn’t able to help Ryan and Leslie when they needed it.
Ryan Fox and his partner, Leslie Boxe, had been chasing a serial killer. Or, rather, serial killers, over the past few months. There was one man who was controlling each of the killers and making their lives miserable. I’d managed to help when the Aries killer was in California, and Ryan had become a really good friend.
While undercover, I had to maintain my cover, and I couldn’t call them for any reason in case the people I was trying to get evidence on were watching.
The Urban Energy Corporation had come up in many of their first cases, and it appeared that the current owner, or head of the company, John Reed, was actually involved in another corporation that was a bank for laundering money.
The FBI had been trying to find a link, or a way into the banking side of the company for a while, but John Reed had covered his tracks very well. Most of the stuff attributed to him couldn’t be true or possible because he almost never left his home except for going into the big office where only the big, important people met with him.
