When there was nothing left to do for Andrew, I cleaned off everything I had touched with my hanky. Gloves or no gloves, it was the precautionary thing to do. The desk, the box of .45 caliber rounds, the swivel chair, the gun cabinet. I opened the door with the hanky draped over the doorknob, careful not to step in the now considerable pool of blood.
“Adios, Andrew,” I whispered. “I hope you’re in a happier place now.” Then, stepping out into the hall. “It’s time now, Allison. Call the police.”
“I got it,” she said from inside the kitchen.
Turning once more toward the body, I took one more good look at Andrew. If only I believed in cell phones, in modern technology, I might have snapped a few pictures of him. But then, from a writer’s perspective, relying on your imagination was better than using digital pictures as a crutch. Your brain was a better recording device, because in the end, all a writer could rely on was his imagination and his experience. Both were in prime working condition these days.
The faint sound of sirens in the near distance. Already, the cops and the EMTs were on their way. I stepped out into the hall, left the door open a few inches. Making my way slowly along the narrow corridor, I heard not a single voice but, instead, voices. I stepped into the kitchen and saw them. The three of them were seated at the kitchen table, all of them with smiles on their faces despite the dead body lying on the floor of Andrew’s office.
Allison, Tara, and one other woman.
My love, my life . . . Stella.
(To be continued…)
If you enjoyed this episode of The Handyman, go immediately to episode III, Savage Sins. Or if you haven’t yet savored the first episode, Lust and Letters, just click on the title. For more information on Vincent Zandri titles, go to WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM
Winner of the 2015 PWA Shamus Award and the 2015 ITW Thriller Award for Best Original Paperback Novel, Vincent Zandri is the NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and AMAZON NO. 1 Overall Bestselling author of more than 25 novels including THE REMAINS, MOONLIGHT WEEPS, EVERYTHING BURNS, and ORCHARD GROVE. An MFA in Writing graduate of Vermont College, Zandri's work is translated in the Dutch, Russian, French, Italian, and Japanese. Recently, Zandri was the subject of a major feature by the New York Times. He has also made appearances on Bloomberg TV and FOX news. In December 2014, Suspense Magazine named Zandri's, THE SHROUD KEY, as one of the Best Books of 2014. Recently, Suspense Magazine voted WHEN SHADOWS COME as one of the Best Books of 2016. A freelance photo-journalist and the author of the popular "lit blog," The Vincent Zandri Vox, Zandri has written for Living Ready Magazine, RT, New York Newsday, Hudson Valley Magazine, The Times Union (Albany), Game & Fish Magazine, and many more. He lives in New York and Florence, Italy. For more go to WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM
Vincent Zandri © copyright 2017
All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Bear Media 2016
4 Orchard Grove, Albany, NY 12204
http://www.vincentzandri.com
Cover design by Wit & Whimsy Designs
Editing by Bridgette O’Hare of Plot2Published Editing
Author Photo by Jessica Painter
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to a real person, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published in the United States of America
The author is represented by Sam Hiyate of The Rights Factory
Table of Contents
Title Page
Chapter One
About the Author
Naked Heat: The Handyman, Episode II Page 6
