For the past year, Rob and his team have been hunting
the Harvester, a serial killer who ritualistically murders new mothers and
vanishes with their infants. What Rob doesn’t need is another case, especially
one involving his ex-fiancée.
Then Faye is assaulted, and Rob realizes the cases are
connected. She may hold the answers he needs to find the elusive killer. But
the more they investigate, the more complex the situation becomes. Can they set
the past aside and work together, or will the Harvester and his followers reap
another prize?
The White Carnation will be available April 20, 2015. For
buy links, please visit http://www.mhsusannematthews.ca/
Excerpt:
Twenty minutes later, the unmarked police sedan pulled up
behind the black and white outside the brownstone. The paramedics were parked
farther along the street, just ahead of the police car, reducing traffic to a
single lane. The coroner’s van pulled up behind them. Rob got out and approached
the coroner.
“Amos, I didn’t expect to see you here so soon. I called for
a bus, not the meat wagon.”
“Paramedics were nearby so Logan got here quickly. He
radioed in—exsanguination due to a lacerated throat. He’s still up there.
Nothing he can do for the victim, but your fiancée is taking it hard.”
“The victim was like a second mother to her.”
Your fiancée—Amos’s
words were true once, but never again. There was no way Rob would hitch his
wagon to a woman who could believe he’d betray her like that, a woman who’d put
her job so far ahead of him, he’d barely been on her radar at times. The sex
had been great, but love was supposed to be more than that. Still, she’d
reached out to him. He took the stairs to the brownstone two at a time, his
lean, muscular body having no problem with the climb. He flashed his badge at
the officer who stood guarding the door. “Anyone showing any interest?”
“No, Detective. According to the concierge, the people in
number five are in Europe, and I don’t think the rest of the residents are home
from work yet. Looks like a robbery—the place has been tossed pretty good—and
there’s no damage to the door, so she must have let them in. Logan says her
throat’s been slit from behind.”
“Where’s Ms. Lewis?”
“In the living room with Logan. He wanted to take her to the
ER—claims she’s in shock. I told him she had to stay put until you arrived.
He’s pissed at me. Says I’m interfering with his job. He seems pretty friendly
with her. I heard she’s some big shot investigative reporter.” He chuckled.
“Some crime reporter—she’s puked a couple of times already.” He continued to
laugh. Rob’s face must have reflected the anger moving to the surface because
the guard choked it off.
“Rick Logan is one of the best paramedics we have. For the
record, McMillan,” Rob read the nameplate on the policeman’s uniform, “the next
time he says someone has to go the ER, you’d better damn well listen to him.
And as for Ms. Lewis, the victim was a personal friend. It’s different when the
victim’s someone you know.” His voice was clipped, his displeasure obvious.
Rob turned and entered the apartment. He’d learned the need
to remain objective in order to do the job properly, but as he’d told the young
officer, it was different when it was personal. Not only had the victim been an
acquaintance, Faye was in there. He swallowed and tried to find the emotional
distance he needed.
The place was a mess, just as the officer had said. He
looked around quickly, his trained eye taking in everything in an instant—the
wallet on the table, money on the floor mixed with the victim’s blood, the
take-out bag, Faye’s purse and its scattered contents. Whatever this had been,
it hadn’t been a routine robbery. Someone had been looking for something other
than the usual snatch and grab items, so what were they after? What could Mrs.
Green have that was worth dying for?
He found Faye sitting on the living-room sofa with Logan.
Her face was red and blotchy, her blue-green eyes mascara-rimmed from her
tears, and her clothing disheveled and covered in blood. She stood and moved
forward, stopping before she reached him. Wrapping her arms around herself, she
looked young and vulnerable, not a bit like the bitter, angry woman she’d been
the last time he’d seen her.
About the author:
Susanne Matthews was
born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. She’s always been an avid reader of all types of
books, but always with a penchant for happily ever after romances. In her
imagination, she travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into
the future. A retired educator, Susanne spends her time writing and creating
adventures for her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the
complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a
novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she
shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.
No comments:
Post a Comment