To Deceive a Highlander
Date: 2022-02-23 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Historical; Historical Romance; Romance; Marriage; Fiction
Description: He married the wrong sister. . . or did he? Laird Haydon Sutherland has made up his mind. 'Tis time to marry and he has offered marriage to Lady Elsbeth Johnstone, a quiet, demure lass who will never cause him a day of worry. Lady Ainslee Johnstone, Elsbeth's feisty, stubborn twin will not allow the marriage to take place. The arrogant, fierce Sutherland will destroy her sweet sister, so they switch places on the wedding day. Let the battles begin…

In the Still of the Night

A Friday the 13th Story

Callie Hutton

Contents

Friday the 13th Stories

About the Book

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Epilogue

About the Author

Friday the 13th Stories

Check out all of the stories in the Friday the 13th series:

Links to Evil by Rolynn Anderson

Till Death by Maureen Bonatch

Blood and Breakfast by Alicia Dean

Retribution by D.J. FitzSimons

Shattered Reflections by Tamrie Foxtail

A Deadly Game by Jannine Gallant

Dead to Rights by Margo Hoornstra

In the Still of the Night by Callie Hutton

Glimpse, the Dinner Guest by Stephen B. King

Scorned by Anna Kittrell

Vanity Kills by Dianne McCartney

Fatal Legacy by Krysta Scott

Azrael’s Chosen by Leah St. James

About the Book

It was supposed to be just another overnight shift at the zoo where Holly McCabe worked…until she discovered something more dangerous than lions and tigers lurked in the darkness.

Holly McCabe works the overnight shift at the local zoo. She likes the peace and quiet but never forgets that the only thing separating her from the dangerous animals surrounding her is a fence, a moat, or a sheet of unbreakable glass.

What Holly doesn’t know is that on this night, a greater threat lurks in the darkness at the zoo. Someone who has revenge in mind. Someone who wants to kill her. But first, like the great cats on display at the zoo, he will play with her.

Chapter 1

Thursday, June 12th

Holly McCabe checked her uniform in the mirror one more time before picking up her keys to leave the bedroom. The sound of a key in the front door lock put a smile on her face. She was about to have her daily ten-minute visit with her husband.

Brad was returning home from duty as a police officer where he worked the two in the afternoon to the ten at night shift. Holly worked at the local zoo on the overnight shift, from eleven at night to seven in the morning.

Life was stressful for them, but it would all end in another two months. They had worked these crazy shifts for three years to accommodate their school schedules. Brad was close to graduating from law school, and Holly was almost finished with her master’s degree in education.

A future with a normal life and normal hours was close enough that she was now growing anxious for it all to end. Sort of like falling apart once you could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Something Brad accused her of all the time.

“Hey, babe, how was your shift?” She walked up to her husband and threw her arms around his neck. She loved the feel of his muscles under his shirt and the protective way he held her in his arms. The fading familiar scent of his shower gel and his own unique smell had her wishing they had time to do more than merely kiss and cuddle.

“An easy one tonight.” He pulled her closer, cupping her head, and kissed her like they had all the time in the world to enjoy each other. Alas, they did not.

Holly pulled back and studied him. He might have had an easy shift, but the strain was showing on his face. He looked tired. She fiddled with his collar. “Tell me again how this will all end soon.”

“It will, honey. Just be patient.” He pulled her back to his warm chest and rubbed circles on her back. “We’re nearing the end. I know it’s been a rough three years, but it will be worth it.”

She straightened and sighed. “I know.”

Holly’s usual routine was grabbing a large latte with an extra shot of expresso after she finished her shift, then school most days, getting homework done there until her classes started. Then it was home, a few hours of sleep and then up again to start all over.

Brad would grab a few hours of sleep after arriving home, then study until his classes, then from there directly to work.

One thing they were able to do to help their marriage was juggle their schedules so they had the same two days off each week. Once Holly’s shift this night was over, they’d have two days—and nights—to do what most young married couples like to do. Stay in bed most of the time.

Sadly, in their case—to catch up on sleep.

Holly glanced at her watch. “I gotta go.” She pulled his head in for another kiss and then picked up her keys again and headed to the door. “See you in the morning.”

“Be careful driving.”

Holly smiled as she closed the door. Brad said that every night when she left for work. Heck, he said it every time she left the house. Being a police officer made him a bit on the precautious side.

It was a lengthy drive to the zoo, but Holly passed the time singing at the top of her lungs to the music coming from the flash drive with all her favorite songs on it. A quick stop at the local non-Starbucks coffee shop for a frozen coffee was her final task before she reached the front gate of the zoo. She and Brad and a bunch of their friends boycotted Starbucks because of their lack of support for law enforcement.

The Security Department had left the door to the employees’ entrance unlocked again. Although Holly carried a set of keys to all the entrances, the team was lax in locking the employees’ door.

“Hey, guys. How did the day go?” Holly greeted the four security guards for the evening shift, which ran from three in the afternoon until eleven thirty at night. The half hour that both teams were present gave them the opportunity to report on the general state of the zoo, anything the night shift needed to know, and any expected repairmen or trash collectors that would need to be allowed entrance and escort.

“Am I late again?” Rebecca Spence hurried into the room as they were finishing up their report. Rebecca was one of the two people with whom Holly worked the overnight shift. With the way the schedules worked out, some nights there were two of them and some nights three. Tonight, it was just Holly and Rebecca.

While Holly wouldn’t say she actually disliked Rebecca, the two women had never really hit a rapport. Holly found Rebecca to be on the lazy side, always looking for ways to get out of doing her job. She always seemed to have a medical issue. Headaches, stomach problems, and the occasional bug bite that required hysteria over whether she was allergic to that sort of bug and should they call EMSA.

Once the evening shift departed, leaving just Holly and Rebecca, Holly checked her emails, looked over the day summary, and flipped over the calendar page, noting that in a matter of an hour it would be Friday the 13th. Thankfully, she wasn’t superstitious.

Rebecca chatted on and on about her boyfriend and how she thought he was cheating on her. After a minute or two, Holly tuned her out and continued with her work.

When it came time to start their rounds, Rebecca said as she sailed out the door, “I’ll take the back of the zoo tonight.”

“Fine.” Holly grabbed her radio, flashlight, and keys. She picked up her cell phone and noticed it had only 4% power. “Damn.” She’d again forgotten to charge it while she slept. She plugged it into the charger on her desk then left behind Rebecca.

Chapter 2

Holly preferred the front sweep of the zoo for her rounds since her favorite animals were there. She got to visit with George the pouting ape, and Toho and Tonka, the mountain lion brothers who arrived at the zoo a little over a year before. As crazy as it sounded to anyone not familiar with animals, she talked to them, and they answered her in their own way.

She climbed into one of the golf carts to make her rounds. On cold nights, she used the pickup truck. The last time she’d driven it, she sort of ran into a barrier and caused a bit of damage, so she stayed as far away from that vehicle as she could.

It was a nice night, with a slight breeze in the warm air, but no humidity. Along with the lack of cloud cover which displayed the star-filled sky, it made for the sort of evening she enjoyed the most. She wanted to take her time. When she left her job after graduation and secured a teaching position, she would miss these nights, alone at the zoo, doing her rounds, seeing all the animals.

She loved all the creatures, including the snakes and lizards, and had planned at one time to be a veterinarian but chose instead to teach. She and Brad hoped to have a family one day, and teaching would leave her with the perfect schedule for raising children.

She checked all the buildings in her area, making sure they were locked and nothing dangerous left in the restaurants. More than once she’d found ovens not turned off, or oil spilled on the floor causing a slippery mess.

She climbed out of the cart and walked up to the mountain lion den. She tapped on the glass. “Hi, Toho, where’s your brother?”

The lively animal placed his paws on the glass and made a welcoming noise that sounded like a loud yawn. Within seconds, Tonka joined them, his paws also pressed against the glass.

They were truly beautiful animals. So sleek and energetic. She visited with them for a while, having a conversation, and then made her way over to the ape house to see George, who frequently sat in the corner of his area with what only could be described as a pouting expression.

She tried relentlessly to get him to do more than just sit there, but he seemed content. She managed to make a fool of herself by doing jumping jacks, pulling faces, and even sticking out her tongue. She hoped the darkness would keep her antics secret from the security cameras.

She had asked about the poor animal’s demeanor, and the caretakers of the ape house told her there was nothing wrong with the gorilla. He just liked to sit and sulk.

Her last stop was the stingray touch pool where she checked the water temperature then headed back to the office.

It was nice and quiet without Rebecca offering her worries about her health and her boyfriend, usually in that order. Holly pulled out the lunch she’d stored in the refrigerator the night before. She often made extra food when she and Brad actually had dinners together and boxed the leftovers up in meal-sized containers for lunch.

She’d finished her report, eaten her meal, and played four hands of solitaire on her computer and, still, Rebecca had not returned from her rounds.

Holly picked up her radio. “Rebecca, what’s your twenty?”

No response to her request for the woman’s location. Holly tried again. Nothing. She shrugged and returned to a new solitaire game. Rebecca had probably forgotten to turn her radio on. It would not be the first time.

Another twenty minutes went by and still no Rebecca. Holly glanced at the clock on the wall. One-fifteen. Holly had paged her on the radio several times. Unless her radio was not working, or her cart’s battery was dead, she should have called her or been back by now. There was also a possibility that she’d run into trouble.

With a combination of annoyance and unease, Holly left the office and grabbed the cart she’d parked over an hour before. She rode to the back area of the zoo, following the path Rebecca would have taken.

Halfway through the rounds, at the very back of the zoo, she spotted something lying on the ground, in the middle of the roadway. From her approach, it was difficult to see what it was. It could have been an animal, but any escape from the confines of the zoo would have set off an alarm. There were wild animals, of course, who regularly found their way into the zoo.

The closer she got, the larger the object on the ground appeared. With her heart in her throat, Holly stopped the cart, climbed out and, with sweaty hands, held her flashlight up.

Chapter 3

Rebecca lay curled up on the ground. A pool of blood congealed at her neck. Breaking into a sweat, Holly hurried closer and dropped to her knees. A broken, smashed mirror that Holly had seen Rebecca use dozens of times rested next to her co-worker’s hand.

The girl’s throat had been slit.

Holly fought a wave of nausea and lightheadedness as she checked for a pulse, knowing she wouldn’t find one. Her fears confirmed, she bent over and emptied her stomach on the ground.

This had not been done by an animal, but a knife of some sort. Terrified, she grabbed for her cell phone and remembered it still sat on her desk in the office, plugged in. “Aw, shit.”

She climbed to her feet, fighting overwhelming dizziness. She could not pass out. Whoever did this could still be in the zoo. She had to get back to the office and call the police.

With shaky legs, she returned to the cart. The key that she’d left sitting in the ignition had been removed. She whirled around, her heart pounding. Whoever killed Rebecca was close enough that he’d taken the key from the ignition while she was kneeling next to Rebecca, watching her life’s blood seep from her throat.

She had no weapon, nothing to protect herself. They weren’t allowed to carry firearms, even though her husband made sure she was fully trained on two different weapons. Ordinarily, she carried pepper spray, but that was in her purse in the office, too.

Her body shook uncontrollably. She was alone, in the dark, over a mile from the office with no phone, no weapon, and a killer loose.

God help me.

* * *

Looking through his binoculars, a grin on his face, he watched Holly with delighted satisfaction. He muffled his giggle so she wouldn’t hear him. Not yet.

The bitch thought she could screw with his life and not suffer for it? She had a hard lesson to learn and, tonight, he’d teach it to her. Rebecca was just collateral damage. He had no feelings toward her one way or another, except she was a complaining, lazy bitch.

He’d play with Holly for a while, torment her and escalate her fear before he moved in for the kill. She was so fond of animals it would be fitting that she met her end among them. He lowered the binoculars and started the cart. His hands were streaked with blood, and he wiped them on his pant leg then retrieved the radio from the seat beside him. Chills of gleeful anticipation coursed through him.

Let the game begin.

Chapter 4

Holly forced herself to take a deep breath. It didn’t stop her heart from pounding, but it cleared the dizziness. She looked around, trying to get an idea of where she was. She’d been so taken with finding Rebecca’s body that she hadn’t really noticed her surroundings.

She groaned when she realized she was at the end of the elephant habitat. The farthest place from the office. She would have to make her way back about a mile and a half. Watching the area carefully, she grabbed her bottle of water from the cart and moved to the trees lining the habitat.

Rebecca’s cart was missing so she assumed the killer took it, then removed the key from the ignition in the cart Holly was driving. Obviously, it had been the killer’s intention to force her to walk back to the office.

So far, she’d seen nothing, but since the key had disappeared so quickly, the killer was close by. Panic rose in her again, and she had to fight it down. Then she calmed herself by thinking perhaps it had been the killer’s intention to murder Rebecca and then leave the property.

Yes. It was possible the reason he left her with no way back to the office was he wanted enough time to escape before she called the police. Feeling much better, she moved through the shadow of the leaves and shrubs, then jumped when her radio crackled and shrieked, the noise echoing off the dense trees.

“Hollyyyyyyy. Tell me your twenty, please.”

Her heart almost stopped. A man’s voice, and a familiar one. She tried to tell herself it was not Albert Anderson. The man she’d accused of sexual harassment and had been fired two weeks before.

“Hollyyyyy. Your twenty, please.”

Her skin crawled with the way he pitched his voice. She had no intention of answering him. She was tempted to turn the radio off but decided that was not the smartest thing to do. If it was who she thought it was, Albert was more interested in killing her than Rebecca. Her unfortunate co-worker had been a means to an end.

Torture for Holly.

She had to move as quickly as possible back to the office. The flashlight would help her find her way faster, but it would also be a beacon in the night and give her position away. Maybe she should just climb one of the trees and stay there until morning when the next shift came in.

That would not work. Even though he slit Rebecca’s throat, he might very well be carrying a gun and take pot shots at her up in the tree.

The quickest way back to the office was not the safest way. She had to stay as hidden as possible, which meant going around the Elephant Habitat to the Asia display which had a lot of bamboo that might hide her. After that, the outside track of the zoo took her to wooded areas and other places to hide.

“I don’t need your twenty, Hollyyyyyy. I know where you are.”

She sucked in a deep breath and looked around.

Nothing.

All right, Holly, keep it together. Just get yourself to the office and call the police. Call Brad. Call EMSA. Call anyone.

She wiped the tears from her cheeks, not even aware that she’d been crying.

Moving from tree to tree, attempting to stay hidden, slowed her down, but there was no choice.

“Why did you report me to HR, Hollyyyyyy? I thought you liked me.” Well, that confirmed what she had suspected. It was Albert. The creep. The man who worked on their shift for a while and could never keep his hands to himself. She finally had to report him when it became apparent he was not going to stop.

She even had Brad come up to the zoo in his uniform and talk to him. Albert was surprised, confused, he’d told Brad. He had no idea that Holly thought he was harassing her. Two weeks later she was forced to report him when he cornered her in the ladies room and suggested she ditch her husband and she and Albert take a weekend away together.

“Hollyyyyyyy. Answer me, Hollyyyyyy.”

Should she answer him? Would talking to him give her more time to reach the office?

Before she could change her mind, she pressed the button. “What do you want, Albert?”

“Ah. But Hollyyyyy. You know what I want. I want you.”

“We’ve been over this before, Albert. I’m a happily married woman.”

“No matter. We will get rid of him.” He paused. “Don’t look so surprised, I haven’t done anything to him. Yet.”

A new wave of terror rose up in her again. He knew she looked surprised? He was close enough to see her. Without thought, she took off running, racing toward the animal hospital. She didn’t have the keys for this part of the zoo, but she ran around the back of the building.

Additional training from Brad had taught her to wear a set of joggers and sports bra under her uniform in case she ever had to strip because of blood, fire, chemical spray, or other reasons. She removed her shirt and covered her hand with it. With one solid punch, she broke the pane in the back-door window, put her hand through the shattered glass, and unlatched the door.

Every building had a phone in it with an outside line. Once inside, she quickly drew on her shirt and felt her way around the small office at the front of the building. She dared not use her flashlight in case Albert was nearby. Stuck in the building, she was an easy target if he found her.

The sound of her breathing scared her almost as much as the predicament she was in. If she didn’t calm down, she would expire of a heart attack here in the building, and there would be no need for Albert to kill her.

Squatting in case Albert was looking at the building, she edged her way over to the desk. She reached up and felt around with her fingers until she touched the phone. She pulled it down and picked up the receiver.

No tone. The line was dead.

“Hollyyyyy. You can’t use any of the phones, Hollyyyy. I cut the lines on all the buildings. I’ve been busy, you see.”

Dear God, not only had he cut the lines, but he knew where she was.

Chapter 5

A bright light shone through the smashed window. She dove to the floor and, using her elbows, crawled on her stomach to the front door. She reached up to unlatch the lock, shot to her feet, and ran from the building.

“Hollyyyyy. Don’t hurry. I’ll let it take a while for me to find you. Maybe I’ll let a few of the Code Red animals out to help my search.” He ended with a very loud, very frightening laugh.

The Code Red animals were the most dangerous in the zoo. At this point, Holly felt nothing was more dangerous to her than the madman in pursuit. She continued racing from hiding place to hiding place. The sound of the zoo cart coming in her direction threw her into a panic again.

Maybe he could keep track of her, but she knew his general position by the sounds coming from the various animals he drove past. The screaming he did into the radio had upset some of the animals who were making plenty of noise.

She ran along a footpath, avoiding the paved roadways since she knew Albert was in a cart. In her mind, she pictured the zoo, noting all the places he couldn’t take a cart that would eventually take her to the office.

He’d said he cut the phone lines in all the buildings, but maybe he missed a couple. For the amount of work he’d done, cutting phone wires, stealing a cart and radio, killing Rebecca, and God knew what else he planned for her, he had to have been in the zoo for a while.

She eventually came to the General Store, a short distance from the nocturnal barn. With no windows to break into the barn, since the creatures in there were kept in the dark, she was better off smashing her way into the store and trying their phone.

She stopped to listen to the cries from some of the animals near the man-made river. If that was where he was driving, Albert was close, but she still had time to break into the store.

Once again, she removed her shirt and wrapped her hand. This one took a few fists before the window broke. Once inside, she stopped to listen. No animal sounds, so she had no idea where he was.

“Hollyyyyyy. The General Store won’t do you any good. I cut their phone line, too.”

Holly slid down the door and sat on the floor, drew her knees up and tried, unsuccessfully, not to cry. After a few minutes of well-deserved self-pity, her fear turned to rage. She grabbed her radio. “What do you want from me, Albert?”

Silence for a moment. Then, “How about we start with a kiss?”

Her stomach clenched, and she feared anything left inside her would come up. “I’m married, Albert.”

“I can take care of that.”

She pressed the button on the radio so hard she was afraid she would break it. “Stay away from my husband!!”

Silence for a minute again. “Tsk, tsk, my dear. So angry. Or is it fear?” Another loud and scary laugh.

She had to get out of this building since he knew she was here anyway. She was a sitting duck. Was he planning to kill her? Rape her? Kidnap her? All of the above?

The sounds coming from the aviary alerted her to Albert’s location. A path ran along river, parallel to the aviary, that she could take and get closer to the office.

As she stepped out of the building, the sound of the cart had her racing to the river path. She stumbled a few times in her haste and arrived with a pain in her side and panting so loud she could probably be heard in the next town.

Both pathways joined at the River Café. Even though it was probably a lost cause, she would break into that building through the back door and see if that phone worked. Riding in a cart, Albert would get there before her, but would arrive at the front.

She could hear the cart motor as she approached the back door. Before breaking into the building, she looked on the outside, checking for the phone wire. Not really sure what she was looking for, and trying not to have to use her flashlight, she ran her hand over the building.

“Hollyyyyy. What are you looking for? Can I help?”

Holy shit, could he see through the building?

She turned and raced through the wooded area of the cat forest, taking her to the zoo lake. She stood at the edge of the lake and pondered her chances of swimming across to the other side. She was a good swimmer, but the distance was daunting. She would have to take off her boots, pants, and shirt to keep from being weighed down in the water. Her radio would have to stay behind as well.

She pictured herself swimming the lake and arriving at the other side in soaked sports bra and joggers, no shoes, and facing a highway after a short walk. She would probably be arrested. Although, that sounded like a good plan right now.

Straining to listen behind her, she heard nothing except normal nighttime soft animal sounds. Comforting right now in her near-hysteria. No screeching or growling, telling her where Albert was. There was also no cart motor.

Continuing to stare at the lake, she thought more and more that it was not a good idea. Although the air was not too cold, the lake water would be very cold. She might end up on the other side, frighteningly close to hypothermia.

She was still quite a distance from the office, but there was nothing else to be done. She had to continue on her trek and get back to her desk and her phone.

“Hollyyyyy. Please don’t try to swim, my darling. You will drown.” She jumped as the radio crackled and came alive with Albert’s voice.

Trying her best not to succumb to hopelessness, she shook her head and walked along the lake, staying as far as she could from any pathways the bastard could reach with his cart.

And prayed.

Chapter 6

Albert laid the radio on the seat alongside him. He wanted the game to be up. To grab Holly, take her away from the zoo, then strip her, force her to her knees to do things she probably never even imagined. Things her lame husband would never have his precious wife do for him.

Albert would make her believe he was going to take her somewhere romantic. The lake. That fancy casino near the Red River. But once he was at his apartment, he would tie her to his bed. Take what she denied him. Over and over and over. It would take days to satisfy him.

Then he would slit her throat…watch the warm blood seep down her naked body like small rivers. He would take pictures and send them to Officer Brad McCabe, the pig who had the nerve to tell Albert to leave his precious wife alone.

No one got away with screwing Albert Anderson, and the bitch and her asshole husband wouldn’t be the first to receive his punishments.

The hunt for Holly was too much fun to give it up just yet. He was far too excited thinking about her fear and horror. He could almost smell her terror.

Let the game continue.

Chapter 7

“Hollyyyyyy. Do you know how sharp my knife is? I spent a lot of time slowly grinding it against the whetting stone. I’ll bet you never saw one, did you? It works so well.”

Holly jumped as her radio crackled to life again. For the hundredth time, she considered turning off the blasted thing or tossing it into the lake. But if she did, she would lose all contact with the man who wanted to kill her and no way to know where he was.

But she refused to respond to his taunts again. That’s what was probably giving him the enjoyment in this. He wanted to hear her fear. She would not give him that satisfaction.

“Hollyyyyyy. Are you still there?” Creepy-nightmarish laughter. “Oh, yes of course you are. You’re still considering taking a dip in the lake. Too cold, you know. And all those clothes would drag you down. To the very bottom. Never to return. That would be a shame. I would lose you before I’ve had my pleasure.”

She trudged along, trying her best to listen for the sound of the cart.

“Unless you took all your clothes off. I would like that, Hollyyyyy. Why don’t you do that? Then I can meet you on the other side.” More laughter that made her skin crawl.

She continued to move forward and resumed praying. She was thirty feet from the zoo’s carousel when the loud, eerie organ music from the children’s ride started up, and the thing began to spin.

She stopped so suddenly she almost crashed to the ground. How the hell does he do that?

“Want to take a ride, Hollyyyyyy?”

“Leave me alone!!!” She screamed loud enough for the police at the station two miles away to hear her.

If only.

“Tsk, tsk, Hollyyyyyyyy. You’re losing your temper. That’s not good. Sweet young ladies don’t do that. It’s not proper.”

“I am not a sweet young lady and, if given the chance, I will cut your balls off and stuff them down your throat.” The next building that she could try was only twenty feet away.

“Hollyyyyyyy!!! How very crude. I’m so disappointed in you.”

“Good.” She uselessly rattled the doorknob and slammed her fist on the brick wall, closing her eyes when the pain shot up her arm. “Now leave me alone.”

“No, Hollyyyyyy. You will need to be punished. You know, Rebecca never knew what hit her. She was standing there one minute admiring the elephants and then she was on the ground, bleeding.” He laughed. “Maybe this time her ailment was real.”

He laughed again, and Holly broke into a sweat at the vision he just tossed into her head. The thought of Rebecca being taken by surprise like that when it was Albert’s intention to kill her instead almost broke Holly’s heart. No one deserved that.

The sound of the cart growing closer caused her to bolt from her spot and race away from the lake, around the herpetarium, and then back up to the cat forest, hoping Albert would not realize she’d backtracked since it was obvious she was trying to get to the office.

She wound her way through, trying to avoid the paths and yet keep herself safe as much as she could. With a stitch in her side and out of breath, she stopped and bent over, listening for the sound of the cart.

Nothing.

Could it possibly be her plan had worked, and Albert had lost track of her?

“Hollyyyyyy. Do you like the cats so much? Maybe when I finally decide to reach out and grab you, I will toss you over the fence so you can spend some time with the lions. How does that sound, Hollyyyyyy?”

She grabbed her radio and pushed the button. “You will not get away with this, Albert. The police will hunt you down and, if you’re lucky, you’ll spend the rest of your life in prison. If you’re not lucky, you’ll be executed.”

While she spoke, she continued to walk, taking the path on the other side of the zoo which would take her to the zoo train, and then eventually to the office.

She came to an abrupt halt. My gun!

Being so twisted up with fear and anger, she’d forgotten that, thanks to her husband, she carried her gun underneath the seat in her car. Getting to the car would be even better than the office. She could leave the area, drive to the police station and, if Albert came anywhere near her, she could shoot him.

That stopped her. Could she put a bullet in someone?

Damn right I could. Right between his effin’ eyes with no problem whatsoever.

The radio came to life again. “But I won’t be caught, Hollyyyy. I have a plan, Hollyyyy. And a plane ticket. So you see, I get to pay you back for your meanness and rejection and then take a nice long vacation.”

“I wasn’t mean, Albert. You refused to leave me alone.”

“You had your brute of a husband harass me.” His voice changed from the taunting melodious frightening mode to anger. “I should have shot him.”

She continued to walk, hoping he would be distracted by the conversation and lose track of her. “He loves me. He wanted me to feel safe on my job. That’s his job, to make people feel safe. Especially his wife.”

“Holly, Holly, Hollyyyyy. You don’t understand, do you? I hate the idea of him touching you. Touching what’s mine. Don’t you know you belong to me?” His anger seemed to make him lose control.

Ignoring him and focused on her goal, Holly continued around the train station, getting closer to the exit and parking lot.

“Do you know my favorite song is “Every Breath You Take?” Do you know why? Because I’ve been watching you.”

She had to turn her brain off. If she continued to listen to him, she would scream and probably pass out. She was stronger than that. Brad taught her to be strong, to take care of herself. She could do this.

“Hollyyyyyy. I have a present for you. I’m sure you will enjoy it. Oh, I mean them.”

Just then, Holly heard the sounds of screaming and screeching, seeming to come in her direction.

Dear God, he’s released the chimpanzees!

Chapter 8

Anyone who has heard the blood-curling noise of chimpanzees in an excited mode would never, ever forget the sound. With the carousel still playing organ music and spinning, the chimps screeching, and Albert laughing over the radio, Holly felt as if she would lose her mind.

Chimpanzees were one of the most dangerous animals to humans. By five years of age, they were stronger than most humans. They’d been known to rip off people’s faces and, even behind bars they could, and would, bite off a finger or two.

With the two chimpanzees on the loose, Holly definitely had to get out of the zoo as quickly as possible and forget about getting to her cell phone in the office. She took an abrupt turn to the left and headed for the barbed-wire fence surrounding the zoo.

Forced to stop when she arrived at the fence, she bent over and placed her hands on her knees, trying desperately to gain enough air to climb over the fence. One thing this horrendous chase through the zoo had taught her was she needed to get into some sort of exercise program.

The chimpanzees were going wild. There were five in the zoo, and she had no way of knowing how many Albert had released, and how he even managed to do it since those animals were behind electrified fences. Was it a sin to pray one of them got Albert?

Holly studied the fence in front of her--a chance to escape. The barbed wire at the top was frightening. But not as scary as what was behind her, coming in her direction. She thought first of taking off her shirt and throwing it over the wire so she would avoid some injuries in the climb.

Then she decided her cargo pants were much stronger and quickly undid her belt and removed them. If Albert had a pair of binoculars, which he probably did since he seemed to be able to see her from a distance, she would give him an eye-full with her tight joggers on, but at this point she would climb over naked if it got her out of the zoo and away from him and the chimpanzees.

She climbed up and yelped as her hand hit the uncovered wire. A lone tear slid down her face as she sucked on the cut.

“Hollyyyyyy. Why are you taking your pants off? I’m not quite ready yet for sex. We’ll do that right before I slit your throat.” Creepy laughter.

“Oh God.” Cut or no cut, she was going over the fence. She took a deep breath and climbed over, attempting to keep her hands on the pants as much as she could. Her eyes teared at the cuts and stabs into her skin as she eased over the fence.

She dropped down and tugged the pants off the fence, ripping them in parts, then raced toward the parking lot with them in her hand.

She was free!

For a minute, she couldn’t remember where she parked her car. Not that there were any other vehicles, except Rebecca’s, but there were two lots she could have parked in.

Think, Holly, think.

A chimpanzee slammed against the fence behind her, causing her to jump. She held her ears as she ran, trying to block out the screeching from the animals.

She debated whether to go to the office first and get her cell phone or keep heading toward her car. She stopped briefly to pull on her pants, thankful that she wasn’t a girly-girl type who carried a purse. Her car keys and wallet were in one of the many pockets in her cargo pants.

“Hollyyyyy.”

She turned and, for the first time, she saw the man. He was running after her, but his huge lumbering gait couldn’t match hers. She pushed the button on her key fob to unlock the car doors.

Panting, crying, laughing, she opened the car door, slammed it shut, and locked it. She rested her forehead on the steering wheel.

“Hollyyyyy.”

Terror seized her heart.

He was at her window.

Chapter 9

Her head jerked up, and she was face to face with the monster with only a pane of glass between them. He moved his flashlight underneath his chin and grinned at her. “Remember me, Hollyyyyyy?”

Her shaking hands fumbled to insert the keys into the ignition, now slippery with her sweat, and get the hell away. She took a deep breath.

Stop, Holly, pull yourself together. You can do this.

Unfortunately, her shaking hands didn’t get the message, and she dropped the keys. Swearing at herself, she used the latch alongside the seat to move the seat back and began to pat the floor with her hands in search of the keys. She didn’t dare take her eyes off Albert, who continued to grin at her.

She jumped and screamed as shattered glass covered her hair, chest and lap. Albert had smashed the window with a rock and reached in, then unlocked and opened the door. He grabbed her ponytail.

“No. No, get away.” She pounded on him with her fists as he dragged her from the car.

“But Hollyyyyy. Why are you upset? You knew I would come back for you.” He shook her head where he gripped her ponytail, the pain bringing tears to her eyes. With her hands and feet free, she beat him on the chest and tried desperately to kick him in the groin.

He moved back and continued to drag her back to the zoo. “I changed my mind about my apartment. We have to finish this here, Hollyyyyyy. At the zoo. Where it started, where you hurt me, then betrayed me.” He shook her again, and she swore her hair was going to come out of her head.

“I didn’t betray you. You were harassing me.”

“Tsk, tsk. You filed a complaint with HR. They fired me.” He shook his head again. “Did you hear me, Hollyyyyyy? They fired me. I have no income. My rent is due.”

“I’m sorry for that, Albert, but you wouldn’t leave me alone.” As she talked, she tried desperately to ignore the pain in her head from where he gripped her hair and slid her hand down and unclipped her radio.

“But you’re mine, Hollyyyyy. Mine. Not your loser husband’s—who I will take care of next—but mine.”

She gripped the radio tightly in her hand, knowing she only had one chance. He’d dragged her back into the zoo, which would help once she—hopefully—got away. “I told you to leave my husband alone.”

It was now or never. She swung toward his head with all her strength and smacked him in the face with the radio.

Chapter 10

The alarm went off at four o’clock, and Brad McCabe arose from his bed almost as tired as he’d been when he hit his pillow a few hours before. Yawning and rubbing the stubble on this face, he lumbered to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. As was his routine, he took a sip of the hot brew and pressed the button on his cell phone to call Holly.

No answer. He dropped the phone on his desk and pulled out his law book on appeals, flipped to the correct page, and, yawning once more, began to read.

* * *

The bitch hit him! She fucking hit him! Without thinking, Albert let her go and grabbed his face. Warm blood dripped between his fingers, running down his arm to gather under the sleeve of his shirt, stopping at his elbow.

He growled and swiped the sticky mess from his face, watching Holly race back into the zoo. He swore and sped after her, not wanting her to get to the employee office where her cell phone was. When he was there earlier, stealing a radio, he should have taken the cell phone. Too late now.

The sound of the chimps going wild at their freedom resonated around the zoo. Holly had almost reached the office door when she stumbled and smacked her head against a pole. He was close enough to reach her when she jumped up and threw a rock in his direction.

The rock slammed into his eye and, when he stopped, she veered away from the office door and disappeared into the darkness.

He leaned against the wall of the Guest Services building to catch his breath. Holly wasn’t getting away from him. His only concern was the chimps getting to her before he did.

They wouldn’t. She was his.

Only his.

Chapter 11

Holly could not believe she’d actually gotten away from Albert. She’d used all her might to smack him in the face with the radio and apparently it had worked, since she was covered with his blood that had spurted from his nose. Hopefully, she broke it.

She raced toward the office to see two chimps cavorting and screeching between her and the door. At the last minute, she swerved to the right and leapt over the turnstile and dashed past the restrooms, guest services, and the zoo gift store. As soon as she could, she ran into a heavily wooded area.

“I’ll get you for this, bitch!” His footsteps somewhere behind her on the pavement told her he was no longer using the cart. They were both on foot now.

The sound of her panting as she made her way through the bushes, trees, plants, and other things, trying to stay hidden, matched the screeching coming from the animals they’d disturbed. Hopefully, since Albert no longer seemed to be in the cart, perhaps he no longer had a flashlight either.

The best way to save herself was to circle around, as quietly as she could, and break into the back window of the office. In the meantime, the sound of the chimps terrified her.

Albert was crazy, but the chimps were lethal. Not that Albert wasn’t planning to kill her—after raping her, she was sure—but the idea of having a chimpanzee rip her face off was no more appealing.

She had to find a way to rest for a minute. She was covered in Albert’s blood and her own sweat and she couldn’t catch her breath. At least the sound of the chimps was farther away. With any luck, they would get to Albert before he got to her.

. . .

Brad tossed his cell phone on the desk next to his laptop, frustrated. He’d been calling Holly for more than an hour and kept getting her voice mail. He’d even tried calling the zoo security office phone line to no avail. As stupid as it would sound if he said it out loud, he was concerned. There could be numerous reasons why she wasn’t answering or returning his voice mails and text messages, but he still had a feeling something was wrong.

It was after five in the morning, and he’d almost finished the brief he’d been assigned in one of his classes. With that complete, he would study for an upcoming test before showering, dressing and off to class. He’d been running on only a few hours of sleep a night for much too long now and it was beginning to wear on him.

It had become a habit for him to call Holly when he awoke before working on his assignments. Just to check in to hear how her shift was going. He sat back and tapped a pencil on his desk. Truth be known, he’d never been completely happy with her job.

Once they’d moved in together and then married, he’d spent some time teaching his wife how to defend herself, but it was still just her and another—not too bright—co-worker on the overnight shift. Another annoyance for him was they were not allowed to carry weapons, although there was a shotgun in the secure room at the back of the zoo security office, but that was more for an uncontrollable animal.

The zoo was near a questionable neighborhood and, across the lake from the zoo, officers had oftentimes been called to clear out drug addicts and prostitutes. Brad would be very happy once they both graduated and Holly could take a daytime with normal hours, a safe job.

He could always swing by the zoo, but since that would cut into his study time, he pushed the idea aside and picked up his cell phone to call her once more. He tried to tell himself he was worrying for nothing and there were plenty of other times when he was unable to reach her.

So why was he worrying so much tonight?

Hi, this is Holly. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Unless you’re calling to sell me something, because I’m not buying.

“Call me, Holly.” With knots forming in his stomach, Brad placed the phone on the desk and rubbed his eyes. He would wait another half hour, and if he hadn’t heard from her by then, he would drive out to the zoo.

Most likely to hear Holly laugh at him and remind him she could take care of herself. Yeah, sure.

Chapter 12

It took another forty minutes to continue dodging Albert and the chimps to get her closer to the office. Holly was exhausted and fighting tears. She couldn’t break down and cry because she most likely would never stop. She swallowed convulsively to get herself under control.

She wanted her husband.

Brad’s strong arms holding her, protecting her. Yes, she managed to escape from Albert, but she was growing weary and honestly didn’t know how she could continue running from both him and the chimps.

Her head throbbed from where Albert had pulled her hair. Her hands were scraped from the climb over the barbed-wire fence and when she fell and, although she hadn’t remembered hurting her foot, she had started to limp and a throbbing had begun in her left ankle.

She checked her watch. Five twenty-two. In a little over an hour, the next shift would arrive. If Albert or the chimps hadn’t killed her by then, she would have some help.

The office was within reach. Since she was quite sure Albert would be expecting her to go to the office, she decided to sit and watch the building from where she was.

She jumped at the feel of something alongside her. It was Penny, a friendly cat that roamed the zoo, always looking for scraps that visitors drop. It had been decided among the staff that Penny would most likely not take to living a normal life in a house, so instead of anyone adopting her, they made sure she was spayed, then released her to allow the cat to live her life among the animals.

Holly ran her palm over Penny’s soft orange and white fur, the animal purring with contentment. What she wouldn’t give to be a cat right now. Fast and a good climber. She lifted the cat from her side and placed her on her lap. Just the feel of the warm body calmed Holly a bit.

“Do you want to switch places for a while, Penny?” No, that wasn’t fair. She’d never want to see the zoo pet harmed, and it was up to Holly to get out of this mess.

“Hollyyyyyyy. Just because you don’t have a radio—which you used to smash me in the face—I can still talk to you. Where are you hiding, Hollyyyy? Can you see me? I bet I’ll be able to see you before you can see me.”

Holly froze at the sound of the sing-song voice that would probably plague her dreams for years to come. That was if she lived long enough to have years to come. Her heart pounded. The voice came from the left and far enough away that she didn’t think Albert could see her.

She slowly picked up Penny and placed her carefully on the ground, not wanting her to make any noise. She shifted to her knees and quietly stood, wincing at the pain in her foot.

It came down to, should she make a run for it. In retrospect, she was pretty sure she hadn’t locked the office door. She rarely did and she prayed she hadn’t done so tonight.

Taking a deep breath and praying as hard as she ever prayed in her life, she raced toward the office. Her jaw tensed as she ignored the pain in her foot and kept running.

Ten steps away from the office, she saw Albert coming at her from across the pavement. She pushed as hard as she could and made it to the office, barreled through the door, slammed and locked it just as Albert threw himself against the door.

* * *

Brad tossed his books into the back seat of his Toyota Camry and slid behind the wheel. It was getting close to the end of Holly’s shift, and she still wasn’t answering either her cell phone or the office phone.

Something in his police officer training and instincts told him Holly was in trouble. It could be as simple as she locked herself out of the office without her phone, but everything inside him screamed she needed him. Desperately.

He wound his way through the apartment complex and turned onto the highway, heading north toward the zoo. He fiddled with the radio station, trying to find music that would calm him down.

Traffic was light this time of the day, a good hour before rush hour would begin. He tried very hard to keep his speed down. The last thing he needed was to be pulled over, wasting time identifying himself to a state trooper.

As he cruised along, he started to second guess himself, thinking he should have called the police station close to the zoo and have them do a welfare check. He would deal with Holly’s humor and/or annoyance at his protective manner if everything was fine.

A flash of red lights in his rear-view mirror had him groaning and taking a quick look at the dashboard. While ruminating on what he should have done, he’d reached ninety miles an hour.

Shit!

He pounded the steering wheel and pulled over.

* * *

Albert banged on the door, screaming, “Hollyyyy! Open the door. You know I will get you, but I won’t make it so hard on you if you let me in.”

“You’re crazy, Albert. Do you know that?” She fumbled with her cell phone, dropping it twice from her slippery hands as he continued to pound on the door.

Holly shoved the cell phone into her pocket and headed for the locked security door at the back of the office. She managed to get the door unlocked and herself inside. She should call for help and stay in the locked room, but she was angry.

Very, very angry.

She inserted the key to the small safe in the corner of the room and pulled out the shotgun they used for emergency purposes. As a certified Emergency Response Team member, she had been trained on the use of the weapon.

No waiting in terror anymore for her. She loaded and engaged the shotgun and unlocked the security room door.

Albert had managed to break a window and had crawled through. He stood grinning at her. Dried blood caked his face and fresh blood dripped from his arm where she assumed he’d cut himself crawling through the window.

Holly raised the shotgun. “Get out of the office, Albert.”

“You won’t shoot me, Hollyyyyy. We’re going to be lovers. You will be so happy when I kill your husband so we can be together.”

She shook her head. “You are crazy. Now get out of the office.”

The chimpanzees were outside the building, most likely drawn toward the sound of breaking glass and their shouting. Their screeching rose with excitement as they jumped and banged on the window, but even the animals were too smart to crawl through broken glass.

Albert took a step toward her, and Holly fired.

Chapter 13

Brad rolled the car window down and placed his hands on the top of the steering wheel in plain sight.

The trooper approached the car.

Brad sat very still and looked at the trooper. “I have a gun on me. I am a police officer, and I will gladly step out of the vehicle and show you my identification.”

The trooper placed his hand on his holster and backed up. “Step out and raise your hands.”

Brad did as he was told. “Can I reach for my ID?”

“Yes.”

Brad pulled out his badge, and the trooper used his flashlight to look at it. “All right, Officer McCabe, do you know how fast you were going?”

“Yes. I did once you pulled me over.” He put his wallet away. “My wife works at the zoo. She has not answered my calls for the past few hours. That is unusual for her. I am concerned something is wrong, and I am headed there to check.”

The trooper hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I trust police officers’ instincts. I will give you an escort and, in the meantime, I’ll notify station seven near the zoo to do a welfare check.”

“Thank you. I should have done that myself, but I find with this kind of work if someone you love is involved, your actions can get a bit muddled.”

“Agreed.” The trooper returned to his car and pulled in front of Brad.

They raced down the highway, Brad noting they were hitting close to 100. The sun had started to make its presence known with a scant dawn light beginning to erase some of the darkness.

With the speed they were maintaining, they actually pulled into the zoo parking lot in front of two police cars and the EMSA truck.

Brad took quick notice of the smashed window on the driver’s side of Holly’s car. His heart rate kicked up, and he slammed on his brakes and ran to the zoo office. He backed up when two chimpanzees who had been jumping and bouncing in front of the door turned and stared in his direction, screeching at the top of their lungs.

Oh God, he hated to shoot the animals. He tried holding up his hand, talking to them, but they weren’t having it. They jumped up and down and then moved closer to him. He had to get into the building, and as much as it turned his stomach, he pulled out his gun and shot them both.

They fell with a thud, and he stepped over them. Just as he reached the locked door, a shotgun blast rocked the building. “Holly!”

* * *

Holly lowered the shotgun and moved slowly toward the door. She unlocked it, and Brad stepped in.

She continued to stare at the bloody body on the floor.

Brad moved closer to her. “Honey, put down the gun.”

She stood perfectly still, watching the blood flow from Albert’s chest. It ran in rivulets down his body, pooling alongside him. There was no doubt in her mind that he was dead. She’d blown a hole the size of a grapefruit in his chest.

She barely noticed the paramedics and police officers who flooded the office.

Brad put his hand out and spoke softly. “Holly, hand me the gun.”

She looked up at her husband’s sweet face. Full of strength and caring. And she’d almost lost him if Albert had had his way. Slowly, she handed him the shotgun. He placed it on her desk and held his hands out.

Holly fell into the warmth and protection of his arms. Brad pulled her close, and she was wrapped in caring and love. She rested her throbbing forehead on his chest, and tears slid down her cheeks. “He wanted to kill me.”

Brad picked her up, oblivious to the stream of officers and paramedics that poured into the room. He walked to the chair in front of her desk and sat down with Holly on his lap. “Don’t say anything yet, Holly. Just let me hold you.”

“He’s dead,” one of the paramedics announced to the room.

Holly shuddered and barreled closer to Brad’s chest.

“Mrs. McCabe, can you give us an idea what happened here?” A police officer who Holly remembered meeting at some police affair knelt in front of her.

“Darren, I’d rather not have her talk right now about what happened here. At least, not in an official capacity,” Brad said. “But I realize you have to begin your investigation.”

Holly sat up and wiped her face. “It’s all right. There is a dead body at the back of the zoo.”

Brad squeezed her.

“My co-worker, Rebecca Spence.” Holly took a shuddering breath. “You will find her on the pathway, in front of the elephants. Her throat has been slit.”

Darren pulled out a notebook and began to write.

Brad cleared his throat. “Before we go any further, I would like to have the paramedics take a look at my wife. I can see some injuries.”

“Yes, of course,” Darren said. He stood and walked to one of the two paramedics. “Mrs. McCabe needs some assistance.”

A cheerful looking woman, somewhere in her forties moved toward her. “Mrs. McCabe, I am Maryann Jenkins. I’d like to talk to you and examine those injuries.” She looked over at Brad. “I think getting her out of the office and into the EMSA truck would work best.”

“Yes. Good idea.”

“What the hell happened here?” Richard Manning, one of the security officers on the day shift called to her from the entrance, now blocked by police tape. His eyes went directly to Holly. “Are you all right?” He glanced at the floor. “Isn’t that Albert Anderson?” He paused. “With a large hole in his chest?”

“Yes.” Holly managed to find her voice.

“Oh, my God. What happened?” Evelyn Price, the second officer on the day shift joined Richard at the door. “Are you all right?”

“She will be a lot better after she sees the paramedic,” Brad said, shifting Holly so he could stand and help her up.

“Oh, of course.” Evelyn shook her head and glanced at the body on the flood. “Isn’t that Albert?”

“Yes.” Holly followed the paramedic out the side door of the office with Brad’s arm around her.

After a thorough examination, Maryann fixed up Holly’s scratches and suggested she might want to visit with her doctor in a few days. She turned to Brad. “I don’t know what happened here tonight, but your wife might do well with seeing a counselor or therapist.”

Brad nodded and turned to Holly. “Sweetheart, if you don’t feel up to talking to Darren tonight, I can see if he will allow us to go home and speak with him tomorrow.”

Holly shook her head. “No. I don’t want this hanging over my head. I want to tell them everything and try to put it behind me.”

“Understood.”

They climbed out of the EMSA truck and made their way back into the office. Someone from the coroner’s office had arrived and was taking pictures. A rolling stretcher passed them with a black body bag. Most likely Rebecca.

Holly trembled again and looked away.

Brad took her hand and studied her. “Let’s get this over with and then we’re going home. And we’re spending a lot more than a half hour together.”

Holly smiled for the first time in hours. “Yes. That sounds wonderful.”

Epilogue

One year later

Holly rubbed her swollen belly and tried unsuccessfully to rise from the soft comfortable chair in the living room that Brad bought especially for her and now she almost hated because it was so hard to get out of.

“Brad!”

Her husband strolled into the room, looking at her over the top of his eyeglasses as he held a law book open. “What?”

“I can’t get out of this damn chair again.”

He snapped the book shut and placed it on the table alongside her. He grinned and reached out to pull her up. “Put on a little bit of weight since you graduated school, wife of mine?”

“Don’t you dare laugh at me, Brad McCabe. The deal was, I would at least get to teach for a year or two before we started a family.”

“Aw, but these things happen.”

“I should have kept taking my birth control pills. That theory of not conceiving for a while after you stop the pills was not very sound advice.”

They walked toward the kitchen, Brad rubbing her back. “But you’re not sorry, are you?”

Holly shook her head. “No. Not at all. After a decent period of time I’ll be ready to look for a teaching job.”

She walked past the calendar hanging next to the refrigerator. “Brad?”

“What, honey?” His voice was muffled with his head in the refrigerator. The man ate more than she did and never gained a pound. Very annoying.

“Today is the 13th of June.”

He turned and placed a container of cheese and ham slices on the table. “Yes?”

“It’s been a year since the incident in the zoo.” She shuddered.

He studied her carefully. “Your nightmares have lessened.”

“Yes. Thanks to having you hold me when they hit.” She went to the window and stared out at the warm early summer day. The spring flowers were just coming into full bloom. It would be time soon to plant the summer flowers.

Brad walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her growing stomach. “Have I told you yet today how much I love you?”

Holly twisted, a smile on her face. “I’m not sure, but I’m always open to—” She sucked in a breath.

“What?” Brad eyed her like she was about to explode. Which was exactly how she felt.

“I think I’m going into labor.”

As Brad helped her to walk around the apartment as her midwife had suggested she do when it felt like labor starting, she thought about a year ago on this date.

She had been running for her life. Now she was ready to produce a new life. She had her teaching degree, Brad had a promising position at a distinguished law firm, and when the baby was old enough for day care, she would have a satisfying job.

She said a heartfelt prayer of thanks and gripped Brad’s hands as another pain hit.

Thanks for reading this Friday the 13th Story!

If you enjoyed it, considering leaving a short review so other readers can enjoy the thrill.

For more mysteries and thrills,
check out A Study in Murder.

A mystery author is charged with murder--and the plot thickens faster than anyone can turn the pages--in USA Today bestselling author Callie Hutton's new series debut, perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Ellery Adams.

Bath, England, 1890. Mystery author Lady Amy Lovell receives an anonymous letter containing shocking news: her fiancé, Mr. Ronald St. Vincent, has been dabbling in something illegal, which causes her to promptly break their engagement.

Two evenings later, as Lady Amy awaits a visit from Lord William Wethington, fellow member of the Bath Mystery Book Club, her former fiancé makes an unexpected and most unwelcome appearance at her house. She promptly sends him to the library to cool his heels but later discovers the room seemingly empty--until she stumbles upon a dead Mr. St. Vincent with a knife in his chest.

Lord Wethington arrives to find Lady Amy screaming and sends for the police, but the Bobbies immediately assume that she is the killer. Desperate to clear her name, Lady Amy and Lord Wethington launch their own investigation--and stir up a hornet's nest of suspects, from the gardener who served time in prison for murder to a vengeful woman who was spurned by St. Vincent before he proposed to Lady Amy.

Can they close the book on the case before the real killer gets away with murder?

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author, Callie Hutton, has penned more than 45 historical romance and cozy mystery books. She lives in Oklahoma with her very close and lively family, which includes her twin grandsons, affectionately known as “The Twinadoes.”

Callie loves to hear from readers. Contact her directly at calliehutton11@gmail.com or find her online at www.calliehutton.com.

Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. Follow her on BookBub to receive notice of new releases, preorders, and special promotions.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Author.

Author’s website: http://calliehutton.com/

Cover design by Maria Connor, My Author Concierge

Photography by Anna Greene

Manufactured in the United States of America

First Edition August 2020