Dark Pursuit
(Emily Stone Series Book 5)
(Emily Stone Series Book 5)
by Jennifer Chase
Crime Thriller
Date Published:
03/13/2015
From
the International Award Winning EMILY STONE THRILLER SERIES:
Vigilante
detective Emily Stone has covertly hunted down killers and closed more serial
cases than most seasoned homicide cops combined. Her exceptional profiling
skills and forensic techniques, along with deductive crime scene
investigations, have made her a compelling force that cannot be beat.
She
has reached her ultimate breaking point and now must face her toughest opponent
yet – her biggest fears.
With
preciseness, the Tick-Tock Killer has taken his next child victim and promised
to dump the body precisely four days later, mocking police and the community.
Stone struggles to balance her inner demons and ghosts from the past, against
the wits of a brutal and cunning serial killer in an all-out battle of
psychological warfare.
Can
Stone save the next child in time? Dark Pursuit is an action-packed cat and
mouse game that will take you to dark places rarely explored.
CHAPTER ONE
Tuesday 2100
Hours
Car tires squealed as both
sport utility vehicles skidded sideways across the narrow street. The ear piercing screeches and waves of
gravel spray ensued as the vehicles held the uneven surface, and then pivoted
onto a bumpy dirt road.
The pitch-blackness of the
night illuminated with blinding headlights from the two cars – one pursuing the
other.
Motors revved and engines
tacked well into the red zones. The
vehicle’s high beams bobbed and weaved among the trees, and then disappeared
into the dense landscape of the forest.
Low fog plunged the chill of
the evening colder than the current temperature of forty-three degrees. Pockets of moisture were heavier in some
areas allowing for little visibility.
With a murky blur, the cars continued the dangerous pursuit. The country road quickly turned into a narrow
trail, causing both cars to drastically slow in speed.
Emily Stone fought the
dangerous off road conditions with every ounce of strength that she could
muster. She clutched the steering wheel
harder, knuckles white, biceps flexed, concentrating on every sharp turn to
remain alert, and to keep the car piloting straight.
Her dark eyes remained
unwavering through the narrow view.
The seatbelt dug into her
chest with every bump and chuckhole in the road. Fatigue had set in an hour ago, but she could
not stop now. Increasing weakness
continued to edge its way through her arms and legs. The escalating body aches vied for her
immediate attention as her forehead pounded with a familiar piercing pain.
Pushing through her
discomfort, she kept focused on the treacherous road and the vehicle in front
of her.
Another victim was at stake.
Another young innocent
victim.
It was obvious that the lead
driver was also having difficulties with the road as the vehicle bounced
precariously close to the edge of the cliff.
The lead SUV skirted and swerved, but still miraculously maintained the
right direction and gained a little speed.
Pieces of mud showered
Emily’s windshield, peppering the entire front end and undercarriage. Low tree branches and bushes clawed at the
doors and slammed across the roof. At
one point, she thought a branch might break through the sunroof and land on the
front seat.
The road hazards did not
deter her.
Emily pressed the accelerator
even harder. Her Ford’s RPM throttled to
a dangerous level causing the engine and oil lights to flicker. The dashboard lit up with several warnings
that looked more like a carnival ride than an SUV.
“Emily! Em!” a voice yelled from the cellular
speakerphone. “What’s your
location? Dammit Em answer me!”
She ignored the plea from her
partner Rick Lopez over the cell phone and turned it away from her. They were more than partners – some would say
they were soul mates. Either way, he was
her rock, her lover, and her only backup.
They shared an unshakable
love that drove them together toward the one essential goal –save a
victim. She did not want to look at the
screen and see his face drawn and deeply concerned for her safety. His usual dark handsome features would show
the extreme stress with a furrowed frown.
She could not bear to look at him.
There had been many other
pursuits, some more dangerous, others just a routine investigation, but all
were potentially risky and could result in death. She had made peace with that reality. She had the extensive experience of handing
just about anything that came her way – and wore with dignity the physical and
mental battle scars to prove it.
They had spent the last few
years hunting serial killers and child abductors, all under the radar of law
enforcement. They did not have to
operate by the same rules of engagement or bureaucracy that tied the hands of
cops. Instead, the couple did all the
investigative and forensic work for them and forwarded all of the detailed
information – anonymously.
They were a covert
investigative team that procured results.
A simple plan.
It had served them well.
This time it was an emergency
of life and death – an all-out code red involving a ten-year-old girl by the
name of Jeannie Sanders, abducted while walking home from a friend’s
house. The photograph of the little
girl’s huge green eyes and sweet cherub face burned into Emily’s memory, which
propelled her into situations that most people would take great lengths to
avoid.
The imminent situation drove
Emily to an almost desperate impulse – worse than any obsessive-compulsive
disorder that could ever accomplish. She
never knew how far an investigation would take her both physically and
emotionally, but giving up was not an option when a child’s life was a
stake.
The work was necessary to her
like air and food.
A couple of years ago, Emily
had come to terms with the fact that any of her dark pursuits could end with
the inevitable. She lived by her own set
of rules and personal motto. Life was
not worth living if you cannot make a difference – right a wrong, catch a
serial killer, or save an innocent life.
Her life was straightforward
as that simple philosophy.
“Em!” Rick’s voice insisted, this
time with an exasperated breath.
She balanced her cell phone
on the dash praying that the signal would not disappear or smash from
impact. Flipping the smart phone over
and slipping it into a console cranny, she glanced at the screen. It was just as she had expected. The deep drawn look of concern changed Rick’s
attractive face. Even on the small
electronic device, his eyes could bore straight into her soul. It was an expression that made her weak and
sometimes to doubt her own capabilities.
The lead SUV pulled ahead
just out of view and disappeared into the fog.
A large patch of low-lying
haze obscured the improvised roadway.
Emily reluctantly slowed her
speed even more.
“I’m in pursuit. We’re just three miles off the main
Interstate on Deer Run Road,” she replied winded as if she had been running a
marathon. “I’m not backing off. This is the first big break we’ve had…”
She slammed on the brakes
from the hairpin turn to avoid the steep cliff on her right. The Ford skidded in that direction and she
countered the slide with quick steering and some luck. The back tires spun several revolutions
before traction took hold again. She did
not see the car or any lights ahead of her anymore, so she took her foot from
the accelerator.
She stopped the SUV and cut
the headlights.
It was dark in every
direction.
She pressed the power button
and lowered her window.
The distinct odor of a hot
car engine and an overflowing radiator filled her nose. It had a familiar sweet and earthy
smell.
The outdoors was strangely
quiet and dark as a bottomless pit.
Emily could make out a few
outlines of large trees, but nothing more.
There was a slim opening in the fog.
The sky remained overcast in a blanket of clouds that obscured any view
of the stars or moon.
More deep aromas of the
forest drifted into the car.
It was odd. If she closed her eyes and opened them, there
was little difference in the view.
Deep shadows.
Extreme isolation.
Taking a deep slow breath,
Emily tried not to fixate on the strangeness of her position, along with the
feeling of floating, which made her slightly nauseous. She had struggled with anxiety in the past,
the feelings of panic and the fight or flight responses. As with most things in her life, Emily worked
through them with tenacity and could overcome just about anything. That was what made her get out of bed every
morning in order to tackle every new challenge flung at her.
Realizing that she had been
talking to Rick, she clumsily felt for the phone. It was in sleep mode and the screen was
dark. She pressed the button and her
display brightened casting a cartoonish light in the car, but there was no
signal. She had lost connection with
him. She was not sure if he had heard
her location or if he could figure out how to locate her.
What initially began as a
routine surveillance changed, and then flip-flopped in an instant. They were following another suspect when this
SUV was caught in the middle of the surveillance, and reacted when he spotted
them. They divided the surveillance
pursuit and Emily ended up following Kevin Werner, unbeknownst that he was the Tick-Tick Killer.
Everything turned sideways
immediately.
She contemplated what to do
next. The soft ticking of her engine
cooling kept a hypnotizing beat, soothing her nerves. She knew that she had to move forward in
order to save the little girl, but it seemed that the element of surprise would
be the only approach. There had to be a
location where the abductor would hide – a cabin or an abandoned building.
Emily turned the key and her
Ford roared to life, now with uneven timing.
The headlights illuminated the trees with a brash light, giving a weird
depth perception of the forest. She
turned the lights back to regular beams, which made the area seem less
ominous. There was no sign of the other
vehicle, no evidence of lights shone anywhere in the vicinity.
As she contemplated what to
do, there were two logical choices, go forward, or turn back to get a cell
phone signal and wait for Rick. She weighed
each option. The predator was close; she
sensed it. That familiar tingly
sensation rode roughshod throughout her body.
It was as if she could feel his breath on her neck. There was still time to rescue the little
girl. All the other victims had been
murdered and then their bodies dumped exactly four days after their abduction –
down to the minute.
It had already been three and
half days… and counting.
There was still time.
There had to be enough time.
A loud gunning sound of a
high-powered engine came from behind.
High beams flashed in her rearview mirror and briefly blinded her. It took barely three seconds before the blue
SUV rammed into Emily’s Ford. Her body
flung forward, snapping her neck and seizing her breath.
The larger vehicle pushed her
headfirst at a steady pace. The thunder
of the V8 engine roared like a wild animal attacking its prey.
While still holding firm to
the steering wheel with her left hand, Emily grabbed the Glock 9mm from her
side holster.
It was not there.
She remembered that she had
not secured her gun before the pursuit.
Her Beretta was still in her ankle holster. Carefully maneuvering her body and wrestling
to maintain control of the brake as well as the steering wheel, she retrieved
the small pistol in her right hand.
Emily did not waste any time,
turned her torso to the blinding light, and fired three bullets through the
back window of the SUV.
Glass shattered.
The impact from the gunshots
echoed in her ears. Cool air rushed
inside the vehicle. The blast of bullets
stunned the attacking vehicle. The large
blue SUV slowed its pace and opened a gap between both cars.
Emily caught her breath
trying to inhale and exhale evenly. Her
anger escalated as she unhooked her seatbelt.
The little girl was the only factor pushing her forward. She presumed that the girl was not in the
vehicle, but hidden somewhere - close.
The Berretta shook slightly
in her right hand from the surging adrenalin pulsing throughout her body as she
readied herself again for another assault.
The thunder of the pursuing
SUV sprang into life and the larger vehicle slammed into Emily’s car once
again. This time it seemed to have more
power behind the strike. The killer was
not going to go down without a fight – too much was at stake.
It took all of Emily’s
strength and concentrated attention to maintain control of her own
vehicle. No matter how hard she held the
brake down with both feet; her car inched forward and gathered speed. The tires slipped and gripped unevenly, and
then the traction slipped again building momentum down the narrow trail. Thick brush and branches scraped along the
doors before Emily could see through the tight clearing ahead.
The trail ended with a sheer
cliff less than a hundred yards.
Jennifer
Chase is an award-winning author and consulting criminologist. She has authored six crime fiction novels,
including the award-winning Emily Stone thriller series along with a
screenwriting workbook.
Jennifer
holds a Bachelor degree in police forensics and a Master's degree in
criminology. These academic pursuits
developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own
experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal
investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in
serial crime and criminal profiling. She
is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic
Criminologists.
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