Seismic Crimes Read online

  Table of Contents

  Excerpt

  Praise for Chrys Fey

  Seismic Crimes

  Copyright

  Dedications

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  The moment she realized Buck was shooting

  under the cars to hit her, the tire she hid behind blew. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to make herself smaller by pressing her body into the SUV. The Morse code of bullets hitting metal started up again. She could’ve sworn she felt the SUV shaking with the continuous beat of bullets slamming into it, except the shaking was below her feet. It started gentle but as soon as she noticed, it became violent.

  Earthquake!

  She fell backward and struggled to get back up. Her body bounced up and down and rolled from side to side simultaneously. A light came crashing down from the ceiling and slammed into the concrete floor with such power it exploded into a trillion stars. Glass shot out in all directions like the Big Bang. Beth screamed and covered her face with her hands as tiny pieces of glass bit the skin on her arms.

  She fought onto her hands and knees and hugged the tire to keep from falling over again. The intensity of the tremors grew. The concrete below her feet didn’t feel solid anymore. It felt alive, as if two gigantic gophers burrowed through the earth. The truck behind her slid with the vicious shock waves and bumped into her, pushing her roughly into the tire. She let out a cry of panic.

  Praise for Chrys Fey

  “From the remnants of a Florida hurricane to a San Francisco earthquake, Fey puts you in the middle of the devastation as Donovan and Beth forge the bonds of new love while tracking a killer across the country in this nail-biting romantic suspense.”

  ~Lilly Gayle, author of Slightly Noble

  Seismic Crimes

  by

  Chrys Fey

  Disaster Crimes Series

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

  Seismic Crimes

  COPYRIGHT © 2016 by Chrys Fey

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by Kim Mendoza

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  First Crimson Rose Edition, 2016

  Print ISBN 978-1-5092-0725-1

  Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-0726-8

  Disaster Crimes Series

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedications

  This book would not exist if it weren’t for three people: Bradley Poage,

  who wanted to know what took place

  before Hurricane Crimes;

  Anna Coy,

  who asked for a novel-length story;

  and my mom

  who helped me realize the story wasn’t finished yet.

  ~*~

  Just as I had help in starting this story, I had loads of help perfecting it. A big thank you to C. Lee McKenzie for her insight about San Francisco, Tammy Theriault for being the first person to read this story and offer her witty and sarcastic advice, as well as Lilly Gayle for her medical knowledge and eye for perfection.

  You three ROCK!

  ~*~

  I also wouldn’t be here without all of my blogger buddies, including the countless individuals I’ve “met” through the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

  Your support is amazing!

  ~*~

  A special shout out to Sherry Snider Fundin for winning the contest to name the antagonist in this story. Jackson Storm really is a great name.

  ~*~

  Finally, a big hug to my editor, Lori Graham; my cover artist, Kim Mendoza; and everyone else part of The Wild Rose Press team that made this book possible.

  Chapter One

  Beth didn’t die.

  The anxious weatherman forecasting Hurricane Sabrina’s arrival was wrong. She didn’t even die at the big, slightly calloused hands of Donovan Goldwyn, as she had thought she would. Accused of killing his brother, Donovan had shown all the signs of being a murderer, but she later realized he wasn’t a killer despite his suspicious mannerisms. Together, they had taken down one of the police officers responsible for killing Donovan’s brother, but one of the killers got away.

  Now they were paddling her canoe through the floodwaters leftover from Hurricane Sabrina. Seeing the devastation all around broke Beth’s heart. A tree had fallen onto a house they passed, severing the house in half. She wished they could stop there to see if anyone needed help, but they had to get to the Orlando Police Department as soon as possible.

  With great regret and a silent prayer the owners had evacuated, she looked away to see even more destruction. Some houses appeared untouched by Sabrina’s wrath, but many hadn’t been so lucky. Roofs had been ripped off; lawn decorations and furniture, that hadn’t been moved inside, had been thrown everywhere, as if Sabrina had thrown a tantrum. Even a children’s swing set had been knocked over.

  Beth looked away from the heartbreaking scene and forced her gaze to stay glued ahead as she paddled with their only oar. In front of her, Donovan used a shovel. As the canoe cut through the water, time blurred.

  Her arms and neck were burning with fatigue by the time they reached the police department. Donovan pulled the canoe up the steps and held out his hand to her. Her knees shook as she stood and stepped onto solid ground. Standing in front of Donovan, her hand in his, she looked up at him. She couldn’t imagine the turmoil he was going through inside, but she could see signs of it. His brows were drawn, his eyes streaked with red lightning bolts. She reached up with her free hand and laid it against his cheek.

  He put his hand over hers and then pulled her in for a soft kiss. When he inched back, he whispered in her ear, “This may sound crazy, but I love you.”

  Beth gazed into his eyes, saw it was true. Her heart twirled in relief.

  “I love you, too.” She glanced at the police department. “Are you ready for this?”

  His jaw tensed. “Doesn’t matter if I am or not, this needs to be done.”

  Hand in hand, they walked inside. Five officers stood near the entrance, guzzling water from bottles and listening to the reports coming in on their radios. A woman manned the front desk. She answered the phone that never stopped ringing. Beth couldn’t imagine how many calls were com
ing in on the emergency lines. Hundreds of people were probably calling for help, but the police wouldn’t be able to respond to every call, not in their squad cars with this flood. During past hurricanes, the State Emergency Rescue Team went out in trucks and boats to rescue stranded people and they would have to again.

  A few civilians, who had to ride out the storm in the department, milled about anxiously. The mingled scents of stale coffee and sweat teased Beth’s nostrils. Large ovals of perspiration spread beneath the officers’ arms and trickled down their backs. They looked as though they were about to dissolve into puddles. Although the generators were working, the A/C was weak, and the air inside the station was more humid than outside.

  The officers’ heads swiveled to Donovan and Beth when they stepped through the doors. Their heat-exhausted faces registered surprise.

  “Holy shit,” one of them said. “That’s Donovan Goldwyn!”

  In the next instant, the five officers rushed toward him, their guns drawn. Donovan put up his hands. Two officers grabbed his arms, wrenching them behind his back to restrain him. “Donovan Goldwyn, you’re under arrest for the murder of Ryan Goldwyn.”

  Beth’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute! He didn’t do it.”

  The moment she spoke, every pair of eyes turned to her. “Arrest her, too,” a deep voice snapped. She didn’t even have time to blink before an officer slapped a cuff onto her left wrist. It bit into her skin with cold, metallic teeth.

  “No.” Donovan whipped around, causing the two officers holding him to stumble. “She had nothing to do with this. She gave me shelter, not knowing I was wanted for a crime, and helped me to get here. That’s all.”

  Beth looked at him. Is that really all? She wanted to smack him. I shot a man to save his life for goodness sakes.

  “Please,” Donovan continued. “She has my brother’s journal and the footage from the hidden security cameras inside and outside his house. Both will reveal my brother’s killers and prove my innocence.” He glanced at her. “Beth.” He nodded, assuring her it was okay to give the officers the evidence.

  Beth wished she had his confidence as she relinquished the leather journal and the memory card from the hidden camera in Ryan’s living room, which they had risked their lives to retrieve, to the officer in front of her. He ripped them from her fingers like a father yanking a toy from a naughty child.

  As soon as her hand was empty, the officer behind her stole her wrist, yanked her arm behind her back, and clicked the second cuff into place.

  Shit.

  “We’ll look these over, but you’re not free, Goldwyn,” an officer said, his lips pulled back in a snarl.

  “I didn’t think I would be,” Donovan replied.

  Beth studied Donovan. Two officers restrained his handcuffed arms, but he looked unperturbed. How can he be so calm? He’s being arrested, accused of murdering his own brother.

  “Ma’am, you’re coming with us, too.”

  She swallowed, revealing her nerves with the slight movement. No doubt, the officers made a note of it, marking it as a sign of guilt. Damn, I’m going to go down with him.

  One officer stayed behind the front desk, probably to keep an eye out for more wanted criminals who might waltz into the station to surrender. Two officers held Donovan’s arms, one grasped her arm, and the last officer brought up the rear.

  Apparently, they weren’t taking any chance of them escaping.

  When they reached a metal door, the officer gripping Beth’s arm led her to a line of chairs against the wall and pushed her down onto the first one. Donovan peered over his shoulder as three officers ushered him into an interrogation room.

  “It’s okay,” he told her.

  The door closed, blocking his reassuring gaze.

  Beth stared at the door and whispered, “How do you know?” He said it would be okay, but she had a feeling they were a long way from anything being okay.

  She glanced at the officer blocking the end of the hall and her way out. Sighing, she leaned her head against the wall, giving up to whatever would happen next.

  Five minutes later, the door to the interrogation room opened. An officer with graying sideburns stepped into the hall and dangled a key in front of her. “I’m going to uncuff you.” She shifted in the chair as he unlocked the cuffs with a scrape of metal against metal.

  “Thank you,” she said as she settled her hands in her lap. He nodded and went back into the room where they had Donovan.

  That has to be a good sign. Right? They wouldn’t remove my cuffs if they thought I was a threat.

  The lights above Beth flickered with the hum of a generator. She settled into the stiff plastic chair, but her mind raced with the events from the last twenty-four hours—saving Donovan after he crashed his car in front of her house, riding out the storm, making love to Donovan, killing a corrupt police officer, and telling Donovan she loved him.

  She shook her head at that last one. Falling in love in one day, with a man she thought was a murderer half the time, was one thing but telling him was another thing all together. But he told me first, and people fall in love at first sight all the time, so what’s the big deal?

  The big deal is you don’t even know him.

  I knew him well enough to have sex with him.

  Ha!

  Beth’s mind was in a war with itself.

  She thought about Donovan and his gentle touch when he cleaned her wounds. His sexy smile, the way he made love to her as if he had known her for years, and his violet eyes. Donovan was an amazing man; there was no doubt about that. And she couldn’t ignore her feelings either. When she realized she would do anything for him, even kill to protect him, she knew she was in love. Yes, in love with a man she barely knew, but in love nonetheless.

  The clock hanging on the wall was wrong but the minute hand continued to move. Each tick frayed Beth’s nerves. Donovan had been in the interrogation room for thirty minutes. What is happening? What are they putting him through?

  Her hair hung in damp ropes to her shoulders and her clothes were wet, offering a bit of coolness to her heated skin. She stretched out on the chairs, letting exhaustion take over her body, and drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Two

  Donovan sat with his back straight against the metal chair, his cuffed hands clasped on top of the table. An officer sat in front of him. The other two flanked his chair.

  “Just watch the footage,” he told them, aggravation growing inside him like acid reflux. “You’ll see I didn’t kill my brother.”

  “Well, that’s something we’re all curious about,” the officer sitting at the table said. “How did your brother’s murder just happen to be recorded?”

  “It didn’t just happen to be recorded,” Donovan seethed. “My brother was a cop. He was in the Internal Affairs unit.” He spoke slowly as if he were drilling the words into the officers’ heads. “He had a security system to protect his home. It wasn’t a piece of shit system, but an elaborate one. He had two separate systems of hidden cameras outside and inside his house.”

  An officer beside him snorted. “If your brother had such an elaborate security system, how did they break into his house?”

  “Once again, they were cops. And they were fucking dirty no matter what you say. I don’t know everything about alarm systems, but I’m sure they do and easily could’ve disconnected it by cutting wires, using a jammer, or some shit like that.” Frustration was all but spilling out of his ears. “Maybe the alarm did go off when they got in and tipped off Ryan. I don’t know all of that. You’d have to watch the footage.

  “The point is there would be no way for them to know about the hidden cameras. They’ve been installed for years and are not part of the alarm system, and they record twenty-four-seven. They would’ve recorded everything up until the moment when the power went out. In other words, in case you’re having a hard time keeping up, they recorded Chewy and Buck murdering my brother. So watch the damn footage.”

  “
Don’t be a fucking smart ass,” one of the officers snapped. “We will watch it, but you’re still facing a lot of charges.”

  “I told you why I ran. What I find ironic is that you can’t locate the other officer. Buck.”

  “Buckland.”

  “Whatever. My point is…I don’t know if I can trust you.” He glared at the officers surrounding him. “Not when two of your fellow officers murdered my brother.”

  The officers looked at one another.

  The officer in front of him raised his hands off the table. “Let’s all try to calm down and be civil here.” He looked at Donovan. “I’m Officer Burnett and I’m just trying to get the facts. Two of our men called in a murder of an Internal Affairs investigator and cited you as the suspect they saw at the murder scene. Then you fled from them. Now you’re here, and you’re telling us you and the woman out there killed one of our men in self-defense. You’re lucky we didn’t stun you on sight. Why don’t you tell us everything from the beginning? You said your brother called you. Why don’t you start from there?”

  Donovan took a deep breath. He rolled his shoulders as he transplanted his mind into the past.

  “I got a call from Ryan two nights ago. He told me to meet him outside. The line went dead before I could ask him what was going on. He was parked several spaces away from my apartment and had the lights to his car turned off. When I got into the passenger’s seat and looked at him, I was shocked. Stubble covered his face and he hadn’t cut his hair in a long time. It was longer than he would normally let it grow. Immediately, I sensed something was wrong. Ryan wouldn’t show up late at night looking like he hadn’t slept or bathed in days for no reason.”

  Donovan shook his head at the memory. He felt guilty for not being in contact with his brother during the weeks leading up to that night. Could I have done something to prevent the events that took place?

  “What happened after you got into the car?” Officer Burnett prompted.

  “I asked him what was wrong, but he told me not to say a word and drove onto the main road.”

  “Did he seem agitated, jumpy, anxious? Tell us about his demeanor.”