Serenity Hunted: A Vigilante Justice Action Thriller (The Shelby Alexander Thriller Series Book 9) by Craig A. Hart

Author:Craig A. Hart [Hart, Craig A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Northern Lake Publishing LLC
Published: 2023-02-27T16:00:00+00:00

10

Mack pulled the Crown Vic up to the crime scene with a confidence that only comes with years of police work experience. Both men got out and were immediately spotted by Hammer, who strode toward them, face grim. Her eyes seemed deeper set, and her lips were pressed into a firm line. She was furious, but not at them.

Shelby’s stomach twisted.

This was going to be bad.

“Sheriff,” Shelby said, by way of greeting.

Hammer didn’t bother to reply in kind. “You want my advice? Get in that car, turn around, and drive away.”

“That bad?”

“It’s that bad.” Hammer looked at Mack. “You’ve probably been at scenes equal to this, but I doubt you’ve seen worse.”

Mack whistled. “That’s a bold claim.”

“I take no pride in it. I suppose you’re both going to insist, though?”

Both Shelby and Mack nodded solemnly.

“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Follow me.”

His stomach now twisted into a knot the size and density of a bowling ball, Shelby followed. Mack was close behind, and Shelby was glad for it. While he was no stranger to gruesome scenes, Mack excelled in that department. Some of the stories his detective friend had shared would raise the neck hair of even the most jaded. Human depravity knew no bounds, and no one saw more of it than a detective working the streets of a big city.

The area was crawling with people, and Shelby couldn’t help but contrast this with the spareness of the manpower at the Simms place after the girl had been taken.

Maybe if they had taken the disappearance as seriously as the death, we wouldn’t be here right now, Shelby thought, but then immediately pushed the thought away. There was no way to know if it would have made a difference, and Hammer had certainly reached out for help. Either her request had been ignored or not fulfilled quickly enough. Either way, there was only so much she could do with her limited resources.

The body’s location was concealed from public view by a temporary structure, about 10x10, made of heavy duty white fabric supported by a metal frame. Hammer led the two men around the open side opposite the parking lot.

And there she was.

Or what was left of her.

Shelby’s mind struggled to form some sort of construct to quantify the horror of the scene before him, but it was as if his brain was running into a brick wall, something that refused to allow something this heinous within its borders. He knew this was his mind’s way of protecting itself, and he struggled to concentrate.

This is how people go into shock, he thought. Their systems just can’t handle it.

He stiffened his resolve and moved forward. The massive knot in his midsection shifted, and he could easily have walked off into the surrounding trees and barfed his guts out. But again, he willed himself to remain calm and present.

“Oh … my … god,” Mack breathed, standing just behind him.

And that exhalation made Shelby feel just a bit better. If Mack, with

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