Killing Justice Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title page

  Dear Reader:

  A Capitol Obsession

  Dear Reader:

  Killing Justice

  Dear Reader:

  Above Reproach

  Allison Brennan Booklist

  Killing Justice

  By Allison Brennan

  KILLING JUSTICE © 2012 by Allison Brennan

  A Capitol Obsession © 2009

  When a lobbyist is found dead in the armoire of a Senate leader, Detective John Black teams with his off-again girlfriend, State Senator Lara James to find the killer.

  Killing Justice © 2008

  A grieving mother takes the law into her own hands.

  Above Reproach © 2012

  Sex crimes detective Selena Black risks her career and her life to prove that Greg Keller is the River City Rapist.

  Praise for Allison Brennan’s Books

  LUCY KINCAID SERIES

  Love Me to Death

  “A world-class nail-biter … Brennan is in the groove with this one.”

  – New York Times Bestselling Author Lee Child

  “Grabbing the reader by the throat from almost the first page, this pulse-ratcheting romantic suspense from Brennan delivers intense action, multifaceted characters, and a truly creepy bad guy. . . . [A] fast-paced, engrossing read.”

  – Publishers Weekly

  “A page turner, full throttle thriller … One of the best books that I've read in the romantic thriller genre.”

  – Bewitched Bookworms

  “[Love Me To Death] had everything I look for in a well told mystery.”

  –Wordsmithonia

  Kiss Me, Kill Me

  “[A] riveting new series.… Lucy continues to be a fascinating and enticing character, and her ongoing development adds depth to an already rich brew of murder and mystery. Brennan rocks!”

  – RT Book Reviews

  “Ms. Brennan ratchets up the suspense on page one and keeps it going until the last page.”

  – Fresh Fiction

  If I Should Die

  “Brennan’s Lucy Kincaid/Sean Rogan books are not only excellent procedural thrillers, but also chart the evolution of an intriguing relationship. The peeks into the mind of this heinous killer are all too chilling, making the threat level palpable and the story riveting. Brennan is on a major roll!”

  – RT Book Reviews

  “Non-stop action, spine-tingling suspense … a wonderful addition to a great series.”

  – Fresh Fiction

  “A spine-tingling chiller that will wrap you up in its mystery and take you on a heart-pounding race to the breathtaking finale!”

  – Joyfully Reviewed, Recommended Read

  Silenced

  “Brennan throws a lot of story lines into the air and juggles them like a master. The mystery proves to be both compelling and complex.”

  – Associated Press

  “Can’t-put-it-down exciting.”

  – Fresh Fiction

  “From first to last, this story grabs hold and never lets go.”

  – RT Book Reviews, Top Pick!

  ROMANTIC THRILLERS

  The Prey

  “Taut, fast-paced suspense . . . A killer debut.”

  – NYT Bestselling Author Mariah Stewart

  “Outstanding psychological thriller has great plot, well-defined characters and unexpected twists.”

  – Fresh Fiction

  The Hunt

  “Brennan does murder better than almost everyone writing in the suspense genre.”

  – Armchair Interviews

  “Brennan is a force to be reckoned with in the thriller genre. … The characters are solid, the plot hurtles forward, twisting and turning in true thriller fashion.”

  – Reviewing the Evidence

  The Kill

  “Excellent psychological thriller.”

  – Fresh Fiction

  “Powerful, emotional, and not for the faint-hearted, Allison Brennan books are to watch out for.”

  – Curled Up With A Good Book Reviews

  Speak No Evil

  “SPEAK NO EVIL is an edge-of-your-seat, wild, twisty, chilling read.”

  – Romance Reader at Heart—A Top Pick for 2007

  “Brennan's arrival on the suspense scene has been a tremendous gift.”

  – RT Book Reviews

  See No Evil

  “Brennan firmly cements her position as a top suspense author by delivering an absolutely chilling and tragically sad novel. What makes this story so compelling is seeing how vengeance is taken to the destructive extreme and corruption and abuse of power create monsters. This book is mesmerizing and haunting.”

  – RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

  Fear No Evil

  “Brennan's cold-blooded killer is horrifying in the extreme. That's not surprising, since this author is making a name for herself by producing not only memorable heroes but also unforgettable villains. This journey into terror is fast paced and pulse pounding. This is Brennan's best book to date!”

  – RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

  “Brennan has a terrific talent for scaring the pants off readers while at the same time making them want more, more, MORE!”

  – Kim Cantrell, True Crime Book Reviews

  Killing Fear

  “Fast becoming a master at delivering complex, layered plots and characters that erupt from the page, Brennan has created a roller-coaster ride of chills!”

  – RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

  “A bone-chilling tale with a villain straight out of your worst nightmares. . . . KILLING FEAR delivers to the heart-stopping end.”

  – Fresh Fiction

  Tempting Evil

  “An excellent thriller that would surely make an easy transition to the small or big screen. Overall, TEMPTING EVIL is an exciting read from start to finish and I devoured it in an extremely short space of time.”

  – Reviewing the Evidence

  “When you pick up a Brennan novel, you know you're in for a wild ride that will scare you silly.”

  – RT Book Reviews

  Playing Dead

  “Ms. Brennan delivers another breathtaking tale of gritty, terrifying excellence.”

  – Romance Reader at Heart—A Top Pick for 2008

  “Crafty Brennan wraps up her Prison Break trilogy with the intricate tale of a nearly perfect frame-up. . . . It's wonderfully complex and terrifying at the same time.”

  – RT Book Reviews

  Sudden Death

  “Fast, fierce fun. Brennan knows how to deliver.”

  – NYT Bestselling Author Lisa Gardner

  “A first-rate book, superbly plotted and executed, with exceptional characters. A real page-turner with twists and turns all the way to the end. I could not put this book down. Highly recommended.”

  – Fresh Fiction

  Fatal Secrets

  “In this chilling thriller, Brennan explores the consequences of sliding from fierce commitment into obsession. . . . A master of suspense, Brennan does another outstanding job uniting horrifying action, procedural drama and the birth of a romance -- a prime example of why she's tops in the genre.”

  – RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

  “A fast-paced, action-packed romantic suspense.”

  – Romance Junkies

  Cutting Edge

  “Both the nature and nurture sides of the “what makes a psychopath” argument are on display in Brennan's chiller. . . . Leave it to Brennan to deliver the creepy and deadly. This is definitely the stuff of nightmares.”

  – RT Book Reviews

  “An excellent suspense novel with a great psychopath villain.”

  – Romance Readers at Heart

&
nbsp; Dear Reader:

  I worked in the California State Legislature for thirteen years. I never wanted to write a political thriller, but always thought that the Capitol made a great setting for a murder mystery.

  When I was asked to contribute to an anthology of female crime writers, edited by the amazing Elizabeth George, it was the perfect opportunity to set a murder in the capitol.

  I spent a full day walking around every level of the building. As a former staff member, I knew all the secret passages and short cuts, but I’d never paid attention to security cameras or where the California Highway Patrol posted their officers. Now I had reason to—I had murder on my mind and wanted to get away with it.

  Originally, I wanted to dump the body in the narrow space between the historic Capitol Building and the 1950s annex. There’s access through a vent behind the Senate Chamber. I had a friend from the Senate show me around as I surveyed cameras and how I might move a body without being caught. There were a few logistic problems, so I went back to the office and asked the staff where they would hide a body. I shouldn’t admit that I was surprised that everyone had a different hiding place!

  But what sold me on using an armoire was a true story about how the armoire’s key seemed to disappear every time it was replaced. I couldn’t help but think, what if someone put a body inside?

  “A Capitol Obsession” was originally published in 2009 by Harper Collins in the anthology Two of the Deadliest edited by Elizabeth George. The Richmond Times-Dispatch highlighted this story in their review: “Allison Brennan's ‘A Capitol Obsession,’ a murder mystery with a political twist, offers the heft of a full-sized police procedural in a compact, hard-boiled 40 pages.”

  You’ll find at least two familiar characters—Sacramento homicide detective John Black and crime scene investigator Simone Charles, who made appearances in Sudden Death and Fatal Secrets.

  Happy Reading!

  Allison Brennan

  2012

  A Capitol Obsession

  I.

  Well-ventilated though it was, the State Senate minority leader's spacious office couldn't mask the smell of a corpse in the middle of summer.

  Detective John Black flashed his badge in the general direction of the California Highway Patrol officer who guarded the door. The CHP handled Capitol security and they had secured the office as soon as the body had been discovered, but murder was under the jurisdiction of the Sacramento Police Department. All staff, media and other onlookers had been banned from the third floor. Already the Capitol Press Corp had broadcast the news and John had ignored two messages from the chief of police.

  It was the most political of crimes: murder in the Capitol.

  Conspicuously tall at six foot seven, John didn't attempt to survey the scene discreetly. Instead, he crossed into the middle of the room as he pulled on latex gloves. The victim was female, blond, in her early thirties, and seated in a wholly unnatural position crammed into the armoire, a man's suit pushed to the back. A sleeve obscured part of the victim's face.

  The smell was awful, as gases and bodily fluids had released after death. John unconsciously breathed through his mouth. One of the crime scene people offered him Vaseline. He declined. He'd smelled worse decomps during his twenty years on the force, but it only took one summer working Sacramento's streets to learn quickly what heat did to a dead body.

  The victim’s skin had taken on a greenish discoloration, her face was bloated, and the skin had started to marble. Dried blood covered the woman's chest. One of her legs was under her body, the other straight up. She was fully clothed, but her skirt bunched loosely around her thighs revealing black lace underwear attached to garters. One garter was missing.

  John visually inspected the wound in her chest. It didn't look like a bullet—the dark red hole appeared elongated and narrow.

  Knife wound. By the looks of it, only one. No passion, then. Crimes of passion usually resulted in multiple stab wounds as the killer released his anger and frustration in a blind rage.

  John looked away from the dead and inspected Senator Bruce Wyatt's office. No arcs of blood on the ceiling or any sign of disturbance. It was decorated like the rest of the restored Capitol, adorned with antiques in the Renaissance Revival style. A little ornate for John's taste, but it suited the architecture. But the room was full of heavy, antique furniture, an array of period paintings, and covered with a dark burgundy rug. If the woman died here, there would be evidence somewhere.

  “What do you think, Simone?” John asked the supervising criminalist.

  The woman didn't glance away from her examination of the wardrobe. “I'll know more when we can remove the body.”

  “What's the Medical Examiner's ETA?”

  “Thirty minutes.”

  “But you have a guess.”

  This time she did look at him, a hint of humor in her eyes. “I didn't get to be in my position by guessing. I'll wait until we have the room processed before I posit a theory. But,” she added, “I know one thing with certainty.”

  “What?”

  Simone nodded toward the corpse. “Look at her. I think you know what I know.”

  John stared at the body. “She was dead awhile when she was put inside.”

  “Bingo. Rigor had set in. You're looking at her being moved into the armoire roughly twelve to twenty-four hours after death. But the body isn't in rigor anymore, so she's been here a couple days. The M.E. should be able to give you a better timeline.”

  Interesting, John thought. Had the body been lying around the office for a day before the killer decided to stuff her into the armoire? Had she been killed in Wyatt's office or moved here? Where were the security cameras? He made a mental note to talk to the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms as soon as he spoke to those who had discovered the body. He'd learned long ago not to take security for granted.

  “Process all adjacent offices and hallways,” John said.

  “Already on the list.” Simone turned back to her work.

  John turned to one of the CHP officers in the room. “Who found the body?”

  The cop approached, flipped open his notebook and read formally, “Senator Wyatt called us at 9:25 this morning. He was in a meeting when they discovered the body.”

  “Who was in the meeting?”

  “Chief of Staff Rob Douglas and Senator James.”

  Lara James. Perhaps there was a silver lining. After months of avoiding him, she wouldn't be able to ignore him now.

  The cop continued. “Senator James smelled what she thought was a dead rodent. She opened the armoire and found the body.”

  Dead rodent? No way a woman—an ex-soldier—like Lara James would mistake the stench of a human corpse for a rat carcass.

  “And Wyatt didn't notice the smell?”

  It was a rhetorical question, which John would ask Wyatt himself. The armoire itself was solid wood, enough to mask the smell for a time. The foul odor would begin to emanate from the chest, slowly worsening as the body decomposed. Whoever put the body inside had to have known it would be discovered. By the looks of it, she'd been dead more than forty-eight hours, but less than a week. At a week under normal indoor temperature conditions, the gasses would have accumulated to such a degree that the smell couldn’t have been masked.

  They had no ID on the body yet, but John suspected she was known in the building. Once Simone and her team finished processing the scene and he could remove the suit obscuring her face, he'd bet dozens of people would recognize her.

  He turned to the CHP officer. “Take me to Senator Wyatt, please.”

  II.

  The California State Capitol was divided into two distinct, connected buildings. Home of the California Legislature since 1869, the original building had a fourth story added in 1908 and had been completely restored in the early eighties. At one time the four-story structure had housed the entire legislature, governor and staff. But as the state grew so did the politics. Hence, the East Wing annex had been built. It was substantially
bigger than the original building, less attractive but more practical.

  The designers had done the best they could to connect the new six-story building to the original four-story structure, but the entire place was a maze of slopes, stairs, and shortcuts that only experienced staff knew about. The State Assembly occupied the north side of the capitol, the State Senate in the south side. John would have gotten lost if he hadn't been following the uniformed cop from Wyatt's office, through two halls and down a seemingly hidden staircase to the second floor.

  “Senator Wyatt has been in the Member's Lounge since the incident,” the cop said.

  Incident. Murder was not an incident.

  The Member's Lounge—also known as the Maddy—was accessible from the Senate Chambers. It had only artificial light. A long, dark wood conference table sat on plush red carpet that bled out into the hall and the Senate Chambers beyond. Couches framed the perimeter. A refreshment center in the corner provided water and soda. The buffet could be used to bring in lunch or dinner for the elected officials. The large painting of former Senator Ken Maddy almost was lost among the cluttered mish-mash of art that lined the walls—from modern to antique and everything in between.