Unlikely Partners Book One: Twin Sons of Different Mothers
Manufacturer: Raine Falconer
ISBN: 978-1-936000-21-0
Length:
Plus Novel
Category:
Suspense
Rating:
Warm
Photography/Artwork:
Jenifer Ranieri
Release Date:
December 2009
Price: $5.99
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People are dying in Colorado... violently and without apparent reason, stumping local police.
When Mac arrives in Colorado, his plan is to help an old friend solve the puzzle of the Alphabet Killer. On the tail end of a nasty divorce, he never expected to find a woman as intriguing and beautiful as his new, temporary partner - Detective Kieren Carlson. But she is both, and soon he finds himself as captured by Kieren as he is by the case.
Kieren is determined to solve the puzzle of the killings before more people have to die. With Mac's help, the truth is revealed one devastating and surprising detail at a time. But, can they stop the killer before someone else has to die?
EXCERPT
"Superficially there seems to be no connection between any of the victims. No friends or employers… even acquaintances in common."
He was quick to point out that they might share a common connection through a professional relationship such as a dentist or family photographer but those were details they would need to correlate with time. Hopefully they would come upon something to lead them in the right direction.
"The cause of death in each case is garroting, though the wire or cord is missing. Generally we find that garroting is a method of choice when the death is intended to be quick and with little struggle. It must be accomplished by surprise. These people had no idea death stalked them. Undoubtedly they didn't see it coming."
He pointed at the names on the board. "Does anything stand out with regards to the names?"
He turned back to the group. Six pairs of eyes looked blankly at the board then back at him. Kieren, on the other hand looked like she was actually thinking about the question. She had written something in her notebook and busily connected words with long lines and arrows.
Mac continued. "What we do know about serial killers, statistically speaking, is that they tend to stay within their ethnic group. That is to say whites kill whites, African-American kills African-American etc. although there are notable exceptions to every rule. In this case we find that we have both women and children as victims, one Native American boy, and one child of mixed white and Asian heritage. These things make me question how these people are being picked. Is it truly a series of crimes of opportunity? Or were they picked for a reason and we don't know what that reason is yet? Detective Carlson, is there something you're seeing?"
Something flashed across Chase's face at the mention of her name, attracting Mac's attention, but he quickly covered it with a mask of control. "Yeah, Carlson…tell us what you see up there…" he muttered under his breath.
Mac frowned. "We won't have any opinion stifled here. This is a team project, and until you have something productive to add, I suggest you pay attention without comment." Chase had the good grace to look embarrassed.
Kieren stood up and after looking once more at her notes. When she spoke, her voice was clear and without hesitation. "Can we put them in order of being reported missing, not in order of having been found?" She pointed to the names and said "Appelschultz was reported missing first." She looked back at her notes again and then continued. "Then comes Boyington, Cattrell, Doggett and Eggleston."
Mac quickly erased the names he'd written and re-wrote them in that order. "Good, good," he muttered to himself as he worked. √ "Oh great." Paulson piped up from his side of the room. "It's an alphabet… the next one will be someone whose last name starts with 'F'? That'll narrow it down but still not enough to figure out who it is before there's a stiff somewhere."
Mac felt a well-remembered tingling that told him they were on to something primal in the motivation of the killer. It was a sixth sense he had and it had not led him wrong so far. He stood staring at the names…
Mac and Kieren saw it at the same time, because she spoke the exact thoughts in his head.
"It's more than an alphabet," Kieren pointed out excitedly. "I remember seeing an old preschool primer when I was a kid… 'A' is for 'Apple', 'B' is for 'Boy'…" She shook her head, a dazed expression in her eyes.
Mac understood it. Someone… anyone… should have seen this sooner.
Mac nodded as he underlined the words within the names. "Good call. Detective Carlson, I want you to get on the Internet and research primers. See if they're still in use now, how many different ones there are or were, how the alphabets differed in them ¿ things like that. If they are individual enough we might be able to pinpoint where the killer grew up. Who knows what information this could bring us."
"The dynamics of the detective squad and the escalating events in the “Alphabet Killer” case make this story a high-tension, horrifying tale at times. As Mac and Kiersen work on the case, they get close to the killer but seem to always be one-step behind, making this story a real page-turner... the suspense and the fast pace of the police work make Twin Sons of Different Mothers thrilling and sometimes chilling entertainment."
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