Silent Justice Page 21

Jake stood and reached into his shirt pocket. “I recorded everything,” he said, pulling out a small recorder. He looked at it. “It’s amazing how well this thing picks up conversations.”

  Dr. Zalora moved in a step and glared. “Too bad you won’t be able to use it.” He held out a hand. “Give it to me.”

  Jake dropped the recorder back into his pocket and took a step forward, now only five feet from the deadly weapon pointed toward his head.

  Annie looked at Jake with alarm. “Jake, sit down.”

  “You’d better listen to your wife,” Zalora said.

  Jake stretched out an arm and spoke calmly. “Give me the gun.”

  “Stay back,” Zalora shouted, his finger tightening on the trigger.

  Annie screamed. “Jake. Sit down!”

  Jake kept his hand out and took another step.

  Dr. Zalora growled and squeezed the trigger.

  The gun went click, click.

  Jake moved in, grabbed the pistol, and with one punch, he knocked Dr. Zalora to the floor. Virginia gasped and moved back against the wall, staring down at her accomplice, her mouth and eyes wide.

  The doctor lay stunned a moment, then groaned and shook his head to clear his senses. He looked up at Virginia in confusion.

  Annie was unable to speak, her mouth gaping open as she watched.

  Jake reached a hand into the pocket of his pants, then removed his fist and opened it, palm up. “Are you looking for these?”

  Virginia’s expression didn’t change from one of shock as she stared at the fistful of bullets in the palm of Jake’s hand. “How? What?”

  Jake shrugged. “Simple. After I realized you were the killer, I went to the kitchen pretending to get some more cream in my coffee. I did a quick search, checked a couple of drawers, finally found the gun in your handbag, and removed the bullets.” He laughed. “Oh, I could’ve nabbed you right there, but I wanted your confession first.” He tapped his shirt pocket and smiled. “And now I have it.”

  Virginia watched helplessly as Jake loaded the gun, sat down, and trained the weapon their way.

  Jake chuckled. “I’m having a great day. How about you?”

  Annie was finally able to speak, so she dug out her cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.

  Epilogue

  DAY 5 - Friday, 2:25 p.m.

  ANNIE RELAXED in the living room of their modest house, curled up in her favorite chair, trying to catch up on some of her studies. Jake had taken the day off as well and had parked the Firebird in the sun, washing and polishing it to a dazzling shine.

  Annie found it hard to concentrate on her reading, and she tucked the bookmark into her manual on police procedure and set it on the stand beside her chair.

  She glanced out the front window. Hank had called a little earlier and said he was going to drop by to get their statements regarding the capture of the killers. She eagerly waited to see what he had to say about his interview with Virginia Thorburn and Dr. Zalora, but more than that, she was concerned about Adam.

  The young man had been subjected to a devious and heartbreaking plot, and whether or not he would be prosecuted for kidnapping, he faced some hard times.

  Annie stood and moved closer to the window when Hank pulled his car in behind the Firebird. The cop got out, spoke briefly to Jake, and exchanged a laugh with him as the two guys headed for the house.

  The pair were still chuckling about something when the front door opened and they stepped inside. Annie went over and leaned against the doorway between the living room and lobby. “What’s so funny?”

  Hank looked at her and grinned. “Hi, Annie. Jake was telling me about the little trick he pulled with the bullets.”

  “Yeah, it was a barrel of laughs,” Annie said dryly. She motioned toward the front room. “Come on in, Hank.”

  Annie went back to her chair and snuggled up while Jake and Hank sat on opposite ends of the couch. Hank set his briefcase between them and laid his arm along the back. “It’s been a busy day. I’ll go back to the precinct a little later and finish up, but for now, I’m taking a break. I’m on official police business anyway. I need to get your statements.”

  “Did you listen to the recording?” Jake asked.

  Hank nodded. “It was muffled in a few places, but overall, we could make out everything that was said. Callaway said he could clean it up, and it’s going to go a long way toward building our case against the two of them.”

  Jake chuckled. “That was an idea I got from Annie on our last big case.”

  Hank winked at Annie. “You’re teaching him well.”

  “He has the occasional good idea,” Annie said with a smile.

  Jake gave a mock laugh and changed the subject. “Tell us about the interview with the two scumbags, Hank.”

  “The interviews weren’t much of a challenge. Once we split them up and confronted them with the evidence and your recording, it didn’t take much prodding to get the rest of the details. Especially from Virginia Thorburn. She tried to blame it all on the doctor at first, but soon broke down and spilled everything.”

  “What about the interview with Dr. Zalora?” Annie asked.

  “Zalora got a lawyer immediately and tried to cut a deal. Claimed Virginia was the instigator and responsible for both murders. Which might be true, but it doesn’t matter. He was totally complaisant with the whole thing. So we didn’t budge. There was no need to make any kind of deal with him, especially since Virginia was so forthcoming.”

  “I’m curious about the name, “Adam Thor,” written in blood at Nina White’s murder,” Jake said. “Was that done by Nina, or Virginia?”

  Hank chuckled. “I think Virginia has watched too many horror movies. She was the one who wrote it, trying to lead us to Adam.”

  “So Virginia convinced Adam he was responsible, and he believed it because of his blackout spells.”

  “Exactly,” Hank said. “And when Adam ran, it made him appear guilty.”

  “What about all the evidence against Adam?” Annie asked.

  “She manufactured a lot of evidence against him at both scenes. It led us straight to Adam, but it was all circumstantial. Like the size eleven shoe prints at the Ronson murder. The prints were from Adam’s shoes, but she wore them at the time.”

  “I’m concerned about Adam,” Annie said. “What caused him to have so many blackouts and hallucinations?”

  “Along with his regular antipsychotic medication to treat his schizophrenia, the doctor tried a variety of combinations before finally adding ketamine to the mix. It has anesthetic properties and can cause confusion and a lot of other problems if taken improperly. The plan was to make Adam violent and delusional so he could easily be blamed.”

  “And the whole thing was concocted to get rid of him?” Jake asked.

  “It actually started off simply. Kill one person, frame Adam, and get rid of him. But it soon escalated out of control and they had to see it through. There was too much money at stake. Well over a million dollars.”

  “So after finding the right mix of drugs, they thought they had the perfect crime,” Jake said.

  “Exactly. Adam trusted the doctor and his stepmother, and it almost destroyed him. His hallucinations were increasing to the point where he often didn’t know reality from delusion. He was convinced he killed four people. And since the last two took place only in his mind, he could remember them. Or thought he did.”

  “Hank, why were you not aware of the trust fund?” Jake asked.

  “The fund, with strict limitations, had been set up in Virginia Thorburn’s name, and she wasn’t under any suspicion. To dig that deeply into her financial records would have required a warrant. A warrant we would have been unable to obtain without any real evidence against her.”

  Annie leaned forward. “What’ll happen to Adam?”

  “He’s in the hospital right now. They’ve done blood tests to find out exactly what’s in his system. He’s being watched, more for his own protection than anything els
e. The police psychologist talked with him extensively, and he’s of the opinion that not only will Adam recover, but his schizophrenia can be totally controlled.”

  “That’s good news,” Annie said. “But how is he emotionally?”

  Hank shrugged. “He was devastated when he found out the truth, naturally. It’s not easy to find out you’ve been betrayed by two people you trusted. And I dropped in to see him this morning. He can’t seem to wrap his head around the fact he’s going to be fine. He’s on an emotional roller coaster, that’s for sure, but he’s in a much better mood now. Though he’s confused about one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Jake asked.

  Hank laughed. “He doesn’t understand why everyone is being so kind to him.”

  Annie smiled. “That young man is going to need a lot of love. He’s been through so much.”

  Hank nodded. “He’s going to get it, I’ll bet. He’s actually a likeable guy. With some counseling and a lot of emotional support, I’m betting he’ll recover completely.”

  “What about criminal charges?” Jake asked. “I realize he broke the law, but I hope you’re not going to lock him up.”

  Hank looked at Annie. “I assume you’re not going to pursue kidnapping charges against him?”

  “Not a chance.”

  Hank shrugged. “The only other thing is illegal possession of a firearm. I’m thankful he didn’t hurt anyone. He didn’t even fire it, and given the circumstances, I’m sure the crown won’t prosecute.”

  “They won’t,” Annie said. “Once all this hits the press, the crown wouldn’t take a chance on it. It would only make them look bad.”

  “Adam asked about you two,” Hank said. “Even with all his problems, he felt concerned, especially about you, Annie. He wanted to know if you were okay.”

  “He’ll find out this afternoon,” Annie said. “I’ve got a big hug for him, and I plan on delivering it personally.”

  Jake grinned. “I think I’ll go with her. I’d like to get to know the new Adam Thorburn.”

  “If you don’t mind,” Hank said. “I just might join you.”

  ###

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  Rayven T. Hill

  Books by Rayven T. Hill

  Blood and Justice

  The First Book in the Series

  When sixteen-year-old Jenny James goes missing, and the local police are unable to find her, the girl’s frantic mother hires private investigators Jake and Annie Lincoln to search for her daughter.

  When the body of Jenny’s boyfriend is discovered, the mystery of her disappearance deepens. Shaken out of their comfort zone of Internet searches and poring over public records, the couple soon find themselves facing the frightening possibility they are looking for the latest victim of a serial killer.

  As more bodies pile up, the town is gripped with fear. It seems no one is safe, and the Lincolns race to solve an impossible puzzle before they become the killer’s next victims.

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  Cold Justice

  The Second Book in the Series

  Late one night an emotionally disturbed woman, Abigail Macy, witnesses a murder. She reports what she saw to the police, but out of fear that the killer will return to eliminate her as a witness, she keeps quiet about his identity. When the police investigate her claim, they find no evidence of a crime, and influenced by her psychiatrist’s diagnosis that she was delusional, the case is closed.

  Abigail’s condition deteriorates, and she shuts herself away, withdrawn and distraught, refusing to speak to anyone except the occasional word to her husband. To ease her tormented mind, he hires private investigators Jake and Annie Lincoln to find a supposed killer, with no proof that one exists.

  When Abigail is found dead two days later, the coroner concludes that she had committed suicide, however the Lincolns aren’t convinced of the verdict. Now, with the only witness dead, the challenge to unravel the truth and find a murderer becomes more baffling.

  The Lincolns find themselves in danger of being the killer’s next victims as they are drawn into a perilous web of lies, deceit and cover-ups.

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  Justice for Hire

  The Third Book in the Series

  A young girl who has been missing for eight months, suddenly reappears and commits a heinous murder. She claims not to know why she did it, or where she had been for the last few months. The girl’s desperate parents hire private investigators Jake and Annie Lincoln to find the truth behind their daughter’s disappearance, and why she would return and kill a stranger in cold blood.

  An ex-con, who had seemingly turned his life around, becomes the next victim when a young boy shoots him, and then casually holds the gun to his own head, and pulls the trigger. An aspiring city councilor is executed in the same manner. None of the deadly murderers seem to be aware of their actions.

  As the Lincolns race to solve the puzzle of why young killers are casually murdering without remorse, they are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy and become targets of a merciless assassin.

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  Captive Justice

  The Fourth Book in the Series

  When a woman is abducted and the self-proclaimed “Merchant of Life” demands strict adherence to his impossible terms, the police are perplexed.

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  Justice Overdue

  The Fifth Book in the Series

  Private investigators Jake & Annie Lincoln make plans to take a break away from their hectic schedule and relax. The family’s goal of a peaceful weekend spirals into chaos when an escaped convict creates havoc and threatens the lives of everyone around him.

  The trail of destruction leads from a sleepy town to the untamed northern wilderness, where the Lincolns own lives are endangered by the most unpredictable creature of all, the ruthless and inhumane Varick Lucas.

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  Justice Returns

  The Sixth Book in the Series

  In this much-requested sequel to Blood and Justice, the first book in the series, private investigators Jake and Annie Lincoln are drawn into double jeopardy when a serial killer escapes from prison and hires them to find out who killed his parents, and why.

  The detectives’ own lives are at stake when they find themselves caught in a dangerous and deadly situation, torn between their moral obligation to investigate the cold case murders of the two innocent victims, and to catch the cold-blooded killer who hired them.

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  Personal Justice

  The Seventh Book in the Series

  When a man is brutally murdered and the suspected killer has disappeared, the family of the victim hire private investigators Jake and Annie Lincoln to track down the missing murderer.

  A dangerous and deadly pursuit begins, in which both the hunted and the hunters become embroiled in a lethal conflict that could result in the Lincolns forfeiting their own lives in their battle to bring a ruthless killer to justice.


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  Silent Justice

  The Eighth Book in the Series

  After the gruesome murder of a school counselor, the victim’s overwrought husband hires private investigators Jake and Annie Lincoln to track down the young suspect wanted for the brutal murder.

  The senseless slaughter continues as the distraught fugitive struggles to retain his sanity and control his unstable mind while striving to evade a police manhunt.

  The Lincolns’ own lives are put in danger when their search finally brings them face to face with the desperate man, who seems determined to inflict revenge on his enemies at all cost.

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  Coming Next

  Web of Justice

  The Ninth Book in the Series

  About the Author

  Rayven T. Hill was born in 1954 in Markham, Ontario. He has had a variety of occupations and careers since then, spending the last fourteen years as a computer programmer and web site designer.

  His first novel, written in 1960, was an instant hit with his mother and one sibling. He then put his career as a novelist aside for half a century to concentrate on making a living, but has now ventured back into the world of writing.

  His first real novel, Blood and Justice, was published as an eBook in June 2013.

  He lives with his wife in Toronto.

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