Inside Traitor

Inside Traitor The Silencer Series BY: B.P Stevens Copyright © [2022] [B.P Stevens] – All rights Reserved This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Free Gift! Sign up for my mailing list to receive this FREE exclusive copy of ( Bleeding Carpets ) as well as to be notified of any new releases, giveaways, contests, cover reveals and so much more Click here to sign up for my newsletter Description When the public turns against you, what options do you have? As Emma Pepper and her squad continue hunting down the Silencer, they begin to discover secrets that could completely derail the case. Who is the Silencer? Why did he kill who he killed? And is there more to the story than the police know? The more they study the Silencer, the clearer it becomes that not only is the squad dealing with a serial killer, they are dealing with a pro. He continues to evade forensic evidence and hide from the police in this police procedural series, but that’s not all that Emma has to deal with. Hiding under the prying eyes of her bosses, the squad and Emma feel like they’re being rushed to find the Silencer - or they may lose their jobs. Things only take a turn for the worse when a story breaks on the local news and the Silencer becomes a local hero, not a villain. What can the police do now that the public doesn’t want the Silence behind bars? Who leaked the story? And in the midst of all the drama, can Emma somehow find a way to uncover who the Silencer is before he silences her? Tables of Content Chapter One Emma didn’t think it was possible to get to the scene as fast as her team did, but they made it in record time. It was cramped at first. Even Emma had to admit that a lot of cops and detectives were corralled into a tiny New York apartment, but the entire team wanted to be there for this. If the Silencer struck again, they needed to know. “This place is a pigsty,” Brooke complained, the first to say anything as she squeezed by Matt to get a better view of the smallest apartment she’d ever seen in her entire life. Emma hated to admit it, but Brooke was right. The apartment was covered in weird stains. It smelled like pee and other excrements, and all Emma could think about was her sympathy for the crime scene unit that had to come to investigate this. She wanted to hurl just standing there. Ken had his mouth covered, but clearly, that wasn’t enough. He stepped out for a moment. “It’s worse than the bleach smell,” Matt offered, pinching his nose. “I mean, this is rotting.” “It’s probably that,” Jill pointed to the corner of the room. While Emma expected the dead body to give off fumes of this level, she saw a corner covered in food. Rotting food that had clearly been digested by maggots, worms, and flies. These were the same flies that were hanging around the dead body as if it were a magnet. That was when Brooke caved, running out to join Ken in the hall. “What are we looking at here?” Harper asked. Her voice sounded rather high-pitched since she had her nose pinched between her fingers to withhold the smell. She looked calm, which angered Emma. Surely the smell, or at least the scene, was getting to her. Would it kill Harper to show that she wasn’t perfect and untouchable? “We have to get him back to the morgue for a formal investigation… somehow,” Audrey shook her head and sighed. “But it’s the same M.O. of the Silencer. Single slit across the throat bled out from the artery being nicked.” “Why do you have to take him back to the morgue?” Harper pressed. “It’s his M.O., and the cut was deep.” “I just want to make sure,” Audrey offered. “I don’t like jumping to conclusions. Not when it comes to the victims. They had lives, and they deserve respect. I want to grant them that, even in their final moments.” Harper nodded, and Emma smirked. Audrey sucker punched her, and surely that embarrassed Harper. “I know we’re all eager to catch this guy, but I want to be absolutely certain before we move forward on anything,” Audrey shrugged. “I don’t want you guys to waste your time any more than you do.” Harper smiled. “Thanks, Audrey. I appreciate it.” “Okay, so if this is the Silencer, then this dude should be a journalist,” Matt pointed out. “Though, from the way he was living, I’d be surprised if he got out much.” “You’d be right about that, Matt,” Jill waved a press pass in her gloved hand. “He worked for the local paper. Nothing crazy.” “Huh,” Emma crossed her arms. “Local paper? No big-name news outlets?” “Nope,” Jill shook her head. “Says here he worked for the AM New York Metro.” “Wow, okay,” Emma took the badge and narrowed her eyes. “What the heck could this guy have on the Silencer? He wasn’t a big-time journalist. No post, no times… what was it?” “I have a feeling his computer will tell us,” Harper offered, gesturing to the creaky desk. No one moved. The laptop was close to the corner of the room full of filth, and the truth was clear: No one wanted to touch it. There was an air around it, like a warning. The Silencer hadn’t touched it either, which was a huge sign for the team. “He didn’t take it?” Matt gasped, then gagged. “No,” Emma shook her head. “That’s…not his M.O.” “It’s weird, for sure,” Harper approached the laptop and frowned. “The victim pattern is consistent, why change it up now? Why leave