The Faceless Killer

The Faceless KillerHarborside Secrets - Book 4 Katy Pierce Copyright © 2023 by Katy PierceAll rights reserved.No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Contents Description Dedication 1. Chapter One 2. Chapter Two 3. Chapter Three 4. Chapter Four 5. Chapter Five 6. Chapter Six 7. Chapter Seven 8. Chapter Eight 9. Chapter Nine 10. Chapter Ten 11. Chapter Eleven 12. Chapter Twelve 13. Chapter Thirteen 14. Chapter Fourteen 15. Chapter Fifteen 16. Chapter Sixteen 17. Chapter Seventeen 18. Chapter Eighteen 19. Chapter Nineteen 20. Chapter Twenty 21. Chapter Twenty-One 22. Chapter Twenty-Two 23. Chapter Twenty-Three 24. Chapter Twenty-Four 25. Chapter Twenty-Five 26. Chapter Twenty-Six 27. Chapter Twenty-Seven 28. Chapter Twenty-Eight 29. Chapter Twenty-Nine 30. Chapter Thirty What's Next A Note From The Author Acknowledgments Harborside Secrets Series About the Author Description“I warned you not to come back, Carlee… Stay away or suffer the consequences.” Private investigator Carlee Knight is sure of one thing: someone is hunting her. And with every passing moment, the shadow of their knife looms closer than ever before.But Carlee is no stranger to being hunted—or to being a hunter. She’s been on a quest for vengeance ever since her quaint lakeshore hometown was gutted by a vicious child-killer. Over a decade later, she’s still determined to take down her beloved twin brother’s murderer. Now that Carlee is stirring up dead classmates’ ghosts back in Harborside, she must face the harsh truth. Because it’s looking more and more like her most treasured childhood memories might be nothing more than a cauldron of poisonous lies… and every friendly face may hide a deadly enemy.As Carlee chases the elusive Eighth-Grade Killer of her past, she is also pulled into her most dangerous case yet. An accountant wakes from a six-year coma after a hit-and-run “accident” that almost killed her… and discovers it may have been anything but an accident.Bodies pile up around Carlee as she probes the high-power boardrooms and seedy back alleys of Chicago for answers.The pursuit of justice throws her into a corporate circus of multimillion-dollar secrets, lethal toxins, and life-or-death blackmail. And this time, the conspiracy runs deeper than she could have ever imagined.The Faceless Killer is the fourth book of Katy Pierce’s gripping psychological thriller series, Harborside Secrets, where a dark secret lurks beneath every smile, and no bloody stone is left unturned. I’d like to dedicate this book to anyone who’s afraid to walk away. If you’re in a bad place, just get up and walk away. There’s no need for you to explain yourself. It’s your life and it’s the only one you’ll ever get. Do what makes you happy. Chapter OneIt was already shaping up to be a bad day. She could tell—Candice always did have a sixth sense for that type of thing. She knew it the second her curling iron singed a lock of her chestnut hair. She knew it when she discovered that her favorite foundation had expired the previous day. She knew it when a button popped off her best sport jacket and plunked right into the toilet bowl, meaning she’d have to wear the three-button blazer, and everyone at the office hated the three-button blazer.Yeah, it was going to be a bad day.Candice checked her watch, trying her hardest not to tap her foot too loudly against the coffee shop floor. It felt like the jackass at the front of the line had been dithering about his order for an hour.“Some people have to go to work, asshole,” she muttered under her breath, quiet enough not to be overheard. Finally, he managed to blurt out something that resembled a beverage, and Candice shuffled to the front.“I’m so sorry, guys,” she groaned. “I’m in such a rush. Can you just get me my—”Candice fell silent as the barista placed a steaming paper cup in front of her, smiling widely. “Your usual? Medium French vanilla capp, whole milk. I started it as soon as you walked in.”“God, you’re amazing.” Candice dug a ten from her purse to pay for the coffee and a second ten for a tip, then she bumped the door open with her backside and slid out into bustling downtown Chicago.The subtle aroma of coffee wafting up from her cup and the glorious sheen of sunlit skyscrapers lifted her spirits. Maybe today wouldn’t be so terrible after all.She moved briskly down the sidewalk, expertly avoiding pedestrian traffic, and snagged a copy of the Financial Journal from a news machine. If she power-walked, she could sneak into the office right before her boss finished the first morning meeting, and then her day wouldn’t be half as bad as she thought.When her phone buzzed in her pocket, she fished it out with one hand while tucking the newspaper into her purse with the other.“Well, hello, gorgeous!” Candice chirped, ending her sentence with a sip of sweet coffee. “How are you this fine morning?”“Fine morning?” Isabella mumbled groggily. “Who the hell are you, and what’s happened to Candice? What’ve you done to my best friend?”“Nothing! It’s a beautiful day out, and I just grabbed my coffee. I’m in a good mood, you know?”“Oh, really?” Isabella clearly saw right through her lie. “So I can just disregard this long-ass text you sent me in the middle of the night? Am I supposed to believe that all your woes have washed away because you have your coffee now?”“Yes,” Candice announced, enjoying how Isabella tutted on the other end of the line.“Come on! Tell me what Caleb did that made you want to call off the wedding less than twenty-four hours ago!”Candice cringed as she waited at the intersection for the crossing signal. “That might have been a little exaggerated. You can forget I ever sent that text.”“No. No, Candice. You can’t send me a literal book at one o’clock in the morning and then not tell me what the dickhead did…”Candice stifled