First, Murder

F I R S T, M U R D E R (An Alex Quinn Mystery—Book 1) R y l i e D a r k Rylie Dark Bestselling author Rylie Dark is author of the SADIE PRICE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); of the HAILEY ROCK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); of the TARA STRONG MYSTERY series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the ALEX QUINN SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting). An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Rylie loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.ryliedark.com to learn more and stay in touch. Copyright © 2023 by Rylie Dark. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright blackday, used under license from Shutterstock.com. BOOKS BY RYLIE DARK ALEX QUINN SUSPENSE THRILLER FIRST, MURDER (Book #1) SECOND, DEATH (Book #2) THIRD, ENVY (Book #3) FOURTH, LUST (Book #4) FIFTH, WRATH (Book #5) TARA STRONG MYSTERY GIRL WITHOUT A CHANCE (Book #1) GIRL WITHOUT A HOME (Book #2) GIRL WITHOUT A TRACE (Book #3) GIRL WITHOUT A NAME (Book #4) GIRL WITHOUT A PRAYER (Book #5) HAILEY ROCK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER BEHIND YOU (Book #1) BESIDE YOU (Book #2) AFTER YOU (Book #3) WATCHING YOU (Book #4) JUDGING YOU (Book #5) SADIE PRICE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER ONLY MURDER (Book #1) ONLY RAGE (Book #2) ONLY HIS (Book #3) ONLY ONCE (Book #4) ONLY SPITE (Book #5) ONLY MADNESS (Book #6) MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER SEE HER RUN (Book #1) SEE HER HIDE (Book #2) SEE HER SCREAM (Book #3) SEE HER VANISH (Book #4) SEE HER GONE (Book #5) SEE HER DEAD (Book #6) CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER NO WAY OUT (Book #1) NO WAY BACK (Book #2) NO WAY HOME (Book #3) NO WAY LEFT (Book #4) NO WAY UP (Book #5) NO WAY TO DIE (Book #6) MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER TOO LATE (Book #1) TOO CLOSE (Book #2) TOO FAR GONE (Book #3) TOO LOST (Book #4) TOO BROKEN (Book #5) CONTENTS PROLOGUE CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY ONE CHAPTER TWENTY TWO CHAPTER TWENTY THREE CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE CHAPTER TWENTY SIX CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT CHAPTER TWENTY NINE CHAPTER THIRTY EPILOGUE PROLOGUE A sudden scream pierced the roar of the crowd. Instead of watching the event she had dreamed of seeing her whole life, Venice’s city-wide masquerade ball, Hannah scanned the crowd for the person who screamed. Her gaze skimmed past the floats drifting down the canal as she searched the hordes of people crowded on the walkways or watching from gondolas. Each float carried a new, elaborate spectacle—on one, a dancer swung from suspended ribbons, flipping and turning. On another, a man twirled flaming batons, lighting the night sky. The air smelled like alcohol and firework smoke. Hannah moved through the gathering and climbed to the top of an arched bridge where she could watch the scene from a better vantage point. The exploding fireworks illuminated the otherwise dark, porcelain masks worn by every partygoer. Her heart raced with mounting fear, but no matter how hard she peered into the darkness, no matter how closely she searched the shadowy figures, she couldn’t find the owner of the scream. Had she imagined it? No—it was Sarah. She was sure. Ever since she'd been a child and learned about the masquerade balls in Venice, Hannah had wanted to come here to see them herself. She'd been fascinated by the decadent costumes, most of them built uniquely to be worn just one day. She wanted to lose herself in that anonymous crowd, be swallowed in her disguise. So, when her college friend Sarah offered her a place to stay in the city, she’d jumped at the chance and booked the first flight from Canada she found. The lights, the spectacle of the carnival season—she couldn’t even say when she lost Sarah. God, please don’t let that be her scream. Hannah searched the crowd for her friend’s mask, but it seemed to appear and disappear like a mirage, its bejeweled, checkered pattern hardly unique in the teeming swarm of people. “SARAH!” Hannah shouted. But there was no answer, apart from a few odd looks from the revelers closest to her. A woman bending over a rail, yelling—no . . . not the source of the scream. The woman was laughing, her dainty fingers pressed against cold, pale marble. Her gaze swished to the other side of the bridge, Hannah's breath coming rapidly. Prickles crept along her spine. “Sarah?” she murmured,