In His Sights

Table of ContentsBlurbAcknowledgmentsChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapter 27Chapter 28Chapter 29Chapter 30Chapter 31Chapter 32Chapter 33Chapter 34Chapter 35Chapter 36Chapter 37Chapter 38Chapter 39Chapter 40Keep ReadingAbout the AuthorBy K.C. WellsMore from K.C. WellsVisit DSP PublicationsCopyright In His Sights By K.C. Wells Random letters belong on Scrabble tiles, not dead bodies. But when a demented serial killer targets Boston’s gay population, leaving cryptic messages carved into his victims, lead detective Gary Mitchell has no choice but to play along.As the body count rises, Gary gets desperate enough to push aside his skepticism and accept the help of a psychic. Dan Porter says he can offer new clues, and Gary needs all the insight into the killer’s mind he can get.Dan has lived with his gift—sometimes his curse—his entire life. He feels compelled to help, but only if he can keep his involvement secret. Experience has taught him to be cautious of the police and the press, but his growing connection to Gary distracts him from the real danger. As they edge closer to solving the puzzle, Dan finds himself in the killer’s sights…. Acknowledgments My thanks to my beta team, as always.Special thanks to Jack Parton for his knowledge of Boston.EXTRA special thanks to Geoff Symon for his invaluable assistance and for putting up with countless messages. That went above and beyond. Thank you, Geoff. Chapter 1 Boston, MA. Tuesday May 15, 2018 DETECTIVE GARY Mitchell took one look at the naked dead man lying facedown on the bed and his day officially went to shit.Aw Christ, not another one.The bedroom was an eerie carbon copy of the previous crime scenes. A small bottle sat on the nightstand, and Gary didn’t need to see the label to know it contained GHB. On the bed beside the body were a tangle of red rope and a pair of handcuffs. He glanced at the rug, and sure enough, there was the soiled condom. Gary returned his attention to the deceased, noting the marks on the wrists and ankles, just like the previous victims.This one struggled too. At least until the drugs kicked in. It was all supposition until the autopsy, but Gary saw no reason why the killer would change his MO. It hadn’t gotten him caught so far, right? Why change a winning formula? The thought made Gary’s blood run cold.But what made his heart sink was the bloodstain on the corner of the white sheet that covered the guy’s lower back.“We’ve already taken photos of the scene.” Detective Riley Watson picked up the condom with his nitrile-covered hand and dropped it into an evidence bag, then sealed it. He scowled. “God, I wanna catch this bastard.” He scribbled on the label, noting the time.Gary didn’t respond. There was no need. They all wanted that.Detective Lewis Stevens stood next to Del Maddox, the medical examiner. Lewis stared at the sheet, then raised his gaze to meet Gary’s. “Wonder what it’s gonna be this time?”“Maybe he’s obliged us by signing his handiwork,” Del muttered. He pulled back the sheet with care and sighed. “Here we go again.”A letter X was carved into the victim’s lower back.“Done before death occurred, like the others?” Gary inquired. The amount of blood pointed to that conclusion.Del nodded. “Looks like he used the same implement too.”Lewis grimaced. “Jesus. I hoped we’d seen the last of this guy.”“You and me both.” Riley peered at him. “I bet it’s days like this that make you sorry you ever left Vice. Chelmsford PD get a lot of these kinda cases?”Lewis shook his head. “Never saw anything like this.”“Give it time,” Del observed. “You’ve only been in Homicide for what, four years? Wait till you’ve been at it for as long as I have.” He gazed at the deceased, and Gary noted the compassionate glance. “He could be my age.”“Can we save the chat for later and concentrate on doing our jobs?” Gary’s stomach roiled, and a rock had taken up residence in his chest.Lewis was silent, but his scowl said plenty. Riley gave a respectful nod and withdrew to talk to the uniform boys.Del glanced at the nightstand. “Thoughtful of the killer to leave the drug. Now I know what to look for in the tox screen. Except if he’s anything like the previous victims, there’ll be a whole cocktail of drugs inside him.” He addressed Gary. “How many of these guys do we have so far?”“He’s number five.” Another one to add to the board. Any more and we’ll need another board. Gary couldn’t suppress his shiver.Del pursed his lips. “So, five letters now. Anyone succeeded in making a word from the previous four?”“None that make any sense.”“The killer’s probably a Scrabble player with a list of obscure words.” Both Gary and Lewis gaped at him. Del pushed out another sigh. “Sorry, guys. I’m as gutted as you are, but humor is my default when I don’t want to think about a maniac being out there.” He gestured to the body. “Help me roll him so I can take a look at the front.”The three men gently rolled the body with a care that was almost reverential. The man’s wide staring eyes threatened to unravel Gary’s self-control, and he had to force himself to shut off his emotions and look at the body objectively. The victim was maybe in his mid to late forties, with a salt-and-pepper beard and dark brown hair tinged with silver at the temples. A handsome man who’d clearly kept himself in good shape.I hope you didn’t suffer. Except Gary knew it was a false hope. The knowledge that he’d been cut before death and the bruising on the guy’s wrists and ankles were grim indicators to the contrary.Del gestured to his assistants who were standing to one side, maintaining a respectful silence. “Okay, boys.” They lifted the corpse and placed it in an open body bag. Gary