Dead Of Winter

DEAD OF WINTERA Special Agent Ricki James Thriller Book 8 C.R. CHANDLER Copyright © 2023 by C.R. Chandler All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Editing: Heather at: https://www.behestins.com/ Cover Art: Carrie at: https://cheekycovers.com/ Also by C.R. Chandler SPECIAL AGENT RICKI JAMES (Mystery/Thriller/Suspense) One Final Breath October 2020 One Last Scream January 2021 One Life Gone May 2021 Waiting in the Dark October 2021 Running in the Night February 2022 Hiding in the Shadows July 2022 Colder Than Ice October 2022 Dead of Winter February 2023 Under CAT CHANDLER FOOD AND WINE CLUB MYSTERIES (Cozy Mysteries) A Special Blend of Murder 2017 Dinner, Drinks, and Murder 2017 A Burger, Fries, and Murder 2017 Champagne, Cupcakes, and Murder 2018 Tea, Dessert, and Murder 2018 Contents PrologueChapter 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 35 Prologue The place stunk. It reeked with the kind of smell that made stomachs churn and eyes water. Layers of urine coated rotting food, along with whatever else was fermenting inside the two overflowing dumpsters. The stench mixed with the drizzle of sometimes rain, sometimes snow that had been falling all day and now continued into the night. It created an invisible fog that curled its way out toward the flurry of activity on the street that was usually quiet in the small hours of the morning, when darkness still ruled the landscape. Everything in that small alley had been discarded as useless, especially if it was half hidden in the shadows at the very back of the cramped space. And that included the dead guy only partially concealed between the large dumpsters. A pair of officers stood ten feet into the narrow gap that created the alley between two brick buildings. Each man had one arm raised and bent at the elbow, covering his nose and mouth in a futile attempt to ward off the noxious smell. They were silhouetted by the high beams of their patrol car, parked sideways in the street so its headlights pointed into the alley. The two policemen waited in stoic silence, rain dripping off their broad-brimmed hats and sliding down their shoulders as they watched the lone detective crouched next to the body, his hands resting on his thighs. When the sound of approaching footsteps bounced against the surrounding walls, the detective looked over his shoulder and squinted into the light. The newcomer stopped and murmured a few words to the two officers standing sentry two steps away from the sidewalk, before continuing deeper into the alley. Tall, with broad shoulders and long legs, he wore a dark parka over a pair of faded jeans, a ball cap pulled low over his forehead. Detective Flanders’ eyes dropped to the man’s feet, and a smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. With the light behind the newcomer, Flanders couldn’t see his face, but the hiking boots were a dead giveaway. Not the usual footwear of a city cop. The detective rose to his feet in a surprisingly fluid motion that was at odds with his completely square, stocky build. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his raincoat, he waited in silence until the man stopped beside him, his gaze skipping past Flanders to slowly travel over the body lying face down in a grotesque sprawl on the wet pavement. “Sorry to call you out into the rain.” Flanders withdrew a foil-wrapped piece of gum from an oversized pocket. He deftly removed the wrapping with one hand before popping the gum into his mouth. Gray eyes shifted over to meet the detective’s flat stare. “Not a problem. It goes with the territory of being an investigator for the DA’s office.” Flanders lifted his beefy shoulders in a careless shrug. “Being a DA investigator is why you got the call on this one, but that doesn’t mean you suddenly don’t outrank me.” The detective hunched his shoulders against an icy finger of wind that whipped up the alley, careened off the walls, and doubled back to the street. “But no matter what your rank, it’s a crap of a night to be out here.” The tall man let the rank issue slip by and cast a quick glance at the overflowing dumpsters crowded into the narrow alley. “It’s a crap of a place to die, Detective Flanders.” He returned his gaze to the dead man. “The officers said the medical examiner is on his way.” The statement was followed by a questioning look. “Why did you ask for one of the District Attorney’s investigators to be on scene?” “Not one of the investigators.” Flanders paused to force several pops out of the stick of gum he was chewing. “I asked for you. I heard that you’re working Wednesday through Friday before you head back to your regular gig the other days of the week, so I banked on you being around.” “Why?” the man asked bluntly. “What do you need me out here for? Something unusual about this case?” “Sort of.” Flanders drew the words out and then grimaced. “Goddamned rain hasn’t stopped all day, and now it’s sliding down my neck. And it’s f’in’ cold too. Just short of being snow.” He looked over at the man he’d called out into the crappy weather as he blinked the water out of his eyes. “It’s almost February, so we’re due some.” “We’ve already seen about half a foot of it over in my neck of the woods. Now that we’ve had the weather report, why the stall? Was the vic some kind of VIP?” Flanders shook his head, sending droplets of water flinging out from his unruly