Killing Monarchs

Also by the author Gunflint Burning: Fire in the Boundary Waters Opening Goliath Lost in the Wild Wolf Kill Cougar Claw PRAISE FOR KILLING MONARCHS “In Killing Monarchs, Cary J. Griffith combines monarch butterflies, a Mexican cartel, and compelling characters—both human and canine—to deliver a chilling thriller you won’t want to put down. Sam Rivers and his wolf-dog partner, Gray, make a terrific, crime-fighting duo!” —Margaret Mizushima, author of the award-winning Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries, including Striking Range “What do murders disguised as overdoses, endangered monarch butterflies, and international heroin smugglers have in common? U.S. Fish & Wildlife Special Agent Sam Rivers and Gray, Sam’s rescued wolf-dog hybrid with a nose for narcotics. As the bodies pile up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Sam and Gray are on a mission to stop the killer before he claims his next victim. A gripping thriller highlighting the ironclad bond between man and his best friend, Killing Monarchs had me turning pages all night long. Sam Rivers and his faithful wolf dog are my new best friends.” —Brian Malloy, author of The Year of Ice and After Francesco “Both thriller and mystery, Killing Monarchs mixes an elementary-school science project with scorpions and drugs. Totally surprising is how butterflies flit into this fast-paced and tantalizing story. Cary Griffith has laid out another fabulous tale, based on solid knowledge of the natural world, with a provocative sense of the deviousness of humankind.” —Mary Logue, author of The Streel and The Big Sugar “Killing Monarchs is an exciting, thrilling, and suspenseful page-turner! Griffith weaves together an intriguing mystery with fascinating environmental concerns, young adults facing the reality of their past, and the dangerous world of drug cartels. Sam Rivers, a U.S. Fish & Wildlife agent, is a captivating character, and, as a K-9 handler, I especially enjoyed Rivers’s sidekick, the extraordinary wolf dog, Gray. Together, Rivers and Gray make an outstanding team. Readers will be rooting for them and stay up late to find out what happens next. Killing Monarchs hooked me from the first page, and I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend this series!” —Kathleen Donnelly, author of the award-winning National Forest K-9 series and K-9 handler for Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines “With one sharp eye on the world of nature and another carefully watching the evil antics of two-legged species who roam the earth, Sam Rivers is one part teacher and two parts crime solver. Killing Monarchs floats like a butterfly and stings like a scorpion. Prepare to be schooled.” —Mark Stevens, author of The Fireballer and The Allison Coil Mystery Series Cover design: Travis Bryant Cover photos: Vladimirkarp/Shutterstock (monarch) and John McLaird/Shutterstock Author photo: Anna McCourt Editors: Mary Logue, Holly Cross, and Jenna Barron Proofreader: Emily Beaumont Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Griffith, Cary J., author. Title: Killing monarchs : dd/ Cary J. Griffith. Description: First edition. | Cambridge, Minnesota : Adventure Publications, [2023] Series: A Sam Rivers Mystery Summary: “As a special agent for the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Sam Rivers has researched and studied a variety of animals. He’s visiting sixth graders at Hopkins Elementary to share photographs of the Monarch butterfly, and he’s brought along his drug-sniffing wolf dog, Gray, to give students a demonstration of his partner’s remarkable skills. Gray finds a sample drug packet, hidden by Sam, but that’s not all. The wolf dog keeps following his nose, leading Sam to a utility room where they discover the school’s janitor, dead. Local police write it off as a drug overdose, but Sam is no stranger to crime scenes. He suspects foul play. When Sam and Gray come upon a second victim, the coincidences are too great to ignore. Sam starts turning over rocks, and what slithers out is more insidious than anyone could have foretold. Sam’s instincts tell him there’ll be more deaths, but those instincts put him at odds with conventional law enforcement. Armed with his knowledge of the natural world and his wolf-dog companion, Sam must uncover answers For my wife, Anna, great nurturer of milkweeds and monarchs, from spring shoots and eggs to bursting pods and butterflies. And for the grandkids: Ryder, Cormac, Mylo, and Pieta. It is an honor and blessing to watch you emerge in a metamorphosis all your own. TABLE OF CONTENTS DAY 1 CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN DAY 2 CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY DAY 3 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 DAY 4 CHAPTER THIRTY CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE DAY 1 Wednesday, May 21 CHAPTER ONE There were three in the car. Domina drove, Jon Lockhart sat in the front seat, and Tiburon, the muscle, in back. They traveled north on Minnesota Highway 169 to the Highway 7 exit. At this hour of the morning the streets were empty, but Domina approached the top of the exit carefully, signaling a left well in advance of the light. As she approached, the light turned yellow and, rather than risk it, she slowed to a stop. “You could have made