The Last Body

THE LAST BODYA JESS MONTGOMERY THRILLER KJ KALIS This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locales is entirely coincidental. Copyright © 2023 KJ Kalis eISBN 978-1-955990-32-5 ISBN 978-1-955990-33-2 All rights reserved Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved, no part of the publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise including technology to be yet released), without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of the book. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. Published by: BDM, LLC ALSO BY K.J. KALIS: The Kat Beckman Thriller Series: The Cure Fourteen Days Burned The Blackout The Bloody Canvas Sauk Valley Killer The Project The Emily Tizzano Vigilante Justice Thriller Series: Twelve Years Gone Lakeview Vendetta Victim 14 Soon to Be Mine The Jess Montgomery Thrillers The Trident Conspiracy The Patriarch Code Never Call Home The Last Body The Detective Morgan Foster Vigilante Justice Thriller Series West End Justice Blister Deep Deceit The Travis Bishop Thrillers The Moscow Brief Threat Rising Tainted Asset The Detective Max Grady Thrillers Four Cold Months One Cold Heart Five Cold Bodies CONTENTS Chapter 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 40Chapter 41Chapter 42Chapter 43Chapter 44Chapter 45Chapter 46Chapter 47Chapter 48Chapter 49Chapter 50Chapter 51Chapter 52Chapter 53Chapter 54Chapter 55Chapter 56Chapter 57Chapter 58Chapter 59EpilogueA Note from the AuthorReady for another adventure? 1 Toby Khan felt the vibration of the gravel driveway coming through the floorboards of the tinny white van he drove in the darkness toward the rusted chain-link fence. A mile before the tires of the cheap van hit the curb on the driveway, he’d tugged a thin black ski mask down over his face, replacing the hard hat he already wore. It was pitch black out. To anyone glancing at him, he looked like every other workman called out of his warm bed to make a late emergency repair. As he checked the side mirrors to see if anyone was following him, Toby’s hands gripped the wheel a little tighter through his gloves. He frowned, his palms feeling sweaty. It was far too warm out for him to have this much clothing covering his body. But then again, it was for a good reason. The van bumped a few more times as it approached the chain-link fence at the Royal Commonwealth’s substation number 7365, located about two hundred feet off Falls River Road. Toby pressed on the brake and threw the rattly van into park, pushing the door open as quietly as possible, the hinges on the old vehicle complaining a bit as he slid out. His tan work boots with rubber soles landed quietly on the uneven surface. Reaching inside with a long arm, Toby grabbed one of the handles of the bolt cutters he had on the seat and pulled it toward him. He gripped it tightly in his hands, looking over his shoulder before withdrawing it from the vehicle. There wasn’t much traffic on Falls River Road that late at night. Across the street, there was an auto repair shop, a newer metal building, red, with a matching sign out front that had some sort of a witty quip about life being short and making sure to kiss the ones you love goodbye. Toby had seen the quote at least a dozen times over the last week as he passed the driveway where he sat now. On either side of the driveway, there was nothing but an acre of woods. Down the street a little farther, there was a small home with pointed shingled dormers and wide beige shutters that had been converted into a cooking school. Across the street from the cooking school there was a carwash complete with both self-wash bays and drive-through full-service exterior system to boot. Toby frowned, feeling the fabric from the ski mask tug tight over his cheeks. No carwash could make any improvement to the old van he was driving. It was utterly nondescript, no different than the millions of white vans peppering the roads across America. Anyone passing him on the road wouldn’t give it a second thought. For good measure, he’d even managed to strap a ladder to the top of it, making it look more like a work van than anything else. That was the point. Sucking in a deep breath of cool night air, Toby strode toward the secured gate, hearing the engine from the van still running in the background so it would be ready for him. It made a quiet clicking noise that he knew shouldn’t be there. It probably didn’t have enough oil in it, but it didn’t matter. He’d be dumping the van soon enough. It only needed to run for another hour or so before he’d be rid of it. Based on the smell inside, a combination of trash and body odor, it couldn’t be too soon. Whether that was from the previous owner or from the sweaty man at the junkyard where he bought the van for six hundred dollars in cash the week before, Toby didn’t know. Unlike the old van with the clicking engine, the bolt cutters were brand new. Toby narrowed his eyes at the chain-link fence in front of him. It was typical cyclone fencing with silvery posts driven deep into the ground. The fence itself