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Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Love best-selling fiction?
  3. Also by McGarvey Black
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. Acknowledgements
  60. A note from the publisher
  61. Love best-selling fiction?
  62. You will also enjoy:

Out of patience with both Greg and Sr. Bello, Gabriela left the apartment and whipped out her burner phone once she was on the street. She had promised her lover she wouldn’t contact him, but it had been way too long and she had to know what happened. She texted:

What’s going on?

49

Friday June 12, 2020

Stopped at a red light on Broadway and 86th Street that morning, Heather tapped the steering wheel with her fingers while her partner finished his call.

“Got the ID,” said Daryl as he took the phone from his ear and put it into his jacket pocket.

“On the flower deliveryman?” said Heather as she and Daryl sped across town towards Regency Memorial Hospital.

“Perp’s name was Oscar Jaworski, aged forty-two. Long rap sheet. Started with petty crime, then assault and moved up to armed robbery. He’d been in and out of prison since he was a kid. In juvie when he was fourteen and spent more time inside than out. Jaworski was a busy boy, had his hand in a lot of pots—arson, drug trafficking, prostitution and pornography.”

“He sounds charming.”

“More recently, it looks like he’s been a gun for hire selling his services on the dark web. A real jack-of-all-trades, Jaworski would do anything if the price was right.”

“But is he any good for the Strangler?”

“That would have been too easy. Jaworski was in Rikers from January 8th until March 20th when his arrest was thrown out. No way he could be the Strangler, dates don’t match up.”

“Shit,” said Heather as she parked in front of Regency Memorial. “I thought his MO was off with the flower delivery but I was hoping he was just getting more creative and he was our man.”

“Unfortunately, our killer is still out there and in three days he’ll be on the move again.”

When the detectives entered Zoe’s hospital room, her eyes were closed. “Ms. Brandt?” said Daryl gently.

Opening her eyes, she smiled when she saw the two detectives.

“We were on our way to interview someone and figured we’d stop in to see how you were doing.”

“Detectives, I guess I owe you both a big thank you,” said Zoe. “I heard you helped get me to the hospital.”

“Glad we got you here in time,” said Daryl. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better, but I’m okay,” said Zoe. “I don’t remember much. Did you find the masked woman? Did an unknown man who lives around 14th Street turn up dead in the last few days?”

“We didn’t find your masked woman and people turn up dead in New York City every single day,” said Heather. “We’d have no way of knowing if one of them was your supposed victim.”

“What about my attacker?” said Zoe, “Conner thought the man with the flowers might be the West Side Strangler.”