BooksBarbecue
Back A Text Before Dying
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:

She called Sean. “I don’t have a lot of time,” whispered Zoe. “This is deadly serious. I need you to come here and then go to the police for me.”

“I’m at the restaurant,” said Sean, wary now of anything Zoe said. “I can’t play this game today. In fact, I don’t think we should play detective anymore, ever. Things got way too real.”

“We don’t have to play anymore, but right now, I need your help. I found a burner phone in Conner’s bag.”

“So you did take his phone?”

“Conner is behind everything—the flower deliveryman, the Ambien overdose. He and the masked woman are in on it together,” said Zoe sounding more frantic and hysterical. “Sean, Conner is Sr. Bello.”

“Stop it, Zoe. I can’t do this right now. We’ve got a full restaurant. Two of the servers came down with the virus, so I’m waiting tables. You’ve got to stop all this conspiracy stuff. You go too far. I don’t want to do this. Maybe you should go to a therapist.”

Stung by his words, Zoe held back her tears. “I know I sound completely nuts but I have proof and I need you to trust me this one last time. If I can just read you the texts.” There was a long silence on the phone. “It’s a matter of life and death. Sean, are you still there?”

“I’m still here.”

“Sean, listen to me. There may have been a few times where I got a little out of control but this time it’s for real. If you can do this one last thing for me I promise, I’ll never mention crime again. They’re sending me off to the Cherry Ridge Mental Hospital in Mahopac for observation soon. You have to come here before they do, get Conner’s phone and take it to Detective Williams.”

There was silence on the phone. “Sean, are you there?”

51

At the 24th Precinct, Daryl and Heather briefed the Strangler task force on their latest intelligence. “We’re back at square one, people. Oscar Jaworski, the man who attacked Zoe Brandt in her apartment, is not our Strangler,” said Daryl. “Today is June 12th which means the real Strangler is most likely going to strike again in three days. Every man and woman on this team needs to live, eat and breathe this case, or another young woman is going to turn up dead.”

When the meeting ended, the two detectives went back to their desks in the bullpen. “What’s your take on Conner Brandt?” said Daryl.

“Arrogant asshole?” said Heather chewing on the end of a pen. “But he’s no different from the rest of them. All the Feds behave like that when they interact with cops. They think they’re so elite.”