Death Catches a Killer – Chapter 1

I thought I would give you all a sneak peak at the next book. So here is the first chapter or your reading enjoyment!

Debra Cosgrove glanced in the rear view mirror as she drove I-44 through Missouri. She had barely managed to escape Kentucky by the skin of her teeth. Someone had been taking pot shots at her for two weeks, and despite all her knowledge and expertise, she had been unable to find the person responsible.

She had spent nearly two decades as a hired assassin (she was not a serial killer, as the FBI claimed), and she knew how to make herself blend into a crowd in order to carry out a contract: wigs, glasses, padding to make herself appear heavier, Spanx to look thinner, different styles of clothing to appear as ordinary as possible wherever she went.

Changing lanes to go around a semi, Debra glanced in the mirror again. A dark-colored truck that was a couple of cars back seemed to be tailing her. They were going a bit slower than she was, but staying close enough to keep her in sight. It was time to find out if they were really tailing her or just going in the same general direction.

After getting around the semi, she moved back into the right lane, maintaining her speed at 72 mph. A couple of minutes later, the truck appeared in the left lane. She slowed down just a little bit, forcing the Nissan Sentra behind her to quickly get in the left lane to avoid hitting Debra from behind. The truck was forced to tap his brakes to keep from hitting the Sentra, and she sped up to 75 mph.

The truck kept up with her, confirming her suspicions. A green highway sign told her she was close to one of the main Joplin exits. Waiting until the last second, she swerved onto the off-ramp. She checked the mirror and saw that the truck was stuck in the left lane and unable to get over in time to follow her.

Thank God for technology. Using her iPhone, she got the address and directions for a car rental agency. Thirty minutes later, she was on the road again, this time in a dark blue Chrysler 300. After picking up the car, she had changed her appearance: long, black wig, brown contacts, glasses, white collared shirt with a black vest, blue jeans and black cowboy boots.

As she crossed the state line into Oklahoma, Debra checked the rear view mirror for the truck, but she didn’t see it. Breathing a sigh of relief, she relaxed in her seat and settled in for the long drive to her next destination.

She had a bad feeling it might be her final destination.

Vinnie Amato pounded the steering wheel in frustration. He had wasted two hours trying to pick up Debra’s trail, but had crapped out. Peter Greco, his boss in New York, was not going to be happy about this turn of events. In the parking lot of a Taco Bell, Vinnie pulled out his phone and dialed his boss’ number.

“Tell me you got her,” Greco said when he answered the phone.

“Not yet, sir.”

“Why not?”

“I lost her.”

“Where?”

“Joplin, Missouri.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“I think I know where she is headed, sir.”

“You think?! I’m not paying you to think, Vinnie. I’m paying you to take care of this problem.”

“Have I ever let you down?”

“Need I remind you of what just happened?”

“That wasn’t my fault. If you hadn’t saddled me with that idiot nephew of yours, things would have gone much differently.”

“How my genius sister ended up with a moron son like that, I’ll never understand,” Peter grumbled.

“Do you think he is going to talk?” Vinnie said, watching a blonde woman walk out of Taco Bell and get into a 2013 candy apple red Corvette.

“I sent Larry Wilson down there to deal with Al. He’ll make sure Al doesn’t say anything. He better; I pay him enough money to handle my legal affairs. Now we just have to deal with our other problem.”

“Like I said, I think I know where she’s going,” Vinnie replied. “I’m familiar with the area.”

“Then take care of it, Amato, or I’ll be sending someone to take care of you,” Peter said before he hung up.

Vinnie got out of the car just as the blonde drove away. He’d get some food and gas before heading for the one place he thought that crazy Debra Cosgrove would go.

Brookdale.