Hometown Homicide
Author
Denise N. Wheatley
Reads
15.1K
Chapters
22
Can a rookie help a veteran cop catch a diabolical killer? The hunt for the murderer of two women could be the make-or-break case of Drew Taylor's career. The veteran police officer has no time to babysit a newbie cop with something to prove. Thrilled to be partnered with the man she has long admired, Nia Brooks pursues every lead…until her life is threatened. And Drew struggles with being protector and partner to Nia. With the sole clue a bloody fingerprint, Nia and Drew race to apprehend an elusive killer who doesn't fit any criminal profile. But when a hidden agenda starts to become terrifyingly clear…it's Nia and Drew who could become the next victims.
Prologue
“9-1-1. What is your emergency?”
“Someone’s trying to break into my house!” a woman screeched into the phone.
Operator Nia Brooks shot straight up in her chair. The buzz within Juniper, Colorado’s communications center was louder than normal as the phone lines had been dead for hours. Increasing the volume on her headset, she scanned the computer screen for the caller’s location.
“What is your address, ma’am?”
“Three eighty-two Barksdale Road.”
“And you said that someone is trying to break into your house?”
“Yes. A man has been banging on the back door and fighting with the knob for several minutes now. I’m here alone, and...”
The woman fell silent. A loud thud penetrated Nia’s eardrums, followed by a deep, muffled howl.
“Do you hear him?” the woman hissed.
“I do,” Nia replied, forcing a calm tone as her fingers flew across the keyboard. “I’m already in contact with the police dispatcher alerting them to the situation. Law enforcement should be heading your way. Just stay on the line with me—”
“Listen,” the woman interrupted, her voice breaking into a jagged whisper. “I told you I’m here by myself. I don’t have any weapons. If this maniac makes his way inside my house, I have no way of protecting myself. So please tell the authorities to hurry up!”
She paused at what sounded like a bat pounding the door.
“Leave me alone!” the woman screamed. “I’m on the phone with 9-1-1 and police are on their way!”
“Yes, they are,” Nia assured her. “I can see that law enforcement is en route to your house. And they’re aware that this is a high-priority emergency situation.”
Quivering sobs rattled Nia’s headset as the woman whimpered, “They need to hurry up and get here. This man is about to break down the door. When he does, he might try to kill me!”
“Are all of your windows and doors locked?”
“I think so—yes. I turned off all the lights, too, hoping that would somehow run him off. Obviously it didn’t work.”
“Well, the secured windows and doors should keep him at bay until police arrive. In the meantime, I’ll be right here on the line with you. What is your name, ma’am?”
“Linda. Linda Echols.”
“Okay, Linda. When the knocking first began, did you happen to take a look outside and get a glimpse of the man?”
The woman paused, only the sound of her unsteady breaths swooshing through Nia’s headset. “I—I did. Just once. When the banging started. I looked out to see what all the commotion was about and tried to tell him that he had the wrong house, not realizing he was trying to break in. He insisted that he was exactly where he was supposed to be. But he’s dressed in all black and looks to be wearing a mask and—wait! I think he might be...”
She went silent again.
“Linda, talk to me. Tell me what’s going on. I don’t hear anything.”
“Yeah, neither do I. Maybe he finally decided to stop—”
Boom, boom, boom!
Nia cringed at the rapid succession of thumping.
“Linda?”
Silence.
“Linda! Are you okay? What is he doing now?”
“He just picked up one of my patio chairs and is slamming it against the window! He’s gonna break it and get inside. I need for the police to get here. Now!”
Just as Nia enlarged the map on her screen and checked the responding officer’s location, a message from dispatch flashed below it.
Inform the caller that police are on the way, but due to construction they’ve been rerouted, causing a delay.
Clenching her teeth, a frustrated grunt gurgled in Nia’s throat. This was the hard part of the job—the part that she couldn’t control. It pained her, being on the front line with the victims from behind a desk as opposed to in person.
“Where are the cops?” Linda rasped. “Are they almost here?”
“They’re still on the way. But there’s roadwork near your home that’s blocking the direct route. So as soon as they get around that they’ll arrive at your house. And like I said, I’ll be right here with you until they—”
Crack!
Nia jerked in her chair as the sound of shattering glass pierced her ears, followed by Linda’s guttural scream.
“He’s getting in!”
Inhaling sharply, Nia asked, “He’s getting inside the house?”
“Yes! He just smashed the sliding glass door!”
Nia pounded the keyboard with an update to dispatch while clambering footsteps stuttered through her headset.
“I’m still here with you, Linda. What’s happening now?”
“I’m running upstairs to hide inside my bedroom closet. Please tell the cops to hurry up and get here!”
A faint shuffling echoed in the background.
“He’s inside the house!” Linda whisper-screamed as the sound of shoe soles squeaked across the floor.
“Hey!” a gravelly voice roared. “Get your ass back down here!”
“Linda,” Nia began, struggling to maintain her composure, “are you inside the bedroom yet?”
“I am now.”
“Good. Make sure you lock the door. Can you push a dresser or a chair or some sort of heavy object in front of it?”
“I can try, but I don’t think I can move this chest of drawers across the carpet!”
Eyeing the map on her screen, Nia checked the responding officer’s location. Her chest tightened at the sight of the vehicle’s marker. It was at a standstill.
The intruder’s demands boomed in the distance, followed by Linda’s hysterical cries.
Bam!
“He’s forcing his way inside the bedroom!”
A throbbing pain pulsated over Nia’s left eye. She pounded her fist against the desk, watching helplessly as the responding officer’s vehicle finally began to move.
“Linda, the police are making their way to your house. Is there anywhere inside the bedroom you can hide? The closet? Or bathroom?”
The other end of the call went silent.
“Hello?” Nia called out. “Hello! Are you still there?”
“I’m gonna kill you,” she heard a man grunt.
“Linda!”
A jarring thump preceded heaving gasps.
“I’m gonna kill you,” the man muttered again over the sound of gut-wrenching gurgling.
Nia’s body weakened at the thought of Linda being killed.
Come on! she wanted to scream after seeing that police were still several blocks away from the victim’s house.
Just as she typed another message to dispatch alerting them to the severity of the situation, the call dropped.