I Can Kill by Angela Kay Book Tour and Giveaway :)
I Can Kill
by
Angela Kay
Genre:
Crime Mystery, Thriller
I
Can Kill, and You Can't Catch Me...
These
were the last words The Carnations Killer said to FBI Special Agent
Aidan O'Reilly ten years ago before he went into hiding. He has
tortured and murdered fifty women since then and managed to elude
capture. Now, he's returned once again, and his new hunting ground is
Augusta, GA.
O'Reilly
teams up with Shaun Henderson, the special agent in charge of the
Augusta Resident Agency, to bring this ruthless killer to justice
once and for all. But as each second ticks by, tensions rise and
O'Reilly finds himself in a race against time before the killer slips
away again.
“A
gripping new thriller by Angela Kay that pits FBI Special Agent Aidan
O’Reilly against the Carnations Killer, a serial killer who enjoys
playing Cat and Mouse with this formidable agent.” -- Dana
Ridenour, retired FBI Agent and award winning author of Behind The
Mask and Beyond The Cabin
23
The next few days were quiet. Aidan didn’t receive any messages from The Carnations
Killer, and there were no reports of another victim found anywhere in
the city. It was quiet. He found that unsettling. Aidan spent his days and nights reviewing the
information in the file, willing for vital information to appear. Shaun and Aidan, along with a few other agents, spent a
good deal of their time calling the families of the victims, asking
questions they’d already answered in years past. Aidan wasn’t
sure about the families Shaun and the others talked to, but the ones
he dealt with seemed to want to move on from the nightmare they’d
suffered. A part of them wanted to forget they’d ever lost their
loved ones, others pleaded for him to tell them there had been some
new development. Aidan couldn’t decide which was worse: the ones that
wanted to give up or the ones holding onto the glimmer of hope
justice would finally be given to them.
It was for this reason he couldn’t stand talking to
the families. He was never good at it. He was afraid he'd become too
emotional, and the families were emotional enough without adding his
own feelings. Aidan stopped by Shaun’s cubical to see if he was
getting anywhere. He heard him consoling someone over the phone,
promising he was doing everything he could to find the man who took
away their loved one. He offered a small smile to the phone, which
told Aidan he’d done what he'd set out to do. After hanging up, he typed something into the computer. “How do you do it?” “Do what?” Shaun kept his focus on the screen. “You talk to the grieving families, but by the time
you’ve finished the conversation, it seems they feel better than
they did minutes before.” “I guess people feel like they can confide in me. Most
people know the tears and fears don’t help. They just want somebody
to understand. They want somebody to listen.” “I guess that’s my weak point,” Aidan muttered. “I
never know what to say to them.” “You don’t have to say anything. That’s what
listening means,” Shaun replied, the corner of his lips turning
upward. He looked at Aidan, studied him. “Why did you want to
become an agent?” Aidan widened his eyes at the unexpected question.
“What?” He repeated himself. “Because I wanted to be in law enforcement.” Shaun contemplated the statement before responding.
Aidan tried to guess what he was thinking, but came empty. “If you wanted to be in law enforcement,” Shaun
replied, “then you could have been a beat cop. It’s less
demanding. Instead, you chose to be a federal agent. You investigate
serial killings, terrorism, things of that nature.” “I guess I believed I could do more good as an agent
than a regular cop. Or even a detective.” Shaun nodded. “So basically, you want to help people
in a bigger way. Bring down a serial offender who’d been killing
for ten years or so.” He put his hands behind his head. “What
will happen if you never catch this guy?”
“I’ve got to.” Aidan put his hands on the edge of
the desk and leaned over, his voice in a harsh whisper. He squared
his jaw. “He’s got to be caught, Shaun. I need
to catch him. If I don’t, then—" “Then what, Aidan? If you don’t catch him, what?” Aidan’s breath rose and fell in quick motions. He
realized the edge of the desk was digging into the palms of his
hands. Shaun watched him with curious eyes but remained calm and
silent as he waited for an answer. Aidan found himself wanting to scream that if he didn’t
catch this guy, then he’d continue to kill. Aidan wanted to shout
that if the offender kept killing, everything he had worked for in
his career would be for nothing. But Aidan didn’t say any of that. He righted himself and ran a hand through his hair. He
calmed his breathing as he realized it was happening: he was becoming
obsessive. Or maybe he already was. Aidan had promised Cheyenne it wouldn’t happen to him.
He promised he wouldn’t lose himself in The Carnations Killer
investigation. Not this time. Not again.
Aidan looked at Shaun, who was still watching him. His
curious gaze turning into concern. “I want the families to have justice,” Aidan told
him quietly. “That’s all I want.”
“It’s okay to feel close to this,” Shaun replied
in kind. “But even the best agents need to take a break. All you’ve
ever done is try to catch him. It’s not going to be whether or not
you take the job at Quantico that’ll cost your relationship with
Cheyenne. If she sees you going off the deep end, that is when she
will leave. Because a wild-eyed, obsessive federal agent isn’t any
woman’s fantasy.” Aidan hated to admit it, but he knew Shaun was right. He
had lived and breathed the investigation for ten years, and now that
he has returned, it was all Aidan thought about. He’d left him
messages. He was taunting him. He was hinting at the things he
planned on doing. But he was a ghost. He had Aidan pulled in a game
of cat and mouse, and Aidan couldn’t tell whether he was the cat
chasing the mouse, or if he was the mouse running from the cat. “You’re right,” Aidan said, finally.
Shaun smiled. “Of course, I am.” Aidan looked at his wristwatch and said, “You know
what? I’m going to take today off. I think it’d do me good.” Shaun nodded. “I agree.”
Aidan returned to his desk to finish his paperwork, then
logged out of the computer and gathered his things. He left the office to go home to Cheyenne.
The Murder of Manny Grimes
The
Cases of Lieutenant DeLong #1
By
Angela Kay
Genre:
Suspense, Thriller, Mystery
When
three young boys stumble into Lieutenant Jim DeLong's life one night
during a winter storm, they claim they've seen a dead body by the
swing sets of the Columbia County Elementary School. After he
investigates, DeLong sees no evidence, not even a body. But were the
boys telling the truth?
With
the help of his oldest friend and mentor, former Naval investigator
Russ Calhoun, DeLong sets out to find whether Manny Grimes is alive
or dead. The further away he gets to the bottom of the mystery, the
closer he comes to realize that his own life is falling
apart.
Delving
deeper into the murder of Manny Grimes, Lieutenant DeLong begins to
unravel, losing his sense of control, falling into old temptations he
spent years to overcome. Will he be able to move past his own demons
and untangle the web of lies before it's too late?
Chapter
10
“We
don’t have
the time to go searching for a missing person that hasn’t yet been
reported missing.” Captain
Stewart had listened intently to DeLong’s story before shaking his
head in annoyance. “But,
sir,” DeLong protested, “the kids reported him at the school
and—”
Though
he already knew the answer, Stewart asked, “When you investigated,
did you see Grimes at the school? Or any evidence that corroborated
these children’s claims?” “No,”
DeLong admitted. “I’m
sorry, Lieutenant, but I’m not going to allow you to run around
town, searching for a man that more than likely got out of Dodge. I
don’t appreciate the fact that a member of my team," Stewart
jabbed a thumb toward his chest, "entered another person’s
home without permission. And convinced a civilian to do the same.”
The captain glared from DeLong to Calhoun and back again. “Captain
Stewart,” Calhoun put in. He had been seated quietly, listening as
the lieutenant recounted once again what had happened the day before.
Now he rose to put in his two cents. “I believe that something
happened to Grimes. I went to his house on my own accord. Everything
Jim just told you, I stand by. Something happened to this man. We
have a duty to find out what. Captain, if we come up with nothing, or
we find out we've been chasing our tails, then I'll eat my jacket." Stewart
narrowed his eyes in Calhoun's direction and crossed his arms. “You
think this is funny, Calhoun? I would have thought better of you than
to be involved in a wild goose chase. Entering a man’s premises
without a warrant? I should throw the book at you.” He glared at
DeLong again. “Actually, I should throw the book at both of you.” He
sighed and leaned back in his chair, uncrossing his arms and linking
his hands behind his head. He continued to glare between the two men. “All
right," he said after minutes passed. "DeLong, I’ve known
you long enough to know that ninety times out of a hundred, your
instincts are sound. You want to search for the man, then fine."
He held both palms in the air, then slowly lowered them flat on the
desk and leaned forward. "But
do not, I repeat do not, do anything that would require a warrant
until you have probable cause to actually get a warrant. Keep me
posted. I’ll give you two days to either find Grimes or hard
evidence that he is actually missing. Two days. That is all.” “Yes,
sir. Thank you, Captain,” DeLong said with a satisfied nod. “Yes,
thank you,” Calhoun echoed. “I
have to run out for a little while,” the captain said with a sigh.
He rose, straightening his shirt uniform. "Try not to waste too
much of my time. Or yours." "Yes,
sir," DeLong acknowledged as he left the office.
“Where
do you want to start?” Calhoun wondered, trailing after him. “I
suppose we should go back to the schoolyard,” DeLong said, halfway
out the door. “Maybe between the two of us, we'll find something I
overlooked when I first looked around." Outside, DeLong blew
into his hands to warm them. "Honestly, I just wanted to get out
of the station a little bit. But I didn't want to go home. Sam has me
sleeping on the couch these days. Anyway, I wasn't really sure what I
was looking for. The body wasn't there. The snow we had would have
destroyed most, if not all the evidence." At
the truck they slid inside. DeLong adjusted the heat as Calhoun set
the gear in motion. "I just want to be sure we've covered all
our bases. Then
let’s go back to the Walkers'. I want to know more about Jonathan
Walker’s friendship with Manny Grimes.”
Blood Runs Cold
The
Cases of Lieutenant DeLong #2
A
young woman has been murdered at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion and
Lieutenant Jim DeLong realizes at first sight this case will be the
most difficult one of his career. DeLong is immediately swept into
the memories of his childhood and dark secrets he's longed to
forget.
The
victim is his sister-in-law, and old thoughts he's fought to delete
will be resurrected whether DeLong likes it or not. He and his
brother have been estranged by unhappy times in their youth. With no
clear motive, DeLong questions his ability to remain objective.
Chapter
5
DeLong closed the garage door and went inside the house. He heard soft murmurs floating from the living room. He knew his six-year-old daughter, Bella, was in school, so he guessed Samantha was probably watching television. DeLong was glad to be with his wife, even for just a few minutes. After coming onto the scene and seeing his brother's wife, he just wanted to hold on to Samantha and never let her go. It was nothing but a harsh reminder that in the blink of an eye, everything can go wrong. The memory of Bree was etched in his mind and continued to haunt him. Seeing her in the water left him feeling empty. Samantha liked to tell him that everything happened for a reason. But there was no reason for women like Bree DeLong to be murdered. She was a kindhearted young woman who wanted nothing more than to help those less fortunate—particularly children.
"Honey, I'm home," DeLong called out. Draping his jacket on the back of the kitchen chair, he let out a long yawn. His eyes felt heavy, and his stomach rumbled. But despite his hunger, he didn't feel much like eating. He would opt for a quick nap, but he wasn't sure that would happen either. "Jim, we're in here, honey." We? Was someone here? Remembering the urgency in Samantha's text resulted in his stomach churning. DeLong grabbed a Coke can from the refrigerator and stepped into the living room. Though deep down it didn't come to a surprise to him, DeLong almost dropped the can when he saw his brother sitting on the couch next to his wife. "Sully." He blinked a few times as if he were trying to stop imagining things. "What are you doing here?" "I'm sorry to come here like this." Sullivan glanced over at Samantha, then back at DeLong. He looked as though he wanted to say something and then shook his head. Sullivan pushed to his feet. "Sorry, 22 Angela Kay Sam, I can't do this. I really should go." Samantha put a hand on his wrist to keep him from moving away. "You're always welcome here, Sully. Right, Jim?" She shot her
husband a look of warning. "Of course," he stammered. Samantha pulled Sullivan back to the cushions. DeLong studied his older brother for a good five minutes, taking in
every sadness, every anger. He seemed to have aged a few more years since DeLong had seen him at the morgue. His eyes were hollow, and he looked as though he hadn't slept for a week. He wanted to say something consoling to him, but what could he say? There were no words to ease someone in this time of grief. If there were, he wasn't aware of them.
"How are you doing?" He sat on the edge of the coffee table. Sullivan only shook his head. His eyes began to water, a single tear sliding down the corner of his eye. He bounced his knees and set his head in his hands. "I didn’t have anywhere else to go,” Sullivan mumbled. “Ally’s in school. I-I went there to tell her what happened, but I just couldn't.”
"We’ll figure this out. It'll be OK.” DeLong cleared his throat, pressed his fingertips to his eyelids, and then leaned in toward his brother. "Why don't you go ahead and tell me everything you know? Start from the last time you spoke to or saw Bree. What she was doing, where she went, who she spoke to...don't leave anything out." Sullivan looked at DeLong, then Samantha and back again. "The last time we spoke was yesterday morning. I think around six or so. It was before she took Ally to school.” “How did she seem?” DeLong asked. Sullivan shrugged. “Normal.” “Do you know what her plan for the day was?” “I think she was going to that center she runs—Protecting the Lord’s Children. After that…” Sullivan trailed off. He seemed to be thinking about what he wanted to say next. Finally, he replied, “After that, she was supposed to go home.” “But she didn't go home?” DeLong pressed. “I don't know. I went fishing with an old friend." “From what time to what time?” Sullivan narrowed his eyes at DeLong. “What does that matter?” “I need to build a timeline,” DeLong explained. “That’s all.” Blood Runs Cold 23 Sullivan squared his jaw, reminding DeLong of how their father always looked when he was forcing himself to remain calm. “Ten that morning to five in the evening. We went to Clarks Hill Lake.” “What’s your friend’s name?" “James Simmons. We used to work together.” “Where did you go after fishing?” DeLong asked slowly. He motioned for Samantha to hand him a pad from the end table. He began writing the information down.
“Are you implying that I killed her?” Sullivan snapped. DeLong looked up to see the hot anger flash in Sullivan's eyes. He opened his mouth to say something else, but before he did, DeLong held up his palm. He was used to spouses getting flustered by the police as they attempted to weed out suspects. His brother was no different. “I have to ask these questions, Sully.” “I wouldn’t hurt her. I loved my wife. We had a good marriage. I
can’t…I can’t believe you’d actually think I’d….” Sullivan trailed off and rose to pace the room. DeLong remained silent, watching. Samantha glared at him. DeLong shook his head slightly to warn her to stay out of it. "We were happy," Sullivan continued tautly. "She didn't leave me, and she wasn't having any kind of affair. We were happy." "Good. Did she have any friends that wanted something more from her? Something she wasn't willing to give him?" Sullivan shook his head with conviction. "No. I mean, everybody loved her. You know that. That goes without saying. People loved her, but not in any romantic sense."
"Did she seem upset at all? Like she was worried about something?" "No. I mean, I don't think so." "And you? Is everything good with you? You don't have anything to worry about? Anything that's upsetting you?" DeLong watched as his brother gazed at him. It looked as though he wanted to say something, but couldn't decide what it would be. Finally, he put his head in his hands, sighed and looked back at DeLong. "Why don’t you go ahead and say it, Jim.” “What are you talking about? I need to ask you these questions. I'm 24 Angela Kay just covering all the bases, Sully." "These questions are pointless!" Sullivan sliced his hands in the air. “How is whatever it was I did going to help find my wife’s killer?” "Why don't you just answer my questions, Sullivan? Let me do my job." The words come out gruffer than he intended, which resulted in his wife hissing his name. Sullivan gaped at his brother, frowning, arms tightly crossed against his chest. Finally, he shook his head in agitation. "No. I was wrong to come here. What was I thinking? I mean, I need someone capable enough to find out who murdered my wife." A mixture of undeniable anger and pain flashed in Sullivan's eyes. "I need someone that I can trust." "You can trust Jim, Sully," Samantha interjected, eyes wide, glistening with tears and worry. Sullivan let out a scoff. "Him? Jim DeLong? Are you kidding me? No offense, but my drunk little brother could fly off the rails at any moment. You of all people should know that." DeLong squared his jaw in an effort to stay calm. He remained quiet as Samantha stammered. Sullivan shook his head and cursed. "Forget it. This was a mistake, and I'm out of here." Before anyone could respond, Sullivan flew out the door. DeLong frowned, well aware that Samantha was glaring at him. “Go stop him!” she hissed through her teeth, jabbing her index finger toward the door. Obliging, DeLong chased after his brother, calling his name. He knew it was a fruitless effort, even before he saw Sullivan climbing in his car and pulling away, tires spinning hotly on the cement.
Equipped with a professional writing degree from Augusta State University, Angela Kay is a southern lady who spends her days and nights dreaming up new ways to solve dark murders of normal people.
Angela
Kay was one of 23 across the United States to win a 2009 playwright
contest for her one-act entitled “Digging Deeper.” Because of
this, she was able to spend a week in Atlanta at the Horizon Theater
Company.
She
lives in Augusta, Georgia with her crazy calico, Maggie.
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