Monday, May 26, 2014

Addicted to Writing Presents Mystery Monday ~ Shadow Chaser by K. J. Dahlen



Shadow Chaser
K. J. Dahlen
kjdahlen1@yahoo.com

Excerpt Heat Level: 1
Book Heat Level: 1


BLURB:

When serial killer, Aaron Chrispen comes back to Angel City, it's to claim the only victim in eleven years to get away, Hannah Masters, and for revenge on the police officers, Jesse Wyatt and Sam Dylan, that almost ended his life. When Jesse tells Hannah that the killer is back Hannah is plunged into a nightmare she thought was over.

FBI agent Eli Stone has been after this killer for eleven years and joins Jesse in the hunt. In the final showdown between Aaron, Jesse and Eli only one will die, but which one will it be?

EXCERPT

He had learned to be patient, very patient. Over the years he had discovered that anything worth having was indeed worth waiting for, and he really wanted this. He had wanted this for five very long years. He had come back to this small Wisconsin town for a purpose and soon he would get back what he lost but he had to wait a little longer. He had to wait until he had all the players playing his game.

He sat back against the wall of the shop and waited. The ground he sat on was hard and dry, but he didn’t seem to notice. He had long ago trained his mind to overcome certain situations. Everyone had been fooled by his resolve. They claimed his debt to society had long been paid, and he was a free man but he’d fooled them all. Oh, his debt was paid; he spent the better part of his youth in a hospital for the criminally insane, but he learned to play the game they wanted him to, and he fooled everyone when he made his escape.

For the past eleven years, he had lived the life he wanted. Traveling from place to place, outwitting everyone. He was doing what he wanted to do. That what he did was against the laws of God and man was beside the point. He had long ago stopped caring to please anyone but himself.

He had been sitting here since early morning; hidden by the bushes in front of him, he could see the daily life of the ordinary people all around him. It was late afternoon. Soon the same people he’d seen this morning rushing off to start their day would be hurrying home from work and school to have supper and go about their lives. He could see it all playing out in front of him. Kids would be outside playing and laughing while their parents were taking care of business inside. Then one by one each family would retreat inside for their tedious evening ritual.

Daylight would fade into darkness and the laughter and other everyday sounds would settle into quiet. The empty streets would fall into shadows and finally the quiet would be swallowed by the night. His mind’s ramblings could have been a scene from a bad movie, something so old it was shown in black and white. He chuckled silently and wondered why people really lived this way. Didn’t they have any fun any more? Where was the excitement?

He sat unnoticed as daylight faded. He had been in town for fourteen days, and no one knew he was here, and that fact suited him fine. The streetlights began casting shadows all around him and he welcomed them. The shadows comforted him like a blanket comforts a child. He felt safe.

This was his time of night. He loved it. He could be either a saint or a sinner and while he preferred to be a sinner, he could become whoever and whatever he wanted. He could move anywhere and no one would see him among the shadows. He felt himself come alive. His primary senses sharpened and his lackadaisical attitude disappeared. He walked freely during the day but preferred to conserve his energy because at night he came alive, at night like the mighty lions of Africa, he hunted and his quarry didn’t escape death.






No comments: