Northern California’s elite Police K9 Units arrive at an abandoned warehouse after a high-speed chase and apprehend two killers after they have fled a grisly murder scene.  This barely scratches the surface of a bloody trail from a prolific serial killer that leads to unlocking the insidious secrets of one family’s history, while tearing a police department apart.

Excerpt
Chapter One

Extreme darkness. Agonizing cold. Silence.
Absent of windows or doors.
Escape wasn’t an option.
A pungent smell of disinfectant along with a hint of moldy earth attacked the senses. It made it difficult to breathe normally. Stale air trapped inside the lungs left little oxygen to revitalize the body and to clear the mind.
The terrifying waiting game was only putting off the inevitable.
Death.
The abandoned girl shifted her weight a couple of inches from her left side, but the duct tape tugged on her tender skin that secured her wrists, ankles, and mouth. Long strands of dark brown hair stuck underneath the tape around her lips. It hurt her scalp with even a slight movement.
Darkness suspended her reality, floating in outer space a million miles from civilization.
She vaguely remembered the events of the evening. It started out like any other night before she had met her prospective clients for quick sex and other devious favors. But then she couldn’t remember how she got here.
Helpless.
Forgotten.
Her life had been tough at home so she decided that she needed to take control of her own life. She left a little over a month ago and hadn’t thought about it since – until now. She missed her mom’s overprotective attitude of what she should wear and her dad’s persistent nagging about which college she needed to attend if she wanted to make something of herself. She never knew how much she would miss their company and how much she really loved them.
It had been too easy to end up in the dark world of prostitution. She didn’t realize her terrible fate until it was too late.
The thick, static atmosphere made her gasp for air. She gulped feebly, hoping to catch a little more breath. Begged for a little more time with her private thoughts.
A sound broke her concentration.
Someone stirred above her. She tried to crane her neck to see any movement or light from her position. Only managed to cause herself more pain in the tight confinements of what was ultimately going to be her tomb.
Maybe someone had found her or had seen what happened?
Maybe the police were searching for her right now?
She knew that wasn’t the case, but tried desperately to keep positive thoughts for her last moments on earth. Her eighteenth birthday had promised to be eventful next week. A tear appeared and rolled down her cheek. She wondered if her parents would still celebrate her birthday after she was gone.
A noise resonated.
A metal object scraped across a cement floor.
The sudden racket increased her heart rate, which made it even more difficult to breathe. Heat emanated around her arms and legs in a last ditch effort to move oxygen throughout her body. Tiny droplets of perspiration left her skin with a clammy, final attempt to cool her body core temperature. The air supply sucked more life from the claustrophobic chamber. A slow, agonizing death proved to be just around the corner.
Footsteps approached.
Faint and purposeful, they sounded like the person wore sensible, rubber-soled shoes.
The distinct screech of a latch and squeaky hinges reverberated in her ears.
A bright light blinded her.
She couldn’t see a thing, except a burning, white intensity. Water filled her tear ducts. She kept her eyes closed tightly, but the forceful light penetrated through her eyelids. Slowly, the over processed daylight began to lessen and the room came into view.
A figure stood over her, strangely backlit, cast in darkness. It made the person appear to be some type of apparition rather than a real, living, human being.
No threats.
No words exchanged.
The girl attempted to slow her rapid breathing without any luck. The last, constant sound of her heartbeat thundered in her ears. Sensing the end, she gripped her fingers and clenched her entire body.
A searing pain impacted her stomach, followed by several more blows near her ribcage. A large knife stabbed through her torso repeatedly, thrust after thrust.
Rhythmic.
Intense.
Absolute.
She could not escape her ultimate fate and had to endure the tremendous torture. The pain increased exponentially to where she couldn’t breathe as her lungs filled with blood. Then the torture subsided – and stopped.
The world slowly faded away in a suffocating fatality.
The person slammed the large toolbox shut leaving a grisly surprise for the construction crew that came to work the next day.

All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2010
Jennifer Chase
Excerpt from "Silent Partner"