“PISCES: Murders of the Zodiac” is the second book in this suspenseful stand-alone series. Be prepared for unexpected twists and turns!
An Amazon Reviewer of book 1, “AQUARIUS: Murders of the Zodiac,” said: “Well written and with great characters, that you can’t help but love. The storyline was intriguing with plot twists that left me breathless. A great book for mystery fans.”
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Detective Jesse Burns
People were dying by suicide and I had no clue why. Were they part of some suicide cult or an internet challenge gone wrong? I know someone has been watching me and it feels like something else is going on, but what am I missing?
People were dying by suicide and I had no clue why. Were they part of some suicide cult or an internet challenge gone wrong? I know someone has been watching me and it feels like something else is going on, but what am I missing?
Leslie Boxe
I’d thought the ‘birthday killer’ was dead, but a note found on my desk indicates otherwise. Why were Ryan and I the focus of this person’s obsession? He’s run off to help an old college friend, but can I convince him that we should try to find out whose sending us these messages?
I’d thought the ‘birthday killer’ was dead, but a note found on my desk indicates otherwise. Why were Ryan and I the focus of this person’s obsession? He’s run off to help an old college friend, but can I convince him that we should try to find out whose sending us these messages?
Ryan
“Ow, my head hurts.”
“Well, it should. You were trashed last night,” a voice spoke from the other side of the room.
I thought I was alone and rolled over quickly, trying to focus on the person sitting in the corner.
“Why are you in my room?” I asked stupidly.
“How to answer that…” Leslie took a sip of coffee. “You got drunk, or were drugged, at Simon’s house last night. By the time we got back here, you were barely able to walk. I made sure that you didn’t asphyxiate in your sleep. This couch isn’t very comfortable, but it’s better than nothing,” she chirped cheerfully.
“Where did you get the coffee?” I groaned, putting my head in my hands to keep the room from spinning.
A cup appeared at eye level and I took it from her, drinking greedily.
“It’s been years since I tied one on like that, and I don’t even remember drinking any alcohol at Simon’s. They must have drugged me. Why didn’t you take me to the hospital to have my blood tested?” My eyes felt gritty, and were still having trouble focusing, but the coffee was helping a little bit.
“We’re in Wisconsin. I’m not officially on a case, so there would have been tons of questions at the hospital. If you were drugged, it wouldn’t matter because we can’t prove anything. I think they did it, and we didn’t stay as long as they had planned for us to.” She took a seat back on the couch, just out of range, and I wasn’t about to turn my head again.
“Okay, I can live with that explanation, but why did you stay here after you got me on the bed? Your room is only a floor away.”
“We have a killer on the loose, and you weren’t at full capacity. What if this is how they got Jesse up onto that ledge, making it look like he jumped all on his own? I couldn’t take the chance that they had some way to get into the hotel rooms.”
“You watch too many spy movies. It’s a lot harder to get into a hotel room than they make it seem.” I glanced down and realized my gun was missing. “We got more problems. They took my gun.”
“No, they didn’t. I have it. You weren’t in any shape to use it even if we were attacked, and I don’t have one with me,” Leslie explained in calm voice.
“Why do I feel like you’re being really nice to me?”
“That’s because I am,” she retorted. “I’m going to leave you to get cleaned up, and I’m going to my room to do the same. Here’s your gun.” She placed it on the nightstand next to the bed.
“I’ll meet you in one hour for breakfast. I have an idea of how we can trap Simon and get the evidence we need.”
She left without another word, and as the door closed after her, I noticed the water and aspirin sitting next to my gun. If she could stop herself from arguing with me all the time, I might get used to having her around.
Not exactly wanting to follow her orders, a shower did sound like a good idea, along with some more coffee to wash down the aspirin.
“Well, it should. You were trashed last night,” a voice spoke from the other side of the room.
I thought I was alone and rolled over quickly, trying to focus on the person sitting in the corner.
“Why are you in my room?” I asked stupidly.
“How to answer that…” Leslie took a sip of coffee. “You got drunk, or were drugged, at Simon’s house last night. By the time we got back here, you were barely able to walk. I made sure that you didn’t asphyxiate in your sleep. This couch isn’t very comfortable, but it’s better than nothing,” she chirped cheerfully.
“Where did you get the coffee?” I groaned, putting my head in my hands to keep the room from spinning.
A cup appeared at eye level and I took it from her, drinking greedily.
“It’s been years since I tied one on like that, and I don’t even remember drinking any alcohol at Simon’s. They must have drugged me. Why didn’t you take me to the hospital to have my blood tested?” My eyes felt gritty, and were still having trouble focusing, but the coffee was helping a little bit.
“We’re in Wisconsin. I’m not officially on a case, so there would have been tons of questions at the hospital. If you were drugged, it wouldn’t matter because we can’t prove anything. I think they did it, and we didn’t stay as long as they had planned for us to.” She took a seat back on the couch, just out of range, and I wasn’t about to turn my head again.
“Okay, I can live with that explanation, but why did you stay here after you got me on the bed? Your room is only a floor away.”
“We have a killer on the loose, and you weren’t at full capacity. What if this is how they got Jesse up onto that ledge, making it look like he jumped all on his own? I couldn’t take the chance that they had some way to get into the hotel rooms.”
“You watch too many spy movies. It’s a lot harder to get into a hotel room than they make it seem.” I glanced down and realized my gun was missing. “We got more problems. They took my gun.”
“No, they didn’t. I have it. You weren’t in any shape to use it even if we were attacked, and I don’t have one with me,” Leslie explained in calm voice.
“Why do I feel like you’re being really nice to me?”
“That’s because I am,” she retorted. “I’m going to leave you to get cleaned up, and I’m going to my room to do the same. Here’s your gun.” She placed it on the nightstand next to the bed.
“I’ll meet you in one hour for breakfast. I have an idea of how we can trap Simon and get the evidence we need.”
She left without another word, and as the door closed after her, I noticed the water and aspirin sitting next to my gun. If she could stop herself from arguing with me all the time, I might get used to having her around.
Not exactly wanting to follow her orders, a shower did sound like a good idea, along with some more coffee to wash down the aspirin.
A. P. Morgan, also known as Alathia Paris Morgan, is a part-time writer. With the death of her brother in 2013, she decided life was too short to waste the ideas she was given. Since she’d always had stories floating around in her head, she took a shot at writing them down during a NANOWRIMO Camp. She realized quickly that her characters had more than one mystery to solve, which resulted in her Nova Ladies series.With the support and love of her husband, A. P. continues to bring new worlds to life. Their three daughters and three dogs are more than enough to keep her busy when she is not delivering orders or lost in her imagination.
In her free time, she loves to read and add to her personal library, which has over six thousand books. She also enjoys quilting and watching TV shows while hanging out with her daughters.
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