Night Kill (Private Investigator Andrew Knight Mystery Series) Read Online Free
Author: RL Edinger
to the oven. Sheriff Delsmann opened the oven door and could see the carefully prepared roast and potatoes that were now just a dried out mass of muddy colors. Sheriff Delsmann closed the oven door and left the kitchen to go outside again.
As Sheriff Delsmann stood on the porch she surveyed the area in front of the house. She flipped on the flashlight and walked down the steps. Sheriff Delsmann walked slowly around the exterior of the house. She was looking for clues. The only footsteps thus far were her own. When Sheriff Delsmann got to the back of the house she noticed a back door. As she walked up to it, Sheriff Delsmann saw boot prints in the snow. With her flashlight, Sheriff Delsmann followed the boot prints until they disappeared at the edge of the surrounding woods.
“Send a deputy to the back of the house,” Sheriff Delsmann spoke into her radio.
A few minutes later, a deputy joined her. Together they took off in the direction of where the boot prints were headed.
Sheriff Delsmann and the deputy drew their weapons and stepped into the dense woods. Slowly and painstakingly, they traversed through the forest thicket. Sheriff Delsmann felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. She didn’t really like the darkness nor the fact that at any given moment something or someone would jump out at them. It was never like this back in Chicago. Even with all the things she’d seen working as a detective on third shift, it still wasn’t as white knuckled as right now.
The boot trail eventually led them to a road about a mile from the house. The road was smooth and showed no signs for tire tracks. If they had a vehicle waiting here, there was no way to know what kind it was, or even how long it had been here.
“Let’s head back,” she ordered. Somewhere in the blackness of the woods a tree branch snapped. The sound echoed throughout the quietness. Instantly both of them realized they weren’t alone. “Douse the lights,” Sheriff Delsmann hissed. Sheriff Delsmann and the deputy killed the lights and crouched down behind the snow embankment. They waited in complete silence. The only light was from the moon directly above them. Once her eyes were adjusted to the darkness, Sheriff Delsmann could make out the silhouettes of the trees intermixed with the moonlight. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but Sheriff Delsmann swore one of the trees was moving.
A few yards away, a shadowy figure strode confidently from the woods and onto the road. Sheriff Delsmann and the deputy crouched down further as the shadow looked in their direction. Neither Sheriff Delsmann nor the deputy moved. Apparently satisfied, the shadowy figure started walking down the road.
“We need to get this guy,” Sheriff Delsmann whispered.
“But we don’t have backup,” the deputy protested.
“We’re both armed,” Sheriff Delsmann said. “Plus we have the element of surprise.”
“Yes M’mam,” the deputy answered.
“We go on three,” Sheriff Delsmann said clicking off the safety of her weapon. The deputy did the same. “One, two, three,” Sheriff Delsmann counted. Slowly, cautiously, they rose to their feet and took off after the shadowy figure.
Sheriff Delsmann and the deputy must have had fortune smile on them and now they were just a few yards away from their suspected killer.
“Now,” Sheriff Delsmann commanded. They immediately lit up the suspect with their flashlights and pointed weapons at them. The person had a loaded crossbow held in place with a sling over and around their back. They were dressed all in black. A hood covered their entire head so the sheriff and her deputy couldn’t see their identity.
“Sheriffs department,” Sheriff Delsmann barked. “Put your hands where we can see them. Do it now!”
The shadowy figure stood, not moving at all.
“Put your weapon on the ground and step away!” the deputy shouted. “We will shoot if you don’t comply.”
Again, the shadowy figure did
As Sheriff Delsmann stood on the porch she surveyed the area in front of the house. She flipped on the flashlight and walked down the steps. Sheriff Delsmann walked slowly around the exterior of the house. She was looking for clues. The only footsteps thus far were her own. When Sheriff Delsmann got to the back of the house she noticed a back door. As she walked up to it, Sheriff Delsmann saw boot prints in the snow. With her flashlight, Sheriff Delsmann followed the boot prints until they disappeared at the edge of the surrounding woods.
“Send a deputy to the back of the house,” Sheriff Delsmann spoke into her radio.
A few minutes later, a deputy joined her. Together they took off in the direction of where the boot prints were headed.
Sheriff Delsmann and the deputy drew their weapons and stepped into the dense woods. Slowly and painstakingly, they traversed through the forest thicket. Sheriff Delsmann felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. She didn’t really like the darkness nor the fact that at any given moment something or someone would jump out at them. It was never like this back in Chicago. Even with all the things she’d seen working as a detective on third shift, it still wasn’t as white knuckled as right now.
The boot trail eventually led them to a road about a mile from the house. The road was smooth and showed no signs for tire tracks. If they had a vehicle waiting here, there was no way to know what kind it was, or even how long it had been here.
“Let’s head back,” she ordered. Somewhere in the blackness of the woods a tree branch snapped. The sound echoed throughout the quietness. Instantly both of them realized they weren’t alone. “Douse the lights,” Sheriff Delsmann hissed. Sheriff Delsmann and the deputy killed the lights and crouched down behind the snow embankment. They waited in complete silence. The only light was from the moon directly above them. Once her eyes were adjusted to the darkness, Sheriff Delsmann could make out the silhouettes of the trees intermixed with the moonlight. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but Sheriff Delsmann swore one of the trees was moving.
A few yards away, a shadowy figure strode confidently from the woods and onto the road. Sheriff Delsmann and the deputy crouched down further as the shadow looked in their direction. Neither Sheriff Delsmann nor the deputy moved. Apparently satisfied, the shadowy figure started walking down the road.
“We need to get this guy,” Sheriff Delsmann whispered.
“But we don’t have backup,” the deputy protested.
“We’re both armed,” Sheriff Delsmann said. “Plus we have the element of surprise.”
“Yes M’mam,” the deputy answered.
“We go on three,” Sheriff Delsmann said clicking off the safety of her weapon. The deputy did the same. “One, two, three,” Sheriff Delsmann counted. Slowly, cautiously, they rose to their feet and took off after the shadowy figure.
Sheriff Delsmann and the deputy must have had fortune smile on them and now they were just a few yards away from their suspected killer.
“Now,” Sheriff Delsmann commanded. They immediately lit up the suspect with their flashlights and pointed weapons at them. The person had a loaded crossbow held in place with a sling over and around their back. They were dressed all in black. A hood covered their entire head so the sheriff and her deputy couldn’t see their identity.
“Sheriffs department,” Sheriff Delsmann barked. “Put your hands where we can see them. Do it now!”
The shadowy figure stood, not moving at all.
“Put your weapon on the ground and step away!” the deputy shouted. “We will shoot if you don’t comply.”
Again, the shadowy figure did