A Deadly Justice
by Kathy Bennett
We are delighted to welcome mystery author Kathy Bennett to Omnimystery News today.
Kathy's second crime novel is also the second in her series featuring LAPD Detective Maddie Divine, A Deadly Justice (Kathy Bennett; November 2013 ebook formats).
We are pleased to introduce you to this book with an excerpt, the first three chapters.
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MADDIE – 1
HOLY SHIT!
A man wearing a black ski mask was running across six lanes of heavy traffic on Ventura Boulevard in broad daylight. Playing chicken with Los Angeles drivers, he veered between a Chevy Malibu and Dodge pickup only to leap on and across the hood of a Porsche Carrera. It was like a scene from a movie – a scene most cops live for. But this was no action flick. My instincts told me this was a felon fleeing from the scene of a crime.
Although I wasn't on duty, I jerked my sports car to the curb at a bus stop, grabbed my purse and gave chase on foot.
"Call 9-1-1," I yelled while running past startled pedestrians. "Tell them an off-duty officer is in foot pursuit of a possible robbery suspect.” Although I wasn't exactly sure what crime he'd committed, the guy in the ski mask was definitely up to no good and fleeing from something.
Pulling down the zipper on the concealed holster built into my purse, I pulled out my Smith and Wesson nine millimeter semi-auto. The holster's retention strap fell to the ground as I ran, but I wasn't going to stop for a twenty-dollar piece of leather.
If no one's called the cops already, they will once they realize I'm running through the Sherman Oaks Galleria mall carrying a gun.
"I'm a cop! Which way did he go,” I demanded, looking at some young girls who'd exited the mall.
The girls looked at my gun, then pointed inside, then ran the other way. As I ran past bewildered shoppers, a few screamed when they saw my gun. I yelled, 'Police! Coming through,' hoping the citizens would get out of the way. However, people didn't know how to react. Thankfully, most shoppers stopped in their tracks and I was able to weave around them.
My heart was trying to pound its way out of my chest and I was getting winded when suddenly two LAPD bike cops standing behind cement pillars had their guns pointed at me.
"Police! Drop the gun!"
I screeched to a halt and put my hands up. "I'm LAPD Detective Maddie Divine," I called out, then slowly kneeled and lowered my firearm to the ground. Once the gun was out of my hand, I rose carefully with my hands raised above my shoulders. "I saw a big buff guy wearing a black ski mask running across Ventura Boulevard through all lanes of traffic. He was running like he'd just pulled a two-eleven or something. I left my car and gave chase. He ran into the Galleria. Did you see him? Have any robbery calls recently come out?"
The two officers looked at me as if I were nuts. A small crowd was beginning form around us.
"No. We didn't get any calls about a robbery. The only call we got was about a four-fifteen woman running around the Galleria with a gun."
"Well, I admit I was probably disturbing the peace chasing a guy while carrying a gun, but there was a guy wearing a ski mask. In fact, a few people pointed which way he'd gone.
The other cop, a taller, thinner, officer, appealed to the group of people milling around. "Anyone see a guy in a black ski mask running through the mall?"
The bystanders looked at each other nervously and a few snickered, but no one came forward to say they'd seen the suspect.
"Uh, look, Ma'am, we're going to take you down to our sub-station here at the mall where we can verify who you are and take a statement about what you saw and what you were doing."
"You can verify who I am by looking in my wallet for my I.D. card."
"Well, we're gonna do that at our substation."
"Fine," I said knowing full well these officers thought they had a wackadoodle on their hands. But one thing I knew for sure, I wasn't going to tell them to hurry up or I'd be late for my appointment with the department shrink.
JADE – 2
Jade Donovan stood in front of her bathroom sink weaving her dark brown hair into a French braid. Looking into the mirror next to her, she watched her husband shave. "So, who are you working with tonight?"
Mac Stryker pulled his face taut with one hand and slid the razor down his cheek with the other hand. The result was a bare strip of skin in the middle of the shaving cream. He took another swipe across his skin, then rinsed the razor in the sink. "Some new kid from 77th Division. I hear he's just off probation and is pretty salty. Apparently he's been spreading the word he's going to catch the Valley Rapist."
Jade smiled. "Well, working with you should take some of the cockiness out of his swagger."
Mac snorted. "I doubt that. He'll think I'm a dinosaur who's out of touch with how real police work is done."
"You be careful. I think it's ridiculous they're taking a kid right off probation and putting him in the gang unit. He should be riding in a patrol car for another year or two handling domestic disputes and drunks. At least your supervisors had the sense to put him with you, someone with some time on the job."
Finished with his shave, Mac wiped the excess foam from his face and gave Jade a quick kiss. "That's why I think it's good for you to keep getting promoted, Jade. The LAPD needs people with common sense to be in charge." Mac moved into the bedroom and put on a loose fitting Hawaiian shirt over his T-shirt ensuring the gun he wore was concealed. He sank onto the bed and began to pull on his athletic shoes. “Have you talked to your partner lately?"
"It's funny you would call her that since we haven't even worked together yet."
"On paper you two have been assigned as partners for months. I guess she figured six months is a long enough leave of absence to grieve for her husband. I'm surprised she didn't stay off longer. Under the circumstances, I'm sure the department would have let her have the time."
Jade nodded her head. "After learning we'd been moved from Missing Persons to work at Devonshire Division, she probably figured she'd better get back before they sent her to work at Jail Division. I really should call her." Jade looked at the clock. "Shoot. It's almost time to pick up Donnie from school. I'll have to pick him up first and then give Maddie a call."
"Are you nervous about Monday?"
Jade shrugged. "It's always hard to go to a new division. You have to prove yourself all over again" She followed Mac as he headed for the kitchen where she'd already made his lunch and a fresh batch of coffee for his departure. "Although this move will be a little different because almost everyone at the station will be new."
"Hopefully, the media won't show up, but I'm sure they will, because you know the chief will be there for a photo op," Mac said, picking up his lunch container and stainless steel coffee mug. "I'm out." He leaned over and gave her a deep kiss. "Give Donnie a kiss and tell him I love him. I'll give him a call later."
Jade smiled and pulled Mac back to her. "And what will you give me later?" she teased.
Her husband's eyes lit with amusement. "One of L.A.'s finest," he whispered, nipping her lips one more time before he walked out the door.
MADDIE – 3
Tick, tick, tick.
"We can sit here in silence the whole hour again if you want, Maddie. But you're going to have to say something if you want to get back to your detective work. And the longer we sit here, the more the Friday afternoon traffic will build on the 405 Freeway."
I ignored the LAPD shrink's annoyed tone, but my gaze darted to the ticking clock sitting prominently on the corner of her desk. We'd been sitting here forty minutes.
Just as I hadn't told the bike cops at the Galleria I was coming to see the shrink, I didn't feel any need to tell the doctor about my humiliating experience at the mall. The last thing I wanted her to know was I'd armed myself and chased a guy in a ski mask who apparently no one else saw.
Even when the mall cops had pulled video, there was no sign of the guy – ski mask or not. The story about the crazy female detective imagining a robbery suspect would be all over the department before morning. Knowing the department like I did, I was dreading going to my new assignment on Monday. I'd be labeled the crazy cop from Missing Persons.
"How do you feel about your transfer?" the doctor tried.
Like shit. I feel like shit. So what? I purposely shot Dr. Stevens a glare that would whither beef jerky.
The doctor sighed. "Maddie, this is the second appointment you've booked with me. We're wasting your time, but we're also wasting time I could be helping other patients. You can either talk to me now or I'll have to notify the chief you're being uncooperative."
And what's he going to do? Reassign me to a division I don't want to work? Oh, wait, that's already happened.
"You know," the doctor said, leveling her gaze at me, "initially, Travis had difficulty opening up to me, but felt better once he did."
"You think so? Really?" Rage spilled from my mouth like molten lava and I sat forward in my chair. "Did my husband tell you after one of his first visits with you he shot a hole in our ceiling while he was asleep?"
I wasn't sure if the look of shock on the shrink's face was from my sudden outburst or the information I'd conveyed. She quickly recovered, replacing her astonishment with thoughtful understanding.
"Travis had issues. I truly believe if we'd been able to continue working together, we could have found him some relief and coping mechanisms."
"And that's what you're going to do for me? Find me coping mechanisms?"
"I hope so. I'm here to help you."
"You can't help me. You should know that. Travis is dead."
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Photo provided courtesy of
Kathy Bennett
Kathy Bennett is no stranger to murder and mayhem. After twenty-one years as a Los Angeles police officer, this retired cop's authentic crime experience results in arresting stories.
As a police officer, most of Kathy's career was spent working patrol in a black and white police car. Prior to retirement, Kathy was assigned as a Senior Lead Officer, with approximately five square miles in the City of Los Angeles her responsibility. Kathy also served as a Firearms Instructor at the LAPD Police Academy, a crime analyst in the "War Room", a Field Training Officer, and worked undercover in various assignments. She was named Officer of the Quarter twice, and Officer of the Year once.
Married to a Los Angeles Police Officer, Rick, they have one daughter and one granddaughter. For more information about the author and her work, please visit her website at KathyBennett.com or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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A Deadly Justice
Kathy Bennett
An LAPD Detective Maddie Divine Mystery
A brutal murder. A rash of sophisticated burglaries. A serial rapist.
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