Kill and Say Goodbye: A Mystery Thriller Short

By R. Barri Flowers

Kill and Say Goodbye is a short mystery thriller from crime writer R. Barri Flowers, the bestselling author of such titles as SEDUCED TO KILL IN KAUAI, MURDER IN HONOLULU, MURDER IN MAUI, DARK STREETS OF WHITECHAPEL, KILLER IN THE WOODS, SERIAL KILLER COUPLES, and THE SEX SLAVE MURDERS.

When financial analyst Gena LaCrosse decides she's had enough of her cheating, controlling boyfriend, she takes a leave of absence from her job with a firm in Chicago in favor of the peaceful beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Gena is staying in a cabin in Fortune Beach, Oregon that is owned by her boss. She had hoped the respite would allow her time to figure out her next move. What she hadn't counted on was finding a woman's nude body on the beach during an early morning run and fleeing from the man who may have killed her.

Gena ends up seeking help from another beachgoer, Kent Stanton. This tall and handsome former U.S. marshal turned private eye just happens to be looking for a missing local woman who resembles not only the dead woman but Gena herself.

As the mystery unfolds, a killer has set his sights on Gena. Can she survive with a target on her back? Will Kent be able to solve two intertwined cases at once? Or is all hope lost with a determined murderer on the loose?

PRAISE FOR R. BARRI FLOWERS

"Gripping, tightly woven tale you won't want to put down. Author neatly contrasts natural beauty of tropical paradise with ugliness of murder and aftermath. " -- John Lutz, Edgar winner and bestselling author of MISTER X on MURDER IN MAUI

"A police procedural of the highest order, mixing equal parts Sue Grafton and Jeffrey Deaver with a sprinkling of Patricia Cornwell." -- Jon Land, bestselling author of STRONG JUSTICE on MURDER IN MAUI

"An exceptionally fine collection of mystery stories spanning the globe--vivid, fast-paced, literate and unforgettable. Not to be missed!" -- Douglas Preston, #1 bestselling author and co-creator of the famed Pendergast series on MURDER HERE, MURDER THERE

"Flowers once again has written a page-turner legal thriller that begins with a bang and rapidly moves along to its final page. He has filled the novel with believable characters and situations." -- Midwest Book Review on STATE'S EVIDENCE

"A steamy, non-stop thrill-ride through the seamy underbelly of Hawaii." -- Allison Leotta, federal sex crimes prosecutor and author of LAW OF ATTRACTION on MURDER IN MAUI

"A gripping account of the murders committed by husband-and-wife serial killers Gerald and Charlene Gallego. Compelling reading." -- Gary C. King, author of BLOOD LUST on THE SEX SLAVE MURDERS

"A model of crime fiction .... Flowers may be a new voice in modern mystery writing, but he is already one of its best voices." -- Statesman Journal on JUSTICE SERVED

"An excellent look at the jurisprudence system .... will appeal to fans of John Grisham and Linda Fairstein." -- Harriet Klausner on PERSUASIVE EVIDENCE

"It gets no better than this! Guaranteed to hold onto its readers! It was so gripping that I forgot to breathe a couple of times!" -- Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews on DARK STREETS OF WHITECHAPEL

"An interesting blend of classic film noir and rough, modern cinema..... Quick action and tight dialogue make it a jolting thriller, but it's also got the psychological tightness of a good mystery puzzle." -- Robert A. Sloan, author of RAVEN DANCE on DEAD IN THE ROSE CITY

• Language: English
• Publisher: R. Barri Flowers
• Release date: Nov 4, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301917600

R. Barri Flowers

R. Barri Flowers is the award winning, bestselling author of mystery and thriller novels, true crime books, relationship fiction, young adult mysteries, and children's books. Follow R. Barri Flowers on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Goodreads, LibraryThing, and YouTube. Learn more about the author on Wikipedia and www.rbarriflowers.com.

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KILL AND SAY GOODBYE

A Mystery Thriller Short

By R. Barri Flowers

Copyright 2012 by R. Barri Flowers at Smashwords. All rights reserved.

Cover Image Copyright 2012 by audioscience

Used under license from http://www.shutterstock.com

KILL AND SAY GOODBYE is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

OTHER MYSTERY AND THRILLER TITLES BY R. BARRI FLOWERS

Danger in Time: A Young Adult Time Travel Mystery

Dark Streets of Whitechapel: A Jack the Ripper Mystery

Dead in the Rose City: A Dean Drake Mystery

Edge of Suspense: Thrilling Tales of Mystery & Murder

Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay: A Young Adult Haunted House Mystery

Justice Served: A Barkley and Parker Thriller

Killer in The Woods: A Psychological Thriller

Murder in Honolulu: A Skye Delaney Mystery

Murder in Maui: A Leila Kahana Mystery

Persuasive Evidence: A Jordan La Fontaine Legal Thriller

Seduced to Kill in Kauai: An Erotic Psychological Thriller

State's Evidence: A Beverly Mendoza Legal Thriller

The Jury Has Spoken: A Legal Thriller Short Story

Vandals: A Young Adult Thriller Short Story

TRUE CRIME TITLES BY R. BARRI FLOWERS

Mass Murder in the Sky: The Bombing of Flight 629

Serial Killer Couples: Bonded by Sexual Depravity, Abduction, & Murder

The Sex Slave Murders: The True Story of Serial Killers Gerald & Charlene Gallego

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Kill and Say Goodbye

Seduced to Kill in Kauai - Bonus Excerpts

Killer in The Woods - Bonus Excerpts

Justice Served - Bonus Excerpts

About the Author

* * *

KILL AND SAY GOODBYE

He stood alone on the beach in the wee hours of the morning. Barefoot, with his trousers pulled up to just below his knees, he watched as the waves rolled across the body he had dumped there. It gave him great pleasure to give back to nature in a way that only the fish could love. Having a dead body to feast upon was like Thanksgiving Day for them.

All in a day's work.

Make that day and night. After all, it took him hours to catch his pretty prey off guard, render her unconscious with his handy stun gun, and take her back to his place for some real fun before finally putting her out of her misery. Then he took the lifeless body to the beach, placing her at the water's edge.

So long, lady, he mumbled to himself. Hate to kill and say goodbye, but I didn't really have much choice. And, unfortunately, neither did you.

He gazed out at the ocean a bit longer, contemplating his next move. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone rapidly approaching, tracking footprints in the sand. He assumed the jogger was trying to get a head start on other runners at this early hour.

He turned and quickly headed in the opposite direction.

* * *

Gena LaCrosse barely avoided stepping on a bigger than average snail during her early morning run on the beach, which surely would have given her the heebie-jeebies. She hated the thought of taking any creature's life, no matter how gross they were.

She hated even more that she'd gotten involved with a control freak who didn't know when enough was enough. Fortunately she did, breaking off their nine-month relationship after he threatened her with bodily harm. As expected, her ex, Colin Murray—a bodyguard and former bartender—didn't take it very well.

His words replayed in her mind...

Don't even think about leaving me, Gena. I mean it! I'll say when it's over and it ain't.

Like hell it wasn't.

Gena refused to allow herself to be a prisoner in a relationship that was going nowhere other than down a dangerous path she wanted no part of. After contacting the authorities and being told she could get a temporary restraining order that they admitted wasn't worth the paper it was typed on if someone really wanted to hurt you, Gena did the next best thing.

She took a leave of absence from her job as a financial analyst for a Chicago firm and escaped under the cover of darkness.

Her boss, Phil Vale, believing she was overstressed and needed to get away for a while, offered Gena the use of his summer cabin in Fortune Beach, Oregon. Having never been anywhere in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, other than a brief stop in Seattle once, she jumped at the chance to disappear. At least until Colin cooled down and accepted the fact that they were never going to get back together.

The only condition was that Phil had to keep her location just between them, so no unwanted guests would find her. Phil