Press'd Into Action

By Linda Rae Blair

The main characters from the first of the series, "Hard Press'd", Preston Andrews--Press to his friends, Rachel Wilding--FBI Special Agent and hot babe, and Trace Evans--Press's new, young partner are back.

Press is "volunteered" by FBI Director, Malcolm Probst, to help the Bureau solve a serial killer's deadly habit. This guy takes a victim one year, then returns it the next--in slightly altered condition.

With next to nothing to go on, the Senior Homicide Detective for the Virginia Beach Police Department is brought in to save the day--and save the Bureau's reputation while he's at it.

This one is action packed--whether on the trail of the killer or back at home where Press and Rachel get a few surprises of their own.

Find a comfortable spot and enjoy this one!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda Rae Blair
• Release date: Mar 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458071255

Linda Rae Blair

Raleigh artist, Linda Rae Blair was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She has used her knowledge gained during extensive travel throughout the United States and her passion for art, history, mysteries, and scenery to create compact novels with rich characters so real you'll miss them when they're gone and places you'll swear you've been. She has lived in Seattle, WA, Monterey Bay, CA, Cincinnati, OH, and retired five years ago in the Raleigh, NC area.Her love of history is well-earned. She is a direct descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins of Mayflower fame. She is also descended from a strong line of Scots-Irish immigrants to America in the 1700s. She even had a great uncle who was robbed by the infamous outlaw Belle Starr.Her Scottish love story, “Elusive”, spans 200 years of Scottish history and intrigue via setting in 1700s Scotland and early 1900s Paris and Scotland.An avid reader who inhales novels by Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown and others in the romance/mystery genres, her imagination takes you to a variety of places and times all in the same story.Her travels to the beautiful southwestern states inspired her more modern historic romance combined with mystery, “100 Years of Brotherly Love”.Her mystery series, The Preston Andrews Mysteries now has 12 published entries, beginning with “Hard Press’d” which now claims over 50,000 downloads and, most recently, the softcover print version of the series in compilation form.Ms. Blair has spent many happy hours in Virginia Beach during off-season, when the winds blow cold and hard and the salty air whips at the weather-protected palms. This is the locale chosen for her Preston Andrews series. Locals and visitors alike find many familiar frames of reference in this series.Her homage to her love for Poirot is via her teeny tiny mystery, “The Board Game Murders”.Her newest series is aimed at a slightly younger and more female audience from that of The Preston Andrews series but begins in the backstory in “Pressing Reunion”.The Samantha Hartley, PI series is lighter and features a very young and not terribly experienced private investigator just beginning her career—with a slight assist from the Director of the FBI.One thing is for certain, she combines her passions into stories interesting to history buffs, travelers, and lovers of romance and mystery.

Book preview

Blood chilling fear came with the memory and the realization that he had been stunned and drugged. Why would someone…?

The room was so black that he couldn’t see a foot in front of his face. He shook with the cold and the all-encompassing fear that became almost overwhelming. Between the fear and the drug-induced cobwebs, logical thought was difficult—almost beyond him. Even in his condition, one thing was clear…

This was no college prank. Whoever was doing this meant business!

See the author’s web site:

https://lindaraeblairauthor.wordpress.com/

The characters, names, and events, as well as all places, incidents, organizations, and dialog in this novel either are the products of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Published by Linda Rae Blair at Smashwords

Copyright © 2011 Linda Rae Blair

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4580-7125-5

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.

Press’d Into Action

Linda Rae Blair

Acknowledgments

There are people in one’s life that just keep doing what they do out of love and kindness. These are just a few that have been there for me through this writing process.

Of course, there are the two ladies who do my editing. They complain that I thank them too often in my books—so let’s just say you are appreciated and you know who you are.

My never-ending appreciation goes to Samantha Chappell who is always ready to jump in and offer encouragement. She knows me so very well—as she also does Virginia Beach and its haunts. We’ve certainly spent enough time there together!

Then there is Gail Leech whose love and support are so freely given. You are so appreciated!

Thanks to a fellow-author, Dune Elliot, for support and advice. For one writer to encourage another with such vigor is a joy to behold—and much appreciated.

To lovers of a good mystery—real or otherwise.

1

May 31, 2010

The sun had gone down, and it was safe to begin. Even though he was very isolated here, he knew he had to be very careful. His beauties could only be moved at night.

He looked at her face—pale and peaceful—and wanted her again, but it was too late. He needed to hurry.

He had carefully prepared her for his display. She had to be there before morning—he had to be well-gone before the sun came up.

He ran his finger down her cold cheek. She was so sweet, so quiet—so cold.

There had been no screaming or hysterics with her. It was as if she had really understood the importance of his little project—was proud to be a part of it.

The women’s fighting had always excited him, but somehow it had seemed to him that this time—with this one—his work had been appreciated, and that pleased him.

The men were just tools necessary to his art. Oh, he enjoyed the time he spent working with them, but that beautiful release the women gave him wasn’t there. In the end, it didn’t matter that much—it was the finished product that really mattered.

Oh well, it made no difference any longer. He had to get going on his next project. It was waiting for him and he could feel the excitement move through his body again. This next one really was special.

To calm himself, he looked into those dead white eyes one last time before wrapping the plastic tight around her and taking her to his van.

This was one of his very best, and it must be seen by many.

2

Tidewater Branch Coroner’s Office

Norfolk, Virginia

Day 1

9:30 AM

The Bureau had had the body delivered to Gladys Williams about thirty minutes earlier—just after she received a call from her supervisor in Richmond. Somehow, the Bureau had involved the Virginia Beach police in their case and she would be assisting them by doing the autopsy. She wondered if that meant…well, she’d find out soon enough.

She knew better than to argue. Politically, her boss would bow to the FBI every time—whether she already had a heavy workload of her own or not.

But why Tidewater specifically? The girl was found in Richmond—where the State Coroner’s main office was located.

God knew the main office had people perfectly fit and available to do the girl’s autopsy. Something was going on and she’d just have to wait to find out what it was.

The girl was hers now and Gladys would do her best for the vic—always did. Gladys Williams, Chief Coroner for the State’s Tidewater Branch, looked at what was left of Melissa Parkway. Her heart was breaking.

Well, Gladys, she thought, here’s hoping they put someone good on this one. Whoever did this damage is one sick son-of-a-bitch. She’d seen some of the worst cases in the State, but nothing like this.

Most who worked with Gladys knew what a soft heart she had. On the job though, it didn’t pay to wear your heart on your sleeve.

Gladys was highly respected—could always be trusted to tell things just the way they were. In addition, she didn’t play politics.

She was very much loved by all those who worked with her. There was one detective that she was very close to—one very talented detective. She caught herself grinning at the thought of the man his fellow cops nicknamed Super Dick.

Preston Andrews was an extremely good cop. Maybe her hunch was right and he was the reason she and Tidewater were being involved. She certainly hoped he got this case. There were reasons he shouldn’t have to—wouldn’t want to—but he’d figure out who did this. Hell, Super Dick could solve anything as far as she was concerned. After all, that’s how he got his nickname.

She turned on her recorder and began. June 2, 2010. Autopsy of Melissa Parkway, a Caucasian female, age twenty, height five-foot-three-inches, weight, she looked up at the scale reading, one-hundred-fifteen pounds.

For the next two hours, Gladys cut, weighed, recorded, documented lacerations on a body chart, and took samples for testing.

Melissa Parkway had suffered—a lot!

When she was done, Gladys gently placed the body in a drawer and pushed it closed. She found herself standing there just looking at that closed drawer.

She hoped with everything she had that the family would not be coming to her morgue to do the identification—but, of course, she knew better. They would come. It had to be done.

Per the instructions from her supervisor, she would complete her reports and send the samples to the FBI lab, but she would not report to the local police. She would wait for the FBI’s Special-Agent-in-Charge to contact her.

Wonder what the FBI is up to?

3

Virginia Beach Police HQ

Day 2

3:45 PM

I hate days like this.

Homicide Detective Preston Andrews, Press to his friends, had already put in a ten-hour day. The floater he’d been roused out of bed to handle had been identified. The family—now more relieved than shocked—had gone to the Tidewater District Coroner’s Office.

They’d been waiting for