Chasing Constellations

By HA Fortman

Elisa Jones has just graduated college with her journalism degree and now she’s trying to make her way in the world alone. Without any idea what to do, Elisa turns back to her first love - cold serial killer cases. She decides to follow up on a lead she found that the police overlooked. It's a clue that takes her to California, where she thinks she might be able to assist in uncovering the killer.

Commander Turock Gav’rin is on the hunt for a fugitive, one that has taken him across the stars to a small blue planet with worlds of potential. Hiding who he really is, “Chase Ricter” has to find and capture his fugitive before any of the natives discover who, and what, he truly is.

Elisa and Chase are thrust on an adventure that will test their very beings. A twist of fate brings them together in a collision that will set their worlds on edge. Will the two of them survive as mighty hunters? Or will they lose it all as they become the hunted?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HA Fortman
• Release date: Jul 28, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311464279

HA Fortman

HA Fortman is a full time wife and mother. She loves to read and has written for her friends and family for years. She also loves doing wood burning and spending time outside with her two dogs and two cats. After earning her Criminal Justice degree, she decided to start writing more and share her amazing worlds with everyone. She would love to hear from her readers!

Book preview

Chasing Constellations:

Book 1 of the UGS Constellation Series

By

H.A. Fortman

IMPRINT: Romance Sci-Fi Suspense

Sci-Fi Fiction Romance

CHASING CONSTELLATIONS: Book 1 of the UGS CONSTELLATION Series

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2014 by H. A. Fortman

First E-Book Published July 2014

Cover Design by Melody Simmons

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: All books copyrighted to the author and may not be resold or given away without written permission from the author.

This novel is a work of fiction. Any and all characters, events, and places are of the author's imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events or places is merely coincidence. This book is intended for adults only. Must be 18 years or older to read.

Smashwords License Statement

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 reader. 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.

Acknowledgements

I want to thank my wonderful husband, for pushing and encouraging me to write. Something I've always wanted to do, but I was never brave enough.

To my wonderful friends, thank you for dealing with me while I pestered you all for advice non-stop and asking you to give me your input.

SE Smith, thank you for all of the help and guidance!!!

Synopsis

Elisa Jones has just graduated college with her journalism degree and now she’s trying to make her way in the world alone. Without any idea what to do, Elisa turns back to her first love - cold serial killer cases. She decides to follow up on a lead she found that the police overlooked. It's a clue that takes her to California, where she thinks she might be able to assist in uncovering the killer.

Commander Turock Gav’rin is on the hunt for a fugitive, one that has taken him across the stars to a small blue planet with worlds of potential. Hiding who he really is, Chase Ricter has to find and capture his fugitive before any of the natives discover who, and what, he truly is.

Elisa and Chase are thrust on an adventure that will test their very beings. A twist of fate brings them together in a collision that will set their worlds on edge. Will the two of them survive as mighty hunters? Or will they lose it all as they become the hunted?

Prologue

The rain splashed off of the window in front of Elisa, creating little rivers that wound their way down beyond the glass to the small ledge before falling to the ground.

With a soft sigh, she picked up her cup of coffee and read the article in the Los Angeles Times. Although it was a copy of an older edition, one she managed to get her hands on much later, this one was from March Thirteenth. The article had run eight years previously, in Nineteen Seventy One.

Another double murder headlined the paper; no one knew who the killer was or if he was going be stopped, everyone was baffled, even the police. This time the killer touted his rage at the editor, proclaiming the additional killings if the letter wasn’t in the paper.

Elisa didn’t know what to think, there’d already been several killings and each letter was signed with a segmented circle that looked almost like a target. A few times the mysterious perpetrator had sent in a strange code, a cypher that only he knew the meaning of. Even though the person seemed sure that the police and the general public would understand.

Watching out the window as the rain mixed with snow outside the Detroit Diner, people bustled about their lives in an endless stream of bundled traffic. It wasn’t common for there to be snow in early October, but it wasn’t exactly common either, and apparently many of the people outside were caught unaware of the incoming storm.

The sensationalism of the first reporting was slowly dying, but Elisa knew people would begin to wonder even as the younger generation never learned of it, and the older would unfortunately eventually forget.

It wasn’t often that a serial killer was able to undermine the work of so many officers, never mind the FBI was attempting to catch the killer or killers. In the letter written to the paper, the person proclaimed killing at least seventeen people and possibly more.

Why haven’t they caught you yet? What are you trying to tell everyone in your cipher? Muttering softly Elisa scanned her eyes down from the window to glance at the stacks of papers littered about the table, surrounding the remains of her early morning breakfast. She sighed softly as she rifled through them, once again picking up the old newspaper clippings that held the ciphers on them and holding them up to the various letters and public police records. What are you trying to prove? Why did these people have to die? Was there something you’re not saying? All questions that rattled around in her mind over and over again. I’m sure the police and the FBI have asked this as well.

With a shake of her head she set the cipher down and lifted the pages lumped together of her own notes, scanning them again to see if there’s anything she had left out.

Haven’t you given up on this yet? They’re never going to catch him and you’re not either. What makes you think some woman can do what the FBI can’t even manage? Yeah it’s nineteen sixty nine, but that doesn’t mean they’re gunna want some woman helping them. The gruff voice of Alex Stenza interrupted her thoughts, his heavy belly scraping and knocking papers off of the far edge of the table as he dropped into the booth without even a ‘by your leave’, never asked if she would mind first.

With a snort and barely contained sneer, Elisa bent over to retrieve the papers. Go away Alex. I told you I never wanted to see you again. Popping back up with the papers in hand, Elisa had no idea what she ever saw in Alex in the first place. At one time she might have considered him cute, like a lost little puppy, but those days were long gone. Back in college he’d been in good shape, but that shape had gotten considerably more… round. His shaggy brown hair, nondescript brown eyes and five o’clock shadow, his mismatched light blue shirt and dark green pants showed several stains that attested to his lack of personal hygiene.

How did I not smell him before he sat down? No wonder he’s on the prowl for a wife, someone to slave at the wash to get rid of the stains because he can’t eat without dribbling like the pig he is! I’m so glad I saw him for what he is, now if only he’d take the hint and leave me alone, you’d think a size seven shoes for the boys would drive the point home that I want nothing to do with him.

I don’t care. You’re a woman and don’t know what you want. Or what’s good for you. Reaching out he had snatched her notes from her hand and started reading them. You’ve been following this creep for years now, even wrote your paper on him. Give it up. It’s not healthy! Someone as nice as you, following some jerk like your life revolved around it. Slapping the papers down onto the table, Alex leaned forward and brushed a finger down the side of her face. Someone as pretty as you should be considering having babies and keeping house, not chasing dreams that’ll never happen.

With a growl Elisa snatched her papers back, his grip so tight on them that a portion of them had ripped, before throwing them down in front of her. "Get out of here Alex! I mean it! Leave me alone and go back to your booze! I am not interested in you and I never will be." In her anger Elisa began to throw her papers into a bag, not caring how they ended up inside just so long as she could get them away from his greasy hands.

You’re fooling yourself if you think anyone is going to listen to you. The only thing you’re good for is warming my bed and making my dinner. With a shove, he lurched out of the booth, making sure to jostle the table just hard enough to slosh the hot coffee all over the remaining papers before waddling his way out of the small diner. Just remember, I’m not gunna wait around for you forever! This here is prime real estate that’s up for sale and someone is bound to snatch it up!

As if she’d want that chunk of blubber, but telling that to Alex was a waste of air, one that he would never listen to, I have to get out of here; maybe if I go out to California I can better piece together what happened. With that thought in mind, Elisa raced home to pack her bags. Being sure to include her notes, Elisa arranged things for the open ended trip. She never thought once about leaving everything behind; she had no family to worry about her vanishing, her friend and roommate had already planned to leave at the end of the month to move in with her fiancés family and without Elisa there they could have the apartment until she returned, she had no real job as she’d just graduated college with her journalism degree and no pets to concern herself with.

Chapter 1

Elisa never knew how hard it would be, she never guessed how people in California would scoff at a single woman intending to investigate the murders would be treated with such indifference. Even though women’s lib had supposedly made them equal to men, at least in some aspects, it was still frowned upon for a woman to do certain things. Thankfully, she had the money to fund her searches; having rented a time share apartment and a car for however long she needed it.

Slowly she walked to the wall covered in papers, a timeline of information, photos, and letters from the killer calling themselves the Zodiac. She wondered yet again why the police didn’t see the connection. It was all there, spread out before her. There was a list of suspects, but all had been cleared for one reason or another, although the police didn’t have one name listed. Chase Ricter’s photo stood front and center, placed higher than the other suspects on the wall. Not a common name and not a common person from what all Elisa was able to piece together. With a sigh, she shook her head and turned to head towards the small table beside the door where she kept her purse and keys, her note pad digging into her side as she juggled it and her purse while leaving the temporary abode.

Sometime later, Elisa stood in the waiting room of the local police department. Her annoyance at the officer on duty at the front desk had shown in small ways, namely how as she ground out her reasons for needing to speak with someone. I know you don’t believe me Officer… Elisa was getting annoyed with the men in the world not believing her, with a huff she leaned forward and peered at the desk clerk’s name. Officer Smitty? Are you serious? OK, it doesn’t matter; I need to speak with the detective in charge of the Zodiac murders. Now! It’s important!

"Look, Miss. I know you think it’s important, but the detective isn’t going to just want to speak to some young child, from out of town, that plays at doing his job. So why don’t you just pack up your pricey, high maintenance ass and head back to wherever you came from and let a real man do the work. Shouldn’t you be at home playing with your dolls anyway?" With a sneer the officer returned to doing whatever it was he happened to be doing before Elisa showed up, which turned out to be a crossword puzzle from the local paper.

With a soft growl, Elisa turned around and started to head towards the door when a commotion brought her to a stop. Three officers brought in a man struggling and nearly knocking them off their feet. Get the door, Charlie! This one’s not coming easy! The tallest of the three cops shouted and Elisa assumed correctly that he was talking to the desk cop as the man jumped out of his chair and raced to the door leading to the jail cells.

Let me go! You don’t know what he’s going to do! Twisting and turning the man fought with the officers as much as he was able to with his hands cuffed behind his back. Turning rapidly from left to right, he managed to break the hold of the one on the left, lurching to the right drove that man off his feet, taking the opportunity to make a run for it the male charged towards Elisa with his head bent and body doubled over. Not paying attention to his surroundings, Elisa was too stunned to move out of the way. His head connected with the left side of Elisa’s ribs and sent them both sprawling down to the cold hard black and white checkered floor. Her papers gently fluttering to the ground around them like snowflakes, Elisa didn’t even have the chance to scream as his heavy weight pinned her down.

Get off of me, you jackass! Shoving and pushing lead to nothing more than the man's weight dropping further onto her body. The suddenness knocked what little breath she had left out of her lungs.

You have to get them to let me go before he kills more people! I swear I didn’t do it! Please! Make them let me go so I can stop it before it’s too late! With a toss of blue-black hair, the man lying across Elisa lifted his head and beseeched her with his piercing blue eyes.

Eyes so blue they were almost white.

Faster than she could blink, Elisa felt the man’s lips brush lightly against her own, a feather-light touch of skin that sent a sizzle of awareness down her spine, and blocked out the rest of the chaos around them. It wasn’t until he pushed for entrance, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth and leaving a stinging sensation against the corner of her lip, that she realized just what was happening and began to struggle.

With a choked off scream Elisa began to push at the man’s chest and kick at his legs, anything to get out from under the one man that sent a zing of awareness through her entire body.

Get off of me! Get off! Get off get off get off of me!!!! Not caring that she was repeating herself, Elisa simply wanted to get the man away from her. She didn’t even notice as officers charged forward to pull the man from her, more running in from other doors that lined the hallway on either side, and finally wrestled the heavy man from her small five foot three inch frame.

Gratefully the weight lifted off of her and she was able to scramble in a rushed crabwalk backwards. She only stopped when her back thumped with an echo against the pulpit used as the front desk.

Her papers lie scattered everywhere, being