Athena: The Detective Macaulay Murders Prequel

By Ruby Binns-Cagney

*** Not suitable for children due to scenes of a violent nature. ****

From the Author of 'Pandora's Box' comes the dark, disturbing prequel to the Detective Macaulay Murders:

Two victims have been slain; their smoldering charred remains discarded on the beach on Long Island, New York.

Three other U.S. States report similar homicides: cold cases of victims which bear the same injuries, and remain unsolved.

FBI Agent Nick Benson is assigned to the lead NYPD homicide Detective, Finkel Macaulay, to uncover the suspect's motive for the sacrifices, and to take the fight against crime to a whole new new level of intensity.

Benson risks everything-including Macaulay's life-for the chance to make things right; as losing her is the only way he can hope to save himself.

But, ghosts from his traumatic past return to haunt him, leaving him more determined to shut down the Operation before any more murders can take place.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BinnsCagneyPublishing Co
• Release date: May 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310672644

Ruby Binns-Cagney

Keep in touch - sign up for new releases and save on publication day:http://books2read.com/author/ruby-binns-cagney/subscribe/1/41373/Ruby Binns-Cagney is a successful independently published Author who writes women's fiction (chick-lit) and American-based crime thrillers.Ruby's 'Detective Macaulay' crime series has a following on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/detmacaulay (@DetMacaulay)Ruby has a website and blog - read more details of her publishing services.Through her publishing company - BinnsCagneyPublishing Co - Ruby empowers others to become self-published Authors, and her Team also mentor new Authors.Free Marketing Help Signup:http://eepurl.com/3IsJPAdd her to your Google+ Circles https://plus.google.com/+RubyBinnsCagney/postsPlease visit her website:http://author-tales-of-self-publishing-books.blogspot.co.uk

Book preview

ATHENA

The Detective Macaulay Murders Prequel

Ruby Binns-Cagney

Copyright © Gizzard Publishing 2020

Cover Image Copyright © Gizzard Publishing 2020

All rights reserved. The reproduction, transmission or utilization of this work by any means is prohibited without written permission.

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the Author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to locales or to actual persons is purely coincidental.

Copyright © Cover Image BinnsCagneyDesign Co

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

More About The Author

1

Homicide. Jones Beach, Long Island, New York.

How did the victim get from the bonfire all the way down the beach, to here? I said.

Officer, did anyone move or disturb the victim prior to our arrival? Detective Tremont Parker said.

The man who found the piece of human bone said his dog was around the victim's remains. Could have disturbed it, Officer Brockman said. Estelle looked at the charred remains more closely.

Notice how the burns are less severe on the back of the victim? Tremont said. Estelle rolled the victim over.

The victim was face down in the fire, I said.

Somebody turned the corpse over in the fire to make sure it was unrecognizable. Caused the most severe disfigurement that way, Tremont said.

Second degree murder. This was no accident. It was personal, I said.

You got that right. I'm out, Tremont said, and left the crime scene and got into his car. He was done for the night. Heading home to his wife and three children, in Astoria, Queens. I, on the other hand, was headed back to the stack of papers on my desk.

Within a few minutes I had reached my office. Pulled into the parking lot. Exchanged pleasantries with the security guard, Hal. Got to my desk. Took a moment to familiarize myself with what was spewed over it. Got started on the brown folders, which depicted their gross accounts of recent slayings.

Murder rates in Manhattan had hit an all-time low in 2010. The NYPD Manhattan South's Detective Squad was cut to just nine personnel. City Hall had slashed the budget, and the subsequent overtime crackdown meant I had to keep up with paperwork when not on the streets solving cases.

I had only been settled at my desk for a few minutes when a dark haired man who wore a slate grey color suit walked in. Olive complexion, dark hair with grey streaks running through it, and hazel eyes which scanned the office and barely noticed the people there. Concentrated instead on the windows and skylight, and the exits. He went into the Captain's office and closed the door. There was a hum of activity in the room. Paula, the lead Detective on the Robbery desk had also noticed him, and came over to my desk excitedly.

Who is he? she said, and indicated towards the man in the Captain's office with her Alex Rodrigues bobble head in hand. Hot-desking meant finding a new desk every day.

I didn't see anyone, I said, and kept my head focused on the case I was working on. I pretended not to care but the small hairs on the back of my neck were permanently raised since his arrival.

I wouldn't let him out of my bed if he was mine, Paula said, and left me to get on with my work.

Curiosity got the better of me. I went to the coffee machine in front of the Captain's office and tried to listen at the door. I was unable to hear what was being discussed. I returned to my casework.

The Captain's office door opened and a collective series of heads turned to observe the emergence of its occupants. My back was to the door, and I kept my head involved in my paperwork.

Can I have everyone's attention please? Captain Eden Myers, a Scotsman with red hair and a small trace of a red beard below his lower lip addressed the entire office. While the officers in the room migrated towards the Captain I remained at the homicide desk with other assisting officers in the small enclosure.

Thank you. I'd like to introduce you all to FBI Agent Nick Benson from the Spokane Field Office. He's going to be working alongside us temporarily to see how we do things in New York.

I promise I won't get under anybody's feet. I'm just here to observe, and get a handle on how you operate here, Nick said.

Let's make Agent Benson feel most welcome. I've assigned Detective Finkel Macaulay to take care of you. You're in good hands, Eden said.

Thank you, Captain Myers, Nick said. The officers all returned to their desks and I stood up and turned to face Agent Benson. He took in the curves of my body beneath my NYPD uniform, and then stretched out his hand and I shook it. Felt the warmth of his skin, and the soft texture of it against my palm.

Pleased to meet you, Sir, I said, and placed my hands on either side of my utility belt.

Will you call me Nick, please? Easy on the eyes. Slightly taller than me. Steady eye contact. Confident, assertive, sexy even. My gut responded to him in the most startling way, and waves of excitement stalked my skin.

A homicide's just been called in. I'm just about to go to a crime scene. Want to join me? I said. He stepped back to allow me to pass by him and I caught his scent. A gentle cologne. Something subtle which wouldn't have all my attention if we were not standing so close. I led him to the elevator and we got in.

Looks heavy. How much does the utility belt weigh? he said. I looked at him but not directly into his eyes.

I can let you try it on if you'd like? I said. He looked at the numbers on the elevator panel above the brushed steel doors.

I'll look forward to it. Eyes remained focused on the elevator panel.

How long are you going to be in New York City? I said, and watched the elevator floor numbers reduce to zero.

Three months if the project I'm heading gets green lit by the President of the United States.

Sounds serious.

It is. I can't go into specifics but your Homicide Division was cited as being the best operationally, and I want to tap into your expertise.

Pick what's left of our brains, you mean, I said, but didn't mean it to sound so disrespectful.

If you like. My car is parked here. Are you taking a squad car, given you're in uniform? he said. He was observant, but there were no squad cars in the parking lot, and I was in uniform for a reason.

I went to a Police Officer's funeral this morning. That's why I'm in uniform.

So sorry for your loss. I had no idea.

Thank you. My car is this way. I clicked the remote control and the alarm disengaged with a low hum, and the headlights flashed. We got into my car and got settled.

Where are we headed? Nick watched the automatic seatbelt curve around his waist.

Nyack, Long Island. Male victim found this morning by a man and his dog along the beachfront. The dog found a human bone on the beach and brought it to his owner, a Doctor based in Hempstead.

Let's go see what happened, he said. I took the shortest route to Nyack without any criticism from Nick about my driving skills. He was the perfect passenger. He didn't touch my car's radio, and he only asked questions when we were stopped at a red light.

I could use a cup of coffee soon. How about you? I said. I looked at Nick. He was holding the strap fixed to the roof of the vehicle, and he stared at the passengers in the black Escalade in front of us. There was an NRA bumper sticker on the vehicle. He had watched the vehicle pull into traffic ahead of us.

Pull out and turn into the right hand lane, he said, and as I looked up the lights were suddenly green. I pulled into the right turn as the vehicle in front moved away at speed. The tension visible in Nick's body told me something wasn't right.

I looked in the rearview and the black Escalade slammed into the car in front of it. We heard the vehicle's horn sound continuously as we sped away.

What just happened? How did you know?

It's what I do. I know when something bad is going to happen.

Shouldn't we go back and get help?

Someone else can take care of them. Keep on this street and take the next turn off. We were almost on the West Side Highway heading towards Palisades Parkway. We would be in Nyack soon.