Night Shadows

By Bill Craig

Night Shadows
A Rebekah McCabe Mystery
When Caroline England first walked into her office with a wild tale of being followed and feeling that someone had targeted her for murder, Rebekah McCabe really didn’t believe her. But the money was real enough and there was enough of it to make her a believer, at least long enough to investigate.
Caroline was a hostess at Club Prana, a five level nightclub featuring everything from hip-hop to reggae. The night before she had nearly been shoved over a balcony rail. Could it have been an accident? That’s what Rebekah wants to find out. But before she can, her client is dead and Rebekah has a concussion. The cops tell her to let it go, but Rebekah feels she owes her dead client and won’t. Because there is still a killer out there, lurking in the Night Shadows...
Move over Decker and Marlow! Bill Craig is bringing Rebekah McCabe to the world. She's sexy, tough as nails, and nobody's baby. Night Shadows is a tale of a wrongful death and one woman's determination to make it right.
--JB Kohl, co-author of Over Their Heads

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bill Craig
• Release date: Dec 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370172306

Bill Craig

Bill Craig taught himself to read at age four and began writing his own stories at age six. He published his first novel at age 40 and says it only took him 34 years to become an overnight success! He has been publishing steadily ever since that first book Valley of Death and now has 27 books in print or ebook. Bill is the proud father of four children ranging in age from 38 to almost 8. He has 7 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. Mr. Craig has worked a wide variety of jobs over the years from private security and corrections work to being a grill cook and dishwasher. He has been a news reporter, done factory work and even a stint as a railroad clerk. He currently does customer service work to support his writing addiction. His ultimate goal in life is to break the record held by pulp author and creator of The Shadow, Walter B. Gibson, for writing the most works in a single year!

Book preview

Chapter One

Her head felt like her brains were leaking out as she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw in the fading light were streamers of blood dripping down over the white painted wall. She listened carefully for a few moments, just long enough to determine that she was alone before struggling to push herself into an upright position. Rebekah McCabe looked around the room, trying to remember what had happened when she finally spotted the body on the other side of the room. She reached up and touched the back of her head, the part that felt like her brains were hanging out of her skull. Her hand came away bloody. She probed tenderly but there were no brains, only a split scalp and a lot of blood and hair. That at least was a relief.

Her pistol was on the floor near her left foot. It would have fallen from her right hand when she was hit from behind. She picked it up and sniffed the barrel. Nope, her gun wasn't responsible for the body on the other side of the room. It hadn't been fired. She slid it back into the holster on her hip and pushed to her feet before staggering drunkenly over to the other body. It was female as well, and she was pretty sure that she knew who it was. Slowly she knelt down and felt for a pulse that wasn't there. McCabe brushed hair back away from the face. Caroline England. Her client. McCabe stood and made her way to the front door of the house and pulled out her phone. She thought about dialing 911, but instead pulled up her contact list and punched the call button that would connect her to Captain Luke Stanley of the Tampa Bay Police Department.

What the hell went on here, McCabe? Captain Luke Stanley, Tampa Police Department Homicide demanded.

You don’t have to yell, my head hurts bad enough already, Rebekah said quietly.

You’re damn well lucky we didn’t find two corpses when we got here! Now tell me exactly what the hell happened, he ordered. Luke Stanley was tall and thin, with a runner’s build and short brown hair that was only just starting to turn white at the temples. A thick mustache covered his upper lip and his blue eyes looked fierce through the lenses of his glasses. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt and a navy blue tie. His feet were clad in black Italian loafers.

The crime scene people were still working the room and the Medical Examiner from the Hillsboro County Medical Examiner’s office had arrived. Stay, Stanley snarled at her as he went over to meet Dr. Black. The County ME was a tall thin woman with long brown hair going to gray that hung halfway down her back. Dr. Lisa Blair. Rebekah recognized her from having seen her on the news several times. Rebekah turned away as the ME knelt down to examine what was left of Caroline England. That wasn’t something she really wanted to watch.

Instead, she was trying to remember what had happened after she had entered Caroline’s house. Everything was fuzzy and it was like trying to see through a thick fog. Probably, she deduced, a result of nearly having her fool head caved in. The room spun and she dropped to her knees as a wave of nausea rushed through her. Then strong hands were lifting her and carrying her outside. It was dark now, but there was still a lot of light from police vehicles. Strong hands pulled back her thick red mane of hair as she emptied her stomach into the carefully manicured grass. Once she was done, those same hands stood her up and guided her to a waiting ambulance.

Dammit McCabe, why didn’t you tell me you were feeling sick? Luke Stanley asked. His tone was more gentle this time.

Because I didn’t know until it hit, she replied. You got any breath mints?

Yeah, he said digging a clear plastic box of tic-tacs out of his pocket and handing them to her. Rebekah popped the lid and shook three out into her hand and tossed them into her mouth. She reclosed the box and handed it back to him, the taste of the mints fighting with the taste of vomit in her mouth.

Any idea who did it? Stanley asked.

Not really no. I was just getting started on her case. I had only been looking into it for a day, Rebekah shook her head and immediately wished that she hadn’t as everything began to spin. She felt Luke Stanley’s hands on her shoulders, steadying her as an EMT finally came over and began to examine her.

She’s got a concussion at the very least and needs stitches in that scalp wound. We need to take her to the hospital, the man said.

Where? Stanley asked.

Tampa General Hospital on Tampa General Circle, the EMT replied as he helped her into the ambulance and onto the gurney. He started and IV as Luke Stanley closed the door. Rebekah closed her eyes and that was the last thing she remembered.

Lisa Blair was finishing up as Captain Stanley returned to the crime scene. That was some quick thinking to preserve the scene, Lisa told him, the lines around her eyes crinkling in amusement.

Hey, I do what I can. Turns out she needed medical attention. She’s on the way to Tampa General, Luke shrugged.

I could tell that from the blood matted in her hair. Why didn’t you have an EMT check her sooner?

I was trying to find out exactly what the hell happened here.

How did that work out for you?

Not as well as I had hoped.

You going to the hospital? Lisa asked.

I’ll go in the morning, Luke shook his head.

Sure you will, Lisa replied knowingly as she finished with the body and two of her assistants bagged it up. I’ll work on the victim tonight and hopefully have something on your desk in the morning.

I appreciate that, Captain Stanley told her. He watched impassively as the body was removed from the scene. He looked around. His people knew their jobs and he really wasn’t needed there any longer. He headed for the door, stepping outside as Dr. Blair and her people pulled away with the meat wagon. Dammit, Rebekah what the hell have you gotten yourself into?

The relationship between Captain Stanley and Rebekah McCabe was an old one. He had been her Training officer when she had graduated the academy. He had been a sergeant back then. McCabe had shown a lot of promise. Except she just couldn’t play by the rules.

Rebekah McCabe was a natural rebel. She did whatever it took to make the bust, even if that meant bending the rules and moving outside the letter of the law. It had always been a bone of contention between them. At the same time, they had been powerfully attracted to each other. Except that was something Stanley would never act on given that he was her T.O. Eventually, she had moved on to patrol and had a promising career as a cop until she had pulled over a city councilman for drunk driving. The guy tried to blow his condition off, but McCabe was having none of it. When the guy offered to have sex if she would let him go, McCabe had kicked him in the balls, cuffed him and added charges of solicitation, bribery, resisting arrest, to the original charge of driving drunk.

Unfortunately for her, the politician was well connected and she was given the choice of quitting or being fired. McCabe had quit, applied for her P.I. license and gone into private practice. Not long afterward, a series of embarrassing pictures had been sent anonymously to the newspapers of the politician in a garter belt and stockings pronging an underage hooker in a cheap motel near the beach. The politician went to jail and McCabe had flourished in her new job.

Stanley knew where the pictures had come from but had kept his own mouth shut. He tossed McCabe the occasional bone and she had built her reputation. But this was different. This time, somebody had died. He didn’t want that to happen to McCabe; and he would do everything he could to discourage her from pursuing it, even if it meant he had to pull her license. The bad part was, McCabe would realize that and it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference to her. Because her client was dead and she hadn’t been able to stop it.

McCabe would take that personal. What he told her wouldn’t matter. No, she would stay on it no matter what, license or no license. Stanley headed for his car and climbed in. Despite what he had told Lisa Blair, he was headed for Tampa General.

Rebekah didn’t remember any of the trip to the hospital or being treated in the Emergency Room. Everything was a blank until she opened her eyes in a semi-dark hospital room and hear the soft beeping of the monitors that were hooked up to her. She heard a soft sound from her right and groggily turned her head, wincing as she did so. Captain Luke Stanley was sitting in the chair snoring softly.

Hey, thanks for coming by, McCabe said, though her voice was hoarse and barely more than a whisper. It was enough to wake Stanley up His eyes flickered open and his snoring stopped as his head turned to look at her.

About time you woke up, Stanley smiled and it lit up his whole face. He was genuinely glad to see her awake.

I still don’t remember anything. Did you get the killer yet?

Not yet. For some silly reason, making sure you were okay seemed more important to me.

I’m glad to hear you say that. What did the doctor’s say about my head?

It’s still attached.

I could tell that much from the inside, Rebekah replied sarcastically.

I couldn’t tell from over here, Luke grinned at her.

So how bad is the damage? McCabe asked, feeling tired again already.

You had a pretty bad concussion, a goose egg on your forehead from where you hit the floor and six stitches in the back of you head from where the killer hit you.

How much hair did they cut?

About the size of a silver dollar. You might need a hat for a few days until the stitches come out, but from what the doctor said you should be able to mask where they cut it from.

Thank God for small favors, Rebekah breathed a sigh of relief.

I don’t guess I ever realized that you were that vain about your appearance, Stanley grinned.

Hello, woman! Or hadn’t you ever noticed?

Believe me I noticed, he sighed.

Good, I thought I must be losing it.

No chance of that Kid.

"You know I hate it when you call me that."

I know it.

But it doesn’t stop you.

"I’ve got twenty years on you Bekah, to me you are a kid!"

Don’t go getting all technical on me Luke. When can I get out of here?

I knew you were going to ask that. You are such a pain in the ass, Bekah, Luke sighed.

I hate hospitals, she huffed.

You won’t be going anywhere until the doctor checks you out in the morning. The two uniforms outside the door have their orders, Luke stood, unfolding himself from the chair.

Two uniforms outside my door? Don’t you think that’s a bit much?

Not really. You are after all a material witness in a homicide. Once whoever killed your client finds out you survived, they might just decide to make another try. I don’t want to make it too easy for them. Plus, I know how you are and I want to make sure that you stay put.

She won’t be getting out of that bed until Doctor checks her out. I took your advice and brought restraints, said a rather muscular-looking nurse as she entered the room. She was wearing light blue scrubs and her blonde hair was drawn up in a ponytail. She had four large leather devices in her hand that had leather belts that would fasten to the bed.

McCabe’s eyes narrowed angrily as she looked from the nurse to Stanley and back. You wouldn’t dare!

Honey, are you willing to bet on that? the nurse asked. Her name badge read Charity. McCabe didn’t believe it for a minute.

I guess not.

Then behave yourself. You took a bad blow to the head and we need to find out how much it scrambled your brains. You’re going to be getting nauseous again soon and I’d just as soon not have to clean you up. Right now I’m here to check your vitals, Nurse Charity informed her.

And I will leave you to it, Stanley said, slipping out the door, but not before making sure that McCabe could see that there were two uniformed officers outside