Something Wrong (A Lauren Lamb FBI Thriller—Book Three)

By Kate Bold

Former FBI agent Lauren Lamb, teamed with an exorcist and helping the Vatican solve inexplicable murders, is stumped when she investigates the death of a woman found in France with a mysterious religious mark on her arm. At first glance it seems like a killer is at work. But as Lauren is met with one dead end after another, she must wonder: is something greater at work?

“This is an excellent book… When you start reading, be sure you don’t have to wake up early!”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

SOMETHING WRONG is book #3 in a new series by #1 bestselling mystery and suspense author Kate Bold, whose bestseller NOT ME (a free download) has received over 1,500 five star ratings and reviews.

A page-turning and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured FBI agent, the Lauren Lamb series is a riveting mystery, packed with non-stop action, suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night. Fans of Rachel Caine, Teresa Driscoll, and Robert Dugoni are sure to fall in love.

Future books in the series are now available.

“This book moved very fast and every page was exciting. Plenty of dialogue, you absolutely love the characters, and you were rooting for the good guy throughout the whole story… I look forward to reading the next in the series.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“Kate did an amazing job on this book and I was hooked from the first chapter!”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“I really enjoyed this book. The characters were authentic, and I see the bad guys as something we hear about daily on the news... Looking forward to book 2.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“This was a really good book. The main characters were real, flawed and human. The story went along quickly and wasn't mired in too many unnecessary details. I really enjoyed it.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“Alexa Chase is headstrong, impatient, but most of all brave with a capital B. She never, repeat never, backs down until the bad guys are put where they belong. Clearly five stars!”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“Captivating and riveting serial murder with a twist of the macabre… Very well done.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“WOW what a great read! Talk about a diabolical killer! Really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to reading others by this author as well.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“Page turner for sure. Great characters and relationships. I got into the middle of this story and couldn’t put it down. Looking forward to more from Kate Bold.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“Hard to put down. It has an excellent plot and has the right amount of suspense. I really enjoyed this book.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“Extremely well written, and well worth buying and reading. I can't wait to read book two!”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kate Bold
• Release date: Aug 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9781094378862

Book preview

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S O M E T H I N G

W R O N G

(A Lauren Lamb Mystery—Book 3)

K a t e   B o l d

Kate Bold

Bestselling author Kate Bold is author of the ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the CAMILLE GRACE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eight books (and counting); the HARLEY COLE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eleven books (and counting); the KAYLIE BROOKS PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); the EVE HOPE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising seven books (and counting); and the LAUREN LAMB FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting).

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Kate loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.kateboldauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

Copyright © 2023 by Kate Bold. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. 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 it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright zoa.arts, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

BOOKS BY KATE BOLD

LAUREN LAMB SUSPENSE THRILLER

SOMETHING KNOCKING (Book #1)

SOMETHING CALLING (Book #2)

SOMETHING WRONG (Book #3)

SOMETHING DARK (Book #4)

SOMETHING TO HIDE (Book #5)

ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER

THE KILLING GAME (Book #1)

THE KILLING TIDE (Book #2)

THE KILLING HOUR (Book #3)

THE KILLING POINT (Book #4)

THE KILLING FOG (Book #5)

THE KILLING PLACE (Book #6)

ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER

LET ME GO (Book #1)

LET ME OUT (Book #2)

LET ME LIVE (Book #3)

LET ME BREATHE (Book #4)

LET ME FORGET (Book #5)

LET ME ESCAPE (Book #6)

CAMILLE GRACE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOT ME (Book #1)

NOT NOW (Book #2)

NOT WELL (Book #3)

NOT HER (Book #4)

NOT NORMAL (Book #5)

NOT AGAIN (Book #6)

NOT SAFE (Book #7)

NOT TODAY (Book #8)

HARLEY COLE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOWHERE SAFE (Book #1)

NOWHERE LEFT (Book #2)

NOWHERE TO RUN (Book #3)

NOWHERE LIKE THIS (Book #4)

NOWHERE GIRL (Book #5)

NOWHERE TO HIDE (Book #6)

NOWHERE CERTAIN (Book #7)

NOWHERE PURE (Book #8)

NOWHERE SOUND (Book #9)

NOWHERE SANE (Book #10)

NOWHERE TRUE (Book #11)

KAYLIE BROOKS PYSCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER

LAST BREATH (Book #1)

LAST CHANCE (Book #2)

LAST WISH (Book #3)

LAST SHOT (Book #4)

LAST MISTAKE (Book #5)

EVE HOPE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

IN HIS BLOOD (Book #1)

IN HIS SIGHTS (Book #2)

IN HIS REACH (Book #3)

IN HIS MIND (Book #4)

IN HIS WAY (Book #5)

IN HIS THOUGHTS (Book #6)

IN HIS DREAMS (Book #6)

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

EPILOGUE

PROLOGUE

She sprinted across the field, sobbing, not daring to turn around. Her dress billowed around her in the cool air, and she used one hand to lift it off the ground, fearing that she might stumble on the train as she ran across the field.

The bells chimed behind her, and she wondered how long it would be before they realized she was gone. She thought she might have been better off trying to hide until someone else arrived so she could ask for help.

Too late now. She had run, and now she had no choice but to keep running and hope she could escape before it was too late.

Her eyes stung as her mascara ran into her eyes, driven there by the sweat that streaked down her forehead even as tears ran down her cheeks. She had no idea how far she’d run or how long she’d been running. She’d read somewhere that the cathedral’s bells could be heard up to five miles away, but she had no idea if that was true or not. She only knew that she needed to keep running.

She looked over her shoulder and couldn’t see anyone behind her. That was a mistake. She looked forward again, but not in time to see the hole in the ground. Her foot fell into the hole, and she fell forward with a cry, hitting the ground hard on her left shoulder.

Pain jolted through her spine to her toes and up to her gums. She squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth to stifle the cry that came to her lips, so what came out was a soft keening wail instead of a scream. She held her injured shoulder to her chest with her other arm and rolled over onto her back, sobbing with the pain and fear.

Don’t stop, she thought. Not here.

She rolled to her knees and slowly got to her feet, then continued running. Her lungs burned, and the stitch in her side intensified until it was nearly as painful as her injured shoulder.

Still, she kept running. She could still hear the wedding bells behind her. She wasn’t far enough away. Not nearly.

She was too disoriented to be fully aware of her surroundings. If she was, she would have realized that she was putting more and more distance between herself and civilization, more and more distance between herself and any chance of help.

She was too frightened to think of that. All she could think about was getting away.

She reached an old dirt road that led to a farmhouse in the distance and picked up the pace. She could reach it in a few minutes. The people there would help her. They had to.

She began to sob again, a kernel of hope intensifying her desperation. Just a little farther. Just a little more, and she would be safe.

She stumbled again but this time managed to keep her feet. She looked up, and when she did, she saw him standing in front of her, a crazed grin on his face. She screamed and veered to her left, reaching with her hands as though grabbing for an unseen hand.

She didn’t reach that hand, but another hand gripped her shoulder like a vise and yanked her back onto the road. She turned wild eyes up toward her attacker. He grinned at her and raised a long spike over his shoulder. It gleamed brightly in the moonlight.

No! she shrieked. Please!

The needle came down. She shrieked again.

Then she fell silent.

CHAPTER ONE

Lauren stood in front of the altar and stared at the image of Christ on the cross. Jesus looked down on her, his face twisted in anguish, but his eyes filled with love.

Pain and love. Suffering and redemption. Sin and forgiveness. The endless dichotomy of Christianity. We are all sinners, but we can all achieve righteousness through God. We all suffer, but Christ’s love will redeem us. We are all fated to an eternity in Hell, but should we submit our will to God, He will rescue us from that fate.

She had once believed all of those things without question, accepting the words and assurances of her teachers. Then God had proven Himself a liar, allowing his servants to suffer and die regardless of their worship of Him. She had left the church and never looked back.

Not until now.

It wasn’t God’s love that brought her back. He still seemed to her a cruel God, one more desirous of the fear and servitude of humanity than the love and joy He promised.

Still, if He was cruel, there were others far crueler.

Novi te, perfide. Prodigus.

Non diu nunc, prodigus.

I know you, prodigus. Not long now, prodigus

Prodigus. Latin for prodigal. Both times she had encountered allegedly possessed women—first in Cepagatti while she and Father Emilio investigated the deaths of nuns and second in New York when they had investigated the murders of several clergy, they had called her that name. The reference was clear. She had left the Church and left God. Now she was working for the Church, and while she might not believe in God, she still served Him. Not that she believed that, but that was what those who still believed would feel.

So it didn't really mean anything that those two ill women had called her by that name. They didn't need to know anything about her that she didn't volunteer. Even if she didn't volunteer, it was easy to guess that she didn't believe, and probably not all that hard to tell she struggled with that disbelief.

Still…

Quomodo exlamavit! Clamat adhuc!

How he screamed! He still screams!

She tried to tell herself that it meant nothing, that it could apply to anyone. The woman at the occult house in New York hadn’t mentioned Kevin’s name. She hadn’t mentioned anything about how he died. She simply said that he was screaming in Hell. That could mean anything. Everyone had dead male relatives and friends. She could tell anyone that he was still screaming. It didn’t mean she knew about Lauren’s murdered fiancé.

Still…

She sank slowly to her knees, her hands folding in front of her, the muscle memory of her years as a nun moving her body without conscious thought. She stared at the image of Christ on the cross in silence, hands clasped and knees bent, for several minutes without saying anything.

Then she spoke. Lord.

She fell silent after that one word, listening to her voice echo off of the walls. The church in Arezzo was small. It barely sat three hundred people, smaller than some conference rooms she’d sat in while she worked for the FBI.

Empty as it was at three in the morning, it seemed as large as St. Peter’s Basilica.

She took another breath and said, Lord. I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t know about this whole demon thing. I don’t even know if you exist or not. I can’t imagine that demons exist, and if they do, I can’t see them being this Hollywood horror movie thing they seem to be. It’s got to be fake, but… she paused, trying to think about what to say. It had been years since she’d prayed, nearly a decade. She realized that she didn’t know how to pray anymore. She knew the rosary still. God knew she had heard it enough since moving to Italy.

At least, if He was real, He knew. The jury was still out on that.

God, just… keep me safe. Keep Father Emilio safe.

She fell silent again, and when she couldn’t think of anything else to say, she stood up. She started to leave, then remembered. Amen, she said.

She felt a bit of peace after that. Not a flood, but a trickle. Enough that she didn’t regret praying, even though she felt silly after it.

She was glad for the break after the case in New York. The past two months had been a welcome reprieve from the stress of the cases in Pescara and New York. No demons, no murderers, no questioning who or why she was, just enjoying her simple life working in her vineyard and visiting her boyfriend, Enrico.

Was he her boyfriend? They hadn’t officially established their relationship. In fact, Lauren had asked if they could take things very slowly. She still mourned her fiancé, Kevin, slain by Fiero, the one serial killer she hadn’t caught when she worked for the Bureau.

Still, there was no doubt that her feelings for Enrico grew stronger every day, and no doubt that he was worthy of her affection. He was a good man, a kind man, strong and handsome and very patient. Maybe one day, when she was fully healed mentally and emotionally, she could allow him to have all of her heart and not just the bits and pieces she gave him now. Maybe she could—

Her phone rang, the sharp tone echoing harshly through the silence of the church. Lauren jumped and cried out, then reddened as she realized what had happened.

At least no one was here to see me, she thought wryly. Who the hell is calling me at this time of night anyway?

When she pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at it, she realized she shouldn’t have been surprised. She and Enrico weren’t at the point where a three-fifteen a.m. phone call would be appropriate. That left only one possibility.

She braced herself for the news she knew she was about to receive and answered the phone. Lamb.

Lauren, Father Emilio’s voice replied. I’m sorry to wake you. I’m outside your house. There’s an urgent case. The Vatican has already secured our flight. We must leave within an hour. Do you need help to pack your bag?

Lauren closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I’m not at home, she said.

There was a slight pause. I see. Please pass my apologies to Enrico.

She reddened and said, a little sharply, I’m not at Enrico’s either. I’m— she sighed, —I’m at the church.

Oh? Father Emilio replied, his voice perking up. Really? That’s wonderful news!

Lauren sighed again. If you pick me up and take me home, I can pack within twenty minutes. Or, if you want, I can walk over.

Her house was only a half-hour walk from the church, and Arezzo was an exceptionally safe town, so she didn’t mind the walk. In fact, she might prefer it, if only because it would delay the grilling; she knew she would have to face Father Emilio's hands. Father Emilio had made no secret of his mission to bring Lauren back into the Church. He was no doubt gleefully imagining Lauren on her knees, begging God for forgiveness and acceptance back into His arms.

She thought uncomfortably that she had come dangerously close to doing just that.

No, no, Father Emilio replied. I will be there in three minutes. Fernando?

She didn’t hear the young driver’s reply, but a moment later, Father Emilio said, Wonderful. We’re on our way. Please, finish praying. The flight is a private charter. It will wait as long as necessary.

I’m not praying, Father, Lauren said, once again more sharply than she intended. I’ll be waiting outside.

Of course, of course, he said brightly. If you say so.

She could just imagine the twinkle in his eye. She hung up and sighed again.

She would never hear the end of this. Ever since she had agreed to work with Father Emilio for the Vatican, investigating crimes with a possible supernatural element, the old priest had been dogged in his efforts to bring