Actus Reus

By YD La Mar

In the chilling heart of a city gripped by fear, a relentless detective and a ruthless serial killer are locked in a deadly dance. The Scythe, a murderer who leaves no woman untouched and no secret buried, obsesses over the tenacious detective who matches him in cunning even as she conceals her own darkness. 

 

Detective Arima Williams plays cat-and-mouse with a ruthless serial killer, blurring the line between hunter and hunted as their obsessions intertwine. 

 

But will her pursuit of justice unmask The Scythe or will it unearth her own skeletons, hidden in the deepest recesses of her past?

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: YD La Mar
• Release date: Jan 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224045600

Book preview

PROLOGUE

ARIMA WILLIAMS

Blood coated fingertips reached out and grabbed my face as the skin began to peel away from bone, dropping onto the floor in loud, wet thuds. Screams couldn’t escape me as I forced my body to emit any sort of sound, only to have it lost in the void of darkness before me. My eyes burn from a fork lodged in its socket, plucked away as the dark figure before me smiles. The moment his other hand reached for my hair, it jerked me awake with a racing heart. I tumbled halfway out of bed, wrapped in my sheets, when I realized my night terrors were at it again. I was soaked in sweat and the coolness of the floor gave me a small reprieve as I laid there awkwardly in a tangle of fabric, trying to catch my breath.

After a few moments, I righted myself and sat on the side of my bed, turning on my small lamp sitting atop my nightstand. I stared at my badge and 9mm firearm highlighted beneath the light.

The nightmares wouldn't let me rest. They haunted me for the past few months, pulling me into a world I thought I was ready for. Images of killers and demons obscure my reality in waking hours birthed from scenes that have burned themselves into my core. Countless women hanging by their feet like animals along the ceiling of a warehouse with blood pooled into a drain hole made me shudder. One of the girl’s eyes was still open while her body swung lazily left and right as if the killer was there mere moments before our arrival at the scene. I saw nothingness as her life quickly faded. It was unlike anything I had experienced in my ten years as a detective. My mind’s eye flickers through the gruesome murder scenes again and again, like flashes of our cameras as my obsession over the case grows to uncontrollable proportions.

The killer was still out there. I had to bring him to justice.

We raided a known drug house, inadvertently stumbling upon the bodies. Jagged slits against their throat made by a serrated knife coated their naked bodies in crimson.

Nothing could wash that vision from my mind, no matter how I tried.

CHAPTER ONE

S antiago, I thought you weren’t coming in today.

I turned to find my partner swaggering in late as ever, still putting on his blazer to cover his side holster.

There was traffic. You know how it is out there, he smirks toward Garcia.

Sitting at my desk, I raised the hot cup of coffee to my lips, letting the burn slide down my throat as I discreetly watched him make his way to my desk. The moment he looked at me, I flicked my gaze back down, sorting through the pictures of the dead bodies.

We found some information about them. They were all homeless with no identities. They were easily erased as if they had never existed in the first place. But it was my job to make sure these women’s stories were told and justice was served. I hyper focused on every one of the pictures, searching for any sign or mistake the killer might have made. The forensic team found no loose hairs left behind or any fingerprint on any surface.

Did you get any sleep, Williams? Or were you here all night?

I sat back and took another sip of coffee. Santiago sat on the edge of my desk, pushing some of the photos around, looking at them too.

Our relationship had been tumultuous, to say the least. We knew it was a risk fraternizing, but one long night after overtime, we needed the stress relief. It was hot, heavy with not much to say between us—strictly raw carnal desire. I appreciated the benefits, but I didn’t think Santiago got the memo. His feelings ran deeper.

He threw me a grin, and I ignored it, taking another sip before talking about the case again.

I’ve scoured through every one of these pictures again and again. The killer never leaves anything behind, not one mistake. How is that humanly possible? I might head back to the scene later to see if I find something there the cameras didn’t pick up.

Santiago’s hand landed on top of mine and I jerked it back, glaring at him.

Williams, I think you need a break. You’ve been at it for months.

I jumped to my feet and leaned in as he leaned back. I told him with my eyes that he shouldn’t test my competency again in front of the others before taking a sip of my coffee and leaving him there with the photos.

Get back to work, nothing to see here, he told the other guys.

I could hear his footsteps behind me, following me into the employee lounge as I poured some more coffee into my cup.

The moment his warmth covers my back, mine stiffens. He was making a scene. This was exactly why they warned us away from fraternization.

What do you want, Santiago? I gritted out.

Why are you acting this way? If you need to loosen up, just tell me. Unless you’ve been getting it from someone else?

There was a possessive edge to his tone. When his hand landed on my shoulder again, I moved away from his touch. The man couldn’t take a hint. He was hot in bed, but that was all he was. One night of passion. He couldn’t handle me in my darkest moments. He caught me when I had a lapse of judgment from overworking.

He stared at me a few moments with a frown before he lifted his hands up with his palms facing out. I got you, Williams. I got it.

I waited until he left the room before dumping the coffee into the sink and leaning against the counter. Whatever appetite I had vanished.

I was done with his antics and clinginess. I was going to have to put in for a new partner. Whether they granted me my request was a different story.

I grabbed my jacket off the back of my chair and left the station, making my way to the garage. The common denominator among the victims I could find so far were strange puncture wounds hidden by the jagged holes left in their