Passionate Retribution 4

By Amy Shannon

Carly Marshall, local Private Investigator and former detective with the NYPD co-owns her private investigation firm with her partner, former NYPD Detective, Leo Travers. Two years ago, Carly lost her husband to murder, but lately, she’s been seeing signs of him. Her family and friends are concerned that she’s jumped head-first into denial until they start seeing the signs as well.

When Edna, owner of the local diner that Carly and her family frequents, asks for Carly’s help to find her missing son, the case becomes more than she or Leo bargained for.

Is Elliot alive? And will Carly and Leo find the answers they seek even when agents from both the FBI and Homeland Security are very interested in a simple missing persons case?

When one simple case explodes, many lives will be shaken.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amy Shannon
• Release date: Oct 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215334317

Amy Shannon

Amy Shannon is an author, professional book reviewer and literary consultant. Amy is republishing and publishing some for the first time, her MOD Life Epic Saga, which has over 67 volumes, and 9 bonus books.

Book preview

Passionate Retribution 4

Amy Shannon

Essence Publishing

Ballston Spa, NY 12020

Essence Enterprises

ISBN: 9798215334317

2023 Digital Edition

Copyright © 2023 by Amy C Shannon

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permissions of the author, except by a review who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine, or journal.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

Credits:

Cover Illustration Copyright © 2023

Cover design by Amy Shannon

Passionate Retribution Series

Passionate Retribution

Passionate Retribution 2

Passionate Retribution 3

Passionate Retribution 4

Introduction

Carly Marshall, local private investigator and former detective with the NYPD co-owns her private investigation firm with her partner, former NYPD detective, Leo Travers. Two years ago, Carly lost her husband to murder, but lately, she’s been seeing signs of him. Her family and friends, are concerned that she’s jumped head first into denial, until they start seeing the signs as well.

When Edna, owner of the local diner that Carly and her family frequents, asks for Carly’s help to find her missing son, the case becomes more than she or Leo bargained for.

Is Elliot alive? And will Carly and Leo find the answers they seek even when agents from both the FBI and Homeland Security are very interested in a simple missing person’s case?

When one simple case explodes, many lives will be shaken.

1

THE RAIN POURED down, splashing loudly against the marble. Carly’s wet hair dripped against her face, but her eyes focused on the words engraved on the headstone in front of her. Elliot Marshall. Decorated Detective. Loving husband and son. In the center of the stone at the top, the embossed NYPD detective badge. Elliot was a former NYPD detective. He retired and joined Carly in partnership with Leo Travers, the couple’s best friend, in Marshall & Travers Private Investigation Agency. The Agency changed names over the years, as partners seem to die off on Carly, but the sentiment and essence of the partnership was always there, even after death. Elliot was Carly’s husband. He was dead. Died two years ago today. At least that what everyone keeps telling her.

Carly didn’t seem to mind the rain or the cold, as she stood over her husband’s grave. She couldn’t bring her eyes to see Tyler’s grave. Tyler Mathison was Carly’s former partner and close friend. He was also an ex of hers, but they always ended up as friends. Buried next to Tyler was his late twin brother, Kyle, as well as Carly and Tyler’s infant stillborn son, Tommy. Kyle died trying to find the answers to his brother’s death, and Tyler, died on a case that was more complicated than it seemed at the time. Both Tyler and Kyle were Special agents with the FBI. Tyler was a former agent with consulting status, though. He had the highest security clearance of the partners at the agency.

Carly dropped to her knees, her jeans pressing into the muddy grass as the rain continued to splash around her. "No one listens to me. No one. Where the hell are you? Why are you doing this to me? I know you’re not dead," she yelled in a low whisper to the gray stone.

Everything pointed to Elliot’s death. He was supposedly murdered by his cousin, Sean, who eventually confessed and was sent to prison. His body was burned by a stalker of Carly’s. That man, Jarod Duffy, burned to death after kidnapping Carly. Elliot’s body was identified. He was identified as Elliot, twice. She believed the evidence, and there was a lot of evidence. Yes, Elliot was dead. At least she believed it for only a short time. She even started dating Jason Williams, Director of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She had feelings for Jason, but just as things started heating up between her and Jason, she stopped it. She felt it was a difference between them; she knew it was wrong.

"I can’t see you anymore."

Why? Jason asked, sitting down on the sofa in her living room. Did I do something wrong?

No, she sighed, sitting next to him and taking his hand. I’m cheating on Elliot. I can’t do that anymore. He just won’t understand. I’ve done this to him before. I can’t do it. He’s out there, somewhere.

"He’s gone, Carly. He was identified, twice, I may add. You saw his body. You identified him."

He’s out there. I know it. He sent me that letter, she said.

It was a hoax, and even if it wasn’t, how do you know that it was from Elliot?

I know it. Jason, he’s out there, and I will find him.

Jason stood up. Carly, just let him be dead. OK?

"No, he’s not. He’s not dead."

Jason shook his head. Carly, I love you, but I guess I can’t compete with his ghost. Even before you got this crazy idea that he’s alive, you were still being haunted by him.

"This is not the same thing. Carly stood up and crossed her arms. I’m sorry, Jason, please go."

Jason looked at her and sighed. If is he out there, obviously he left you. Just let it be. Let him be dead!

Never. Carly snapped. He’s out there, and he wants me to know it.

Jason was about to say something else, but he shook his head, and stormed out of her penthouse, slamming the door behind him.

Carly stood up. I don’t know where you are, but I will find you. I know you love me, and you miss me. I miss you, too. She wiped her eyes, as the rain slowed, but still dripped down her face. She gently gripped his wedding ring, that hung on the same chain as her locket. In the locket, on one side was her parents, and on the other side, her and her older brother, when they were just kids. She stared at the gold band on her finger, her engagement ring gently pressed against it, keeping it in its place. She could never bring herself to take it off, not in all the years they were married, and definitely not within the last two years.

She turned around, digging her hands deep into her pocket, and walked toward the exit of the cemetery.

Carly lived several blocks from the cemetery, and worked even further, but she felt herself wandering the streets of New York City, scanning every face of each passerby searching for her husband. No, he wasn’t dead. He left clues. He’s out there, somewhere and I must find him.

She wiped her eyes as the rain slowly subsided. She walked down the busy sidewalk, passed the Travers Martial Art Studio, to her own office, Marshall & Travers Private Investigations. She unlocked the door and looked around at the empty office. She knew Jane wouldn’t be in for another few hours, and Leo was out of town on a case.

The PI office consisted of the large reception area, a room designated as a waiting room, and the large office that housed three desks. One was hers; one was Leo’s and the other, the one in between the two, sat empty since Elliot has been gone.

In front of the desks were shelves that lined the wall, and on the upper part of the wall, memorialized photos of Tyler, his brother Kyle, and Agnes Smythe, former receptionist and assistant who died at the age of 98. Agnes was Jane’s aunt; Jane now was the investigator’s office manager. Carly even had her late aunt Abigail’s photo on the wall. Carly’s ex-husband Ted, now deceased, killed her aunt in revenge against Carly. Carly inherited Agnes from her aunt, and Terry, Carly’s brother, inherited the law firm.

Behind the desk was a doorway that led to a smaller room, which housed the lab for the investigators, who each had a Bachelor of Science (BS) in forensics. On the other side of the room, was a door that exited to the alley behind the agency.

Carly walked to the back cabinet and opened the bottom drawer; she pulled out a dry change of clothes. She headed to the bathroom and changed her clothes. Carly patted her wet hair dry with a towel and then hung it on the towel rack to dry. She walked out of the bathroom and scanned the room. It always felt like it was missing someone, a few someones that photos on the wall could not replace..

Carly sat down behind her desk and adjusted the photo of her and Elliot on their wedding day. She loved Elliot, before they even got together. They were partners in the NYPD, both detectives, for ten years before they could really admit their feelings. Even when they spent one romantic stakeout, making love to each other, they never spoke of it, or let it interfere with their friendship. Their partnership.

Elliot and Carly began their life as partners when Carly was promoted to NYPD detective, and she was paired up with the more seasoned detective Elliot Marshall. Carly eventually married Ted Richardson, a firefighter with her father’s company, while Elliot was married to Maggie. Eventually, they divorced their spouses, with a lot of turmoil and tragedy, and they finally admitted to themselves and each other that they loved each other. The relationship had its ups and downs, and even separations. They were married and it lasted six years, then Elliot died. He was murdered. But was he? Sean confessed to killing him. Duffy, the deputy fire chief, admitted he doused Elliot and sent him on a fiery journey to hell. Even Jack, Carly’s father, who is now a retired fire chief, said he saw Elliot’s body. He identified him. Could everyone be wrong? Can we not trust what’s in front of our faces? But I know what’s in my heart, Carly tried to push the thoughts away and focus. Focus on understanding her feelings.

She opened her top desk drawer and pulled out a plastic bag that held the old crumpled, unraveled paper cup. The words still haunted her, Job well done. Thanks for the solve. I’ll be around, Love. At first, she tossed it, but then, she retrieved it. She just couldn’t let it go. She let this cup, this simple cup with his words, haunt her. Elliot was the only one who called her Love. She thought she had moved forward after his death, gaining feelings of love for Jason Williams, but then, this cup showed up. She was used to paper cups being left near her door, with little notes on the inside of them that gave her information. The cups were usually white with green polka dots, a tell-tale coffee cup from a local bodega, left by an undercover police officer, Zachary Durant. Durant was usually dressed as a homeless junkie so he could work the streets. This time, the cup was paper, like the other ones, but the outside was all blue. She knew it wasn’t Durant who left the note. Actually, she hadn’t heard word one from Durant in a long time, and no more clues from Elliot, if they were indeed from him. She even tried to find where these all blue paper cups could’ve come from, but every place in the city that she scoured, had white paper or styrofoam cups that were either plain, or had a logo or design on them.

Jason and Leo tried to convince her someone was playing a practical joke, or it was a hoax, but she couldn’t get his words out of her mind. Even after she identified his body, his burned body, with his exact tattoo of the dagger on his thigh, in the morgue. Something wasn’t right, and if he was alive, she needed to find him, and if he is truly dead, someone was trying to get her attention. So, whatever the case, whatever was going on, she needed to find out.

Carly pulled her long auburn hair back in a ponytail and jumped slightly when the outside door’s bell chimed, indicating that someone was entering the office. Yes? She stood up quickly.

Ki-Ki, it’s me, he appeared in the doorway.

Oh, Peter, she hugged him tightly. When did you two get back?

Peter Barker was her best friend since they were two years old, and he and his husband, Derek, always called her Ki-Ki. "About an hour ago. Derek is getting the studio aired out, and I saw your light on. Honey,