Marie Bartek & The SIPS Team Collection - The Complete Series

Excerpt from Marie Bartek & The SIPS Team Collection

Alexandra Russell lay like a battered rag doll with haunted lifeless eyes staring up into nowhere. The blood smeared all over her body revealed noticeable slashes and stab-wounds on her neck, chest, and arms. Her hair was matted down, and her clothes had been torn from her body. Her sad life ended just before her twenty-first birthday.

Kelly Kaufman couldn’t keep the tears from running down her face, and she knew the blame fell on her for involving Alexandra Russell in her investigation. She hid behind the confusion of the crowd of rubbernecks and yellow tape. The fast-paced work of the DC police and EMT’s became a blur of movement as she closed her eyes and silently said a prayer. She was onto something, which was very clear, for this was a warning for her to drop the story before she was found in the same manner.

She swiftly slid out of sight and walked toward her apartment but realized it probably wasn’t safe to go back there now. Where could she go for refuge? It was too dangerous to contact her mother, even though it had been two weeks since she last called. Her office was out of the question. That would be the first place they would look. Alexandra was her only reliable source and confidant, and it was obvious she was out of the picture. She needed time to think and regroup.

She turned the corner, slipped into a café, seeking a table in the back against the wall, and dropped down into a chair. She grabbed a napkin and blew her nose as she tried to focus on her iPhone through her tears. Swiftly scrolling down her contact list, she wondered how an innocent story on a political figure could surface such scandal, and now murder. She stopped at the name of Desmond Clark, a retired CIA agent and close friend of the family. She hoped he was available at his Georgetown home because there were no other options, and where better to hide than at an agent’s place of residence.

She tapped his name as the phone automatically dialed his number, and she heard his answering machine. Before she could leave a message, she saw a familiar face walking toward the café. She frantically hung up her phone, bolted out of the chair, ran back into the ladies’ room, and locked the door. She spotted a small window as her only way out, hopped up onto the sink, and squeezed her way through the opening. She hung sideways and carefully lowered herself to the ground as she caught her balance and took off in a run. Maybe it would be better to visit Desmond personally.

She quickly looked back at the alley and saw no one following her as she darted onto the next block. She punched Desmond’s address into her map app and realized it would be a hike to his place, but she had no other choice. She continued to follow the directions and prayed she made it there before they caught up with her. At that moment she was thankful for running track in college and continuing the morning routine because she would need the lung capacity to get there alive.

According to the map, she was only a block away from Desmond’s house. Since he hadn’t answered his phone, she hoped he wasn’t on travel. If nothing else she could hide out in his backyard. She and her family had been to his house countless times for parties, and she remembered a back-alley gate that would allow her to slip through to regain her breath and composure.

As she crossed the street and headed down the alley, she took a quick glance behind her to be sure she was in the clear. Carefully edging up to the tall gate she peered through a wooden knothole and saw flowerbeds filled with pansies and marigolds. A small fountain trickled down through a mound of rocks next to a dwarf redbud tree. To her surprise, the latch opened as she swiftly slipped into the yard, closed the gate, and leaned against the fence to catch her breath.

From her left, she heard a swift rustle in the grass and quickly caught the nose of a semi-automatic handgun staring back at her as her eyes grew wide. She took in a deep breath and shouted at the owner of the gun. “Desmond, it’s me, Kelly. What the hell are you doing?”

“Kelly, Kelly Kaufman is that you? What the hell are you doing lurking around in my backyard?” Desmond pulled back as he set the safety and placed the gun in the waist of his jeans. He slicked his shoulder-length salt and pepper hair behind his ears. “You look like a scared rabbit.”

Kelly’s heart slowed to a semi-rapid pace as she leaned against the fence and closed her hazel eyes. Her cropped ginger hair was plastered to her cheeks with sweat, and her petite frame shook as the adrenaline subsided. “Desmond, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know where else to go. You have to help me.”

“Okay, come on inside. You have some scratches on your arms that need cleaning. Let me get you a beer, and you can fill me in on why you’re hiding in my backyard.” His tall, athletic frame escorted her through the doors that led into a sunroom filled with plants and wicker furniture.

Kelly followed him into the kitchen and pulled the stool out from under the butcher block countered island and sat down. “Desmond, Alexandra is dead.”

Desmond turned from the refrigerator. “She’s dead? What do you mean she’s dead?”

“That’s why I’m running. They’re after me, whoever they are. Alexandra was a warning. They know she was my source.”

He set the beer on the counter and brought out a medicine kit and searched for a medicinal wipe. “Okay, I think you’d better start at the beginning.”

“You’re never going to believe any of it. It involves Senator Jack Dawring.” Kelly saw his shocked look and continued, “Desmond, the word on the street is he’s going to run for president, so my editor wanted me to sniff it out. What I found was disgusting and will more than likely ruin his chances at the presidency. Hell, it’ll ruin his entire career.”

Desmond stopped wiping her cut. “It looks like I’m going to need more beer.”

Marie Bartek balanced the phone on her shoulder and tried to write legibly on the tablet. “Yes, Mrs. Kaufman, Washington, DC is a beautiful city. No, I haven’t had the opportunity to visit our Nation’s Capital. Can you repeat the types of claims you are having? Okay, well I will certainly take this to our investigative team. As soon as we can organize a solid date, I will get back to you. Thank you, and you have a good day also.”

Marie hung up the phone and immediately sensed the presence of Demon B as the room grew cold and the stench of death crept around her nose. Laura Faye’s spirit suddenly appeared as Marie tried to cross her over to the other side. Demon B was still too strong, and Marie willed her mind to shut the demon out as the room returned to normal and Laura Faye vanished.