Her Deadly End - A Murder Mystery - The Neighbour
A West Coast FBI K9 murder mystery thriller
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One chapter of this story dropped every Tuesday morning at 5AM PST
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42 chapters in 42 weeks
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HER DEADLY END: A Crime Thriller with a Twist
A brutal murder shatters the peace of Paradise Cove. As the body count rises, FBI Agent Tanya Stone and her K9 dog, Max, hunt for the twisted secret that lies buried beneath this small town. But the serial killer is lurking in plain sight, ready to strike again.
A deadly game of survival has just begun and FBI Agent Tanya Stone’s next decision could cost her life....
What you’ll find in this serialized story on Substack:
A strong-minded detective & her faithful German Shepherd K9
A cold-blooded serial killer with a haunted past
An affluent neighbourhood in a small seaside town
A closed circle of suspects. The killer could be anyone
Dysfunctional & toxic family dynamics
Betrayals, deceit, & psychological suspense
Unexpected plot twists & an explosive ending
All Rights Reserved. Copyright ©Tikiri Herath
*There is no graphic violence, heavy cursing, or explicit sex in my stories. No dog is ever harmed, but the villains always are…
Previous Chapter Recapped:
Everyone in the cafe seems to accept extreme road rage as the cause of these brutal deaths. Tanya observes that Deputy Blake also noticed the strange scar on the dead man’s hand but didn’t mention it to the sheriff. She wonders why the deputy is hiding this crucial detail and why the sheriff is readily accepting an absurd conclusion for this strange case of murder suicide. Tanya now know that not all is as it seems in this little seaside town.…
Her Deadly End - Chapter Nine
AGENT TANYA STONE
The Neighbour
Katy gave Tanya an incredulous look.
“You want to end our holiday?”
“Things just got dangerous,” said Tanya. “I’m saying this because I love you. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you.”
“Hold on.” Asha put her hand up. “Aren’t we overreacting?”
“Did you see what happened in that café?” said Tanya.
“It could have been a personal conflict,” said Katy. “A family dispute gone horribly wrong. You’re making up a conspiracy where it doesn’t exist.”
“I have a bad feeling about this place.” Tanya tapped a finger on the steering wheel. “I’ll pick up Max from the vet and move to a motel, and see what I can dig up.”
“Without us?” said Asha.
“I took five days off from work—”
“To hang out with us!” cried Katy.
Asha shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Asha, David’s waiting for you to come home,” said Tanya. “Katy, I’m sure Chantal misses you and wants you to tuck her in at night. Catch a flight back to New York tonight. You have families. You’re civilians.”
“For goodness’ sake,” scoffed Katy. “This isn’t a war zone.”
“If we hadn’t been with you today,” said Asha, “you’d be spending the night in jail until they watched the security footage. That could have taken days. Weeks.”
“I can handle that,” said Tanya. “This is my job.”
“This isn’t an FBI case. You just want it to be.”
Katy poked Tanya. “You’re worried you’re going to have to babysit us.”
“Never said that.”
“You’re thinking it.”
“We fought traffickers before we were of legal age to drink,” said Asha, her voice rising. “We’ve been in worse situations. Don’t you have faith in us?”
Katy put a hand on Tanya’s shoulder.
“You’re so wound up, you’ve become paranoid. You need to learn to relax, hun.” She paused. “I say this with a lot of love. I think it’s high time you start dating again.”
Tanya turned to her, eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Properly dating, not just hooking up like you do,” said Asha. “Then, maybe start a family—”
Tanya rolled her eyes. “You’re my family. An annoying one at that.”
“You have no life,” said Katy. “Ask that cute cop out for a drink. I saw how he looked at you when he was putting on the handcuffs.”
Tanya threw her hands in the air. “What’s wrong with you two?”
“We’re only saying this for your good,” huffed Katy.
“I look like Furiosa from Mad Max on a good day.”
“Charlize Theron on a bad day, you mean,” said Asha, poking her in the ribs. “That’s not such a bad thing.”
Tanya shook her head. “I’m too intense, too serious, too tall, too everything. No one wants a serious relationship with someone like me. I’m nothing like you two.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, play me a sad violin,” said Katy. “Maybe you haven’t noticed I’m fat.”
“Curvaceously gorgeous.”
“And I’m short,” said Asha.
“Petite and pretty.” Tanya turned to her friends and glared. “Why are we even having this juvenile conversation? Can we get back on the topic, please?”
Asha grumbled and Katy looked away.
“You two head home tonight,” said Tanya, her voice firm.
“Sure,” said Katy, her voice dripping in sarcasm. “Book me a flight out.”
“I’m a detective,” said Asha. “If you think I’m going to ignore a horrific murder-suicide which everyone believes is road—”
“Hey!” Katy cut her off and pointed as a white Mercedes sedan passed them. “Don’t we know her?”
The car drove up the driveway of the house next to theirs.
“That’s Pat,” said Asha, putting her window down. “The woman with the cane at the café.”
“Is she our neighbor?” Katy opened the door. “Let’s go say hello.”
“Time to start our investigation,” said Asha, following her out.
Tanya stayed in the Jeep, shaking her head, watching them stroll over to Pat’s driveway.
She didn’t trust that woman. She didn’t trust anyone in this town. And she really wished she didn’t have to watch over her friends.
They weren’t just her best friends since childhood, they were her only family left. If anything happened to them, she would never forgive herself.
Pat got out of her car and stood shakily, holding on to her cane. With her pinched mouth and austere expression, she looked like she loathed the entire planet.
She opened the rear car door and pushed her head inside, as if to reach for something. Asha and Katy approached her car, friendly smiles on their faces.
“Hi there,” called out Asha.
Pat whirled around, a scowl on her face.
“Hi Pat, we’re staying at—”
Katy didn’t get to finish. The woman’s face turned an alarming tinge of purple.
“Get out of my driveway!”
Asha and Katy stepped away from her, shocked looks on their faces. Pat swatted the air with her walking stick, like she was shooing away unwanted insects.
Tanya stepped out of her vehicle.
“Didn’t mean to bother you—” Katy started.
“It’s you out-of-towners who brought this trouble on us. Go away.”
Tanya walked up to her friends, who were now backing off.
Pat pointed her cane at their home stay next door. “Is that Airbnb even legal? I’m complaining to the city.”
Katy’s face flushed. “That’s my foster mother’s home. We’re housesitting for her. We’re not strangers.”
“You are all strangers to me.” Pat slammed her car door shut and limped up the driveway toward her front door. “Vagrants! Get out of my town. You’re not welcome here.”
Asha and Katy turned away, red faced.
Tanya shook her head.
“So much for trying to be neighbourly.”
Pat slammed the door shut just as the green Jaguar zoomed past them. It pulled into a massive brick house set back on an enormous property across the street. A sign posted on the lawn swung from the gust of wind.
Tanya squinted and read the sign out aloud.
“Re-elect Councillor Wyatt.”
“So the man’s on the city council.” Asha hauled her bag out of the back of the Jeep. “That’s why the sheriff was ready to believe him before us, out-of-towners, as Pat so lovingly calls us.”
“Just look at that mansion,” said Katy. “He’s got the ocean on the other side. Do you think we can convince him to invite us over?”
“I don’t know if I’d want to go,” said Asha. “But I wouldn’t mind a convertible like that myself.”
Tanya’s eyes narrowed. “I’d like to know how he came to all that wealth.”
“Not everyone who’s rich is a gang member, Tanya,” said Katy. “You two need to rein in your judging.”
Tanya reached into her cargo pants pocket, plucked her phone out, and typed Hudson Wyatt’s name into the search bar of the browser. She let out a low whistle.
“He’s the younger son of the richest family in the county.”
Katy peeked over her arm. “What do they do?”
“Lumber. They ship to China, Japan, and Germany. They’ve made a fortune over the years.”
“They’re the ones killing the West Coast rain forest?” Asha made a face. “I like him even less now.”
Tanya scrolled down. “Hudson Wyatt’s the founding family’s only son. He has a Harvard law degree but doesn’t seem to have a practice.” She stopped. “His older sister runs the lumber company now.”
“Shouldn’t he be somewhere warm?” said Katy. “On a beach surrounded by pretty girls in bikinis and a margarita in his hand? It’s not like he needs to work.”
“Some people are driven by more than the need to sit on a beach and do nothing all day,” said Asha.
“Well, that’s what I’d do if I had that kind of money,” said Katy. “Sans the girls in bikinis, of course.” She smiled. “Maybe a few bare-chested hot dudes in tiny shorts.”
Asha gave her a friendly punch. “I won’t tell Peace you said that.”
Tanya kept scrolling through news articles about the Wyatt family. “It’s strange why a single young man would want to live by himself in a mansion with only a Great Dane to keep him company.”
“How do you know he’s single?” said Katy.
“Cora at the café told me. He’s supposedly the most eligible bachelor in the area.”
Asha and Katy rolled their eyes.
Tanya stopped scrolling.
“Whoa.”
“What?” said Asha.
“Money trouble,” said Tanya, pulling up a recent article. “The company filed for bankruptcy this year.”
“That would explain why he isn’t on a beach, sipping a cocktail,” said Asha in a dry voice.
The sound of footsteps came from across the street.
“Speaking of the devil,” said Tanya.
“Oooh,” whispered Katy, whirling around, flustered. “He’s coming over!”
Asha spun toward the Jeep and pretended to fiddle with their luggage.
To be continued next week….
Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Question for you: Why do you think Pat is so suspicious of our detective trio?
*Chapters drop on Substack weekly. If the next chapter isn’t up yet, hang on. It’s coming in a few days!
NOTE: Canadian / British spelling is used here as the author is Canadian. The final completed book in bookstores will have American spelling.
Click here to read more stories from the award-winning Canadian mystery thriller author, Tikiri Herath.