Death by midnight dean s.., p.22
Death by Midnight (Dean Steele Mystery Thriller Book 8),
p.22
“He didn’t.”
“I don’t understand,” Bronson says.
“Seth Powers is the one who committed the murders. He used one of the extra masks, the one with the blue feathers, to move around the warehouse and get into the float without people processing that he wasn’t Russo. He lay in wait, and when Russo got inside, he beat him and shot him with a gun that was probably outfitted with a silencer. Then later he went to the party, and he stabbed Palmer to death. He’s a killer, but he didn’t kill because he wanted to. He killed for someone else.”
“He was a hitman?” Bronson asks.
“I don’t think it’s as simple as that.” I explain the same thought process I had about the hitman angle that I explained to Xavier. “Palmer and Powers are both connected to a woman named Rowena over social media. She was a juror in the trafficking case. I think that has something to do with how Powers was coerced into committing these murders. I messaged Rowena, but I haven’t heard back from her.”
“We need to get to Seth,” Bronson says. “At the very least, he needs to be brought in for questioning.”
Half an hour later, I’m surrounded again by lights and sirens, my stomach feeling hollow and my heart stony in my chest. I step out of the way as the gurney rushes past. An EMT is desperately performing chest compressions while another uses a hand pump to try to get air into Seth Powers. It’s not going to make any difference. He’s dead. A single bullet to the back of his head.
The next day, I’m in the war room with Branson piecing everything together when I get a message back from Rowena.
“Thank you so much for getting back to me,” I say after I call the number she gave me in the message.
“Absolutely. You said it has something to do with Seth. What’s going on?” she asks.
I know I’ll need to tell her, but there’s more I need to know.
“First, I need to ask you about your experience after being a juror,” I tell her. “I know you spoke out, not quite to the extent of Joseph Palmer, but you told your story.”
“Yes,” she says. “I did.”
“Since then, have you received any threats?” I ask.
She pauses, and I hear a tiny intake of breath, like she wasn’t expecting the question and doesn’t want to answer it.
“Um…”
“Ma’am, I know this probably isn’t something you want to talk about, but it’s extremely important. I need to let you know… Seth Powers was found murdered yesterday,” I say.
Rowena gasps. “Seth’s dead?” I can hear the tears in her voice.
“Yes,” I tell her. “And we need to find out who did it. But I think the information you have could be critical. Have you received threats?”
“Yes,” she says softly. “I’ve been so scared. I tried to tell the police, but they said that there wasn’t anything they could do about just threats, especially because I didn’t know for sure who was making them. I told Seth, and he told me not to worry, that he thought he knew some people who could protect me.”
As she says the words, I know exactly who is behind this. But I’ll have to prove it.
I also know I’ve opened Pandora’s box.
“Are you sure you’re all right, Pops?” Owen asks.
I have the phone on speaker as I’m finishing up packing everything so Xavier and I can leave Twilight Cove. I haven’t spoken to him in several days, but he heard from Emma some of what was going on and told me he wanted to check in on me. Especially after everything we’ve just been through. It gives me a warmth in my chest to feel so close to him. We’re still building, but I’m no longer worried we won’t be part of each other’s lives. We’re a family, and I’m thankful every day for it.
“I’m sure,” I tell him. “He didn’t get too many shots in before running away. I didn’t even need to go to the hospital.”
“There wasn’t even a lot of blood,” Xavier calls from where he’s sitting, waiting for me on the other side of the room.
“Thank you, X,” I say.
“And you think the guy who attacked you was Clayton Bassinger?” Owen asks.
“I’m positive. I think we were getting so close to the truth about what really happened to his mother that he wanted to shut me up. He followed me to the Palmer house and attacked me, but he wasn’t expecting the detective to show up. Bronson told me when he went to talk to him, he had a bruise on his face and looked like he’d been in a fight,” I tell him.
“As long as you’re okay. Are you heading home now?” he asks.
“Yeah. We’re going to meet up with Celeste to say goodbye, and then we’re heading back to Sherwood for a couple of days before heading to Harlan for a bit. Xavier is meeting with a custom home company to start thinking about what he’s going to do with the farm property. It will probably be a while before anything is out there ready for us to move into, but he wants to start preparing the house and going through things,” I say.
“I think it’s a great move, X,” Owen calls through to Xavier. “You’re going to like the fresh start. And just think of the cats.”
“I always think of the cats,” Xavier says.
“He really does,” I tell Owen. “The group that takes care of the memorial and the cats has to send pictures and updates to him every week.”
“There should be kittens soon. I need to plan another camping trip so I can meet them,” Xavier says.
At least I know this time I won’t be awoken by heavy machinery. Unless he springs making the preparations for the new house on me while we’re there. But considering having the house built means Xavier has to make a lot of decisions. I think I’m pretty safe with time for a bit.
“I’ve got to get going. I’ve got some studying to do,” Owen says. “But I’ll see you soon. Love you.”
“See you soon,” I tell him. “Love you, son.”
As I end the call, I realize I didn’t even show Celeste any pictures of my son. I’ll have to remedy that while we’re having our last dinner on the island before Xavier and I hit the road. Owen might be technically an adult now, but that doesn’t stop me from taking all the opportunities that I can to show him off.
“You haven’t told Detective Bronson about your thoughts on The Board,” Xavier tells me as we make our way to the restaurant where we’re meeting Celeste. “Are you going to do that?”
“Not yet,” I tell him. “I thought about it, but I don’t think now is the time. Until I have concrete evidence, talking about it could just end up being more dangerous. I don’t want to shake the hornet’s nest so to speak.”
I know there is a challenging road ahead of me. I know that Seth Powers is the one who killed both Joseph Palmer and Scott Russo in order to pay The Board for protecting Rowena from the threats against her. But all the threads aren’t there yet. What did they do to protect her? Why was it enough that Seth was willing to kill two people? And what are they willing to do now?
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for choosing to read Death by Midnight, the eighth book in the Dean Steele Mystery Thriller series! I eagerly anticipate sharing this new season of Dean’s adventures with you. So, let me share what’s to come in the upcoming installment, The Woman in the Attic. Dean is thrust into a perplexing case involving missing EMTs at 871 Ridge Port. What unfolds is a series of gruesome twists and turns that defy expectations. As Dean delves deeper into the mystery, more questions arise. What happened to the EMTs and the occupants of 871? I hope you join me in unraveling the puzzle and answering the chilling question: what happened to the woman in the attic?
As an indie author, your reviews and ongoing support are vital in keeping this series going. If you could please take a moment to leave a review for Death by Midnight, I would be enormously grateful. Your feedback helps shape Dean's future adventures and ensures that I continue to deliver the thrilling mysteries you love.
If you're craving another gripping mystery, I hope you consider reading the newly released, The Good Doctor, the latest adventure in my Ava James mystery thriller series. In this story, renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Alastair Mays is found standing next to his dead wife, holding the murder weapon. It seems like an open-and-shut case. Witnesses abound, and the motive is clear, making the evidence seem indisputable. But, what if reality is far more twisted and unbelievable to comprehend? Can Agent Ava James unravel the tangled web of lies and discover what really happened? It’s an intriguing tale that is sure to captivate you.
Thank you for your support and for joining me on this journey. I can't wait to hear your thoughts and have you alongside Dean on his next adventure in The Woman in the Attic!
Yours,
A.J. Rivers
P.S. If for some reason you didn’t like this book or found typos or other errors, please let me know personally. I do my best to read and respond to every email at mailto:aj@riversthrillers.com
P.P.S. If you would like to stay up-to-date with me and my latest releases I invite you to visit my Linktree page at www.linktr.ee/a.j.rivers to subscribe to my newsletter and receive a free copy of my book, Edge of the Woods. You can also follow me on my social media accounts for behind-the-scenes glimpses and sneak peeks of my upcoming projects, or even sign up for text notifications. I can't wait to connect with you!
Emma Griffin FBI Mysteries
Season One
Book One—The Girl in Cabin 13*
Book Two—The Girl Who Vanished*
Book Three—The Girl in the Manor*
Book Four—The Girl Next Door*
Book Five—The Girl and the Deadly Express*
Book Six—The Girl and the Hunt*
Book Seven—The Girl and the Deadly End*
Season Two
Book Eight—The Girl in Dangerous Waters*
Book Nine—The Girl and Secret Society*
Book Ten—The Girl and the Field of Bones*
Book Eleven—The Girl and the Black Christmas*
Book Twelve—The Girl and the Cursed Lake*
Book Thirteen—The Girl and The Unlucky 13*
Book Fourteen—The Girl and the Dragon’s Island*
Season Three
Book Fifteen—The Girl in the Woods*
Book Sixteen —The Girl and the Midnight Murder*
Book Seventeen— The Girl and the Silent Night*
Book Eighteen — The Girl and the Last Sleepover*
Book Nineteen — The Girl and the 7 Deadly Sins*
Book Twenty — The Girl in Apartment 9*
Book Twenty-One — The Girl and the Twisted End*
Emma Griffin FBI Mysteries Retro - Limited Series
(Read as standalone or before Emma Griffin book 22)
Book One—The Girl in the Mist*
Book Two—The Girl on Hallow's Eve*
Book Three—The Girl and the Christmas Past*
Book Four— The Girl and the Winter Bones*
Book Five—The Girl on the Retreat*
Season Four
Book Twenty-Two — The Girl and the Deadly Secrets*
Book Twenty-Three — The Girl on the Road*
Book Twenty-Four — The Girl and the Unexpected Gifts*
Book Twenty-Five — The Girl and the Secret Passage*
Book Twenty-Six — The Girl and the Bride*
Book Twenty-Seven — The Girl in Her Cabin
Book Twenty-Eight — The Girl Who Remembers
Ava James FBI Mysteries
Book One— The Woman at the Masked Gala*
Book Two—Ava James and the Forgotten Bones*
Book Three —The Couple Next Door*
Book Four —The Cabin on Willow Lake*
Book Five — The Lake House*
Book Six — The Ghost of Christmas*
Book Seven — The Rescue*
Book Eight — Murder in the Moonlight*
Book Nine — Behind the Mask*
Book Ten — The Invitation*
Book Eleven — The Girl in Hawaii
Book Twelve — The Woman in the Window
Book Thirteen — The Good Doctor
Dean Steele FBI Mysteries
Book One— The Woman in the Woods*
Book Two —The Last Survivors
Book Three — No Escape
Book Four — The Garden of Secrets
Book Five — The Killer Among Us
Book Six — The Convict
Book Seven — The Last Promise
Book Eight — Death by Midnight
Bella Walker FBI Mystery Series
Book One—The Girl in Paradise*
Book Two— Murder on the Sea*
Book Three— The Last Aloha*
Other Standalone Novels
Gone Woman
* Also available in audio
A.J. Rivers, Death by Midnight (Dean Steele Mystery Thriller Book 8)
