Excerpt:
Chapter 1
Chicago, 2000
It was a rainy, dark
fall day in Wrigleyville, an upscale north-side neighborhood. The rain violently splattered onto the concrete
of Waveland Avenue. Although a big city, in
this neighborhood crime generally amounted to alcohol related offenses such as
DUIs, bar room brawls, and public intoxication which was usually festive Cub
fans oblivious to the limits of celebrating. This day was different.
“911? There's a body in my alleyway, behind a
dumpster. I'm behind Waveland
Avenue, 1269 West. I think he's dead! He looks like my neighbor...don't know his
name. I'm checking for his
pulse right now, but nothing,” reported an elderly resident who was walking her
dog.
At 10:02 a.m. an
ambulance appeared on the scene, minutes after the initial phone call. The paramedics confirmed no pulse, and then
called the coroner for an official ruling of death. The scene was then turned over to Lead
Detectives Ann Wilson and Rich Stephanski. By 11:00 a.m., the 1200 block of Waveland was declared a crime
scene. The detectives
yellow-taped the area while uniformed officers coned off the street.
Due to the relentless
rain, both detectives wore raincoats and carried traditional black umbrellas.
They hurriedly moved in to investigate, fearing the rain might wash away the
evidence. The victim appeared to
be a young white male without identification, dressed in a gray wool cable-knit
sweater and blue jeans. He was clean shaven with
dirty blonde hair.
Ann took several
pictures of the surrounding area and body with her Olympus digital
camera. Her partner lifted the
shoulders of the body to have a better look at the victim's face. Rigamortis began to set.
“Ann, check this
out. His throat has been
slit. This sweater is soaked
with blood. The wool acts like a
sponge. Maybe we’ll find some
blood in there that isn't his,” Rich said.
“Let's move the body
into the meat wagon,” insisted Ann as she motioned for assistance from two
uniformed cops.
“Looky what I've found,”
yelled Detective Dan O'Leary from across the alleyway. “Is this a human tongue?”
The detectives
surrounded him for a closer look.
“Good work, Dan,”
praised Ann. “It's definitely a
tongue. The tendons are hanging
off of the thicker end, like it was ripped out of the vic's mouth. Look at the tip. It was intentionally split.”
Detective Wilson crawled
into the back of the 'meat wagon' and unzipped the body bag. She took her pen and pried the victim's mouth
open. “What do you know...We
have what looks like a tongue and a victim that’s missing a tongue.” Ann glanced back. “Coincidence?” She had a hard time seeing through her soaked
grayish brown hair that was pressed against her small face. She had to keep putting her umbrella down in
order to take more photographs of the scene.
Detective Stephanski
took the bag and held it towards what little light the day provided and
replied, “Yeah, the tip is definitely cut. Think this guy could have had a big mouth? Maybe his death is
a message?”
Thinking along the same
lines, she nodded her head at the possibility. Rich and Ann had been partners
for three years. With exception to an
occasional spat, both worked well together.
“Could this be
Mafia? Colombian cartels slit
throats. Plain old serial
murder?” Ann offered.
Rich shook his handsome
blonde head. “It could be, but
something about this doesn't add up. This guy looks like someone from this neighborhood, not a
godfather. What a strange way to
die. Can I have the
camera? I want to see if anyone
in the crowd might recognize him.”
“Good idea,” Ann
responded as she passed him the camera.
Despite the heavy
downpour, concerned neighbors steadily filled the sidewalk. Rich approached the growing crowd on the other
side of Waveland.
“Listen up,” Rich
yelled. “A man was killed over
there, in the alley. I'm hoping one of you
can identify him. On my camera screen,
there are a few pictures of him dead with his throat slit. Do not be alarmed. We need your help. Step up one at a time, and I'll show you the
pics.”
Rich stood on the
sidewalk and asked a uniformed cop to hold his umbrella while he fidgeted with
the camera. After showing the same
five pictures over and over to at least thirty people, a young and attractive
woman approached. She was brought to tears
upon viewing the dead man’s photos.
“I think that's my
boyfriend...he didn't come home...Rory...Rory Schanck,” sobbed the woman.
At forty-eight years
old, Ann had much more experience at playing the sympathetic cop than her
brusque partner. Upon hearing the woman’s
outcry, she stopped what she was doing and ran across the street before Rich
could make matters worse.
“Rich, do you
mind? Miss, could you step across
the street with me for a moment. I know this has to be difficult,” Ann asked, putting an arm around
her shoulder and an umbrella over both of their heads. Ann could see the relief in Rich's eyes once she
poached his witness. They both knew each other's
strengths, and comfort was not one of his. She, however, had mastered the ability to console. Although it was all an act, her 'bedside manner'
was envied throughout the police department.
Ann took the woman
across the street and into the back of an empty ambulance to escape the
rain. She found a towel on a
shelf. “Here. I'm Detective Ann Wilson. And over there, that's my partner, Detective
Rich Stephanski. So you know the
victim? Rory? Right? Sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances. Your name
is...?”
“Rita. Rita Spencer. My boyfriend...Rory…and I, we live...we
lived...right there...1265 West Waveland, on the third level...next to the
townhome with the baseball banner in the window.”
While they sat in the
dry ambulance, Ann motioned for one of the detectives to come by. She handed him a piece of paper with Rory's name
and address on it then told him to run it through the computer.
“Rita, may I call you
Rita? Who on earth would do
this to your boyfriend? This is not your typical
mugging gone bad. What did he do for a
living? Who were his
friends? Family? I know this is
difficult, but we need something to go on,” Ann pleaded.
Rita sat shivering and
crying. She shrugged her
shoulders and tried to catch her breath as her sobbing escalated into
hysteria. Ann quickly deduced that
she was a college student by the DePaul sweatshirt she was wearing.
“Rory works or...worked
at the stock exchange. He liked to occasionally
go out with friends. His family lives in
Wisconsin. He has a mom, dad, and a
sister. Oh God! You got to call them! Not sure of their number....it was programmed in
his cell phone. Schanck from Madison,
Wisconsin,” she whimpered, unable to hold back the tears.
“Where did Rory go
yesterday? When was the last time
you saw him?” Ann asked, still faced with virtually nothing to go on.
“Yesterday. Let me think. He went to work yesterday morning, Thursday, and
then called me around lunchtime. He said he was going out with some co-workers for dinner and
drinks. I awoke by 5:00 a.m. and
he still wasn't home. I left an hour later for
De Paul. I'm a Grad
Assistant. I was worried, so I
called him early this morning and left a voice message.”
“Has he done this
before?” Ann asked.
“Uh...Here's his work
number and cell number. And no, it is not his
normal routine. We've lived together for
seven months. This is the first time
he never came home.” More tears well up in
Rita's dark brown eyes.
“Were you
fighting? Did he seem to have a
lot on his mind? Anything unusual?” Ann
inquired.
“No. Nothing. We were happy,” Rita replied.
Author Bio:
Dina Rae is a new author here to stay. As a former teacher,
she brings an academic element to her work. Her three novels, Halo of the
Damned, The Last Degree, and Bad Juju weave research and
suspense throughout the plots. Her short story, Be Paranoid Be Prepared, is a
prequel of sorts to The Last Degree, focusing on the James Martin character.
Dina also freelances for various entertainment blogs.
Book Blurb:
The Last Degree is
a fictionalized account of how Freemasons and other secret societies set up the
world for takeover. Ancient writings foretell a ‘Shining One’ who emerges as
the world’s prophet. A murder of a Most Worshipful mason resembles a secret
oath. A cop gets too close to solving the crime. Paranoid preppers go
underground, preparing for war.
Headlines such as the Norway massacre, meltdown of the
European Union, unscrupulous media, animal die-offs, Middle Eastern unrest, and
U.S. shrinking power make the plot relevant to present day. The Last Degree is an ode to Christians,
Birthers, 2012ers, Truthers, preppers, and/or other conspiracy junkies who
enjoy Dan Brown, Jesse Ventura, Brad Meltzer, Alex Jones, Jerry Jenkins and Tim
LaHaye. A sequel will soon be available.
Social Links
Dina Rae’s
Write Stuff
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Dina Rae Site
Dina Rae’s Books on Facebook
Dina Rae on Pinterest
Dina Rae on Twitter
Book Giveaway
Dina Rae is giving away five (5) digital copies of her book
‘The Last Degree’ through a Rafflecopter giveaway. If you would like to post
the book giveaway, simply copy the code below onto your site. This begins on
February 28 and end on March 10. Feel free to post this giveaway during that
period.
Tour Stop List
March 1 - Mallory Heart Reviews http://archiestandwoodsreviewsandwritings.blogspot.com/
Review
March 1 - The Cerebral Writer http://www.cerebralwriter.com/blog.html
Guest Post
March 2 - This College Dropout http://thiscollegedropout.wordpress.com
Review
March 2 – Free Book Dude http://www.freebookdude.com Review (Guest
Reviewer)
March 3 - My Cozie Corner http://coziecorner.blogspot.com
Review
March 4 - sylv-jenkins www.sylv-jenkins.com Guest Post
March 5 - Zombie ACREShttp://ZombieACRES.com Guest
Post
March 6 - The FlipSide of Julianne http://theflipsideofjulianne.wordpress.com
Interview
March 7 - Mallory Heart Reviews http://archiestandwoodsreviewsandwritings.blogspot.com/
Excerpt
March 7 - sylv-jenkins www.sylv-jenkins.com Review
Thanks for having me on your awesome blog! Dina Rae
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