Avenged Read online

  PRAISE FOR JANICE CANTORE

  “Cantore is a former cop, and her experience shows in this wonderful series debut. The characters are well-drawn and believable, and the suspenseful plot is thick with tension. Fans of Lynette Eason, Dee Henderson, or DiAnn Mills and readers who like crime fiction without gratuitous violence and sex will appreciate discovering a new writer.”

  LIBRARY JOURNAL

  “Cantore provides a detailed and intimate account of a homicide investigation in an enjoyable read that’s more crime than Christian.”

  PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

  “Janice Cantore’s twenty-two years as a police veteran for the Long Beach Police Department [lend] authenticity in each suspense novel she pens. If your readers like Dee Henderson, they will love Janice Cantore.”

  CHRISTIAN RETAILING

  “Set in a busy West Coast city, the story’s twists will keep readers eagerly reading and guessing. . . . I enjoyed every chapter. Accused is a brisk and action-filled book with enjoyable characters and a good dose of mystery. . . . I look forward to more books in this series.”

  MOLLY ANDERSON, ChristianBookPreviews.com

  “Accused was a wonderfully paced, action-packed mystery. . . . [Carly] is clearly a competent detective, an intelligent woman, and a compassionate partner. This is definitely a series I will be revisiting.”

  MIN JUNG, FreshFiction.com

  “This book was awesome! The characters were well thought out and created, and it was enjoyable getting to know them in this story. The author weaves the characters beautifully together with the thrills, mystery, and drama of this story, making it a delight to read. . . . I highly recommend this book to those who like thrillers, suspense, and mystery with some romance to go with it! You will not be disappointed in this book or Janice Cantore.”

  JOY, SplashesOfJoy.wordpress.com

  “Abducted is a riveting suspense . . . [and] the many twists and turns keep the reader puzzled. The book is a realistic look into the lives of law enforcement officers. Abducted is one book I couldn’t put down. Can’t wait to see what Carly and Nick might be up to next.”

  PAM, DaysongReflections.com

  “The plot was so riveting and fast it was a blast to read. If you like a fast-paced book, Abducted is for you.”

  ALI, SurrenderingAllOfMe.blogspot.com

  “What a ride! Once you enter the world, you won’t want to leave. I recommend this to any reader who loves a good detective story that is written with expertise and care.”

  DONNA SAFFORD, Bookworm56.blogspot.com

  Visit Tyndale online at www.tyndale.com.

  Visit Janice Cantore’s website at www.janicecantore.com.

  TYNDALE and Tyndale’s quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

  Avenged

  Copyright © 2013 by Janice Cantore. All rights reserved.

  Cover photograph of police officers taken by Stephen Vosloo. Copyright © by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

  Cover photograph of parking garage copyright © Stewart Cohen/Tetra Images/Corbis. All rights reserved.

  Cover photograph of seaport copyright © by Glowimages/Getty. All rights reserved.

  Designed by Stephen Vosloo

  Edited by Erin E. Smith

  Published in association with the literary agency of D. C. Jacobson & Associates LLC, an Author Management Company. www.dcjacobson.com.

  Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Cantore, Janice.

  Avenged / Janice Cantore.

  pages cm. — (Pacific Coast Justice ; 3)

  ISBN 978-1-4143-5849-9 (sc)

  1. Policewomen—Fiction. 2. Christian fiction. 3. Mystery fiction. I. Title.

  PS3603.A588A93 2013

  813'.6—dc23 2012045958

  ISBN 978-1-4143-8200-5 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-4143-8201-2 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-4143-8199-2 (Apple)

  Build: 2013-03-07 10:02:34

  I’d like to dedicate this book and all my writing to my father and mother, Rocco James Cantore and Doris Adeline Cantore.

  They were truly wonderful parents, and both will be sorely missed until that sweet day I see them again in heaven.

  Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. Love you both a lot.

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  About the Author

  Discussion Questions

  An Exciting Preview of Janice Cantore’s Next Book, Critical Pursuit

  Acknowledgments

  THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE in my life who deserve a big thanks for their help in the writing of this book, people who prayed, people who answered questions to help with the technical aspects of the story, and people who supported me with encouragement. I don’t want to leave anyone out, so I just want to say, “Thank you!” You know who you are.

  Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.

  ROMANS 12:19

  Prologue

  Bam! The door to the van slammed shut.

  Diondre struggled to sit up, spitting out blood. He’d bitten his tongue when the Ugly Dude shoved him in the van. He never even said what it was he wanted.

  Next to him, Rojo cursed. On the other side, Crusher sobbed, and Diondre could tell by the smell that he’d wet his pants. The Ugly Dude was Crusher’s friend, his new supplier, so this was his fault, and Rojo swore at him.

  “Crush,” Diondre said when Rojo finished. The van moved, jerking Diondre into his friend. “Come on, man. We got to get out of this. What does this guy want?”

  “Us dead,” Rojo hissed with heat.

  Diondre ignored him. “Crush, talk to me.” As he spoke, he tried to loosen his hands and felt the plastic cuffs cut into his wrists.

  Crusher sniffled. “I don’t know, man. He told me he had stuff for us to move—lots of stuff. He gave me the money for the TV. I swear I though
t he was on the level. I don’t know why he’s trippin’.”

  “What did Trey say?” Diondre asked about their boss, the OG of the gang. Tough and smart, Trey would be outraged that three of his homeboys were being treated this way.

  “Didn’t tell him.”

  This brought more curses from Rojo, and fear erupted anew in Diondre. If Trey didn’t know where they were, they were as good as dead. He pushed himself up a bit so he could lean against the side of the van, fighting for control as panic threatened. He thought about what his friend Londy had said to him earlier in the day.

  “Man, the gang life ain’t no life. It’s just gonna get you sent to jail—or worse, dead.”

  Londy used to roll with the Ninjas, but no more. He’d been trying to get Diondre out of the gang. Diondre wanted out when he was with Londy, but when Rojo and Crusher came calling, he wanted to be with them. And now he was going to die.

  “God is there if you call.” Londy’s words rang in Diondre’s thoughts as loud as if Londy were in the van with him. Diondre squeezed his eyes shut and focused on everything Londy had told him about God. He prayed all the words he remembered, trying hard not to cry.

  “You praying, D.?”

  Opening his eyes, he saw Crusher looking at him, face dirty with smeared tears.

  “Yeah, as best I can, man. As best I can.”

  “Pray for me, too, will you?”

  Diondre nodded as Rojo cursed them both in Spanish. The van came to a stop, and the side door whipped open. Moist, foggy air that smelled like the ocean assaulted Diondre’s nostrils. He hoped they weren’t at the ocean. Diondre hated the ocean because he couldn’t swim.

  But there wasn’t time to consider where they were because the Ugly Dude and his two friends were at the door and they all had guns. Diondre hoped Londy was as right about God as he had been about the gang life.

  1

  “DIRECT EVIDENCE?”

  Carly Edwards recognized the tone; District Attorney Martin had switched to his court voice.

  “No,” she answered clearly, no sign of hedging or apologizing.

  “DNA?”

  “No.”

  He took off his glasses and held her gaze. “You will be on trial here, Officer Edwards. Do you realize that? Galen Burke may be in jail charged with two counts of murder, but in a few weeks his lawyers will make you the focus of the trial.”

  “I’m ready.”

  “Are you up to having your entire eleven-year career dissected and second-guessed to the nth degree? Are you ready to have every arrest you ever made placed under a microscope and torn apart without context by people who have no idea what it’s like to be a uniformed cop?”

  “I have to be because I’m not letting a murderer walk.”

  DA Martin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “He won’t walk. We have him on the fraud and—”

  “Galen Burke murdered Jeff Hanks, a good cop. He’ll get off with a slap on the wrist over my dead body.”

  “Be prepared for what we’re facing. Burke’s lawyers want the jury to doubt you, to mistrust you. The game is deflect and obfuscate.”

  Carly willed her thoughts to the present, yanked her .45 automatic from its holster, and released the clip onto the bed. She pulled the slide back to eject the last round from the chamber, and it bounced down next to the clip. She moved the slide back and forth on the empty gun. This was a preshift ritual. Always make certain the slide is operating correctly and then reload the weapon before reholstering and going to work. Tonight her movements were abrupt, jerky.

  The word game echoed in her mind and stung like being slapped with a whip of a thousand razor blades. DA Martin and the special Sunday afternoon trial-prep session had left a sour taste in her mouth.

  I don’t put my life on the line every night to play a game.

  “Maybe you need a change, babe.” Nick leaned in the doorway, arms folded, watching as Carly put her things together for work.

  Her brows scrunched as she looked at him and frowned. After a few seconds she turned away and reloaded the weapon. “Do you consider what we do a game?”

  “The DA really got to you.”

  She shoved the gun into its holster. “Our job is to put bad people—guilty people—in jail and keep innocent people safe. That shouldn’t be a game.” She spit out the last word and turned to face him, dragging her kit off the bed, suddenly feeling downright grumpy.

  “The court system is what it is. We have to build the strongest case possible so it’s a game where we’re the favorites.”

  “I hate that. Burke killed Jeff. He’s up to his neck in his wife’s murder. He can’t get off.”

  Nick stepped toward her and put his hands on her shoulders. Carly let out a huffy breath and then held his gaze. Grumpiness fled when she lost herself in the deep blue of those eyes.

  “You’ll do fine on the stand. The DA just doesn’t want you blindsided. It’s a circumstantial case, and Burke’s lawyers will do just about anything to save his skin. But I have faith in you.”

  She dropped her kit, and he pulled her into his arms. “Why do you always know the right thing to say?” she said as she snuggled into his shoulder and felt his lips on her brow.

  “Don’t let the pressure get to you.” His strong hands rubbed her back and Carly could have purred.

  “Sometimes I’m just tired of it, you know?” She spoke into his shoulder. “I feel like I work hard to do the right thing and all my effort means nothing.”

  “It’s not for nothing, but I know sometimes it feels that way. Like I said, maybe you need a change. Consider a detective slot so you’re playing a different position in the game.”

  She pushed back to glare at him and saw his grin.

  “Ha.” Sighing, she stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss. “When I’m not so tired and cranky, I’ll think about it. Deal?”

  “Deal. I’ll walk you out.”

  •••

  All the way to the Las Playas police station, Carly brooded about Galen Burke’s upcoming trial. Testifying in court was, for her, the worst part of the job. It did seem to be a game—one of gotcha. Lawyers were able to seize upon a misplaced comma in a police report and make it look as if that meant everything else was wrong or misleading. Even though she went to court confident in her work and conclusions, she found the mental gymnastics involved in testifying more exhausting than a five-mile swim. The Burke trial would be the biggest one of her career, and she dreaded it.

  As she stepped into her uniform, buckled her gun belt, and stood in front of the mirror to check her appearance, she pushed the trial out of her mind. I have to put my game face on, she thought, a mirthless smile on her face as she took the stairs to the squad room, arriving just in time for the 10 p.m. squad meeting.

  “Okay, listen up.” Sergeant Barrett brought the graveyard squad meeting to order at a minute after ten. “Captain Jacobs is here to address the watch.”

  Carly cast a tired, raised eyebrow toward her partner, Joe King, at the next desk. The captain rarely addressed the night watch unless it was important. Joe gave a slight shrug as friendly banter in the room quieted.

  “Good evening, gentlemen and ladies.” Jacobs smiled, his tone authoritative but genial. “I’m here this late because I wanted to personally address every watch. The last couple of weeks have been trying, but all you guys in uniform have been doing an exemplary job. Keep up the good work. We expect more protests, and we know these people want a confrontation. I’m proud that none of my officers have let themselves be baited.”

  Carly felt somberness grip the room. For the past month they’d been dealing with loud, messy, and sometimes-violent protests over a revamping of the old marina and the addition of a new marina and shopping area on the water. A radical fringe environmental group calling itself Oceans First wanted the marina and oceanfront returned to a pristine state and had been trying to halt the renovation. They wanted the shoreline free of all commercial development. They’d been success
ful in stopping the removal of part of the old marina and pier, pending an environmental impact report, but they hadn’t been able to stop the new construction.

  “We’ve been in the process of appealing the protestors’ camping permit,’’ Jacobs continued. “I’m optimistic we’ll win and be evicting them from Sandy Park soon.” Applause broke out in the room. Sandy Park was a large grassy area between the marina complex and the mouth of the commercial harbor. It had been a peaceful picnic spot, but was now turned into a trash heap/tent city by the protestors.

  When the applause petered out, Jacobs continued. “I know the protestors are more active in the daytime when cameras are present, but there’s been an uptick in vandalism during your hours that private security can’t seem to stop. I want extra patrols around the construction site. If you contact any protestors, be the professional officers I know you are. And most of all, be safe.”

  Murmuring began as Jacobs left. Barrett didn’t try to quiet everyone; he talked over them and sounded irritated, Carly thought. He added some housekeeping items about keeping patrol cars clean and paying closer attention to radio traffic, then dismissed the watch.

  “I can’t wait for the construction to be over and all these troublemakers to be gone,” Joe said as he and Carly grabbed their kits and headed for the elevator.

  Carly grunted in agreement. The demonstrations had started out as annoying, with mindless chants and marches and outrageous lawsuits. The protestors had lost all lawsuits but two. Two days ago a mini riot had erupted for no apparent reason, ending in multiple arrests and two cops going to the hospital.

  Carly’s watch had been held over to day shift too many times in the last two weeks, and sleep deprivation contributed to her cranky mood. She found herself wistfully hoping that all she and Joe had to deal with tonight was vandalism and they’d hit EOW on time.

  They stepped out of the station into the rear parking lot. It was a mild June night with the kind of haze that developed into thick fog as the night wore on.

  “I’ll get us a sled,” Joe said.