Book Excerpt
Excerpt from Chapter 4
“Was he hit with the first round?” a detective from Gangs asked. Madison
was drawing a blank on his name right now.
“Too early to say.” Winston looked at the detective
who had asked the question, who sat with other members of the gangs unit, and
he also glanced at members from Guns & Drugs. He spoke to both units when
he said, “I want you to reach out to your informants—see if we can find out
who’s behind the shooting. If this was the work of a gang, someone out there is
bragging about it.”
The thought cinched Madison’s gut tighter. Bragging about taking a life… Awful…
“Members of SWAT, you’ll also be serving in an
investigative capacity, unless you are called in for SWAT services. I want you reviewing
all of Weir’s reports from his final shift to see if the shooting could tie
into anything there. Be sure to review his notepad for what might not have made
it into the laptop in his black-and-white. If you haven’t found anything of
interest there, go further back with an eye for people who might have gang
affiliations or a strong reason to target Weir.”
Troy nodded and so did the other men from his team.
“Officers are already canvassing the area, knocking
on residential doors,” Winston went on. “Knight and Grant, I want you speaking
to the eyewitness from Rico’s and talking to the manager at the Bean Counter
across the street. Stanford and Sovereign will take the managers from the other
two businesses at that intersection. Officers are already in position to talk
to their customers from the time of the shooting, and a tip line will be set up
and an appeal made through the media for anyone else who might have seen
something.”
Winston had so much to relay he hardly had time to
come up for air. “Also, as you likely know, it is proper etiquette to wear a
black mourning band when an officer dies.” He paused as his gaze traced the
room, stopping briefly on those who were already wearing them. He bobbed his
head in Madison’s direction when he noticed hers, Terry’s, and Troy’s. “If you
don’t have one, come up here and get one before you leave this room.”
He paused a few seconds, his jaw clenched as if
fighting back emotion. He cleared his throat. “We’ve seen this sort of violence
going on all around us—police officers shot down in the line of duty, lured out
and assaulted, not to mention the rampant disrespect and seeming random acts of
violence. Now it’s touched our city. But we will not hide from it.” Winston’s
voice echoed through the room, his timbre deep and steadfast, and growing more
confident. The energy of the officers began to ramp up, and a tempest was
brewing inside Madison. “We will not shrink away in fear. We’ll rise up—higher
than before—and we’ll fight back. We’ll claim our city and make it clear that
any level of disrespect or violence against an officer of the law carries the
heaviest penalty. We run toward the gunfire, not away. We stand united and
unmovable. We become their worst nightmare!”
Everyone applauded, including Madison. Not only was
Winston’s speech getting her geared up to take down Barry’s killer, but hearing
her boss speak like that shed a new light on his character. Maybe he wasn’t as
bad as he sometimes seemed… And they really were in the search for justice
together, even though at times it felt like they played for different sides. He
had an old-school mentality that led to the belief that the best cops were men.
She was practically a women’s libber in his eyes.
Winston
wasn’t done yet, though. “Our first priority right now is finding out who
killed Officer Weir, and all overtime to that end is approved.” He cleared his
throat again. “On another note, a memo is going out to all officers—even
civilians working for us in administrative roles—that, effective immediately, everyone
must ensure that any evidence of working with the Stiles PD is removed from any
personal belongings. Strip anything and everything that will tie you to the
Stiles PD during off-hours. Don’t wear logoed shirts or pants when you take
your morning jog. Don’t leave printed gym bags in your car. Take down your
parking pass for the station lot from your rearview mirrors. We will also wear
our vests whenever we are on shift. This is not a response of fear, but one of
power, one of precaution. Until we know exactly what prompted the shooting this
morning, we treat this situation as if we are at war.”
Madison’s heart was beating fast, renewed with
fiery zeal. A war had started. Only it wasn’t nation against nation. It was on
American soil being waged among Americans. It was the red-blooded against the
blue-blooded.
About the Book
Title: In The Line of Duty
Author: Carolyn Arnold
Genre: Mystery
He devoted his life to seeking justice. But would she get any for him?
It was an ordinary day for police
officer Barry Weir. It was the end of shift, he was tired, and he just
wanted to get home to his wife and kids. But someone had other plans for
him—shooting him down and forcing him to make the ultimate sacrifice.
When news of Weir’s murder reaches the
precinct, it leaves Detective Madison Knight and every cop in the Stiles
PD itching for revenge. It cuts Madison’s boyfriend, colleague, and
Weir’s childhood friend, Troy Matthews, deepest of all, driving him away
from everyone he loves, just when they need one another the most.
With evidence pointing to a gang-related
drive-by, Madison and her team investigate the town’s seedy underbelly
in search of justice for their fallen brother. But the deeper they dig,
the more convoluted the case becomes. Now they need to figure out if
this was a random shooting as part of a gang initiation, a straight-up
hate crime, or a targeted kill. But with the Stiles PD under attack,
they have to do it fast…before more people pay with their lives.
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Author Bio
CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international
best-selling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher,
and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction
series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries,
and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her
genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled
mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.
Both her female detective and FBI
profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being
accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE
PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and
enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big
city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive
imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch
the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and
empower.
She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada.
Connect with CAROLYN ARNOLD Online:
Website – http://carolynarnold.net/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/Carolyn_Arnold
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynArnold
And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters.
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