Before Evil Read online

  BEFORE EVIL

  Alex Kava

  PRAISE FOR ALEX KAVA

  “Meet Kava’s FBI special agent Maggie O’Dell. But beware—it could be the start of a new addiction.” —Peterborough Evening Telegraph, UK

  “Kava’s writing is reminiscent of Patricia Cornwell in her prime.” —Mystery Ink

  “This debut thriller pumps the suspense out. Maggie is gutsy and appealing as an FBI agent facing constant danger.” —Library Journal

  “Kava proves her mastery of the thriller.”—BookPage

  “O’Dell could be Reacher’s long lost twin.” —Lee Child, bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series

  “A roller coaster read. Although your heart is in your throat the entire time, you enjoy every scary minute.” —Woman’s Own

  “Kava really does her forensic homework continuing to demonstrate her ability to create unforgettable yet realistic monsters.” —Bookreporter

  “Alex Kava is a master. Her heroine, Special Agent Maggie O’Dell, is one of the classic characters of the thriller genre.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

  “Kava is a top-notch suspense writer. Her characters, especially the complicated Maggie, are portrayed with much depth and detail.” —North Platte Telegraph

  “This book is the classic definition of a page turner.” —The Lincoln Journal Star

  “A suspense thriller…enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the last page.” —Mystery Scene

  “Alex Kava…created a winning character in Agent O’Dell.” —Washington Post Book World

  “Twisted plots, shocking characters, breakneck pacing. Guaranteed to keep you up all night” —Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author

  “Maggie O’Dell…can give Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta a run for her money.” —BookList

  BEFORE EVIL

  Prairie Wind Publishing

  Omaha, Nebraska

  ALSO BY ALEX KAVA

  RYDER CREED SERIES

  Breaking Creed

  Silent Creed

  Reckless Creed

  Lost Creed (2018)

  MAGGIE O’DELL SERIES

  A Perfect Evil

  Split Second

  The Soul Catcher

  At The Stroke of Madness

  A Necessary Evil

  Exposed

  Black Friday

  Damaged

  Hotwire

  Fireproof

  Stranded

  Before Evil

  THE STAND-ALONE NOVELS

  Whitewash

  One False Move

  THE EBOOK ORIGINALS WITH

  ERICA SPINDLER AND J.T. ELLISON

  Slices of Night

  Storm Season

  SHORT STORY COLLECTION

  Off the Grid

  © 2017 by S.M. Kava

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Prairie Wind Publishing

  18149 Trailridge Road

  Omaha, Nebraska 68135

  www.pwindpub.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Interior design and formatting: Prairie Wind Publishing

  Book cover design: Prairie Wind Publishing

  Ebook formatting by Prairie Wind Publishing

  Ordering Information:

  Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact Deb Carlin at the address above.

  Before Evil | Alex Kava.

  First Edition

  Print ISBN: 978-0-9973897-4-6

  DEDICATION

  In memory of

  Patti El-Kachouti

  (Dec 28, 1954 - Nov 13, 2016)

  Your kindness and bravery

  will forever inspire.

  Contents

  PRAISE FOR ALEX KAVA

  ALSO BY ALEX KAVA

  BEFORE EVIL Chapter 1 Shenandoah County, Virginia

  Two weeks later Chapter 2 Quantico, Virginia

  Chapter 3 Warren County, Virginia

  Chapter 4 Richmond, Virginia

  Chapter 5 Warren County, Virginia

  Chapter 6 Warren County, Virginia

  Chapter 7 Devil’s Backbone State Forest

  Chapter 8 The next day Quantico

  Chapter 9 Warren County, Virginia

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16 Devil’s Backbone State Forest

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18 Washington, D.C.

  Chapter 19 Quantico

  Chapter 20 Washington, D.C.

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22 Washington, D.C.

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25 Devil’s Backbone State Forest

  Chapter 26 Quantico

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34 Quantico

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38 Saturday

  Chapter 39 Devil’s Backbone State Forest

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41 Outside Arlington, Virginia

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45 Devil’s Backbone State Forest

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47 Fredericksburg, Virginia

  Chapter 48 Sunday

  Chapter 49 Gainesville, Virginia

  Chapter 50 Gainesville, Virginia

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54 Quantico

  Chapter 55 Gateway Mall

  Chapter 56 Warren Memorial Hospital

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58 Front Royal, Virginia

  Chapter 59 The Muse Art Gallery

  Gainesville, Virginia

  Chapter 60 Monday

  Quantico

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62 Tuesday

  Warren County, Virginia

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64 Saint John the Baptist

  Catholic Church Community Hall

  Warren County, Virginia

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67 Quantico

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69 Devil’s Backbone State Forest

  Chapter 70 Strasburg, Virginia

  Chapter 71 Gainesville, Virginia

  Chapter 72 Wednesday

  Devil’s Backbone St
ate Forest

  Chapter 73

  Chapter 74

  Chapter 75

  Chapter 76

  Chapter 77

  Chapter 78

  Chapter 79

  Chapter 80 Thursday

  Interstate 95

  Florida

  Chapter 81

  Chapter 82

  Chapter 83 Late Thursday afternoon

  Miami, Florida

  Chapter 84

  Chapter 85

  Chapter 86

  Five days later Chapter 87 Monday, Quantico

  MEET ALEX KAVA

  A Note From The Publisher

  BEFORE EVIL

  THE PREQUEL

  Authors Note

  I never intended to write a series. I know that may seem difficult to believe, especially now after twelve books featuring FBI Special Agent Maggie O’Dell—fifteen, if you consider the Ryder Creed series which includes Maggie.

  Many of you have heard me talk about this before. When I wrote my debut novel, A Perfect Evil, I intended for it be a standalone novel. To be honest, I didn’t even read series novels back in those days. A Perfect Evil became an international bestseller, and suddenly, my publisher at the time, insisted I write a followup novel. If that’s what readers wanted, then of course, that’s what I’d write.

  But here’s the catch—I had no clue how the write a sequel. I had already handed in the proposal for another standalone and was a third of the way into that novel when I was asked to put it aside and write a sequel. But I put it aside, and I wrote Split Second. After that, I was told we needed one more Maggie O’Dell novel. After all, trilogies were popular back then. So I wrote The Soul Catcher. Understand that while I was writing these books I was literally learning how to create a series, and I have to tell you, I felt like I was doing it by the seat of my pants.

  Now, as I look back, I truly believe this method—though it seemed like pure madness at the time—was actually a blessing. It definitely kept the character of Maggie fresh and dynamic. I got to know Maggie alongside my readers. Together we watched her grow and mature. We learned what she was capable of doing, and each time I gave her something new and different to deal with. I burned down her house, locked her in a chest freezer, exposed her to the Ebola virus, threw her into the path of a hurricane, and left her stranded in Blackwater River State Park.

  Little by little, I came to understand who Maggie O’Dell is. What her flaws and vulnerabilities are as well as her greatest strengths. Why we cheer on this stubborn lone wolf, who as a professional will do whatever it takes to do the right thing. She doesn’t think twice about racing toward danger but quickly runs away from personal relationships.

  Many of you readers have asked for a prequel to this series for a long time now. My early career was driven—and made—by what my readers wanted. But it’s taken me some time to write this for two reasons.

  First, I needed to get to know Maggie well enough before I could even tell you about her early life experiences that helped shape who she is today. I needed to be able to answer some questions. What happened to bring her and Dr. Gwen Patterson to be close friends? What about her marriage? When did her nightmares begin? Why does she look up to Director Cunningham?

  The second obstacle for me was that I never understood why anyone would want to revisit Albert Stucky, let alone read about his early cat and mouse game with Maggie. After all, if you’ve read the first two books, you already know how that first chase ended. It’s documented in A Perfect Evil and in Split Second.

  Or is it?

  Maybe, just maybe, Maggie never did share all the details.

  So let the chase begin!

  To those of you who are new to this series—this is a great place to start.

  To my dear readers who have been alongside me on this incredible journey since the beginning, I hope you enjoy this.

  1

  Shenandoah County, Virginia

  He pushed himself to go faster. Sweat dripped from his brow. He was in good shape, just out of practice. The excitement and adrenaline made his pulse race. It had been some time since he had hunted in this forest though he knew the deep and hidden paths by heart.

  Down close to the water there were huge oaks. But up here, the pine trees grew so close that he had to sidestep through them. The crossbow felt heavier. It slowed him down despite looping the strap over his head and onto his left shoulder, so he could let the weapon ride across his back. Still, it kept getting snagged on low branches, jerking him backwards. He reminded himself that he’d done this dozens of times. He was just a bit rusty. And it was a new crossbow, better than his old one. Faster. Laser beam fast.

  The sporting goods clerk assured him that 75 to 125 pounds of draw weight would be more than adequate to drop a whitetail deer at moderate ranges.

  “How fast?” he’d asked the man.

  “Fast enough.”

  But the man had only glanced at him as if he were some ordinary guy and not an experienced hunter.

  “I need enough weight for an initial velocity of at least 300 feet per second. That’ll give my arrow enough kinetic energy to reduce the arrow’s trajectory, increase accuracy and cleanly take down my prey.”

  That’s when the man stared at him. A smile slowly crept across his face.

  “The state of Virginia doesn’t have any regulatory minimums or maximums for draw weight,” the man told him.

  “Bigger is faster.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Let’s go to 200.”

  The man simply smiled again and nodded, now recognizing that he was dealing with no ordinary hunter.

  Ordinary men were often underestimated. Most of the time he considered it a gift to be seen as ordinary. He liked that he fit in, that he looked like he belonged. Others tried too hard to be noticed. He strived, instead, to blend in with the crowd—or in this case, the landscape.

  A fog had started to move in like wisps of clouds sinking from the sky. Now on level ground he shuffled his feet making the pine needles sound more like squirrels playing rather than a predator’s stalking footsteps. From this viewpoint up above he already had the advantage, but being an expert hunter meant knowing your prey. Predicting every move. He’d been watching and observing for days. This stop along the creek was a safe haven. The water ran crystal clear over the rocks. It was the perfect place to quench a thirst.

  He scouted out the area the day before and got to work. He created a rock-solid rest to balance the crossbow. The scope sight was at the perfect level when he kneeled down. He had cocked the weapon before his hike, confident that the three built-in mechanisms would prevent it from dry firing. All that was left was to slide a bolt on the shelf, slip off the safety and aim.

  And wait.

  It didn’t take long. Through the fog he saw movement down below and he smiled to himself. Just three days and even out here in the middle of the woods, routines were formed and followed. Routines provided comfort. They could ward off fear. But they made you predictable.

  His pulse began to race again. The hairs along the back of his neck stood up. Every nerve ending seemed to come alive as he stayed hunched in position. This is what he had been missing for too long. This glorious swell of excitement that ignited all his senses.

  He kept his fingers in place, ready and waiting as he watched through the scope.

  Seconds turned into minutes.

  Patience, he told himself and tried to ignore the sweat sliding down his back. He didn’t move a muscle. He didn’t blink. He watched as his target eased slowly into the crosshairs of the scope. The fog had grown thicker making it difficult to see, but he concentrated on the one flash of color he recognized, he depended on.

  Holding his breath he took aim. He knew he’d only have one chance.

  Laser beam fast.

  He watched the arrow hit. A clean shot straight through the leg.

  He smiled again.

/>   Three days ago when this game began, he’d told the woman that she’d probably regret buying those fluorescent orange running shoes.

  Two weeks later

  2

  Quantico, Virginia

  Special Agent Maggie O’Dell escaped into her cramped office and closed the door. The mailing envelope she had tucked under her arm was bulging and much thicker than she expected. The slight surge in adrenaline irritated her. At least she recognized that, yes, it was strange—and some would say morbid—for her to be excited about the package’s contents.

  For several years now law enforcement officers from across the country had been sending her information on cases they couldn’t solve. Usually they sent very little—scraps of evidence, blurry Polaroids and rudimentary copies of coroner reports—all in the hopes that Maggie could take those bits and pieces and put them together like a jigsaw puzzle.

  More times than not, she’d been successful producing comprehensive profiles. And she did it without ever stepping foot onto an actual crime scene. From her small office in the depths of the Behavioral Science Unit, she had managed to develop criminal profiles that helped lead to the apprehension and arrest of eight—possibly nine—murderers in the last twenty-six months. She’d built up quite a reputation, but with that success came an insurmountable amount of requests.