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Displacement: A Sylvia Wilcox Mystery (EBOOK)

Displacement: A Sylvia Wilcox Mystery (EBOOK)

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While grieving her husband and deciding whether or not she want to continue her career as a police officer, Sylvia Wilcox immerses herself in the investigation of a string of mysterious murders, navigating the case with a moral compass and a drive to know the truth. (EBOOK-This book will be delivered instantly via email.)

Main Tropes

murder mystery, female sleuth, private detective, serial killer

Synopsis

Sylvia is lost after the untimely death of her husband, Derek. As she hunts for the truth about Derek's murder, she finds herself in the midst of local law enforcement investigation of serial murders.

Intro: Prologue

The oak-hickory forest, carefully carved into a planned nature preserve, covered the edges of the quiet two-lane country road. Just seven miles from the college town of Ypsilanti, Prospect Road served as a connector for local cities and towns, shuffling traffic between small municipalities in the Ann Arbor area to the more populated communities in metro Detroit. The natural spaces, lush and full from Michigan’s summer rains, had been designated long before the subdivisions and cookie-cutter condos that threatened the greenery. The area, safe and quiet, served as a sanctuary for the college town’s students and locals. The township’s police station was less than a mile away, but even so, the area was a perfect spot for privacy, seclusion, and quiet mayhem.

The road had been clear that morning. A man delivering a small pile of the local newspaper drove by at four a.m., tossing the thinly rolled periodicals into driveways near the city. Later, as the sun began to rise, Claire Bennett drove her dated, blue Chevy minivan along the road, headed toward a highway that would take her to the interstate. The van chugged along, a loud buzz emitting from the vehicle due to the recent theft of her catalytic converter. Claire was taking a sip of her coffee when she spotted a black, mangled dress shoe in the middle of the road. Pulling to the side of the road, Claire looked in the ditch. Seeing nothing, she took a peek into the overgrowth, squinting her eyes, and scanning the abundance of greenery. That was when she saw it. A foot wrapped in a black sock, sticking up in the air. Completely stiff and not belonging to a live person. She let out a loud gasp, threw the van into drive, and headed to the police station. As she sped away from the body, large, heavy raindrops began to fall.

Claire, frantic and distraught, burst through the doors of the police precinct.

“Dead body! Dead body!” she screamed, sending the officers scrabbling, seeking clarification on the location.

After Claire calmed down and accepted a glass of water from the desk clerk, she told them there was a dead body about a mile down the road. Two officers rushed to the scene, where they found the shoe and Chris Stanton’s body.

“Wonder what he was doing out here,” one officer whispered.

The rain arrived at the worst possible time. As the detectives rushed to secure the scene, large pellets of water beat down on the ground, washing away potential evidence. The victim wore black dress slacks and a starched white shirt with a dark death stain spread across the front. The man had a neat, carefully cropped crew cut and a pale face with a gaping mouth. His terrified green eyes were wide and frozen with fear. His arms, already stiff from rigor mortis, stretched out at his sides.

“Someone was angry with him,” the second officer said.

“You think it’s connected to the animal slayings?”

“Could be. Too early to tell.”

Meanwhile, six miles north of the murder scene, a woman’s scream pierced the sky. Her feet beat against the pavement as she sprinted through large raindrops, and her voice interrupted the early-morning air. She yelped with pain, begging for help, but the street’s occupants lay dormant in their homes. Thunder crackled, and lightning split open the sky. It was hard to know where she should go or how she could escape. Steady falling raindrops beat harder and harder, as if the elements were against her desire to survive.

The situation was hopeless, but she continued running, refusing to give up. The rain beat down against her face as she threw her head back and screamed out, her voice swallowed by the ominous drops of the downpour. Rushing forward, looking for safety, her heartbeat thumped rapidly against her chest, fierce and rough, causing her to lose her breath. Continuing through the early dawn, drenched streets, the woman fought for clarity. Her clothes stuck to her body, and the rain, warm and brutal, beat through the strands of her hair, thumping against her scalp. Where was she going? Would she escape? The rush of air around her body prevented her from moving faster. Terrified of what would come next, she made a sharp left turn, stepping off the edge of the curb and crashing to the ground. The woman scrambled to gain control, slipping on the soaked pavement; she felt someone grab hold of her legs. Kicking with all her might did not deter her captive. As she twisted her body, ready to fight off the pursuer’s grip, she felt a thump, and the world went dark.

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