The 2nd Cycle of the Darc Murders Omnibus (the acclaimed series from #1 Police Procedural and Hard Boiled authors Carolyn McCray and Ben Hopkin) Read online

  Here is the value-packed 2nd Cycle of the Darc Murders Collection, containing 3rd Body and the EXCLUSIVE novels 2nd Death and 1st Kill. It also includes the EXCLUSIVE short stories Devolved, Detached, Denial and Defeated! Hours and hours of gruesome thrills for just $7.99!!!

  **Warning, this collection includes GRAPHIC crime scenes and taut thrills. Please do not read this collection unless you have a strong stomach and don't scare easily!

  Praise for the 1st Cycle Darc Murders Collection...

  “I really really like this series.....not my usual reading, as I normally read paranormal romance/HEA stories. McCray's work is a refreshing break for me of my usual reading material. Definitely not for the faint of heart---gory and violence is graphically described, possibly giving you not-so-nice dreams. This is a great deal for all the books included.”

  L.Ludwig

  Amazon Reviewer

  “This series of books really captivated me. I have always loved murder mysteries and would definitely recommend the Darc Collection to all. Carolyn McCray delivers 5 Stars in each of these books. She has become one of my all time favorite authors, because no matter what book.”

  Guinevere

  Amazon Reviewer

  “WOW, just WOW! I don't think I've ever come across such a gruesome series of crime scenes! Further knowing each of the scenes were booby trapped, had me cringing and then to read the full spectre of the carnage, left me in equal parts awe and queasiness of the macabre imaginings of the writers! They pulled out the big guns! There was gore galore! Luckily, I like that in a thriller, it makes the suspense that much higher and the take down of the bad guy that much more satisfying. What I didn't expect was to be so enchanted by the characters. I loved the eclectic mix, from the brilliant but emotionally challenged Detective with Aspergers to his laid back empathetic partner plus the razor sharp mind of the child psychologist consultant and the adorable and brave sole survivor, little Janey. All these nuances and traits give a rich tapestry to the book and endear you to the clever writing of Carolyn and Ben.”

  Kizzle79

  Amazon Reviewer

  “I definitely recommend the Darc Murders Collection. The character development is phenomenal, story development is superb-- I thoroughly enjoyed reading both 9th Circle and 7th Sin; the story telling entwined with the characteristics of Darc's Aspergers is incredibly entertaining. Not for the faint of heart, lots of gore and suspense, great mystery series. ”

  Tetch

  Amazon Reviewer

  If you are a fan of characters such as Alex Cross and Hannibal or movies like “7” and Saw, The 2nd Cycle of the Darc Murders Mystery Collection is sure to shock and satisfy.

  There is a new, easy and super exciting new way to get updates. Read about it here in the Afterword!

  Main Menu

  DEVOLVED

  3rd BODY

  DETACHED

  2nd DEATH

  DENIAL

  1st KILL

  DEFEATED

  BONUS MATERIAL

  MARY, MARY, QUITE CONTRARY

  A prequel short story to Humpty Dumpty, 1st in the Nursery Rhyme Murders Collection

  Excerpt from MAYFLOWER MURDERS

  An excerpt from the new historical crime thriller!

  CHILD’S PLAY

  A prequel short story to Amber Alert, 1st in the Empty Crib Mysteries

  ANATOMY

  A prequel short story to Plain Jane: Brunettes Beware, 1st in the Harbinger Series

  Start Reading

  About the Authors

  Afterword

  Other Works by Carolyn McCray & Ben Hopkin

  Contact

  Copyright

  DEVOLVED – The prequel/crossover to The Harbinger Series and 3rd Body

  PROLOGUE

  Stumbling, crying, gasping for breath, Tyler raced back along the path he’d taken earlier that night with the guys. The suspension bridge they’d crossed to get over the river beckoned.

  He’d come out to the campground with four of his “friends” from school. In truth, they were all jerks, and he never should have come out here.

  Right after they’d downed half a bottle of Jäger and smoked a couple of joints, things had gotten rough. The sticks they’d sharpened earlier became torture devices for the wild raccoon they’d managed to catch close to their campsite.

  Tyler had been disgusted just watching. He’d always been an animal lover.

  But now…

  Now he was running away from a nightmare.

  All the other four were dead, their necks broken, their skin slashed open by razor-sharp claws. There wasn’t much light from the moon through the clouds, but it had been enough for Tyler to see the blood. The blur of something big and hairy.

  The sounds… the screams of his friends mixed with growls that chilled his blood. And the dull crack of bones breaking.

  He’d be safe once he was over to the other side. Right? Across the river there were lights, the ranger station, civilization. All he had to do was get over there.

  He was close. The bridge was only about fifty yards away.

  But as Tyler stumbled toward his goal, a foul odor crept into his nostrils. He heard a rustling sound behind him and turned in spite of himself.

  The last thing he saw, before everything went black, were two black eyes staring into his soul. And the face in which they were set was something out of his worst dreams.

  CHAPTER 1

  Detective Trey Keane followed after his partner, Robi Darcmel, as the tall, bald man crossed over the suspension bridge leading to the campsites. It wasn’t every day that the two of them got to get out of the city, and Trey for one… kind of hated it.

  The forest ranger stalked along at Darc’s side, his expression sour. Well, sour was a relative term. Trey was pretty sure the guy never smiled. Ever.

  Of course, there wasn’t much to smile about at the moment.

  Four high school kids killed, one injured but in a coma back at the University of Washington Medical Center. And this was the third attack in a month. All teenagers, all of them in this area, less than an hour away from Seattle.

  “Come on, guys,” Trey called out to the men. “Hold up.”

  Darc didn’t even pretend to slow down to accommodate his slower companion. The ranger just looked back at Trey over his shoulder and shrugged.

  Speculation was running rampant about this case. And Trey was right in the thick of it. The thrill of working on something like this almost made up for the fact that he had to keep going out in the woods to look over the crime scenes.

  “Come on, somebody just say it,” Trey urged. “Just admit, for once, that it might be a possibility.”

  That got a response out of the ranger. He grunted and spat into the dirt, his mouth turning down in a slight frown.

  “How could you not at least think about it?” Trey pressed. “Necks snapped, claw marks, huge footprints scattered around.”

  But the two just kept walking.

  Trey’s phone rang. The tones to “Get Lucky” issued forth from his pants. Maggie’s ringtone.

  He answered. “Hey, babe.”

  The connection was terrible, but he could still hear her through the static on the line. Her voice sounded a bit odd, but that could’ve just been the reception.

  “Trey, when are you going to be home?”

  “Not sure. It could be late. Everything okay?”
he asked.

  “Sure. Just wanted to talk to you about something.”

  There was a burst of static, and Trey held the phone away from his ear. “Babe, I’ll call you later, okay? Connection’s bad out here.”

  The line went quiet and then beeped to indicate a dropped call. No biggie. If Maggie needed something, she’d call back.

  Trey turned his attention back to the forest around them. The ranger might not be willing to face the facts, but Trey knew there was something special here. This was the case to end all cases. This was the one that was going to put Trey on the map.

  Not in law enforcement circles. Trey didn’t care about that. This was a much bigger deal. This was going to blow Trey up on the Internet.

  Trey and Darc were going to prove, once and for all, the existence of something incredible. Something out of the pale. Something legendary.

  Bigfoot.

  * * *

  Special Agent Kent Harbinger guided his pregnant wife up the stairs to the Four Seasons Hotel. She was only about four months along at this point, and had just barely started showing.

  After promising her a second honeymoon in the Pacific Northwest to make up for the one they lost back in London, when Kent had chased down a Jack the Ripper copycat, it wouldn’t look very good if she found out his real reasons for coming to the Emerald City. So he was trying to be extra helpful.

  He allowed Nicole to head to the reception area alone as he pulled out a phone, not his phone of course, that would just be ludicrous. He rapidly dialed a number.

  “Dr. McGregor?” a surprised voice asked from the other end of the line.

  “It’s Kent,” he replied.

  “Oh, man, that makes so much more sense!” Joshua exclaimed. “I just passed the Doc in the hallway and he didn’t blink. Plus he like never calls me.”

  “Yes, I could tell. You weren’t in his speed dial queue,” Kent replied. “Good thing I have a memory for numbers.”

  “What’s up? It must be big if you took McGregor’s phone. He is going to have a Miley-level meltdown.”

  “Yes, yes,” Kent remarked. McGregor and he did not have the best relationship. It was amazing how a restraining order could ruin a budding relationship.

  “Yes or no, Joshua,” Kent stated. “Do you want to find unequivocal proof that Bigfoot exists?”

  “What? Are you… My God…Holy…Yes, a thousand yeses.”

  “Then don’t leave your phone for anything today.”

  Nicole had gotten to the desk and had turned, looking for her doting husband.

  Joshua was saying something, who knew what as Kent ended the call, slipped the phone into his pocket and smiled at his wife as he caught up with her.

  Her tilted head asked the question for her, “What were you doing?”

  With him suspicion was pretty appropriate.

  Which made their life together so much more enjoyable.

  “Little old lady, cross walk. You know the drill.”

  Nicole didn’t look like she believed him one bit, but didn’t challenge him on it.

  Kent turned his attention to the woman behind the front desk. “I called earlier. We’re in the Presidential Suite.”

  “Oh, yes. We’ve been expecting you Mr. Torr--”

  “Yes, thank you,” he cut her off, making sure he didn’t make eye contact with Nicole. Maybe she hadn’t noticed. “We’ll just take the keys.”

  “Of course,” the concierge responded. “I’ll have your bags sent up.”

  “Was she saying Mr. Torres?” Nicole asked as entered the elevator. “Kent…”

  “No. I just booked us under different names. Traveling incognito.”

  “To avoid the crazy Ripperologists who want to kill you?”

  Kent grimaced. She wasn’t wrong. Solve one decades’ old cold case, and the nut jobs came out of the woodwork.

  They exited the elevator and walked down the hall to their suite. Kent slid the key card into the slot, pushing open the door for Nicole.

  The suite opened up before them, the main room dominated by the entire wall made up of windows overlooking Puget Sound. It was stunning.

  Maybe it would make up for what he was about to do.

  “So, you’re pretty tired after that flight, yeah?” Kent asked.

  “No, actually, I was hoping for a little one-on-one time,” Nicole answered, sliding her hand down his arm and then around his waist.

  For a moment, Kent was tempted, but there was important stuff he needed to do. He danced away from her hand that was making its way south.

  “I just need to pop out to get a few things first…”

  Nicole turned around. “Things? Such as?”

  “Well, like… extra pillows for you. And orange juice. Lots of orange juice. For the folic acid that you need for the…” Kent trailed off.

  Nicole was standing facing him, one hand on her hip and a frown on her face. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing. I just…”

  “Nothing, my ass. I just offered you sex, and you said you had to go run errands.”

  Kent’s mind whirred, looking for a valid response.

  “I’m afraid I’ll hurt the baby,” he said, grasping onto the first thing that came into his head.

  She just stood there, staring at him for a long moment. Then she flipped her hair over her shoulder and waved him off.

  “Fine. I’ll call down for a masseuse,” Nicole said, holding his gaze.

  “Perfect!” Kent said, then reeled it back in. Didn’t want to look too eager. “I mean, that sounds like a good idea.”

  What did he care? It wasn’t like it was his credit card that was down with the front desk, getting charged for every tiny little thing here.

  He turned to leave, not wanting to give Nicole’s radar a chance to ping any more than it already had. Halfway to the door, his wife cleared her throat.

  “Oh, and Kent?” she cooed. “Make sure and switch out Ruben’s card for yours while you’re down there.”

  Kent took a deep breath.

  Underestimating Nicole was never a good idea.

  CHAPTER 2

  The teenage bodies were scattered about just off the path that led by the river, the CSI unit swarming about their forms. Darc’s mind tracked the positioning of the corpses, the lines of light in his mind’s eye showing him what their trajectories had been as they had fallen.

  The ranger sniffed as he looked about the scene, then leaned over and spat in the dirt again. His cell phone rang, and he glanced down at the glowing screen.

  “Gotta take this,” he muttered, his expression changing.

  The man… he’d introduced himself as Ranger Greg… moved off to the side, more than likely thinking that he was out of hearing range.

  But that only applied to those who didn’t have Darc’s acuities. Darc could hear his entire conversation, including the voice of what seemed to be the man’s wife.

  “Did you get the Ben Gay?” she asked.

  “Not yet, baby. We’ve got a problem out here. But I will. Promise.” Greg’s voice sounded strained, as if he were doing a physical task that would cause muscular tension in his neck. Odd.

  “You better,” she answered. “And don’t forget to pick up that file, too.”

  “I know, I know,” he answered, and then ended the call after saying goodbye.

  Moving back over to join Darc and Trey, the ranger cleared his throat. He pointed to an item on the ground, gesturing to Darc’s partner.

  Trey stooped down and peered at the item, a sharpened stick, the end covered in blood. “Wonder what that was about. There’s a few of them. Maybe they were trying to defend themselves. You know. From Bigfoot.”

  Remaining silent, Darc refrained from stating the seventeen reasons that affirmed that this was unlikely to be the work of the Sasquatch. It would serve no purpose.

  “You’re humoring me, aren’t you, Darc?” Trey accused him after a long pause. Then his partner’s face brightened. “Woah. You’re hu
moring me! Way to go, man!” He slapped Darc on the shoulder.

  A streaming glimmer of internal blue light caught Darc’s attention. There was a pathway of blood leading away from the scene of the slaughter.

  Moving through the underbrush, it was only moments before Darc stumbled across the carcass of a raccoon. There were stab wounds covering the creature’s sides.

  “Well, I guess we know what those sticks were all about,” Trey muttered, his tone disgusted.

  The ranger swore and spat.

  Just then Trey’s cell phone rang, and Darth Vader’s theme piped through the speaker. Trey pulled out his smartphone and tapped the screen to answer the call on speaker.

  “Detective Keane.”

  “Keane, are you done out there at the crime scene?” The bass rumble of the captain’s voice reached Darc’s ears. The sound was distorted by the weak connection, but still intelligible.

  “Yeah, just about. Finishing up now.”

  “Well, get it done, then come back here to the precinct.”

  “Sure thing, Cap,” Trey answered. “What’s up?”

  “I’ll explain when you get here,” the captain answered. “And don’t call me Cap.”

  “No prob, mi capitán. That’s Spanish for captain.”

  There was the sound of a distinct click as the captain hung up. Trey looked at his phone, shrugged, and turned to Darc.

  “Well, guess we’re going back to the station.”

  * * *

  Mala struggled to push down her irritation. It was a Friday, and she’d created a plan. An after-school trip to the museum, a possible play date, even thoughts of frozen yogurt after all else was said and done.

  But after the play date had fallen through and the museum had unexpectedly shut down due to a gas leak, Janey had just stared at Mala when she’d suggested going out to the nearest frozen yogurt place.

  She’d set down her ratty stuffed bear and drawn a detective’s badge. Apparently they were going to visit Darc.

  As they moved toward Darc and Trey’s desks at the precinct, Mala saw two figures waiting. Captain Merle, out from behind his desk for the first time in weeks, was standing at the side of a slender man with a coating of stubble covering his cheeks.