Saturday, March 15, 2014

Sneak Peek Saturday - Excerpt from the upcoming Kelli Storm novel, Eye of the Storm



Friday September 20th – 1:40 P.M. – Brighton Beach
400 Block – Brightwater Court – Club Tatiana

  It was like a scene out of a war movie; gray and white smoke billowed up from what remained of the club, injured were being placed on stretchers and into the backs of ambulances, while emergency workers searched the rubble for survivors.
  Kelli flashed her badge as she and Greg ducked under the yellow tape. She surveyed the scene, shook her head and turned to Greg. “It has to be the Italians, payback for our bartender.”
  “Yeah, big time payback,” he said, still scanning the devastation. “Looks like they used C4 or something, not much left of this place.”
  “There’s the FDNY Captain, let’s go see if he can fill us in on what happened here,” she said and started walking. “I just hope the women’s bathroom is still there.”
  “By the look of things, I wouldn’t bet on it.”
  “Excuse me, Captain, Detective Storm, Thirty-third Precinct. Can you tell us what happened here?”
  The man looked at her, nodded at Greg and looked back at Kelli. “I won’t know all of the details until we can get in there and do a full investigation, but I can tell you that this was no accident. The focus of the blast was located at an interior rear wall, and from the debris field, I’d have to say that this was a professional job, set for maximum casualties.”
  “Any idea what explosive was used?”
  “Not yet. Like I told you, we’ll know more after we can get in there and conduct a full investigation. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to this,” he said and turned.
  “Just one more question. Is the women’s bathroom still intact?”
  He stopped, turned his head and gave her a puzzled look. “If you have to go that bad, Detective, there’s a restaurant on the corner that I’m sure would be more suitable.”
She shook her head and sighed. “Yes, I’m sure that it would be, but that’s not why I’m asking. We’ve had this place under surveillance for some time and there was something hidden in the women’s bathroom. I just need to know if it’s still there or not.”
  “Yes, it’s still there, but there was extensive damage. I’ll tell you what, if this thing is that important, come back tomorrow morning, around eight. The Fire Marshall will be out here and I’ll let him know that you’re coming,” he said, then turned and walked away.
  Kelli watched him leave and then turned to Greg. “We just can’t catch a break on this case. If that book is gone, we’ve got nothing, and these bastards get to keep doing what they’ve been doing. Shit.”
  “Well, maybe not exactly what they’ve been doing,” he said, looking back at the rubble, “but I know what you’re saying. Listen, let’s just head back to the office and brief Porter, and figure out our next move.”
  “Yeah, but I want to swing by Coney Island Hospital first, see if Glinka is well enough to talk, maybe he can shed some light on this,” she said and waved her hand at the building remains.

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