MYSTERY: Women Sleuths: Just a Game

This is a 8,000 words CLEAN story with an HEA. Whole Serial is part of a bigger plot. Check for other books in this serial. Tara hasn't told Michael how exactly she's keeping tabs on the Cyborg Strangler, and he doesn't want to know. In the meantime, they've gotten a new case: an apparent high school suicide, only the principal is convinced that the high-achieving student wouldn't have killed himself. When it is uncovered that the kids were playing a high stakes game...will...
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This is a 8,000 words CLEAN story with an HEA. Whole Serial is part of a bigger plot. Check for other books in this serial. Tara hasn't told Michael how exactly she's keeping tabs on the Cyborg Strangler, and he doesn't want to know. In the meantime, they've gotten a new case: an apparent high school suicide, only the principal is convinced that the high-achieving student wouldn't have killed himself. When it is uncovered that the kids were playing a high stakes game...will Michael be able to pin down how the game works? Has Tara finally confirmed the identity of the strangler?----------------------------------------------------------EXCERPT FROM BOOKIn the airy warehouse, dust motes clung to Tara's flashlight beam for dear life. Tara found what she was looking for in the largest section of the steel, corrugated building. Even in the near pitch darkness, the yellow of the school bus was obvious, and the abundance of safety reflectors shone brightly back at Tara. The bus was in perfect condition, not a victim of a crash or a bombing. The casual observer might wonder why a bus like this was even in an FBI warehouse, but Tara Winter was not a casual observer. She knew exactly why it was there. She remembered the conversation she had just the day before. "You've got to leave this alone, Winter. Folks are starting to talk, and it's not about that new, spiky haircut of yours either." "All I'm looking or is a straight answer." "And you were given one." "I don't believe that answer."Agent Tom Coles of the FBI field office in Chicago, Illinois threw up his hands in mockery of Tara. "Well there's just no pleasing you is there? Look, this is simple. At this point, you're no more than any other civilian. In fact, I shouldn't even be talking to you this way. I do it out of respect for your reputation, but the fact that you were the primary on this case at the very beginning no longer has any bearing on which information I can give you. It's gone over your head."Tara glared angrily at the agent, with his perfectly-pressed suit, his face without the slightest hint of stubble, and his shiny, unscuffed dress shoes. She hated it all. "I just need to know if you're looking into the high school teacher like I asked you to." "You know I can't tell you that." "You feds," Tara said with disgust. "Can never tell the difference between what's important and what's right." "Officer Winter, all due respect...that's bullshit."But it wasn't bullshit, and now Tara knew for sure. There was no other reason for them to be looking at the bus. They were looking for evidence that might tie back to any of the victims of the Cyborg. Tara felt a sense of hollow victory in finding out that the FBI had in fact listened to her. Now, she could only hope that they didn't hopelessly fuck everything up with their layer upon layer of bureaucracy. Over the years, as she was an excellent officer, Tara had been offered promotions that would have taken her out of the field, but she inevitably declined. Tara Winter was an officer of the law, not a politician. A light in the warehouse snapped on, the sound of the massive box light turning on scaring Tara badly, freezing her to the spot. She turned off her flashlight and found that she was suddenly mostly blind in the darkness. "Who's there?" a voice called. AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a story with an HEA. Story contains mature themes and language, and is intended for 18+ readers only.MYSTERY: Women Sleuths: (Mystery with Animals, Cats and Recipes) The Cyborg Strangler: Cozy Suspense Murder Mystery - Police Procedurals