The Palm Beach Murders Read online

  “Mr. Clee, you’re not thinking clearly,” Quinn says.

  “On the contrary, I considered the possibility that your team would discover the truth. So I’ve planned everything to the last detail. Your body will be removed along with the rest of the office refuse. The chair you’re sitting in will be replaced, as well as the carpeting beneath your feet. Within the hour, everything will look brand-new. I have a very loyal staff. We’re like a family, really.”

  Clee leans forward over his desk with the gun, as if to shorten the distance for the bullet that’s about to make its way into Quinn’s chest.

  Quinn, however, remains motionless. “What about my team? They’re not going to let you get away with this.”

  “Who? Your precious Stingrays? Without a leader, they’ll be easy pickings. If they’re still on the island, they’re as good as dead. You’re the slippery one, Mr. Quinn. But you’re not going to slip out of this.”

  Quinn nods, then leans forward, too, mimicking Clee’s body language.

  “After you kill me,” Quinn says, “I’d like you to do me a favor. Check your surveillance recordings from this very soundproof floor from…oh, somewhere between four and five o’clock this morning.”

  “What? Why?”

  Quinn shrugs.

  Clee’s expression morphs from one of confusion to anger—all of which culminates in a roar as he pulls the trigger. But instead of a blast, there is nothing but a loud hollow snap of the hammer connecting with the firing pin. Clee looks down at the pistol in his hand as if it’s an employee who has disappointed him.

  “I’m a planner, too, Mr. Clee.”

  “So you broke into my office.…”

  “…Early this morning and removed the bullets. You should thank me. This means you’ll only be arrested for attempted murder rather than the real deal. Oh, along with obstruction of justice, accessory to murder, and a host of other charges I’m sure the FBI will be reading to you in just a moment.”

  Those words are the cue for the federal agents standing by to swarm into Clee’s office and take him into custody. Their entire conversation has been recorded, too, which will make it especially challenging for Clee’s wolf pack of lawyers when it comes time for the trial.

  Once he’s outside the building, Quinn calls Jana, who’s waiting near the luggage carousel at Logan International with the others.

  “Nigel James and the twins are in custody,” Jana says. “Local authorities are preparing to turn them over to the FBI.”

  “Good. The girls will be able to see their father soon.”

  “Did Clee go along quietly?”

  “Pretty much,” Quinn says. “How’s the team?”

  “Otto’s going on and on about lunch,” she says. As per tradition, the Stingrays will gather for a celebratory feast at the successful close of the case. “What can I tell him so he’ll shut up already?”

  “Tell them it’ll be dinner,” Quinn says. “But first I’d like you to stop by the office a little early.”

  “How early, my dear?”

  Quinn smiles. “Well…are you busy right now?”

  This is another part of the tradition. But they never mention it to the other Stingrays.

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  About the Authors

  James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller. He has created many enduring fictional characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, Maximum Ride, Middle School, and I Funny. Among his notable literary collaborations are The President Is Missing, with President Bill Clinton, and the Max Einstein series, produced in partnership with the Albert Einstein Estate. Patterson’s writing career is characterized by a single mission: to prove that there is no such thing as a person who “doesn’t like to read,” only people who haven’t found the right book. He’s given over three million books to schoolkids and the military, donated more than seventy million dollars to support education, and endowed over five thousand college scholarships for teachers. For his prodigious imagination and championship of literacy in America, Patterson was awarded the 2019 National Humanities Medal. The National Book Foundation presented him with the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, and he is also the recipient of an Edgar Award and nine Emmy Awards. He lives in Florida with his family.

  James O. Born is an award–winning crime and science-fiction novelist as well as a career law-enforcement agent. A native Floridian, he still lives in the Sunshine State.

  During his thirty-five years in the advertising business, Tim Arnold had a regular column in Adweek. Currently a blog columnist for The Huffington Post, he continues to actively consult for a wide range of clients.

  Duane Swierczynski is the Edgar-nominated and Anthony Award–winning author of Canary and Revolver. He’s also written for comic books, TV, and film.

  TRIPLE HOMICIDE

  I couldn’t resist the opportunity to bring my greatest detectives together in three shocking thrillers. Alex Cross receives an anonymous call with a threat to set off deadly bombs in Washington, D.C., and has to discover whether it’s a cruel hoax, or the real deal. But will he find the truth too late? And then, in possibly my most twisted Women’s Murder Club mystery yet, Detective Lindsey Boxer investigates a dead lover and a wounded millionaire who was left for dead. Finally, I make things personal for Michael Bennett as someone attacks the Thanksgiving Day Parade directly in front of him and his family. Can he solve the mystery of the “holiday terror”?

  THE MOORES ARE MISSING

  I’ve brought you three electrifying thrillers all in one book with this one. First, the Moore family just ups and vanishes one day, and no one knows why. Where have they gone? And why? Then in “The Housewife,” Maggie Denning jumps to investigate the murder of the woman next door, but she never imagined her own husband would be a suspect. And in “Absolute Zero,” Special Forces vet Cody Thurston is framed for the murder of his friends and is on the run, but that won’t stop him from completing one last mission: revenge. I’m telling you, you won’t want to miss reading these shocking stories.

  THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR

  There’s something absolutely bone chilling about a danger that’s right in front of you, and that concept fascinates me. Everyone always thinks there’s safety in numbers, but it isn’t always true, and those closest to you can sometimes be the most terrifying. In The House Next Door, Laura Sherman’s neighbor seems like he’s too good to be true; maybe he is. And then in The Killer’s Wife, Detective McGrath is searching for six girls who have gone missing but finds himself dangerously close to his suspect’s wife. Way too close. And finally, I venture out there in We Are Not Alone. Robert Barnett has found a message that will change the world: that there are others out there. And they’re watching us.

  THE 13-MINUTE MURDER

  I’ve really turned up the speed with three time-racing thrillers in one book! In “Dead Man Running,” Psychiatrist Randall Beck is working against a ticking clock: he has an inoperable brain tumor. So he’ll have to use his remaining time to save as many lives as he can. Then in “113 Minutes,” Molly Rourke’s son has been murdered and she’s determined to expose his murderer even as the clock ticks down. Never underestimate a mother’s love. And finally in “The 13-Minute Murder,” Michael Ryan is offered a rich payout to assassinate a target, but it ended in a horrifying spectacle. But when his wife goes missing, the world’s fastest hit man set out for one last score: revenge. Every minute counts.

  The River Murders

  Mitchum is a relentless man and I’ve cranked up the tension with three stories just about him. In “Hidden,” after being rejected by the Navy SEALs, he becomes his small town’s unofficial private eye. But he never could’ve imagined that investigating a missing teenage cousin would lead to a government conspiracy. And then
in “Malicious,” when Mitchum’s brother is charged with murder, he’ll have to break every rule to expose the truth—even if it destroys the people he loves. And finally, in “Malevolent,” Mitchum has never been more desperate as one by one, his loved ones have become victims. Now there’s only one way to stop the mastermind: going on the most dangerous hunt of his life.