Table of Contents
PRAISE FOR THE MINDHUNTERS SERIES
BY KYLIE BRANT
DEADLY INTENT
A superb investigative mystery... A strong thriller.
Midwest Book Review
WAKING THE DEAD
Get ready for lots of twists and turns with an abundance of suspense in this thrilling romance.
Fresh Fiction
Once again Kylie Brant kept me awake until three in the morning to finish her book... A really impressive series. She reminds me of a few great writers. If you love Kay Hoopers writing, you will love Ms. Brants writing, too.
A Romance Review
If you have been reading this Mindhunters series, you will not want to miss out on this next installment... I recommend reading them all from the beginning!
Fallen Angel Reviews
An electrifying and infinitely gripping novel... Kylie writes excellent dialogue [and] creates engaging characters [and] vividly detailed investigation and action scenes.
The Romance Studio
Terrific.
Midwest Book Review
Provided a thrill and plenty of romance and forensicsbased action!
Errant Dreams Reviews
I loved the blend of police work and romance that this series brings... Packed full of action, mystery, and romance and left me excitedly looking forward to the next book in the Mindhunters series!
TwoLips Reviews
WAKING EVIL
Enjoyable... A superb police procedural... enhanced by the supernatural and the romance.
Midwest Book Review
Wonderful characters and mystery... Brant does a great job with pacing and tension!
Errant Dreams Reviews
A totally engrossing read.
The Romance Studio
[An] exceedingly suspenseful series... The exceptional writing of Kylie Brant will keep you reading way into the night. From first-rate suspense... While the dangerous scenarios of Waking Evil draw you into the novel, the tender love story is just as compelling.
Single Titles
Intense paranormal elements, gripping suspense, and graphic descriptions make for a realistic read.
Fresh Fiction
Ms. Brant combined romantic suspense with a touch of the paranormal that really intrigued this reader from page one.
The Romance Readers Connection
WAKING NIGHTMARE
Intelligent, gripping suspense with both chill and sizzle. Waking Nightmare will leave you awake in the night... and wanting more.
Cindy Gerard, New York Times bestselling author
The writing is vivid and strong... Suspense fans will love the unexpected twist and pulse-pounding climax.
Publishers Weekly
Wonderful psych material, great characters, interesting mystery... Theres plenty of tension and great pacing to the suspense.
Errant Dreams Reviews
The first sentence will intrigue you and the next one causes chills. By the third sentence, you will be completely hooked on Waking Nightmare.
Single Titles
Thrilling... A great opening act.
Midwest Book Review
Brant and romantic suspense are a dynamite duo!
RT Book Reviews
Berkley Sensation Titles by Kylie Brant
WAKING NIGHTMARE
WAKING EVIL
WAKING THE DEAD
DEADLY INTENT
DEADLY DREAMS
DEADLY SINS
For my newest granddaughter, Harper Sophia,
with love and anticipationlooking forward
to tea parties, dress up, and shopping trips!
Acknowledgments
A great deal of research goes into my books and I always reach out to experts for help. A big thank-you is owed to Kathleen Hartnett for your fascinating details regarding the duties of Supreme Court clerks. A specialist in the Office of Public Affairs of the FBI Washington Field Office offered insight into FBIs Evidence Response Team and answered questions on some procedural detailsyou know who you are! The generous assistance I received from both of you left me seriously questioning where I was during Career Day at school.
Joe Collins is my go-to guy for weapons questions, and he came through again when it came to researching my snipers weapon and how hed set up his shoot. As always, thanks for the input! Mark Lohrum, Purdue University Cyber Forensics graduate student, provided the cell phone spyware expertise, which scared me away from ever opening links on my phone.
Washington, DC, and the surrounding area is one of the loveliest in the country. Although Ive made several visits, I needed frequent assistance regarding neighborhoods, routes, distances, etc. Im grateful to Jeff Welter, longtime resident of the area, for filling in the gaps in my geographical knowledge and proving at long last that hes more than merely a pretty face .
As usual, any inaccuracies that occur in the story are solely the responsibility of the author.
Chapter 1
Despite what it said in the Old Testament, death was rarely the result of divine intervention. Often nature could be blamed. More frequently another person was the cause. On that drizzly gray evening in early November, nature had an alibi.
If Supreme Court Justice Byron Reinbeck had known what fate had in store for him that day, hed have spent less time writing the scathing dissenting opinion on Clayborne vs. Leland. Which in turn would have had him leaving his chambers at a decent hour. That would have negated the need to stop at his favorite sidewalk vendor for flowers to take to Mary Jo, his wife of twenty-five years. She was having a dinner party that evening, and he was running unforgivably late.
But not being blessed with psychic powers, he pulled over at the sidewalk in question. Danny Shelton was there, rain or shine, until the snow started flying. And he never folded up shop until hed sold his entire inventory.
Mr. Reinbeck, good to see you. A smile put another crease in Dannys grizzled, well-worn face. A three-sided awning protected him and his wares. A small propane heater was tucked in the corner of it. When you called, I put em back special. I got just the thing. He sprang up from his battered lawn chair with a surprising spryness.
Byron turned up the collar of his overcoat, belatedly remembered the umbrella in the backseat. Hunching his shoulders a bit, he pretended to contemplate the bouquet of yellow roses thrust out for his approval. He suspected Danny stocked them daily, on the off chance that Byron would stop.
Yellow roses were Mary Jos favorite.
He reached for his wallet. Youre a lifesaver, Danny.
The other mans cackle sounded over the crinkle of the wrapping paper he was fixing around the bundle. You gots to be in big trouble for these flowers not to do the trick.
A quick glance at his watch told Byron that he was only a handful of minutes away from big trouble. He withdrew a couple bills, intending to leave without waiting for change.
He didnt have a chance to turn around before the sharp crack of the rifle sounded behind him. But he saw the splash of crimson on the front of Dannys stained brown hoodie. A second later pain and shock paralyzed Byrons system before he pitched forward, his lifeless body crushing the fragrant long-stemmed beauties against the makeshift plywood table.
