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    Fatal Twist: A Short Story Featuring FBI Profiler Karen Vail
    Fatal Twist: A Short Story Featuring FBI Profiler Karen Vail
    Fatal Twist: A Short Story Featuring FBI Profiler Karen Vail
    Ebook69 pages1 hour

    Fatal Twist: A Short Story Featuring FBI Profiler Karen Vail

    By Alan Jacobson

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    About this ebook

    In a short story derived from the highly praised national bestselling Karen Vail series of thrillers, Fatal Twist gives the reader a taste of the dynamic FBI profiler, who has been called “my kind of hero” by Michael Connelly, “a hell of a lady: tough, smart, funny, and very believable” by Nelson DeMille, and “compelling” by James Patterson

    The Park Rapist has murdered his first victim—and FBI profiler Karen Vail is on the case. As Vail races through the streets of Washington, DC, to chase down a promising lead that may help her catch the killer, a military-trained sniper takes aim at his target, a wealthy businessman’s son. But what brings these two unrelated offenders together is something the nation’s capital has never before experienced.

    Alan Jacobson received several years of personalized training from two senior FBI profilers at the behavioral analysis unit in Quantico. Fatal Twist, like Jacobson’s Karen Vail novels The 7th Victim, Crush, Velocity, and Inmate 1577, brings real characters to the page—and in the process takes readers on a thrilling ride that culminates in an ending that leaves them satisfied . . . and wanting more.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Media
    Release dateJul 1, 2014
    ISBN9781497655973
    Fatal Twist: A Short Story Featuring FBI Profiler Karen Vail
    Author

    Alan Jacobson

    Alan Jacobson is the national bestselling author of the critically acclaimed FBI profiler Karen Vail and OPSIG Team Black series. Jacobson’s years of extensive research and training while embedded with federal and local law enforcement agencies have influenced him both personally and professionally, and have helped shape the stories he tells and the diverse characters that populate his novels.

    Read more from Alan Jacobson

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      Book preview

      Fatal Twist - Alan Jacobson

      Fatal Twist

      A Short Story Featuring FBI Profiler Karen Vail

      Alan Jacobson

      CONTENTS

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Copyright Page

      Washington Circle

      Foggy Bottom/West End Neighborhoods

      Washington, DC

      January 19

      FBI Profiler Karen Vail stood on the grass several feet from a stone and bronze statue of George Washington, rain beating down on her slicker, wind slapping at her cheeks. And the twisted body of a young woman ten feet away.

      Detective Paul Bledsoe, hands on hips, shook his head. Whaddya think. This our guy?

      Yeah. Vail pointed her flashlight and ran it slowly over the body. He’s escalating.

      Bledsoe took the gum out of his mouth and chucked it as far as he could, into the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue. Just like you said he would.

      They had been working the Park Rapist case, on and off, for two years. The offender had now struck three times in the past six weeks. None of the victims had been brutalized as badly as this one. None of them had been killed.

      Wasn’t a tough call. I’ve seen this before. Too many times. Vail glanced around. This is considered a park, right? Where’s Park Police?

      On their way. Metro responded because the crime scene stretches across the street—

      And across the street’s Metro PD, not Park Police jurisdiction. Vail shook her head. Really? So Metro sent a dick for a couple dozen feet of crime scene?

      Gotta love government bureaucracy, Bledsoe said with a chuckle. Seriously, though. Rules gotta be followed.

      Vail crunched her brow. Last I checked, this is DC. Politicians and lobbyists. Who the hell here follows rules?

      Whatever. The detective—Hurley—he’s over there, Bledsoe said, pointing somewhere in the darkness. You want to tell him to take a hike, be my guest. Not worth ruffling feathers.

      May not come as a surprise to you, but I don’t have a problem ruffling feathers. Vail squinted into the distance. Where is he? Can’t see shit in this weather.

      Bledsoe put his hands to his mouth and yelled out Hurley’s name. Vail saw movement nearly a block away and a body with an umbrella turned, then began bobbing toward them. She pivoted back toward the young woman’s body. Who’s our vic?

      Valerie Trevelle, Bledsoe said. Twenty-one. Just graduated from Georgetown.

      Witnesses?

      Homeless guy asleep on a bench, other end of the park. Drunk, not really oriented to his surroundings. Saw a guy wearing a ski mask leaving the park around midnight. Don’t know how much weight we can put in that, but—

      We never told the press the Park Rapist wears a ski mask.

      Exactly.

      Vail moved further under the tarp serving as a makeshift tent to cover Trevelle’s body. Man. He really beat this one. Looks like he used her face as a punching bag. Question is, why?

      Overkill. It’s personal. He knows her.

      Vail shook her head slowly. "I don’t think so. Can’t rule it out, but we’re finding that the overkill theory is, well, overdone. Excessive violence isn’t always because of a personal connection between victim and offender. Some psychopaths enjoy inflicting injury. Nothing to do with how he feels toward her. They can sometimes experience momentary rage, but fact is, they don't feel much of anything, except a rush over what he’s doing."

      Bledsoe pointed toward the head. Dress pulled up over the face. Depersonalization.

      Vail banded both arms across her chest. Just curious. If you have all the answers, what do you need me for? I mean, really. Did you call me out here for a reason?

      Bledsoe looked at her, then gestured toward the body. What the hell do you think?

      Then let me just do my job. Vail sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sorry.

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