Table Of Content

N O M E R C Y (A Valerie Law FBI Suspense Thriller —Book One) B L A K E P I E R C E Blake Pierce Blake Pierce is the USA Today bestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seventeen books. Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising fourteen books; of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising six books; of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising seven books; of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising six books; of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising twenty four books; of the AU PAIR psychological suspense thriller series, comprising three books; of the ZOE PRIME mystery series, comprising six books; of the ADELE SHARP mystery series, comprising fifteen books, of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising four books; of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising nine books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising eleven books (and counting); of the A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising nine books, of the AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the RACHEL GIFT mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the VALERIE LAW mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); and of the PAIGE KING mystery series, comprising three books (and counting). ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1), WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1), NEXT DOOR (A Chloe Fine Psychological Suspense Mystery—Book 1), THE PERFECT WIFE (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book One), IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 1), MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (A European Voyage Cozy Mystery—Book 1), LEFT TO DIE (An Adele Sharp Mystery—Book One), and A MURDER IN PARIS (A Year in Europe—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Amazon! An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch. Copyright © 2022 by Blake Pierce. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright Antlio used under license from Shutterstock.com. BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE PAIGE KING MYSTERY SERIES THE GIRL HE PINED (Book #1) THE GIRL HE CHOSE (Book #2) THE GIRL HE TOOK (Book #3) VALERIE LAW MYSTERY SERIES NO MERCY (Book #1) NO PITY (Book #2) NO FEAR (Book #3 RACHEL GIFT MYSTERY SERIES HER LAST WISH (Book #1) HER LAST CHANCE (Book #2) HER LAST HOPE (Book #3) HER LAST FEAR (Book #4) HER LAST CHOICE (Book #5) HER LAST BREATH (Book #6) AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES CITY OF PREY (Book #1) CITY OF FEAR (Book #2) CITY OF BONES (Book #3) CITY OF GHOSTS (Book #4) CITY OF DEATH (Book #5) CITY OF VICE (Book #6) A YEAR IN EUROPE A MURDER IN PARIS (Book #1) DEATH IN FLORENCE (Book #2) VENGEANCE IN VIENNA (Book #3) A FATALITY IN SPAIN (Book #4) ELLA DARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER GIRL, ALONE (Book #1) GIRL, TAKEN (Book #2) GIRL, HUNTED (Book #3) GIRL, SILENCED (Book #4) GIRL, VANISHED (Book 5) GIRL ERASED (Book #6) GIRL, FORSAKEN (Book #7) GIRL, TRAPPED (Book #8) GIRL, EXPENDABLE (Book #9) GIRL, ESCAPED (Book #10) GIRL, HIS (Book #11) LAURA FROST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER ALREADY GONE (Book #1) ALREADY SEEN (Book #2) ALREADY TRAPPED (Book #3) ALREADY MISSING (Book #4) ALREADY DEAD (Book #5) ALREADY TAKEN (Book #6) ALREADY CHOSEN (Book #7) ALREADY LOST (Book #8) ALREADY HIS (Book #9) EUROPEAN VOYAGE COZY MYSTERY SERIES MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (Book #1) DEATH (AND APPLE STRUDEL) (Book #2) CRIME (AND LAGER) (Book #3) MISFORTUNE (AND GOUDA) (Book #4) CALAMITY (AND A DANISH) (Book #5) MAYHEM (AND HERRING) (Book #6) ADELE SHARP MYSTERY SERIES LEFT TO DIE (Book #1) LEFT TO RUN (Book #2) LEFT TO HIDE (Book #3) LEFT TO KILL (Book #4) LEFT TO MURDER (Book #5) LEFT TO ENVY (Book #6) LEFT TO LAPSE (Book #7) LEFT TO VANISH (Book #8) LEFT TO HUNT (Book #9) LEFT TO FEAR (Book #10) LEFT TO PREY (Book #11) LEFT TO LURE (Book #12) LEFT TO CRAVE (Book #13) LEFT TO LOATHE (Book #14) LEFT TO HARM (Book #15) THE AU PAIR SERIES ALMOST GONE (Book#1) ALMOST LOST (Book #2) ALMOST DEAD (Book #3) ZOE PRIME MYSTERY SERIES FACE OF DEATH (Book#1) FACE OF MURDER (Book #2) FACE OF FEAR (Book #3) FACE OF MADNESS (Book #4) FACE OF FURY (Book #5) FACE OF DARKNESS (Book #6) A JESSIE HUNT PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES THE PERFECT WIFE (Book #1) THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2) THE PERFECT HOUSE (Book #3) THE PERFECT SMILE (Book #4) THE PERFECT LIE (Book #5) THE PERFECT LOOK (Book #6) THE PERFECT AFFAIR (Book #7) THE PERFECT ALIBI (Book #8) THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR (Book #9) THE PERFECT DISGUISE (Book #10) THE PERFECT SECRET (Book #11) THE PERFECT FAÇADE (Book #12) THE PERFECT IMPRESSION (Book #13) THE PERFECT DECEIT (Book #14) THE PERFECT MISTRESS (Book #15) THE PERFECT IMAGE (Book #16) THE PERFECT VEIL (Book #17) THE PERFECT INDISCRETION (Book #18) THE PERFECT RUMOR (Book #19) THE PERFECT COUPLE (Book #20) THE PERFECT MURDER (Book #21) THE PERFECT HUSBAND (Book #22) THE PERFECT SCANDAL (Book #23) THE PERFECT MASK (Book #24) CHLOE FINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES NEXT DOOR (Book #1) A NEIGHBOR’S LIE (Book #2) CUL DE SAC (Book #3) SILENT NEIGHBOR (Book #4) HOMECOMING (Book #5) TINTED WINDOWS (Book #6) KATE WISE MYSTERY SERIES IF SHE KNEW (Book #1) IF SHE SAW (Book #2) IF SHE RAN (Book #3) IF SHE HID (Book #4) IF SHE FLED (Book #5) IF SHE FEARED (Book #6) IF SHE HEARD (Book #7) THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES WATCHING (Book #1) WAITING (Book #2) LURING (Book #3) TAKING (Book #4) STALKING (Book #5) KILLING (Book #6) RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES ONCE GONE (Book #1) ONCE TAKEN (Book #2) ONCE CRAVED (Book #3) ONCE LURED (Book #4) ONCE HUNTED (Book #5) ONCE PINED (Book #6) ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7) ONCE COLD (Book #8) ONCE STALKED (Book #9) ONCE LOST (Book #10) ONCE BURIED (Book #11) ONCE BOUND (Book #12) ONCE TRAPPED (Book #13) ONCE DORMANT (Book #14) ONCE SHUNNED (Book #15) ONCE MISSED (Book #16) ONCE CHOSEN (Book #17) MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1) BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2) BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3) BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4) BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5) BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6) BEFORE HE SINS (Book #7) BEFORE HE HUNTS (Book #8) BEFORE HE PREYS (Book #9) BEFORE HE LONGS (Book #10) BEFORE HE LAPSES (Book #11) BEFORE HE ENVIES (Book #12) BEFORE HE STALKS (Book #13) BEFORE HE HARMS (Book #14) AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1) CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2) CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3) CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4) CAUSE TO SAVE (Book #5) CAUSE TO DREAD (Book #6) KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1) A TRACE OF MURDER (Book #2) A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3) A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4) A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5) CONTENTS PROLOGUE CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY ONE CHAPTER TWENTY TWO CHAPTER TWENTY THREE CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE CHAPTER TWENTY SIX CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT CHAPTER TWENTY NINE EPILOGUE PROLOGUE There was one patient Doctor Mason Winters feared more than any other. As the clock ticked on the wall of the doctor's claustrophobic office, his anxiety and apprehension grew with each movement of its hands. The hour was coming. It was time to face the patient he dreaded most, yet again. Leaving his office and locking the door behind him, the doctor’s keys echoed along the narrow, sterile corridor. He glared at the clipboard in his hands. It contained recent updates about the patient's condition, including notes from their previous conversations. Those conversations had not gone well. The patient enjoyed remembering his terrible crimes, but he took equal pleasure in withholding information. This gave him power. He would often mock the medical staff by mimicking their voices, making them say the most horrendous things. Sometimes he delighted in this, sometimes he seemed distant and confused. He was the epitome of a fractured, unpredictable personality. Sighing, Doctor Winters looked once more at his clipboard of notes with displeasure and then walked down the corridor towards Ward 11’s front desk. He immediately saw that things were not as they should have been. Looking around, there was no one at the large white desk that sat in front of the locked entrance to the ward. One of the security guards by the name of Larry Makin should have been there to greet him with that cigar-stained, yellow smile of his. He wasn’t there. The desk was empty. Doctor Winters knew Larry liked to bend the rules, but this was unacceptable. All doctors were to be accompanied by at least one security personnel when visiting violent patients. While Larry was often late for work and had a bad habit of making inappropriate jokes towards female members of the staff, he was always out front when it came to the evening sessions. To be AWOL for that would not be tolerated by the institute. Something then caught the doctor’s attention. He leaned over the front of the sterile white desk. A row of eight monitors displayed grainy footage from various security cameras throughout Ward 11. They cycled repeatedly, showing the corridor running through the heart of the ward and then the secured rooms of each patient. As the screens switched between cameras, one showed nothing but an impenetrable black with some static interference. Doctor Winters knew what should have been on that screen. It should have shown a man capable of the most barbaric, brutal violence, either sleeping soundly in his bed or waiting for Doctor Winters’s visit. But it did not; there was just blackness with occasional wisps of static. The doctor hoped that Larry was absent because he was just checking the camera. Reaching down, he pulled his radio off his belt. “Larry, where are you?” he said into the receiver. “Where are you?” Larry replied quickly over static.