Krewe Of Hunters: Haunted Destiny Part 1

Krewe of Hunters.

Haunted Destiny.

Heather Graham.

Between the evil and the deep blue sea...

A historic cruise s.h.i.+p, a haunted s.h.i.+p, the Celtic American Line's Destiny, sets sail from the Port of New Orleans-with a killer on board. He's known as the Archangel Killer because of the way he displays his victims in churches. And how he places a different saint's medallion on each body. No one knows exactly who he is or why he's doing this.

Jackson Crow-head of the FBI's Krewe of Hunters, a special unit of paranormal investigators-is a.s.signed to the case, along with local agent Jude McCoy. Then Alexi Cromwell, who works in the s.h.i.+p's piano bar, is drawn into the situation when a victim's ghost appears to her-and to Jude. She and Jude share an attraction, and not just because of their mutual talent.

There are many suspects, but one by one they're ruled out... Or are they? In the end, Jude and Alexi have to rely on each other to catch the killer and escape his evil plans for Alexi.

Praise for New York Times bestselling author.

Heather Graham.

"With an astonis.h.i.+ng ease and facility, this talented and hard-working writer can cast her stories in any genre."

-Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels "Once again, Heather Graham has outdone herself. The Betrayed took me on a fantastic trip to Sleepy Hollow and I'd travel with Graham anywhere... This chilling novel has everything: suspense, romance, intrigue and an ending that takes your breath away."

-Suspense Magazine.

"[Waking the Dead] is not to be missed."

-BookTalk.

"Dark, dangerous and deadly! Graham has the uncanny ability to bring her books to life, using exceptionally vivid details to add depth to all the people and places."

-RT Book Reviews on Waking the Dead, Top Pick.

"Murder, intrigue...a fast-paced read. You may never know in advance what harrowing situations Graham will place her characters in, but...rest a.s.sured that the end result will be satisfying."

-Suspense Magazine on Let the Dead Sleep.

"Graham deftly weaves elements of mystery, the paranormal and romance into a tight plot that will keep the reader guessing at the true nature of the killer's evil."

-Publishers Weekly on The Unseen.

"Suspenseful and dark.... The transitions between past and present flow seamlessly, and the main characters are interesting and their connection to one another is believable."

-RT Book Reviews on The Unseen.

For David Curtis Mutter, the best piano man out there. (Sorry, David! Yes, I turned you into a young woman-quite beautiful, though-for the purposes of this story!) And for FRW, surely one of the best writing groups out there!.

CAST OF CHARACTERS.

FBI Agents:.

Jackson Crow (Head of the Krewe of Hunters)

Angela Hawkins (Special Agent and Jackson's wife)

Jude McCoy (Special Agent in the New Orleans field office)

Celtic American Cruise Line (on the Destiny)

In the Entertainment Division:

Alexi Cromwell, piano bar hostess

Bradley Wilc.o.x, head of entertainment

Clara Avery, soprano, in the s.h.i.+p's presentation of Les Miz

Ralph Martini, mature actor

Simon Green, chorus

Larry Hepburn, young heartthrob actor.

Key Personnel on the s.h.i.+p:.

Xavier Thorne, Captain of the Destiny.

Larry Beach, Head of Security.

Johnny Morgan, Security Guard

Jensen Hardy, Cruise Director.

Nolan Perkins, Crew Steward.

Among the Pa.s.sengers:.

Hank Osprey, brilliant young computer magnate.

Roger Antrim, retired executive, and Lorna, his wife.

Flora Winters, widow.

Ginny Monk, dating Hank Osprey.

1.

They'd started out on foot that morning-not long after the murder was reported.

The murder that would soon bring the Big Easy to its knees; the eleventh attributed to the man the media had dubbed the "Archangel."

And who had now, apparently, moved into New Orleans.

The perpetrator had already left his mark on other cities. The first two killings had taken place in Charleston, South Carolina, where two women were murdered, their bodies found in churches; the actual crime scenes had never been discovered. That was eight months ago.

After that there'd been a lull. At that time the Archangel hadn't been given his moniker yet and he hadn't been on the nation's radar as a serial killer.

Some people wanted to believe that the killer himself was dead, or that he'd been incarcerated on other charges, the true extent of his crimes never known.

But those first two murders had held a strange signature-both victims displayed in churches with a saint's medallion around their necks. And most investigators expected the killer to strike again.

Which he did, four months later.

The killer had come farther south, taking two lives in Miami, Florida, and quickly followed by two more, just up the coast in Fort Lauderdale.

Then, for another four months, nothing.

Law enforcement worked day and night, certain that he'd strike again-but not knowing where.

He did.

He'd traveled on to Mobile, Alabama. There, he'd killed three young women and a young man-the boyfriend of one of them, by all accounts. He'd arrived too late to save the last female Mobile victim, and was not at all prepared for the homicidal knife-wielder he'd come to meet. An actor returning home after his show, he'd obviously put up a fight. The young woman had been left on church steps, the boyfriend dumped in an alley. They knew this time, however-from various cell phone calls and messages-that the couple had been attacked at the young woman's home, a small bungalow in a wooded area of the city.

But despite the disarray and the traces of blood in the bathtub, the killer had left behind no fingerprints, no fibers-no hint of his ident.i.ty.