Book Title: The Reaper
Author: Rae Scott
Publisher: Page Publishing
Release Date: November 3, 2022
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Tropes: Vigilante justice/ Victims no one will miss/ The one you least expect
Themes: Good vs Evil, Life or Death
Heat Rating: No heat
Length: 188 pages/ 60 000 words
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.
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Reap what you have sown.
Blurb
Fear not those who are innocent, for I shall cause you no harm. I seek out only those who have yet to pay for their sins. Fear me if you have no remorse, for I am the Reaper, and I will ensure that you reap what you have sewn.
The serial killer known as The Reaper is loose on the streets of Norfolk. Its victims have two things in common: They have each hurt a child but served little to no time in jail for it and none of them regret their actions.
Detective Mel Tanner is close to retirement when she is assigned to investigate a murder that leads her in a hunt for the serial killer known as The Reaper. As a seasoned homicide detective of fifteen years, she now finds herself jaded and unfeeling to the atrocities that she has had to witness every day.
When rookie Detective Nat Petrov lands her dream assignment, to work with the best Detective in Norfolk, she is thrown headfirst into The Reaper’s perverse sense of justice. The Detectives race against the clock as body after body turns up with the signature Grim Reaper tarot card, each life ended in a way specifically designed for the individual victim. Will the detectives be able to catch a twisted serial killer before time runs out or will The Reaper exact revenge in a way more personal than anyone could have ever fathomed?
Looking down on the modifications it had made to the tub and the still unconscious woman, the Reaper thought back to one of the news reports it had watched about Zoe Williams’ trial, the one that had made it choose her as one of its victims. The reporter was standing outside of the courthouse, trying to hide the horror she felt about the details of the case as she recounted the prosecutor’s closing arguments at the end of the trial.
“The Prosecution rested today in the trial of Zoe Williams after the Commonwealth’s Attorney recounted the facts in the case. Zoe Williams had intentionally turned the temperature on her water heater to one hundred and sixty degrees and then filled the bathtub with the scalding hot water before placing her screaming baby in the tub and holding her there until her skin was red and blistered. She left the child in the water until she had finally succumbed to her injuries hours later.”
Shaking the memory from its mind, The Reaper went back to work, pulling one of the tables and placing it a few feet from the foot of the tub and then carefully placing the news articles and tarot card on it, weighing them down with a rock. Smiling, it picked up a water hose, turned on the spigot, pulled it to the tub and began the slow process of filling it. How has she not woken yet? Did I give her too much Ketamine?
Once the tub was filled to within two inches of the rim, the Reaper reached into its cloak and pulled out a few ammonia packets. Leaning over the unconscious woman, it broke one under her nose but, surprisingly, it had no effect on the sleeping woman. Breaking open a second pack, the Reaper waved it slowly back and forth under her nose again until, finally, Zoe jerked her head back.
Zoe rolled her head to the left and right slowly, trying to clear the fog from her mind. She found the alluring pull of sleep hard to resist. When she tried to move, she found herself unable to do more than shift her body, causing cool water to slosh against her neck. Her eyes shot open. What the fuck? This can’t be real. Zoe thought. The Reaper had a rag in one hand and was holding up a single finger over the mouth of the mask with the other, indicating for her to be silent. Tears fell from her eyes but as hard as she tried, she was unable to keep the soft whimpers of fear inside, terrified of what might happen to her if she defied him.
Although it wanted to go through the motions of showing Miss Williams the news clippings, in this case, time was not on its side. The Reaper bent over and with the turn of a knob, turned the propane fire pit onto its highest setting. The Reaper stood up, the sun and heat making it almost unbearable under the black cloak and mask.
Two minutes later, Zoe felt rivulets of sweat pouring down her face, the water was getting hot. Oh God! “What are you doing? Let me…” before she could finish the Reaper shoved the rag in her mouth. “I’m being boiled alive!” Panicked, she tried to shift her weight, first from side to side and then up and down but all she managed to do was spill an insubstantial amount of water over the side of the tub.
The Reaper stood still as it watched Miss Williams try to break free of her bindings. It was grateful the braces were able to hold the tub securely in place, regardless of her struggles. What little movement her wrangling managed to accomplish was in vain. Soon, and much to its relief, deep-throated but muffled screams began emanating from the woman. It took great pleasure watching as fat tears fell from the woman’s bulging eyes. A few minutes later, the water began to boil and Zoe began thrashing as her skin began to blister both above and below the water level. Watching and waiting for her to die took longer than it had expected, but when Zoe Williams finally stopped screaming and was no longer struggling to get free, the Reaper made the sign of the cross and looked to the sky. “Rot in hell bitch.”
Born in New England, Rae Scott spent her childhood hiking, fishing, and enjoying the outdoor life inherent to the area. This love of adventure led her to travel the world in a quest to discover new and exciting things, feeding her thirst for knowledge and creativity that she now draws on for her books. In between her travels, she can be found on her porch in Virginia with her family coming up with new ideas as to where their next adventure will take them.
