Title: Find My Daughter: Detective Scott Series Book 13
Author: Jennifer Chase
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: February 17, 2025
Pages: 384
Genre: Crime Thriller
Format: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook
BOOK BLURB:
She hears footsteps approaching, then the clunk of a heavy lock. Her body is numb in the cold but she stands, determined to fight. A blinding light overpowers her, and the world goes black…
When Detective Katie Scott finds a woman dying in the car garage, blood pooling around her, she reaches her just in time to hear her utter the words: find my daughter.
Katie doesn’t waste a second gathering her team and pulling the case file for the missing child, Anna Braxton, a teen with sparkling blue-eyes and an even brighter future. Staring at the blank investigation board, Katie won’t rest until she fulfills Anna’s mother’s dying wish.
Searching the Braxton’s impeccable family home, Katie finds Anna’s journal, filled with teenage secrets. Buried among the pages, she thinks she finds a lead—a strange man reached out to Anna, just days before she went missing…
But the case takes a terrifying turn when Anna’s best friend also vanishes. Hours later, a girl’s body is found in the embers of a house fire, her yellow satin dress devastatingly beautiful amongst the ashes. Is it Anna, her best friend, or another girl?
One thing is certain: a monster has the closeknit community of Pine Valley in a chokehold, and Katie must get one step ahead of the killer before any more precious young lives are taken. But at what cost?
Find My Daughter is available at Amazon.
First Chapter:
Wednesday 1045 hours
The large conference hall had standing room only. The California Law Enforcement Conference (CLEC) in Sacramento was at full capacity, with guest speakers from all areas of the law enforcement community along with information booths, recruitment, and representatives from various police departments. The overcast, showery day didn’t dampen the annual event.
Detective Katie Scott from the Pine Valley Sheriff’s Department was finishing up her talk on the importance of criminal profiling and how effective it was for her cold-case unit. Dressed in a navy pantsuit and a white blouse, Katie crossed the stage while giving the audience her bullet-point summary, photographs on the large screen behind her.
“Criminal profiling isn’t about guesswork, wasting detectives’ time on theories. It’s about identifying the perpetrator by building a solid, evidence-based background for them, which is created from crime scene behavioral evidence, victimology, forensics, and the autopsy report. This is what’s going to assist detectives to move forward in specific directions. It will also help with time management, which is especially useful with staffing stretched thin these days. Profiling can help the investigator keep on the right path and move ahead accordingly.”
Several photos scrolled across the screen behind Katie as she concluded her presentation. She glanced at the clock on the wall.
“Are there any questions?” she said, gazing out at the attentive audience.
Several people raised their hands.
“Yes,” she said, indicating a man in the second row.
“I’m Sergeant Kevin Randall, LAPD. Based on your hundred-percent solve rate for cold cases, what do you believe is the most important component to a successful investigation along with profiling?”
“Sergeant, it’s multifaceted, and I can only speak from my own experience. I believe it requires exceptional teamwork, not only from me and my partner, but with forensics as well. And then it depends on the evidence available. If there’s not much evidence, that’s when it’s crucial to put together a profile, or at least a basic threshold assessment as the blueprint for the case.”
Katie glanced toward the back of the room where a tall man stood—her partner, Detective Sean McGaven. He smiled broadly as he watched the presentation.
“Thank you,” said the LAPD sergeant.
Katie saw a woman enter, impeccably dressed in a tan suit. She had dark shoulder-length hair and carried herself with purpose. Something about the woman gave Katie pause. She was definitely agitated; her body rigid and her hands fisted. She was angry.
Another audience member stood up and said, “Detective Carey Dayton, SPD. Detective, what if there’s very little or no evidence at the crime scene? For example, if the body was washed clean and there’s no other evidence.”
Katie loved this question. So many people didn’t see the obvious clue. “If there isn’t any of the usual evidence, as you stated, then that’s actually a big piece of evidence.” She walked across the stage and brought up a photo on the big screen of a minimal crime scene. “A crime scene lacking in physical evidence is a key piece of evidence and says quite a bit about the perpetrator. It says that this particular crime was planned, organized, and the killer thought of everything. Well, almost everything. You see, most crime scenes are generally sloppy, but this type of perp shows skills and that can tell you a lot. But, in my experience, no criminal is perfect and mistakes will be made. What mistakes are made will help you profile the killer.”
Katie answered a few more questions before the talk ended.
The audience filed out, with the exception of a few law enforcement personnel who shook Katie’s hand and expressed that the seminar was helpful.
McGaven made his way to Katie, joined by a dark-haired man with intense eyes, forensic supervisor John Blackburn.
“Hey, partner,” said McGaven. “I think you missed your calling as a teacher.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Great stuff,” said John.
“Thanks. Hey, I don’t know what your schedules are, but I’m starving. Lunch?” she said.
“Yeah, sounds great,” said McGaven.
“I’ll take a raincheck,” said John. “I’m heading to one of the forensics seminars about cutting-edge procedures.”
“Okay, see you later,” she said, and he headed out.
The woman who Katie had seen enter the room at the end of her talk passed John. He too seemed to notice that the woman appeared agitated and angry. He waited at the door, watching.
“Excuse me, Detective Scott?” the unknown woman called.
“Yes?”
The woman walked up uncomfortably close to Katie. “You should be working on cases and not giving these feel-good seminars to law enforcement who don’t have anything better to do than to attend this conference. People need your help…”
“Ma’am, please take a step back,” said McGaven as he moved closer.
Katie wasn’t sure whether the woman’s behavior was going escalate, but she watched her wringing her hands and couldn’t help but notice a deep sadness in her eyes. It appeared she had been crying as her face was slightly puffy and her eyes red.
Katie put her hand on McGaven’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Gav.” Turning to the woman, she gently said, “What are you referring to, ma’am?”
“What am I referring to? I want justice. I want you to do your jobs.”
“Please sit down. Tell us your name and what you’re referring to,” said Katie.
“You’re a detective with Pine Valley Sheriff’s Department, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then why can’t you tell me why you haven’t found Anna Braxton? My daughter! Why?!” The woman lunged and then retreated. “I don’t know why I’m wasting my time!” Her frustration exploded as she paced—every muscle in her body tense.
“Please…” Katie tried to calm the woman, but it was clear her emotions were boiling over and her anxiety was pushing her to retreat.
Two security guards entered the conference room accompanied by John.
“Ma’am, we’re going to have to ask you to leave,” said one of the guards.
“It’s okay,” said Katie holding up her hand. She truly wanted to help the woman. “Mrs. Braxton?”
“No, it’s not okay!” the woman said as she began pacing.
The security guards took that as their cue and approached the woman again. Katie and McGaven watched them escort the woman out.
“Wow,” said McGaven.
“We need to check on that case,” Katie said. She walked up to the podium and grabbed several files and her laptop.
“I’ll see what I can find out,” said McGaven.
“Okay, I’ll meet you at the restaurant. I have to put this stuff away and I have some outlines in my car.”
“See you in a bit,” said McGaven as he left the conference room.
As Katie hurried toward the parking garage, she couldn’t help but think about Mrs. Braxton’s appearance. The look in the woman’s eyes was so powerful and it was obvious she was at breaking point. How could she blame her if her daughter was missing?
Katie stepped into the elevator. As she pushed the parking lot button, she kept hearing the woman repeat in her head, Then why can’t you tell me why you haven’t found Anna Braxton? My daughter! Why?!
The elevator doors opened. Katie stepped out and headed into the covered garage. It was full of cars but unusually quiet. The only sound was Katie’s heels echoing as she walked quickly to her car. The name Anna Braxton resonated in her head as she tried to remember if she had heard it before.
Katie suddenly heard muffled voices, a scuffle, and what sounded like anguished pleas for help.
“Hello?” she called. Her voice resounded eerily around the garage, bouncing off the cement walls. She quickly looked in every direction to make sure that she wasn’t walking into an ambush.
More voices. One female voice kept saying: “Help… please help…”
Katie dropped her files and laptop near a black SUV and ran toward the voice. She hated not having her weapon but rushed toward the disturbance anyway. As she ran around a tight turn, she saw a woman lying on the ground in a vacant parking spot. She was still, her hands outstretched. Even from a distance, Katie could see spatters of blood along the ground and around the body. The woman was wearing a tan suit.
Katie took a quick survey of the area and didn’t see anyone and she didn’t want to leave the victim. Within seconds, she was at the woman’s side, having recognized her immediately.
“Mrs. Braxton? Stay still,” she said as she retrieved her cell phone and dialed 911, reporting the incident and stating that she was a police officer.
Katie noticed the blood patterns across the woman’s abdomen. It appeared there were several knife wounds. The front of Mrs. Braxton’s blouse was soaked in blood and her breathing was rattled and short. “No, please… please find her. Find my daughter.”
“Don’t try to speak. Try to relax and breathe.” Katie shed her suit jacket and used it as a makeshift bandage, pressing it firmly against the woman’s abdomen to try to slow the bleeding. “Help is coming.” She kept a watchful eye for anyone who might be loitering or coming back to the scene. She felt vulnerable; the attacker could be hiding. She kept vigilant even while her heart was breaking.
“Please…” The woman grabbed Katie’s arm. “Please…” Her grip was strong, her eyes expressing her desperation. “You have to find her…”
“Did you see who did this to you?”
She shook her head. “No… never saw… him before…” Her voice was weakening. “He’s still out there.”
“Is there anything you can remember?”
“No, but Anna… she’s all I have…” Her breathing became unstable as her strength wavered.
“Hang on. Help will be here,” Katie said. She could hear sirens in the distance.
The woman slowly pulled Katie closer. Katie realized she wanted to tell her something, so she leaned in close.
“Find the million-dollar man… you’ll find my Anna…”
At first Katie didn’t think she’d heard the woman correctly. But when she looked at her the woman’s stare was powerful as she slightly nodded, as if to confirm what she had said. Katie decided then she would find her daughter, no matter what.
“Who is the million-dollar man?” Katie asked.
“He’s who’s behind this… there will be more… please find Anna before it’s too late…” She could barely speak as her breathing became shallow.
Katie kept the pressure on the wounds until the ambulance and fire truck arrived and took over, stabilizing the woman before putting her into the ambulance. She felt helpless with the fact there was nothing more she could do and no leads on who had attacked Mrs. Braxton, as she stood in the parking garage covered in the woman’s blood, watching the ambulance speed away.
About the Author:
Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today Best Selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.
Website & Social Media:
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