Retribution

by John Schembra

Overview

A former soldier who becomes a San Francisco police homicide investigator after the war, Vince Torelli is dedicated, intelligent and highly principled--all skills that serve him well given the difficult, almost impossible murder investigations he's assigned to handle that force him to the razor edge with equally resolute, extremely ruthless masterminds.

There's a vigilante killer loose in San Francisco, and when the justice system fails, he doles out his own brand of justice.

Homicide Inspector Vince Torelli has handled some of the city's worst murders, but this case has him baffled. It seems no matter what he does, the killer manages to stay one step ahead of him, anticipating his every move. The false clues and trail the killer leaves keeps Vince chasing shadows as the body count rises. Will he discover the killer's identity and will he survive long enough to bring him to justice?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798215324066
Publisher:	Writers Exchange E-Publishing
Publication date:	09/10/2022
Series:	A Vince Torelli Mystery , #1
Pages:	230
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.48(d)

About the Author

John was born Jan. 3, 1948 and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area

He retired Feb. 2001 from a small northern California police department as a Sergeant after almost 30 years service.

Prior to becoming a police officer, he was a Military Policeman assigned for a year to the 557th MP Co., Long Binh, Bien Hoa, South Vietnam, where he had several "adventures" that provided the basis for his first novel, MP.

He has earned a B.A in Administration of Justice and an M.A in Public Administration. He spent his retirement time writing as well as teaching other police officers emergency vehicle operation/pursuit driving through the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office and Police Academy. He also instructs officers in the driving simulators, is a train the trainer for emergency vehicle/pursuit/ simulator instructors, and has been recognized as a Subject Matter Expert by the State of California in emergency vehicle operations/pursuit driving.

He has had several trade articles published in law enforcement magazines such as Law and Order, Police Officer's Quarterly, and The Backup. He is also a member of the Police Writers Association, a very supportive writers' group for anyone affiliated with any type of law enforcement organization.

In his spare time (what little there is) John enjoys reading, fishing, and most of all, spending time with his family.

Read an Excerpt

Retribution n. To repay; punishment for evil done; requital

Chapter 1

He looked at his watch, noting it was 10:34 pm. He rolled the naked body out the back of the van, closed the rear doors, and drove slowly through the alley, stopping at the crosswalk before turning onto 5th Street. Looking to his left, he saw the two beat officers walking toward him at a leisurely pace. He smiled to himself as he thought of what awaited them if they took their usual route down the alley. He turned right on 5th Street, then right again on Folsom, driving at the speed limit, attracting no unwanted attention from the few other motorists.

He had no fear of being identified. He was just an ordinary looking guy driving an ordinary looking van. He had left no clues in the alley that could lead to him and no one had seen him. Besides, he had stopped perhaps thirty seconds, just long enough to dump the body, and the van he was driving would not be reported stolen from the Oakland airport long term parking lot for a couple of days.

He had spent the last several evenings watching the two cops walking their Mission District beat. He had mapped and timed their route, finding they were creatures of habit, stopping for dinner at the same time each night, always at one of the small restaurants along Mission Street. After resuming their foot patrol, they entered the alley between 10:30 and 10:36 p.m. each night. He saw there was little vehicle traffic during the week and few people on the street. He also knew there were no homeless people living in the alley and it was not a place the drug dealers chose to ply their trade. It was the perfect place to put the body so itcould be "found" quickly, exactly as he planned.

He drove to Pacific Heights and parked the van along the curb between two of the stately homes. He walked the half block to his Lexus, taking off the latex gloves as he walked and dropping them in a sewer near his parked car. He glanced up and down the street as he unlocked the door, seeing no one and no lights on in the nearby homes. He started the car and drove leisurely out of the area, unable to stop smiling. He felt good, strong, revitalized. He was filled with a sense of accomplishment, of relief that justice had been served. He could hardly wait to start planning the next event. He turned the radio up and drove slowly home through the damp San Francisco night, singing to the oldies.