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struggled with him. She did not go out of here without a fight, and he would’ve had to control both of them.
    The whole thing baffled her. Holly didn’t know how he got in or how he got out with the two of them, and he most likely still had the Barbie on him. He has to be one strong son of a bitch, because Shannon would have fought like hell.
    Holly then went into the bathroom located between the two bedrooms. It was also small, but done as nicely as the rest of the house with the old pattern styles of mixing black and turquoise tiles together from days gone by. Holly scanned the bathroom. Nothing appeared out of order. She opened the medicine cabinet and found a couple of prescriptions for Sara, including Albuterol for a ventilator. You were asthmatic. There were a couple of inhalers and even a prescription for Prednisone—a strong steroid. The child must have been a pretty bad asthmatic at that. Prednisone was not a drug that physicians gave out lightly . Had Sara had an asthma attack when the killer had them? Stress could bring it on. If she was frightened and gasping for air, and he didn’t have her medicine, had he panicked? Had that been what sent him over the edge? Holly didn’t know. It would mean more questions for the Medical Examiner.
    She jotted her questions into her notepad and then stepped into Shannon’s bedroom. Clean, as she expected, just like the rest of the house. The bed hadn’t been slept in. He hadn’t taken them from their beds. Did you know this bastard, Shannon?
    Holly breathed in deeply, stale air combined with the slight smell of rose from a diffuser on the wicker nightstand next to Shannon’s bed, a decidedly tropical style with a bamboo headboard and a floral print on the duvet. A romantic? There were candles everywhere, but so far no one on the team had determined whether or not there was a lover in her life. If there had been, she’d kept it low key. Sara was definitely her mother’s first priority, and if there was a man in Shannon’s life, she more than likely kept him clear of her child, unless they were serious.
    In one corner stood the secretary that Chad had mentioned. Holly sat at the wicker-backed chair and folded down the front panel, revealing compartments and drawers. She pulled open the first drawer. Stacks of bills and presumably important papers lay before her. She picked up one of the stacks, a ribbon securing it, and began rifling through it. Mainly basic bills—utilities, phone, cable, plus a gym membership. Have to check that one out. Another stack. She snapped the rubber band and flipped through. These were all medical bills, primarily for Sara—asthma, allergy specialists, pediatrician, a gastro doc, and an endocrinologist. Most of the docs were located up at Children’s Hospital. Sara must have been a sickly child. This troubled Holly even further. So, do you intentionally prey upon the weak? She knew she’d have to look further into Sara’s medical conditions. It probably wasn’t really important, but there could be something there.
    One more stack. It contained information on school activities and programs that Sara was involved in, including an acting class, and piano lessons. There was also a sheet of paper discretely stuck inside a blank envelope. Holly pulled it out, and as she read it, her heart raced a bit faster. Fetish and Fun? What do we have here? Mom wasn’t only a romantic, but she was also apparently into the rough stuff. Holly looked over the receipt for black leather wrist studs, a blindfold, whip, and the super-deluxe large man dildo.
    “Find anything?”
    Holly jumped and nearly fell off the chair. “Jesus, you startled me,” she said, turning to see Chad.
    “Sorry.”
    She handed him the receipt and looked back into the envelope to retrieve a second piece of paper. Chad let out a low, long whistle. “Mommy liked a little S&M, huh?”
    “Yeah, and she wasn’t necessarily playing with people she knew. Look at this.”
    The second