Read Even the Wind: A Jonas Brant Thriller for Free Online Page A

roughly. You must have seen the maggots.’’
      ``We did,’’ Brant said, his gag reflex kicking into gear at the memory.
      ``What about location? There was an absence of blood.’’
      ``That’s a good indication that she was killed elsewhere and the body moved. The maggots were indicative of an urban environment. Forensics also found some metal shavings. Maybe a factory floor? But the location where the body was found was highly contaminated. I wouldn’t draw too many conclusions from that.’’
      ``Can we narrow the location?’’
      ``We can try,’’ Heinz said. ``Forensics also found mouse dander and hair on the skin.’’
      ``Dander?’’ Brant asked.
      ``Shit. Mouse shit.’’  
      Brant frowned in thought as he and Clatterback rose to leave.
      Heinz continued: ``I’m not sure if this is relevant to your investigation, but you do know that she had had a child?’’
      ``Ah, no, that’s a new one on me.’’ Brant resumed his seat.  
      Heinz nodded his head. ``We checked to see if she’d been raped or had engaged recently in sexual activity. No body fluids down there that weren’t supposed to be there and no recent tears. No pubic hair that wasn’t her own and no fibers. She wasn’t raped.’’
      ``But she’d had a child?’’
      Heinz nodded again. ``Scarring from an episiotomy. I’d say by the looks of the trauma that it wasn’t…err…an easy birth. Not by a long shot. Probably quite traumatic. And there were some other signs that pretty clearly indicated she’d had a child. I don’t know if it matters but there you are.’’
      Brant considered Heinz’s findings.  
      ``Any chance you can tell me when she gave birth?’’
      Heinz shrugged. ``The scarring was mostly healed but not completely. As I said, it was quite traumatic. It’s possible she’d had the baby within the past year. I’m afraid I can’t be more precise.’’
      Brant nodded, filing the information for possible use in the future. As the medical examiner had said, perhaps the fact she’d given birth wasn’t relevant to the case. Then again, maybe it was.  
     

    ``So what’s the next step?’’ Clatterback asked when they were seated in Brant’s three-year-old Hyundai Elantra.
      The day was bright. Cooler than before and slightly less humid. The sky was blue and fresh, washing the buildings around them with light.
      ``What did you get out of that?’’
      Clatterback shrugged. ``Just what he said. Was there something I was supposed to get?’’
      The younger detective made air quotes with his fingers, emphasizing the last word.  
      ``You really are a newbie, aren’t you?’’
      Clatterback folded his arms defensively, his droopy smile replaced by a sheepish frown.
    ``Get to know the good doctor. He may seem like a prick, but he’ll be your best friend.’’
      ``I’ll keep that in mind.’’
      Brant indicated and pulled the Hyundai out of its parking space and into the flow of traffic on Albany Street.
      ``I’m talking about the angle of the bullet and the type of bullet,’’ Brant said finally. ``The killer knew that woman.’’
      Clatterback shrugged. ``I guess you’d know better than me. I’m just along for the ride.’’
      ``No, I’ve decided you’re going to pay your way. Now tell me something about shoes.’’

    ``A handful of boutiques sell Jimmy Choos in Boston. You were right,’’ Clatterback said.
      ``Don’t forget it,’’ Brant snorted.  
      To make the search easier, they decided to focus on the downtown and a narrowly defined zone in close proximity to where the body had been found.  
      The thinking was simple. First, they’d spend time checking the obvious places, the high-end shopping streets and more exclusive shops in a narrowly defined area near Back Bay and in spitting distance of Copley Place. If that failed, they’d widen the net.
    The first two stores were time squandered. In each case, the shopkeepers were