flu or too busy to return any calls. What they found on a normal, hot July afternoon four months ago when they entered the house on Monterat Street was frightening and horrific. Four months later, there are still questions and no arrests have been made. Details of the case are being withheld due to the ongoing investigation and Riverview P.D. requests that anyone with information to call their hotline."
Jason was already on the phone at the other end of the table. "Hey, Chief, got a minute to stop by the debriefing room before you head out?" I saw the excitement in his eyes. "Harper Case." His words buzzed around my head like an angry wasp looking for the perfect spot to sting. "Thanks." He dropped the phone back in its cradle and stood there with his hands on his hips, staring at me.
"What?" I looked down to make sure that I didn't have something crawling on me.
"Are we thinking the same thing?"
"Yes." I felt the corners of my mouth flip to the north. "Cooling off period, left town or locked up on other charges." My heart raced. "They evolve. They get more creative. We need to find her file, and I bet Stella slipped that article in with the other papers. She knows everything about this crazy place."
"He's prowling the historical district." He looked at me and shook his head. "He's watching, studying every move we make. To do that, he would have to fit in and not be noticed. No one has seen anything out of the ordinary. He’s right under our nose."
"You should have been a cop." I laughed at him.
"Smart-ass." He turned on his heels and headed for the landline again.
"You always set yourself up," I said.
Jason dialed the reception area. I could hear Stella's high-pitched voice echoing through the line. "Did you plant the Harper article?" His head went up and down with wild eyes. "Was it ever solved?" I heard the no travel through, plain as day. "I'm putting you on speaker."
A loud "dammit" filled the room. "You know I hate that."
"Why didn't you give it to us after the Mason murder?" Jason asked while he moved around the room.
"Because I didn't think there was a connection until I looked at those empty pages you guys are collecting, and now you have Miss Edwards to figure out. Is that door closed?" She lowered her voice.
"I wouldn't have you on speaker if it wasn't." Jason aimed his pen at the phone and hit it on the first try.
"Damn straight." Her voice rattled around the room.
"Same M.O.?" He turned on his heels and looked at me.
"Pretty damn close, if you ask me." I bit my bottom lip.
"Where did you get it?" He was back standing over the phone.
"In the storage room with rest of the cases that no one around here has managed to solve." I heard papers being shuffled around. "Ask the chief about it. She was part of their group. They all hung out together." I heard her clicking on her keyboard. "Including the Randalls. His first wife—can’t remember her name, but the smartest thing she ever did was divorce that heathen and get the hell out of here." She popped her gum.
"Can you bring us the file?" He pressed the button and took her off the speaker and paused at whatever she said. "Good idea." He put his hand over the phone and whispered something back to her before he hung up the phone.
"What the hell was that?” I said. "Neither one of you can be trusted."
"Nothing." He started to walk toward me.
Chapter 8
S tella was right. Chief Hayes was going to have a heart attack before lunch, and so was I. I was trying to remember where the A.E.D. was hanging, wondering if I had enough wits about me to pay attention to the little electronic voice inside the box. Where do I place the damn pads? Complete automated directions and it still made me nervous.
The chief walked in and looked at us both with a raised eyebrow. "Better be good."
" Daily News article." Jason waved him over. "I'll let you read it."
I picked it up and held it in front of his tired eyes. He grabbed it out of my hand and I watched his lips
Jason was already on the phone at the other end of the table. "Hey, Chief, got a minute to stop by the debriefing room before you head out?" I saw the excitement in his eyes. "Harper Case." His words buzzed around my head like an angry wasp looking for the perfect spot to sting. "Thanks." He dropped the phone back in its cradle and stood there with his hands on his hips, staring at me.
"What?" I looked down to make sure that I didn't have something crawling on me.
"Are we thinking the same thing?"
"Yes." I felt the corners of my mouth flip to the north. "Cooling off period, left town or locked up on other charges." My heart raced. "They evolve. They get more creative. We need to find her file, and I bet Stella slipped that article in with the other papers. She knows everything about this crazy place."
"He's prowling the historical district." He looked at me and shook his head. "He's watching, studying every move we make. To do that, he would have to fit in and not be noticed. No one has seen anything out of the ordinary. He’s right under our nose."
"You should have been a cop." I laughed at him.
"Smart-ass." He turned on his heels and headed for the landline again.
"You always set yourself up," I said.
Jason dialed the reception area. I could hear Stella's high-pitched voice echoing through the line. "Did you plant the Harper article?" His head went up and down with wild eyes. "Was it ever solved?" I heard the no travel through, plain as day. "I'm putting you on speaker."
A loud "dammit" filled the room. "You know I hate that."
"Why didn't you give it to us after the Mason murder?" Jason asked while he moved around the room.
"Because I didn't think there was a connection until I looked at those empty pages you guys are collecting, and now you have Miss Edwards to figure out. Is that door closed?" She lowered her voice.
"I wouldn't have you on speaker if it wasn't." Jason aimed his pen at the phone and hit it on the first try.
"Damn straight." Her voice rattled around the room.
"Same M.O.?" He turned on his heels and looked at me.
"Pretty damn close, if you ask me." I bit my bottom lip.
"Where did you get it?" He was back standing over the phone.
"In the storage room with rest of the cases that no one around here has managed to solve." I heard papers being shuffled around. "Ask the chief about it. She was part of their group. They all hung out together." I heard her clicking on her keyboard. "Including the Randalls. His first wife—can’t remember her name, but the smartest thing she ever did was divorce that heathen and get the hell out of here." She popped her gum.
"Can you bring us the file?" He pressed the button and took her off the speaker and paused at whatever she said. "Good idea." He put his hand over the phone and whispered something back to her before he hung up the phone.
"What the hell was that?” I said. "Neither one of you can be trusted."
"Nothing." He started to walk toward me.
Chapter 8
S tella was right. Chief Hayes was going to have a heart attack before lunch, and so was I. I was trying to remember where the A.E.D. was hanging, wondering if I had enough wits about me to pay attention to the little electronic voice inside the box. Where do I place the damn pads? Complete automated directions and it still made me nervous.
The chief walked in and looked at us both with a raised eyebrow. "Better be good."
" Daily News article." Jason waved him over. "I'll let you read it."
I picked it up and held it in front of his tired eyes. He grabbed it out of my hand and I watched his lips
Similar Books
Beauty's Beast
Tara Brown
Violet Eden Chapters 04 - Endless
authors_sort
Slumdog Millionaire: A Novel
Vikas Swarup
Outcast
Alex Douglas
A Distant Shore
Kate Hewitt
My One and Only: Book 1 in the Love and Weddings Trilogy
Shannon Guymon
Keeping Promise Rock
Amy Lane
The Song Reader
Lisa Tucker
King Cole
W.R. Burnett
Stand Alone
P.D. Workman