Read Murder in Vein (2010) for Free Online

of the kitchen area was a dining alcove. Madison had used this
instead for her sleeping area by cramming a twin bed, nightstand, and lamp into the space. At the foot of the bed, a squat
four-drawer dresser faced out, lending some sense of separation
between the bed and the rest of the room. The bed was neatly
made. A short hallway between the bed and kitchen led to a tiny
bathroom on one side and a full closet with sliding doors on
the other. The main part of the room held an old loveseat and
assemble-it-yourself end tables with more cheap lamps. Across from the loveseat was a long folding table with a rolling desk
chair and a tall bookcase stuffed with books. On the table was
a laptop, a printer, and more books. The computer equipment,
although not the best quality, was clearly the most valuable item
in the room.

    "Sad, maybe, Doug," Dodie agreed, "but not hopeless." She
pointed toward the dresser that had been painted to match the
sofa and the end tables. A colorful cotton dhurrie covered much
of the old, worn carpet. The walls were adorned with posters of
classic paintings, including those of Manet, Monet, and Georgia
O'Keeffe.
    "Madison may not have much," Dodie said to Doug, "but
she's made a real effort to make this into a home."
    "And she's neat as a pin," Doug observed. "Everything is spick
and span." He pointed at the makeshift desk. "She also seems
intent on bettering herself. Also a good sign."
    "Although," Dodie continued, "I'm rather disturbed by the
lack of personal items such as photographs and keepsakes. Most
young women would have snapshots of friends and family stuck
here and there, wouldn't they?"
    "You'd think."
    "Did Mike say anything to you about Madison's family?"
    Doug shook his head. Even though they'd not turned on any
lights, the two of them could see quite clearly in the dark, their
natural habitat. "Just that she came from Idaho and had been in
some trouble before she left. Nothing too serious, mostly petty
theft, I believe. He didn't elaborate."
    "I checked her cell phone last night," Dodie told him. "It's a
disposable. There were no recent incoming calls except one. I called it back, and it was an auto repair place. And Madison had
made only a couple of outgoing calls. One to the auto place and
the other to the diner where she works." Dodie pointed at the
table. "Make sure you get the computer and her schoolbooks. I'm
going to pull a few more things from the closet."

    Doug went to the table and started packing up the items on
Madison's desk. "Let's step on it, Dodie. Samuel said he'd meet us
back at our place in about an hour."
    When they reached their home, Doug and Dodie found a
large black Mercedes sedan parked in front of their door. Standing nearby was Gordon, Samuel's bodyguard and driver. They
nodded to the serious man with the thick neck and crew cut and
made their way inside, leaving the items from Madison's apartment in their car.
    Samuel wasn't waiting in the living room as they expected,
but two young women were. Slim, leggy, and gorgeous, the
women, one black, the other Asian, lounged on the Dedhams'
sofa dressed in expensive evening clothes. They looked bored.
Both were beaters. The black woman was new to them, but the
Asian woman they'd met before. Her name was Kai.
    "Kai, where's Samuel?" Doug asked.
    Kai swung her head in the direction of the stairs, her long,
glossy black hair swaying like a dark curtain moved by a sudden
breeze.
    Doug flew up the staircase, Dodie fast on his heels.
    Samuel La Croix was seated in a desk chair that he'd pulled
close to the bed. He was leaning back, one tuxedo-clad pant leg
crossed over the other, casually watching Madison sleep.
    "She looks like an angel, doesn't she?" Samuel addressed
the Dedhams without taking his eyes, which were shielded by sunglasses even in the dark room, off of the sleeping young
woman. "Once those bruises and cuts are gone, she'll clean up
nicely."

    Dodie stepped