Murder with a Twist

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Book: Read Murder with a Twist for Free Online
Authors: Allyson K Abbott
arrived and, with the help of Duncan, Jimmy, and two police officers who were there, the body of Dan Thornton was taken down and laid out atop a white sheet on a stretcher that had been wheeled into the room. While this was going on, I spent my time surveying the rest of the apartment, sorting through all the sensations I was getting.
    â€œThe chair is wrong,” I said to no one in particular. The others in the room ignored me, but Duncan heard what I said and walked over to me.
    â€œHow so?” he asked.
    â€œI don’t think the chair was ever upright anywhere near Mr. Thornton’s body. Someone carried it over there and laid it down on its side to make it look like Thornton stood on it and then kicked it over. This carpet is new. If Thornton had ever stood on the chair, there should be deep imprints in the carpet from its legs. I can sense other irregularities in the pile but I don’t feel any from the chair legs anywhere beneath where the body was.”
    â€œInteresting,” Duncan said, staring at the carpet with a curious expression.
    â€œI don’t think he hanged himself.”
    â€œBecause of the smell on the laptop and the note?”
    â€œAnd the chair thing.”
    â€œWhat else are you picking up?”
    I kept hearing the sound of high-pitched flute music, louder in some areas than others. It was something I’d experienced before but once again I didn’t know what was triggering it. Like the annoying tag sensation, I kept this one to myself for now, and instead shared the things I could interpret.
    â€œWell, when I look at the carpet I also feel pressure spots along my arms. Most of them feel the same, but in some areas, the pressure is lighter or heavier. I’m not sure what it means, but I think it might be footprints I’m picking up on. For instance, over there by the end of the couch you can see a depression left by someone’s foot. I think that’s the victim’s footprint, because the pressure I feel when I look at the majority of the rest of the room is the same. But over by the dining table, and here by the stairs, I feel lighter and heavier pressures when I look at the carpet. It’s as if other people were walking in here—someone with a bigger, heavier footprint and someone with a lighter one.”
    Duncan cast a smug look toward Jimmy before telling me, “The person who called nine-one-one was the victim’s girlfriend, and she found him pretty much the way you see him now. She told us she didn’t go near him, and that the only places she went in the apartment once she let herself inside were the bathroom and the kitchen. Apparently the sight of her boyfriend hanging there made her ill and she ran into the bathroom because she thought she might vomit. She didn’t, and she then went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Then she went out into the hallway and used her cell phone to call nine-one-one.”
    â€œThat probably explains the sound I picked up on in those areas,” I said, “though I can’t tell if the smell that caused it was something on her body like a perfume, lotion, or shampoo, or if it was her laundry detergent.”
    I looked away from the carpet and toward Duncan to assess his reaction. He cocked his head to one side and smiled at me.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI knew your little talent would come in handy.”
    â€œI’m not sure how handy it is telling you stuff you already know,” I said.
    â€œWe knew about the girlfriend being in here, but not anyone else.”
    â€œThose other footprints could well be yours, or Jimmy’s, or the other cops who’ve been here.”
    Duncan nodded and gave me a grudging look. “You may be right, but it’s still useful information. You have to understand, it’s rarely just one thing that helps us solve these cases. More often it’s a combination of things. We have to take bits of evidence and lay

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