Read STATE OF ANGER: A Virgil Jones Mystery Series (Detective Virgil Jones Mystery Series Book 1) for Free Online

car. Virgil estimated a total of about fifty uniformed
officers on the scene from all three jurisdictions, City, County, and State.
Metro Homicide would be in charge of the scene, and Virgil’s team, while
technically over the Metro Homicide Task Force, would do what they did best:
work the fringes, the areas outside of normal investigative procedures.
    Virgil got to Sandy just as the
paramedics were finishing up. “How you doin?”
    “I’m okay. Jesus, what a mess,
huh?”
    “That about says it. So, you’ve
had a little while to think about it. Give me something I can use.”
    The paramedic interrupted. “If it
can wait, I’d like to get her downtown. Her blood pressure is off the charts. I
mean way up, and so is her pulse. You said you bumped your head, Miss?”
    Sandy shot the medic a look. “It’s
Detective. And yes, I bumped my head, but it’s no big deal. I’m fine.”
    “Nevertheless, we’ve got to have
you looked at. You may be concussed. The docs will know for sure.”
    Sandy turned away from the
paramedic. “Jonesy, can you do something about this?”
    “I sure can. See you at the
hospital.”
    “Jonesy.”
    “No way, Sandy. You’re going.
That’s a direct order.”
    “Okay, okay. But listen, before I
do, you said you wanted something you could use. I think we’ve got two
shooters, both with silenced weapons. The shots were muffled, like a quiet
backfire from a car engine. Not even that loud really. The loudest thing I
heard was the ratcheting cycle after the shots. If it wasn’t for that, I might
not have even thought they were shots at all, you know?”
    “Why two shooters?”
    “Well, it’s the sequence. I’ve
been going over it in my head. First I heard a pop, then another pop before I
heard the cycle action. Then there were two more pops closer together and two
fast ratcheting sounds. So that means one shot from something, a rifle maybe,
that doesn’t cycle. Something with a bolt action? I’ll tell you something else
too, the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that the first pop
sounded different—quieter—than the rest. So, two victims, two guns,
two shooters, right?”
    “Sounds right. But, you know, if
you heard it wrong, missed the first ratchet because you weren’t listening for
it…”
    “No, I wondered about that. But I
didn’t miss it. It was quiet this morning. I was quiet. And I was close.”
    “Okay. You can write it up later.
Right now you’re going in to get checked out.”
    She raised her eyebrow at him,
then let it go. “You think this is about the governor?”
    “Have you met Pearson yet?” Virgil
said.
    “The governor’s chief of staff?
Yeah, we met a few days ago. Hell of a guy.”
    “He is. Anyway, McConnell and
Pearson made it clear this had nothing to do with them, or at least they don’t
want it to look like it did.”
    “And you think different?”
    “I like to keep an open mind. The
governor asked about you, by the way.”
    “Yeah?” Sandy said.
    “Yeah. Twice. Say, I didn’t see
Mrs. McConnell up at the house. Where’s she?”
    Sandy let her eyelids drop a
quarter inch. “She’s been out of town for the last few days. Sister in Oregon,
I think. Something like that.”
    “I see.”
    “I don’t think you do, Jonesy.”
    Virgil bit the inside corner of
his lower lip, then said, “Get checked out, Small. You did good. Really.”
    Sandy just stared at him.
    __________
     
     
    Virgil looked around until he saw
Metro Homicide’s lead detective, Ron Miles, speaking with one of the crime
scene techs just outside the tent covering Dugan’s body. Ron’s white hair was
mussed out of place and he kept running his hand over it, trying to flatten it
to the top of his head. The knees on his pants were covered in dirt and grime.
    “Sorry about Burns, Jonesy.
Somebody told me he was your training officer?”
    “Yeah, he was.”
    “So, the state getting in on
this?”
    “Yeah, something like that,”
Virgil said. “McConnell