Read Online Blood Stains by Sharon Sala - Free Book Online

moment of discovery. Her voice started to shake as she spoke.
    “Yes, I picked it up and read it after I found them like…like that. Then I laid it back down and called the police.”
    “How long had it been since you’d heard from your parents?”
    “I talked to Dad last night. I always call and check on them before I go to bed. They are…were…both in their late eighties.”
    “Did he seem despondent?”
    She nodded. “Yes, but it was nothing new. Mother has…had Alzheimer’s. Up until last Sunday he’d been coping.”
    Shit. Alzheimer’s. The same ugly disease Grandma Scott had died from. The scene was beginning to add up.
    “What happened last Sunday?”

    “That morning, when Mother woke up, Dad said she didn’t know him. She got scared and started crying, telling him to get out of her house. It nearly killed him. He called me, sobbing, saying that she was afraid of him and asking what did I think he should do. Of course I came right over. By the time I got here, Mother had calmed down. I suggested the possibility of putting her into a nursing home.”
    “I take it he refused,” Bodie said.
    Terri nodded. “He got very angry with me for even suggesting it. I stayed for a while longer, and as time passed, they slid back into their little routine. I thought that the crisis had passed. Obviously I was wrong.”
    Her face crumpled as a fresh set of tears began to fall.
    Bodie sighed. The whole thing was a tragedy.
    “Is there someone you can call? A family member…a friend?”
    Terri ran a shaky hand through her tousled hair. “My husband is in Iraq. Our son is away at college. I called our priest. He’ll be here shortly.”
    No sooner had she said the words than the doorbell rang.
    “That’s probably him,” Terri said. “Do you need me anymore?”
    Bodie nodded. “No, ma’am.” Then he handed her his card. “If there’s anything I can do, feel free to call.”
    She slipped the card into her pocket and walked out of the room with Bodie right behind her.

    He caught a glimpse of a man in dark clothing with the expected flash of a white clerical collar. There was a cluster of mumbled words, followed by a fresh set of harsh, agonizing sobs as the priest took Terri Ray into his arms.
    Bodie paused on the way out the door.
    “Excuse me, Father. I’m Detective Scott. She has my card,” he said, then felt obliged to add, “and my sympathies.”
    The priest nodded. “I’m Mrs. Ray’s priest from St. Mary’s. I’m going to take her home.”
    Even though the incident appeared to be an open-and-shut case, protocol demanded the investigation proceed until the evidence proved cause of death, which was now in the hands of the crime lab. By the time Bodie and Dave headed back to the department, it was already evening.
    “That was a tough one,” Dave muttered, as Bodie braked for a red light.
    Bodie nodded.
    “Would you do that?” Dave asked.
    “Do what?” Bodie asked.
    “What that man did…to himself and his wife.”
    Bodie frowned. “My gut reaction would be no, but as my Dad used to say, ‘Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes,’ so I guess my answer should be…I don’t know.”
    “Yeah. Me, neither,” Dave said.

    The light turned green. Bodie accelerated, and they moved through the intersection. By the time they got back to the precinct, it was nearing 6:00 p.m. Bodie checked his messages and found one from Shorty Carroll, a retired detective from the vice squad. He’d called Shorty earlier about the cold case, but the man hadn’t been home, so he’d left a message for him to call. Now they were playing phone tag. Bodie hoped Shorty would still be there when he called back. If anyone knew about hookers and pimps from twenty years ago, it would be Shorty.
    Bodie took a seat and quickly returned the call.
    The call was answered on the third ring.
    “Hello.”
    Bodie leaned back in his chair. “Hey, Shorty. This is Bodie Scott from Homicide. We met back at