Read Online Cracked to Death by Cheryl Hollon - Free Book Online Page A

instantly stopped, and then the door was immediately opened.
    â€œGood morning.” Parker showed his badge. “I’m Detective David Parker, a homicide detective from the St. Petersburg Police Department. My colleague Officer Boulli gave me your information. Are you Paul and Julie Wedlake?”
    â€œYes. Please come in.” Julie said.
    The young couple led him through the sparse but beautifully furnished house to the huge screened-in lanai, dominated by a sparkling pool with an unobstructed view of the water. The carefully placed landscaping gave the illusion of privacy. Julie waved her hand at a large sectional, with a low table the full length of the sofa, facing the water. On a short outdoor kitchen counter to the side were an electric kettle, a small sink, and a selection of clear canisters filled with loose tea and ground coffee.
    â€œMake yourself comfortable. What would you like to drink? I have regular and decaffeinated coffee, but I also have green tea and herbal tea,” Julie said.
    â€œBlack coffee please. Regular would be great.”
    Julie nodded, deftly filled a French press with ground coffee, poured hot water into it, and brought it, along with an empty cup, over to the low table and placed them in front of Detective Parker.
    â€œThanks.”
    She grabbed her green tea from the table and sat with her hands folded around the ceramic mug. “This is an upsetting situation. I crave my comforting routines. You must be used to it.”
    In a low voice he said, “I hope I never get used to a violent end to life, Mrs. Wedlake. Never.” He pulled out a notebook and pen from his inner suit pocket. “Now, as clearly as possible, can you describe how you came to discover the diver?”
    * * *
    Back in his office, Detective Parker opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a new manila folder. With a perfectly sharpened pencil, he wrote “John Doe–Bottle” on the tab. Although most modern-day investigative information was stored on the St. Petersburg Police Department’s secure server, there were still bits of paper that needed wrangling with even after they were scanned.
    Sandra Grey leaned into his office, waving a few sheets of paper. “Would you like to see my preliminary autopsy report?” Without waiting, she plopped the report in the center of his desk and sat down in the nearest of the two guest chairs. “It’s not complete, of course, but there’s enough for you to start.”
    â€œThat was fast.” He scanned through the pages with a practiced eye, then looked up from the report. “He didn’t drown?”
    â€œNope. I thought you might find it interesting.”
    â€œHow? It wasn’t obvious at the beach.”
    â€œWell, we were hampered by the wet suit. It covered a massive trauma to the spine. He died in a matter of seconds.”
    â€œAny indication of what type of weapon was used?”
    â€œSorry.” She shook her head. “I’ve noted the ubiquitous blunt instrument, but it was the same shape as the injuries we saw on his face.”
    Detective Parker sat staring at the last sheet of the preliminary report.
    Sandra sat forward and waved a hand slowly in front of Detective Parker’s face. “Earth to Parker. Where are you?”
    â€œI’m trying to visualize where he might have been in order to be attacked. He was wearing a complete wet suit.”
    She tilted her head. “It would be uncomfortable in this heat, but it offers excellent protection. A friend of mine is a frequent cave diver in the natural springs up around Ocala, Florida. She says she wouldn’t even think about not having a full suit.”
    â€œSo you’re thinking that he considered this dive to be dangerous?”
    She paused. “It was.”

Chapter 7
    Tuesday Morning
    Â 
    Savannah turned her car’s radio dial to the local news station on her way to Webb’s Glass Shop. She