Read Online Deadly Echoes by Nancy Mehl - Free Book Online Page A

open in surprise. “You researched me? I don’t understand.”
    â€œIt’s routine. When there’s a murder, we check into all the close family members. Unfortunately, you and your niece are the only relatives we could find except for your sister’s adoptive mother, who’s in a nursing home. I understand she’s in the last stages of Alzheimer’s.”
    â€œAnd I’m happy to help you in any way I can. But I need you to understand why I don’t believe this was a burglary.” A battle raged in my mind. The warning from Hannah’s letter versus Paul’s admonition about bringing criminals to justice. But as I searched my heart, I realized I only had one clear choice.
    His dark eyebrows knit together in a deep frown. “All right. Explain it to me.”
    I took a deep breath, aware I was getting ready to go down a road I wouldn’t be able to come back from. “My parents were murdered in exactly the same way. Stabbed. It was staged to look like a burglary.”
    Sykes cleared his throat. “You were very young when this happened, weren’t you?”
    â€œI was six. But what does that have to do—”
    â€œSix years old? Yet you know the murders were staged? And how would you know that?”
    Anger coursed through me. “Because my sister was convinced of it.”
    â€œBut what kind of proof did she have? Did she bring herconcerns to us?” He flipped through the papers in the file. “I don’t have any record of that.”
    â€œI . . . I don’t know. But shouldn’t you at least look into it? I mean if there’s any possibility these murders are linked . . .”
    Before the detective had a chance to respond to me, the door swung open again. A tall man with blond hair walked in. He frowned at Detective Sykes.
    â€œSorry. I thought you were in room B.”
    Sykes seemed to straighten up in the man’s presence. “No, sir. Do we need to move?”
    The blond man shook his head and smiled at me. He looked to be in his early fifties, and he possessed a quality that exuded confidence.
    He held out his hand. “I’m Captain Anson Bentley.”
    â€œSarah Miller,” I said as we shook hands.
    The captain looked at Sykes. “This is the Hannah Miller case?”
    â€œYes, sir. Sarah is Hannah’s sister.”
    â€œI’m so sorry for your loss,” the captain said. His words were said with the kind of sincerity that made tears spring to my eyes. I quickly blinked them away.
    â€œThank you so much.”
    â€œDetective Sykes is one of our best, but if there’s ever anything you need and you can’t get in touch with him, please call.” He took a small brass cardholder from his pocket, withdrew a card, and handed it to me. “I can usually be reached at this number if you can’t get me through the main number.”
    His kindness touched me, and once again I felt tears sting my eyelids.
    He came over and put his hand on my shoulder. “I know it’s hard, Sarah, but you’ll get through this. I can tell by looking atyou that you’re a strong woman. And the entire Kansas City Police Department has your back, okay?”
    Too choked up to respond, I just nodded.
    He patted my shoulder then left the room.
    â€œNice man,” I said to Sykes, my voice shaking.
    He nodded. “Yes, he is. We’re lucky to have him. He certainly knows how to solve cases. His father was also a very successful detective in this department years ago. Kind of a legend. Captain Bentley was named after him.”
    I was certainly impressed. “Will he be working on my . . . case?” To me, Hannah wasn’t a case , but that’s how the police saw her.
    He shook his head. “Probably not. Although he oversees all our cases, he rarely gets personally involved. Not unless there’s a problem.”
    I slid Bentley’s card into my