Read Online Fractured by Karin Slaughter - Free Book Online
Authors: Karin Slaughter
Tags: Fiction, General, Suspense, Mystery & Detective, Suspense fiction, Crime, Police Procedural, Murder, Crimes against, rape, Rich people, Abused wives, Daughters, Atlanta (Ga.), Crimes of Passion, Georgia - Employees, Daughters - Crimes Against
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holding out his hand for the phone. "The IMEI has been scratched off."
The IMEI was the serial number that cell phone networks used to identify a particular phone on the grid. "Scratched off on purpose?"
Charlie studied the white sticker near the battery casing. "Looks rubbed off from use to me. It's an older model. There's duct tape residue on the sides. I'd guess it was falling apart long before it was crushed. Not what I'd expect a teenage girl to carry."
"Why is that?"
"It's not pink and it doesn't have Hello Kitty stickers all over it."
He had a point. Emma Campano's phone had a bunch of pink, plastic charms dangling from the case.
Will said, "Tell the lab this has priority over the computer." They had found a MacBook Pro downstairs that belonged to Emma Campano. The girl had enabled FileVault, encryption software so secure that not even Apple could unlock it without the password. Unless Emma had used something simple like the name of the family dog, nothing short of the NSA could break it open.
Charlie said, "I found this over by the table." He held up another plastic bag that contained a brass key. "Yale lock, pretty standard. No usable fingerprints on it."
"Was it wiped down?"
"Just used a lot. There aren't any prints to lift."
"No keychain?"
Charlie shook his head. "If you had it in your pocket and you were wearing baggy pants, it could easily come out during a struggle."
Will looked at the key, thinking that if it had a number or address on it, his job would be so much easier. "Mind if I hold on to this?"
"I've already catalogued it. Just make sure it gets back to evidence."
"Will?" Amanda had been hovering behind him. "I talked to Campano."
He pocketed the key Charlie had found, trying to hide his sense of dread along with it. "And?"
"He wants you off the case," she said, but didn't seem to think that was worth discussing. "He says that they've had some problems with Emma lately. She was a good girl, the perfect child, then she got mixed up with this Kayla Alexander sometime last year and everything went to hell."
"In what way?"
"She started skipping school, her grades started to fall, she started listening to the wrong music and dressing the wrong way."
He told her about what he'd found in Emma's room. "I'm guessing they made her take down the posters."
"Typical teenager stuff," Amanda said. "I wouldn't trust the father so much on where the blame lies. I have yet to meet a parent who admits that his own child is the bad apple." She tapped her watch, her signal that they were wasting time. "Tell me what progress we've made."
Will told her, "The deceased male is Adam Humphrey. He's got an Oregon driver's license."
"He's a student?"
"Detective Mitchell is calling local colleges to see if he's registered. We're still trying to track down Alexander's parents."
"You know the key to breaking this is going to be finding a second person who knows at least one of our victims."
"Yes, ma'am. We're running dumps on all the telephones. We just need a lead to follow."
"GHP is pulling a negative," she said, meaning the Georgia Highway Patrol. "White is a popular color for the Prius, but there aren't that many on the road. Unfortunately, we're heading into rush hour, so it's not going to get easier."
"I've got uniforms pulling video from every ATM and store-front on Peachtree as well as anything in the Ansley Mall area. If the Prius left either way, we might get an image we can work with."
"Let me know if you need more feet on the ground." She rolled her hand, meaning for him to continue.
"The knife doesn't match anything in the kitchen or the carriage house, which points to the killer bringing it with him. It's pretty cheap-wooden handle, fake gold grommets-but it's obviously sharp enough to do some damage. The brand is for commercial use only. It's the kind of thing you'd find at Waffle House or Morrisons. The local supplier says he sells millions of them a year just in the metro area."
Amanda always
The IMEI was the serial number that cell phone networks used to identify a particular phone on the grid. "Scratched off on purpose?"
Charlie studied the white sticker near the battery casing. "Looks rubbed off from use to me. It's an older model. There's duct tape residue on the sides. I'd guess it was falling apart long before it was crushed. Not what I'd expect a teenage girl to carry."
"Why is that?"
"It's not pink and it doesn't have Hello Kitty stickers all over it."
He had a point. Emma Campano's phone had a bunch of pink, plastic charms dangling from the case.
Will said, "Tell the lab this has priority over the computer." They had found a MacBook Pro downstairs that belonged to Emma Campano. The girl had enabled FileVault, encryption software so secure that not even Apple could unlock it without the password. Unless Emma had used something simple like the name of the family dog, nothing short of the NSA could break it open.
Charlie said, "I found this over by the table." He held up another plastic bag that contained a brass key. "Yale lock, pretty standard. No usable fingerprints on it."
"Was it wiped down?"
"Just used a lot. There aren't any prints to lift."
"No keychain?"
Charlie shook his head. "If you had it in your pocket and you were wearing baggy pants, it could easily come out during a struggle."
Will looked at the key, thinking that if it had a number or address on it, his job would be so much easier. "Mind if I hold on to this?"
"I've already catalogued it. Just make sure it gets back to evidence."
"Will?" Amanda had been hovering behind him. "I talked to Campano."
He pocketed the key Charlie had found, trying to hide his sense of dread along with it. "And?"
"He wants you off the case," she said, but didn't seem to think that was worth discussing. "He says that they've had some problems with Emma lately. She was a good girl, the perfect child, then she got mixed up with this Kayla Alexander sometime last year and everything went to hell."
"In what way?"
"She started skipping school, her grades started to fall, she started listening to the wrong music and dressing the wrong way."
He told her about what he'd found in Emma's room. "I'm guessing they made her take down the posters."
"Typical teenager stuff," Amanda said. "I wouldn't trust the father so much on where the blame lies. I have yet to meet a parent who admits that his own child is the bad apple." She tapped her watch, her signal that they were wasting time. "Tell me what progress we've made."
Will told her, "The deceased male is Adam Humphrey. He's got an Oregon driver's license."
"He's a student?"
"Detective Mitchell is calling local colleges to see if he's registered. We're still trying to track down Alexander's parents."
"You know the key to breaking this is going to be finding a second person who knows at least one of our victims."
"Yes, ma'am. We're running dumps on all the telephones. We just need a lead to follow."
"GHP is pulling a negative," she said, meaning the Georgia Highway Patrol. "White is a popular color for the Prius, but there aren't that many on the road. Unfortunately, we're heading into rush hour, so it's not going to get easier."
"I've got uniforms pulling video from every ATM and store-front on Peachtree as well as anything in the Ansley Mall area. If the Prius left either way, we might get an image we can work with."
"Let me know if you need more feet on the ground." She rolled her hand, meaning for him to continue.
"The knife doesn't match anything in the kitchen or the carriage house, which points to the killer bringing it with him. It's pretty cheap-wooden handle, fake gold grommets-but it's obviously sharp enough to do some damage. The brand is for commercial use only. It's the kind of thing you'd find at Waffle House or Morrisons. The local supplier says he sells millions of them a year just in the metro area."
Amanda always
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