watch Eden work, asking her questions now and then but staying out of her way.
After sheâd cataloged all of the evidence she could get from the bodyâat least until she did the autopsy and further testsâshe gestured for them.
âHelp me roll the body, and weâll take a look at the wound.â She waited until Chris and Tonio were positioned on opposite sides of the dead man before nodding. âNow.â
They rolled him over carefully, and then stood back to let Eden work. The woman was a machine, a brilliant scientist who missed nothing, and most everyone Chris knew admired her. She was real easy on the eyes, too, though Chris had never been interested her in
that
way.
She cut the polo shirt away and hummed, peering at the wound. âKnife wound, large blade, very sharp. See the edges here?â
Chrisâs stomach got a bit queasy, and he marveled at how she could remain so clinical. Some guys joked about her icy calm, but Chris believed she really could eat a sandwich while performing an autopsy, if she were ever inclined to be that unprofessional.
Tonio spoke up. âSo, our vic wasnât shot.â
âNope.â
âAnd he fought like Mike Tyson,â she observed, picking up one hand to study it. âHe did some damage to these knuckles, and to whoever was on the receiving end of them. Tough old guy, and in pretty good shape for a man his age. Too bad the killer fought dirty.â
âYeah.â Poor bastard.
âWonder if heâs former military, or law enforcement?â Tonio speculated aloud.
Chris gestured toward the kitchen. âI saw an envelope from the American Bar Association on the table, addressed to him. Could be a lawyer, if our victim is Edward Burke, that is.â
There wasnât much more to do except get the victim loaded and let the crime scene techs do their thing. After Eden had taken the body and gone, he and Tonio watched the techs work for a while, then made their exit.
âSomething doesnât sit right about this whole thing,â Chris told his partner. âThe burglaries, and now a dead guy. We have a few giant pieces of the puzzle missing, and this feels more disjointed than usual.â
âAnd when we put them together, the solution will be so obvious, weâll be kicking ourselves.â
âMaybe so.â He eyed the other man. âSounds like you have some experience in that area.â
âMore than Iâd like.â
Chris waited for him to elaborate on that cryptic statement, but let it alone when he didnât. As much as he wanted to know more about his partner, heâd respect the manâs privacy.
His thoughts drifted back to Robyn and he wondered whether heâd ever hear from her again. And whether he should stop walking by her house.
No
. If she wanted him to back off, sheâd have to tell him to his face.
Satisfied with that plan, he focused on feeling better. One hour at a time.
It had to get better.
Worse
was a scenario he didnât want to think about.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
The young man huddled in the corner of his room, terrified.
Dried blood coated his hands, and was starting to itch. But he wrapped his arms around his knees and made himself small. Maybe small enough to disappear?
But no. Theyâd find him. They always did, and there was hell to pay then. Always.
Theyâd make him cry and there was nobody who cared. He wanted to be held, to be safe, but he was ignored. Left to suffer alone and bear the brunt of their wrath. To scream while the blows rained down and the demon took off his belt. Made him beg and scream more.
âNo!â
The sharp sound of his own voice had him looking around, frantically searching for
him.
But
he
was long gone and the boy was left in the here and now, with nothing but his broken mind for company. The fear and the anger. The knowledge that he hadnât deserved this, and they all needed to pay.
Nobody had
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