Read Online In His Sights by Jo Davis - Free Book Online Page B

watch Eden work, asking her questions now and then but staying out of her way.
    After she’d cataloged all of the evidence she could get from the body—at least until she did the autopsy and further tests—she gestured for them.
    â€œHelp me roll the body, and we’ll take a look at the wound.” She waited until Chris and Tonio were positioned on opposite sides of the dead man before nodding. “Now.”
    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. “Knife wound, large blade, very sharp. See the edges here?”
    Chris’s 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. “So, our vic wasn’t shot.”
    â€œNope.”
    â€œAnd he fought like Mike Tyson,” she observed, picking up one hand to study it. “He 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€œYeah.” Poor bastard.
    â€œWonder if he’s former military, or law enforcement?” Tonio speculated aloud.
    Chris gestured toward the kitchen. “I 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.”
    There wasn’t 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.
    â€œSomething doesn’t sit right about this whole thing,” Chris told his partner. “The burglaries, and now a dead guy. We have a few giant pieces of the puzzle missing, and this feels more disjointed than usual.”
    â€œAnd when we put them together, the solution will be so obvious, we’ll be kicking ourselves.”
    â€œMaybe so.” He eyed the other man. “Sounds like you have some experience in that area.”
    â€œMore than I’d like.”
    Chris waited for him to elaborate on that cryptic statement, but let it alone when he didn’t. As much as he wanted to know more about his partner, he’d respect the man’s privacy.
    His thoughts drifted back to Robyn and he wondered whether he’d ever hear from her again. And whether he should stop walking by her house.
    No
. If she wanted him to back off, she’d 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 didn’t want to think about.
    *   *   *
    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. They’d find him. They always did, and there was hell to pay then. Always.
    They’d 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.
    â€œNo!”
    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 hadn’t deserved this, and they all needed to pay.
    Nobody had