Read Online The Belial Stone (The Belial Series) by R.D. Brady - Free Book Online

crying mess on the floor.  Professional was better.
    “The Dewitt police are letting us take the lead on this.  But you’re going to have to speak with them as well.”
    “Okay.  What do you need?”
    “I need you to take me through step by step what happened.”  Rocky took out her pen and pulled over the legal pad on the steel table in front of her.  “Start when you got up this morning.”
    Laney went through all the events of the morning.  By the end of her recitation, her shoulders had drooped and she was tracing an invisible figure eight on the table top.  “And then I called you and came straight here.” 
    Rocky flipped though her notes.   “He told you his name?”
    “His first name.  Although I’m pretty sure he didn’t think I’d be sharing that information with anyone.”
    Rocky nodded.  “Okay.  So if I’ve got this down correctly, you shot him twice at close range, stabbed him, and used his skull for batting practice.  That about right?”
    Laney looked up and saw the smile playing around Rocky’s lips.  She returned the smile.  “Yup.  That’s about right.”
    “Well then, off the record: good.  Back on the record, thank you for your statement, Dr. McPhearson.”
    A knock at the door pulled the women’s attention.  A tall, black, good-looking detective in his late twenties strode into the room.  Detective Mike Chapman, Rocky’s partner.
    Mike nodded at her. “Hey, Laney.  You okay?”
    “Yeah.  I’m good, Mike.”
    He pulled up a chair.  “Just heard back from Dewitt.  They said your house definitely looks like a fight took place. We sent over our crime techs and they’re all over the place.  They found plenty of blood, but no body.”
    Laney straightened up.  “Did they check the neighborhood?  The hospitals?  I mean, that guy was really hurting.  He couldn’t have gotten far.”
    “They’ve checked.  And they’ll keep on checking, but so far nothing. They’re canvassing the neighborhood right now.  There was a blood trail leading out the back door.  It disappears just beyond your property line.”  Mike hesitated.  “And there’s one other thing.”
    Laney pictured the man’s face and had a feeling she didn't want to hear what this last thing was.   “What?”
    At Rocky's nod, Mike continued.  “There was a note for left for you.”
    “A note?”  She tried to envision the bloodied man sitting down and penning a quick message to her.  “As in paper and pen?”
    Mike shook his head.  “No.  As in blood and your kitchen island.”
    Laney’s stomach dropped.  “What did it say?”
    Mike’s eyes were full of compassion, but he looked her straight on.  “See you soon.”
     
     
     

CHAPTER 12
     
    Albany, NY
     
    T he pastor at Tom’s church had arranged for almost the entire congregation to speak with Jake.  They had all said essentially the same thing: Tom was a good man and he wouldn’t have just left.  The last person he had spoken with was Cleo Banks. 
    Cleo had stood in front of Jake clutching a handful of tissues, her striking pale green eyes streaked red from crying.  She struggled to hold back her tears. 
    “We met just after he got out.  He was, I guess you could say, haunted.  He didn’t seem to know where he fit, or who he was.  Even then, though, you could see his commitment to make something of himself.  He was – is – a good man, Jake.” She stared into Jake’s eyes, daring him to contradict her.
    Jake nodded, deeply touched that Tom had such a woman standing behind him.
    His nod seemed to take some of the fight out of her and her shoulders slumped.  She continued in a more wistful tone.  “We met in the choir.  I noticed him right away, but I didn’t think he noticed me.” 
    Jake doubted that. A man would have to be blind not to notice Cleo. Cleo was stunning.  Her unusual eyes contrasted exotically with her dark skin, and even with her charcoal grey conservative skirt and lavender