Read Online The Profiler by Chris Taylor - Free Book Online Page B

Angel to be out so late, especially on a school night.” Tears welled in her eyes and she pulled a fine lace handkerchief from the pocket of her slacks. Her cheeks flushed again. She peered at them apologetically. “Please excuse me, Detectives.”
    Clayton stepped slightly away, giving her some privacy. “No problem, Mrs Caruso. You go right ahead.”
    Blowing her nose with delicate precision, Angelina’s mother took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Her classes usually finish at five on a Tuesday. Sometimes she goes for coffee with friends afterwards, but most of the time she comes straight home. Funds are tight and she was saving for a trip to Europe. My parents still live in Italy,” she explained.
    “When she wasn’t home by eight, I called her cell. It rang out and eventually went to voice mail. I left a message asking her to call me.” Her voice caught. “She still hasn’t phoned me back.”
    The woman stared unseeingly across the room. Ellie and Clayton watched and waited in silence. When Jacqueline began again, her voice held a dazed, almost dreamlike quality.
    “It was raining. It had only started late that afternoon, but it was really pelting down. I remember hoping Angel had taken an umbrella.”
    Ellie scribbled in her notebook. “How did she normally get home?”
    Jacqueline sighed. “By bus. She can catch one just outside the Uni. It drops her off about a block away.”
    Clayton’s eyes narrowed. “Did she ever catch a taxi home?”
    “No. As I said, money’s tight. She’s been saving .” Her voice cracked again and she seemed to crumple before them, huge sobs wracking her body. Ellie stared at Clayton, feeling helpless, her own anger at the unknown assailant reflected in his eyes.
    Angelina’s mother spoke between her sobs, her swollen eyes fixed on Clayton. “W-when can I have her back, Detective? I-I’d like to arrange a proper funeral.”
    Clayton started in surprise. Ellie knew what he was thinking. They had yet to find the rest of Angelina’s remains. He stepped forward and crouched low, near Jacqueline’s chair.
    “As soon as the forensic pathologist has finished with her, Mrs Caruso. Whilst we appreciate your identification through her earrings, we’ll need to make a conclusive finding through DNA. She’ll be released to you as soon as they’ve completed their examination.”
    “And what happens if you find the rest of her?”
    Now it was Ellie’s turn to swallow her surprise. Clayton’s gaze captured hers and held it for a miniscule moment before his gaze flicked back to Jacqueline’s.
    “Well, anything else that is found will also be examined at the morgue and afterwards, it will be released to you, along with her—” Clayton broke off, mortification flooding his face.
    “Her head.” Jacqueline Caruso’s lips twisted with bitterness. “That’s what you meant to say, wasn’t it?”
    The flush on his face deepened. He swallowed awkwardly and looked away.
    Ellie stepped in to rescue him.
    “Yes, that’s right.” She leaned over and took one of the woman’s hands in her own. “We know this is difficult for you, Mrs Caruso. We are so sorry for your loss. We understand what you’re going through.”
    The woman snatched her hand away. Her eyes flared with sudden anger. “How can you understand what I’m going through? Someone’s murdered my baby !”
    Ellie’s stomach clenched and she steeled herself against the memories of Jamie that suddenly assailed her. Her vision darkened and she fought against the dizziness that threatened to unseat her.
    Clayton shot her a strange look. She heard his voice as if from inside a distant tunnel.
    “You’re right, Mrs Caruso. We can’t hope to know what you’re going through. All we can do is promise you we will work night and day to find whoever did this.”
    Ellie forced oxygen into her constricted lungs and the blackness receded. She gritted her teeth, her eyes fierce as she tried to hold the other woman’s