Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57499 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57499 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
What Clarence could have to do with top-secret missions and espionage was a mystery though. Clarence had been the town’s vagrant for years.
He usually stayed to himself and had only ever came under the radar for a drunk and disorderly. It didn’t make sense.
“Hey Lieu, what do you make of this?” Scott met me at my jeep. I could see the crime scene tape cordoning off the area around Clarence’s little stone cottage and my men standing around.
“I wouldn’t know that yet Scott, I just got here. No one went in as yet did they?”
“Nope, the Captain gave strict orders that no one was supposed to go in before you came.”
“Good.” I geared up to go in. I didn’t tell my men my suspicions that the two cases were connected, though I’m sure if they knew their shit they were already thinking along those lines.
“Okay boys and girls, I want this place gone over with a fine tooth comb. We’re looking for any kind of papers or anything that might look out of place. All of you knew the deceased so I’m pretty sure you’d know if something didn’t fit with the man you knew.”
I went to the body and the first thing I noticed was the jacket. I’d seen that jacket under a street light the night before. What the hell was Clarence doing watching us?
I pulled my phone and called the house. “Baby I want you to make sure the alarm is set, do it while I’m on the phone.”
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, could be something, could be nothing, just do as I say and make sure all the doors and windows are locked.”
I stayed on the line while she carried out my orders before ringing off again.
I went over the body myself and was sure that he had been dead for some time before the call came in.
First order of business was questioning the friend who had found him and made the call, after I went through the mountain of junk the man had spread out all over the little house.
I passed the friend off to Scott while I had three of my team members start the search.
I wasn’t sure what I hoped to find, but if he had anything to do with the other homicide or the man who’d been murdered, there might be something here I could use.
***
It was almost three in the morning by the time I got back to the station house to write up my report.
I’d found a few things that had me excited, I just needed to get some sleep and come at it with fresh eyes in the morning.
She was asleep when I finally dragged in, but when I climbed into bed, although I tried to be as quiet as possible she still awakened.
She snuggled into me and threw her leg over mine. “Hmm, did you get a chance eat something?”
“No, there was no time, I’ll get something in the morning.” I’d forgotten all about food as the night progressed, but now that she mentioned it…
“No, I left your dinner in the warmer.”
“You did? Hey, you just might be useful for something after all.” I was tired as shit, but if she had gone to the trouble I’d eat every bite.
She pulled me up from the bed and we headed for the kitchen where she sat me at the table and fussed over me like a mother hen, while she bustled around the room.
“Wow baby, that smells amazing.” The cobwebs cleared from my eyes and my stomach growled with renewed hunger.
She’d made pot roast, my favorite, with mash potatoes and mushroom gravy.
“I think-I’ll marry you after all.” I grinned at her and held her hand while I ate. She peppered me with questions about tonight and I answered her the best I could without giving away too much. I still didn’t want her involved in this mess.
Paperwork was one thing, doing research and things like that. But dead bodies are where I draw the line. She’d done it all before yes, but that was before she was mine to protect.
“So you think it’s connected to the other thing?” I guess there was no hiding that fact from her, especially with her skills. Which was another source of worry for me.
Would the killer draw the same conclusion? Would he realize that she could piece it together? If this person knew anything about our little town, then they’d know that one murder was an anomaly, let alone two.
She was safe here though, but maybe I’ll take her to her parents or mine and leave her there while I was at work.
“What do you have planned for later today?” I changed the subject midstream, but didn’t let on to the unsettling thoughts inside me.
“I’m meeting the mothers for lunch.” Good.
“Sounds like fun.” That takes care of tomorrow, but what about the rest of the time until I solved this mess?