guilty about my emotions? You might
want to be careful with your words, Detective, or I’ll call my lawyer and make
sure you’re put on a tighter leash.”
“ Shut your fuckin’ mouth! ” Finley yelled with a pointed
finger.
Avery flashed him a look that said “you are not helping.”
Her phone rang.
“Black,” she said.
O’Malley was on the line.
“Stop whatever you’re doing,” he said in an urgent, soft-spoken
tone. “Turn the car around and head over to Violet Path in the Mount Auburn
Cemetery over in Watertown. Plug it into your phone and get there now. Ask for
a detective named Ray Henley. He’s in charge. The cabin can wait.”
“What is it?” she asked.
There came a three-second pause.
“They just found another body.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Mount Auburn Cemetery was a luxurious property of winding roads,
lakes, and lush forests with gravestones strewn throughout.
A number of Watertown police cruisers, along with unmarked cars,
an ambulance, and a forensics van, made it impossible to drive very far into
Violet Path. Trees obscured most of the overhead sunlight. Multiple groups of
onlookers and bikers craned their necks to see something just outside of
Avery’s view. She parked at the bottom of a grassy knoll, just at the
intersection of Walnut Avenue and Violet.
“Hey you,” a plainclothes cop shouted when she exited her car,
“you can’t park there. Move that car. This is a crime scene.”
Avery flashed her badge.
“Avery Black,” she said, “Homicide. Boston PD.”
“You’re out of your jurisdiction, Boston. We don’t need you here.
Go home.”
Avery smiled: reasonable and pleasant.
“I was told to contact Ray Henley?”
“Lieutenant Henley?” Suspicious, the officer grumbled, “Wait
here.”
“What’s up his ass?” Finley interjected.
He stood right behind Avery, practically against her shoulder.
“Am I being punished?” she asked. “Is that why you’re here?”
“This is my big break, Black. You’re going to help me reach
detective.”
“God have mercy on my soul.”
A lean, attractive man in slacks and a red plaid shirt came over
the hill. He looked more like an outdoorsman than a detective; only the badge
around his neck and the gun on his hip gave it away. He had a sunburned face
and wavy brown hair. An aura of wellness and patience exuded from his being,
and he smiled at Avery as if they knew each other.
“Detective Black.” He waved. “Thanks for coming.”
A strong hand gripped hers, and when he peered into her eyes, a
calm feeling came over Avery, like she could sink into his arms and instantly
be forgiven for all her sins.
An awkward pause followed.
“I’m Ray Henley?” he said.
“Right,” Avery replied, flustered, “sorry. I was told you found
another body, similar to the one we discovered over in Lederman Park?”
Her immediate discussion of the case turned him off slightly, and
he breathed a wistful sigh and rubbed his cheeks.
“Yeah,” he said, “come up and see for yourself.”
He updated her on the way.
“A runner found her this morning around six. For a second, she
thought the girl was some kind of Satan worshiper from the way she was
positioned. We believe her name is Tabitha Mitchell, an MIT junior that never
showed up at her dorm last night. Her roommate called the police around two,
and then again eight. Cambridge police would have normally waited forty-eight
hours to post a picture but since she’s a connected college student, we caught
a break.”
“What’s she doing out here?”
“I thought you could help us with that.”
The body was at the top of the knoll. Small gray tombstones marked
the area. She was draped over a larger stone that resembled a chess piece pawn.
He had once again done incredibly lifelike work. She was squatted and hugging
the monument. Her cheek rested on the top. Eyes were open and there was a
lasciviousness about her appearance. Red blush painted her cheeks. Some kind of
glue
want to be careful with your words, Detective, or I’ll call my lawyer and make
sure you’re put on a tighter leash.”
“ Shut your fuckin’ mouth! ” Finley yelled with a pointed
finger.
Avery flashed him a look that said “you are not helping.”
Her phone rang.
“Black,” she said.
O’Malley was on the line.
“Stop whatever you’re doing,” he said in an urgent, soft-spoken
tone. “Turn the car around and head over to Violet Path in the Mount Auburn
Cemetery over in Watertown. Plug it into your phone and get there now. Ask for
a detective named Ray Henley. He’s in charge. The cabin can wait.”
“What is it?” she asked.
There came a three-second pause.
“They just found another body.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Mount Auburn Cemetery was a luxurious property of winding roads,
lakes, and lush forests with gravestones strewn throughout.
A number of Watertown police cruisers, along with unmarked cars,
an ambulance, and a forensics van, made it impossible to drive very far into
Violet Path. Trees obscured most of the overhead sunlight. Multiple groups of
onlookers and bikers craned their necks to see something just outside of
Avery’s view. She parked at the bottom of a grassy knoll, just at the
intersection of Walnut Avenue and Violet.
“Hey you,” a plainclothes cop shouted when she exited her car,
“you can’t park there. Move that car. This is a crime scene.”
Avery flashed her badge.
“Avery Black,” she said, “Homicide. Boston PD.”
“You’re out of your jurisdiction, Boston. We don’t need you here.
Go home.”
Avery smiled: reasonable and pleasant.
“I was told to contact Ray Henley?”
“Lieutenant Henley?” Suspicious, the officer grumbled, “Wait
here.”
“What’s up his ass?” Finley interjected.
He stood right behind Avery, practically against her shoulder.
“Am I being punished?” she asked. “Is that why you’re here?”
“This is my big break, Black. You’re going to help me reach
detective.”
“God have mercy on my soul.”
A lean, attractive man in slacks and a red plaid shirt came over
the hill. He looked more like an outdoorsman than a detective; only the badge
around his neck and the gun on his hip gave it away. He had a sunburned face
and wavy brown hair. An aura of wellness and patience exuded from his being,
and he smiled at Avery as if they knew each other.
“Detective Black.” He waved. “Thanks for coming.”
A strong hand gripped hers, and when he peered into her eyes, a
calm feeling came over Avery, like she could sink into his arms and instantly
be forgiven for all her sins.
An awkward pause followed.
“I’m Ray Henley?” he said.
“Right,” Avery replied, flustered, “sorry. I was told you found
another body, similar to the one we discovered over in Lederman Park?”
Her immediate discussion of the case turned him off slightly, and
he breathed a wistful sigh and rubbed his cheeks.
“Yeah,” he said, “come up and see for yourself.”
He updated her on the way.
“A runner found her this morning around six. For a second, she
thought the girl was some kind of Satan worshiper from the way she was
positioned. We believe her name is Tabitha Mitchell, an MIT junior that never
showed up at her dorm last night. Her roommate called the police around two,
and then again eight. Cambridge police would have normally waited forty-eight
hours to post a picture but since she’s a connected college student, we caught
a break.”
“What’s she doing out here?”
“I thought you could help us with that.”
The body was at the top of the knoll. Small gray tombstones marked
the area. She was draped over a larger stone that resembled a chess piece pawn.
He had once again done incredibly lifelike work. She was squatted and hugging
the monument. Her cheek rested on the top. Eyes were open and there was a
lasciviousness about her appearance. Red blush painted her cheeks. Some kind of
glue
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