the hell would do this to her? What the hell had she gotten herself into?
Sympathy warmed in the pit of his belly. She might not have been totally clean, but she’d done good work as a cop, and that counted in the big scheme. Loyalty for a fallen comrade threatened to melt the ice before he summoned cold winds to burn it away. Later, after the killer had been caught, he’d allow anger. Outrage. But not now.
Alex turned from Deidre’s body and faced his brother. “Who found her?”
“Leah Carson.”
“What?” He was rarely caught off guard. “Leah Carson?”
An open notebook in one hand, Deke clicked the end of a pen in the other. “Yeah, ain’t that something? Your date found the body.”
He’d seen her at the clinic yesterday. What was the time? Four? “Why was she here?”
“Deidre missed running practice this morning, and when she didn’t answer her phone, Ms. Carson came by to check on her.”
He’d been at the park this morning, watching the group run. He’d noted Deidre’s absence but hadn’t worried too much. She’d missed before. Cops always missed because of the job. But this morning he’d been drawn to Leah and her dogged determination to keep up with the group. Even when it was clear she’d finish dead last, she’d kept moving.
Alex folded his arms. “Continue.”
“She saw her purse inside through the front window. Front door was locked so she walked around to the back. It was ajar.”
Georgia met his gaze. “Did you know they ran together?”
“Yes.”
Georgia eyed him closely, shooting him a demanding look.
Alex disregarded the silent demand. “How’s Ms. Carson doing?”
Deke shrugged. “She’s rattled. Siting in the back of a squad car.”
An urge to go to Leah surprised Alex. And the struggle to refrain surprised him more. The case first. “What happened?”
Georgia stepped out of the blood pool onto a tarp, where she rolled her head from side to side. Crime scenes like this one could take days to process. So much data to be collected and sorted, and Georgia wouldn’t leave until she’d found every trace. “Leah apparently came into the house through the back door, saw the victim in the kitchen, and then ran to the bathroom, where she threw up. She called nine-one-one from her cell outside.”
The image of her fragile frame, pale and drawn, chipped at the ice. More pity flickered. Another struggle to contain.
Lines of worry etched deep in Deke’s face. “No signs of forced entry. Nothing appears to have been taken from the town house, but we’ve got a call in to her sister. She’s coming in from California and won’t be here until very late tonight. Gun, money, credit cards all appear to be in her purse.”
“Where’s her husband?” Alex asked.
“Haven’t contacted him yet,” Deke said. “You said they were getting a divorce? Not friendly, correct?”
“That’s what I’ve heard. I don’t have details.”
Hands resting on his hips, Deke shook his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts. “I know her husband. He’s a sheriff in a small town about twenty miles north of Nashville. Given the basic facts, he’s at the top of my suspect list.”
“That’s a logical conclusion.” When a woman was murdered, statistics proved it was someone she knew and at one time loved.
“Signs of sexual assault?” Deke asked Georgia.
“None from what I can tell,” Georgia said. “The medical examiner will have to make the last call on that.”
“The bedrooms weren’t disturbed, but there’s a window in the back bedroom that’s slightly open. My guess is the killer came in through the window and surprised her.”
“Deidre was no fool,” Alex said.
“Whoever did this was smart,” Georgia said. “I’ve found very little forensic data.”
Alex tugged at his cuffs. “I want to hear every detail, but first, I’d like to talk to Leah Carson.”
Brow arched, Deke slid his hand into his pocket and rattled the loose change. “I’d like
Sympathy warmed in the pit of his belly. She might not have been totally clean, but she’d done good work as a cop, and that counted in the big scheme. Loyalty for a fallen comrade threatened to melt the ice before he summoned cold winds to burn it away. Later, after the killer had been caught, he’d allow anger. Outrage. But not now.
Alex turned from Deidre’s body and faced his brother. “Who found her?”
“Leah Carson.”
“What?” He was rarely caught off guard. “Leah Carson?”
An open notebook in one hand, Deke clicked the end of a pen in the other. “Yeah, ain’t that something? Your date found the body.”
He’d seen her at the clinic yesterday. What was the time? Four? “Why was she here?”
“Deidre missed running practice this morning, and when she didn’t answer her phone, Ms. Carson came by to check on her.”
He’d been at the park this morning, watching the group run. He’d noted Deidre’s absence but hadn’t worried too much. She’d missed before. Cops always missed because of the job. But this morning he’d been drawn to Leah and her dogged determination to keep up with the group. Even when it was clear she’d finish dead last, she’d kept moving.
Alex folded his arms. “Continue.”
“She saw her purse inside through the front window. Front door was locked so she walked around to the back. It was ajar.”
Georgia met his gaze. “Did you know they ran together?”
“Yes.”
Georgia eyed him closely, shooting him a demanding look.
Alex disregarded the silent demand. “How’s Ms. Carson doing?”
Deke shrugged. “She’s rattled. Siting in the back of a squad car.”
An urge to go to Leah surprised Alex. And the struggle to refrain surprised him more. The case first. “What happened?”
Georgia stepped out of the blood pool onto a tarp, where she rolled her head from side to side. Crime scenes like this one could take days to process. So much data to be collected and sorted, and Georgia wouldn’t leave until she’d found every trace. “Leah apparently came into the house through the back door, saw the victim in the kitchen, and then ran to the bathroom, where she threw up. She called nine-one-one from her cell outside.”
The image of her fragile frame, pale and drawn, chipped at the ice. More pity flickered. Another struggle to contain.
Lines of worry etched deep in Deke’s face. “No signs of forced entry. Nothing appears to have been taken from the town house, but we’ve got a call in to her sister. She’s coming in from California and won’t be here until very late tonight. Gun, money, credit cards all appear to be in her purse.”
“Where’s her husband?” Alex asked.
“Haven’t contacted him yet,” Deke said. “You said they were getting a divorce? Not friendly, correct?”
“That’s what I’ve heard. I don’t have details.”
Hands resting on his hips, Deke shook his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts. “I know her husband. He’s a sheriff in a small town about twenty miles north of Nashville. Given the basic facts, he’s at the top of my suspect list.”
“That’s a logical conclusion.” When a woman was murdered, statistics proved it was someone she knew and at one time loved.
“Signs of sexual assault?” Deke asked Georgia.
“None from what I can tell,” Georgia said. “The medical examiner will have to make the last call on that.”
“The bedrooms weren’t disturbed, but there’s a window in the back bedroom that’s slightly open. My guess is the killer came in through the window and surprised her.”
“Deidre was no fool,” Alex said.
“Whoever did this was smart,” Georgia said. “I’ve found very little forensic data.”
Alex tugged at his cuffs. “I want to hear every detail, but first, I’d like to talk to Leah Carson.”
Brow arched, Deke slid his hand into his pocket and rattled the loose change. “I’d like
Similar Books
