suggest.”
Emily looked up at her husband.
“You knew this bitch would be here, didn’t you?”
Hearn jerked his eyes from Rachel. He had been staring at her when his wife spoke.
“No... no, I, I didn’t know. Like the doctor said, a twist of fate,”
When Hearn stopped talking, he went back to staring at Rachel.
“How have you been? You look good.”
Parker stepped in front of Rachel, blocking Hearn’s view.
“Take your wife and head for the elevator, now.”
Hearn laughed.
“Is that an order, Officer? You know you’re lucky that Rachel talked me out of filing assault charges against you.”
Parker stepped closer.
“Leave now, or I just might press my luck.”
“Is that a threat?”
Parker reached out and grabbed a fistful of Hearn’s shirt, but Rachel clutched his wrist.
“Let him go, Rick. He hasn’t done anything, like the doctor said, this is all a big mistake.”
“Whore!” Emily shouted, practically screaming the word into Rachel’s ear.
Parker let go of Hearn and guided Rachel away from the woman.
“Just leave, the two of you,”
Dr. Stahl began herding Emily toward the door.
“Yes, please leave, I’ll call later and we’ll discuss our options.”
Emily went out into the hall in a huff, but Hearn turned in the doorway to stare back at Rachel.
“You look good, very good,”
Parker went for him, but Dr. Stahl got between them and slammed the door on Hearn.
Parker turned around to find the other three couples in the room staring at him, but when he looked at his wife, he saw that her eyes were gazing through the glass door, watching Hearn’s departure.
Four days later, he came home to find a note telling him that she had run off with Timothy Hearn.
2
S ix weeks later.
––––––––
T he girl laying on her side atop the entryway floor was dead, but there was little blood and Parker thought that the murder must have taken place very recently.
The girl, woman actually, given that the ID in her purse gave her age as nineteen, and it also told him that her address was the house next door.
Her name was Tiffany Grace, and she had bled from a wound on her left side, but because of the sparse amount of blood, Parker suspected that the murder weapon had pierced her heart, ending her life, and stopping the flow of blood.
The girl was a looker, Parker thought.
Tiffany Grace had been five-foot-three and weighed 112 lbs. The blond hair looked natural and her wide-opened eyes were still blue, although there was no sheen upon them. They looked like the dusty eyes of a doll whose owner had outgrown her.
Tiffany had been wearing white cotton shorts and the contrast with her tanned flesh was stark, even in death. Her halter top was an emerald green that left her flat stomach bare, lying down as she was, her breasts had slid nearly free of the fabric and above her left nipple was the tiny tattoo of a heart .
The colors were vibrant and the tattoo looked new, but then, the girl had been vibrant and new.
Parker turned to the crime scene photographer who was also the coroner’s assistant, a young, black woman named Stella Harvey.
“I’ll need a close-up of that tattoo on her breast, and any other ones you guys find.”
Stella nodded, and Parker thought that she looked shaken.
“You okay, Stella?”
“Yeah, it’s just that she looks like a friend of mine. It’s not her, and she’s younger than my friend, but the resemblance... it’s a little creepy.”
“Yeah, I’ve had that happen to me once or twice. When’s Colton getting here?”
Colton was Jasper Colton, a retired general practitioner who worked as the town’s coroner.
“Jasper’s letting me go solo on this one.” Stella said.
Parker looked at her in surprise.
“I thought you had to be a doctor to be a coroner?”
“You don’t have to be a doctor to be a coroner, that’s only for M.E.’s, but I am a doctor, I received my degree two weeks ago.”
“Get the hell out of here; you’re too
Emily looked up at her husband.
“You knew this bitch would be here, didn’t you?”
Hearn jerked his eyes from Rachel. He had been staring at her when his wife spoke.
“No... no, I, I didn’t know. Like the doctor said, a twist of fate,”
When Hearn stopped talking, he went back to staring at Rachel.
“How have you been? You look good.”
Parker stepped in front of Rachel, blocking Hearn’s view.
“Take your wife and head for the elevator, now.”
Hearn laughed.
“Is that an order, Officer? You know you’re lucky that Rachel talked me out of filing assault charges against you.”
Parker stepped closer.
“Leave now, or I just might press my luck.”
“Is that a threat?”
Parker reached out and grabbed a fistful of Hearn’s shirt, but Rachel clutched his wrist.
“Let him go, Rick. He hasn’t done anything, like the doctor said, this is all a big mistake.”
“Whore!” Emily shouted, practically screaming the word into Rachel’s ear.
Parker let go of Hearn and guided Rachel away from the woman.
“Just leave, the two of you,”
Dr. Stahl began herding Emily toward the door.
“Yes, please leave, I’ll call later and we’ll discuss our options.”
Emily went out into the hall in a huff, but Hearn turned in the doorway to stare back at Rachel.
“You look good, very good,”
Parker went for him, but Dr. Stahl got between them and slammed the door on Hearn.
Parker turned around to find the other three couples in the room staring at him, but when he looked at his wife, he saw that her eyes were gazing through the glass door, watching Hearn’s departure.
Four days later, he came home to find a note telling him that she had run off with Timothy Hearn.
2
S ix weeks later.
––––––––
T he girl laying on her side atop the entryway floor was dead, but there was little blood and Parker thought that the murder must have taken place very recently.
The girl, woman actually, given that the ID in her purse gave her age as nineteen, and it also told him that her address was the house next door.
Her name was Tiffany Grace, and she had bled from a wound on her left side, but because of the sparse amount of blood, Parker suspected that the murder weapon had pierced her heart, ending her life, and stopping the flow of blood.
The girl was a looker, Parker thought.
Tiffany Grace had been five-foot-three and weighed 112 lbs. The blond hair looked natural and her wide-opened eyes were still blue, although there was no sheen upon them. They looked like the dusty eyes of a doll whose owner had outgrown her.
Tiffany had been wearing white cotton shorts and the contrast with her tanned flesh was stark, even in death. Her halter top was an emerald green that left her flat stomach bare, lying down as she was, her breasts had slid nearly free of the fabric and above her left nipple was the tiny tattoo of a heart .
The colors were vibrant and the tattoo looked new, but then, the girl had been vibrant and new.
Parker turned to the crime scene photographer who was also the coroner’s assistant, a young, black woman named Stella Harvey.
“I’ll need a close-up of that tattoo on her breast, and any other ones you guys find.”
Stella nodded, and Parker thought that she looked shaken.
“You okay, Stella?”
“Yeah, it’s just that she looks like a friend of mine. It’s not her, and she’s younger than my friend, but the resemblance... it’s a little creepy.”
“Yeah, I’ve had that happen to me once or twice. When’s Colton getting here?”
Colton was Jasper Colton, a retired general practitioner who worked as the town’s coroner.
“Jasper’s letting me go solo on this one.” Stella said.
Parker looked at her in surprise.
“I thought you had to be a doctor to be a coroner?”
“You don’t have to be a doctor to be a coroner, that’s only for M.E.’s, but I am a doctor, I received my degree two weeks ago.”
“Get the hell out of here; you’re too
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