blood splatter tells us otherwise.”
“Is she saying there was no screaming?” Livy asked. “This sicko mutilated her. Someone had to hear something. There’s not enough gag material in the world to block that out.”
Elizabeth agreed.
“Well, grandma said we’re chasing our tails on this one.”
Livy shook her head.
“When granny wasn’t looking, I peeked around her kitchen. She had a shitload of pills on her counter. I’m willing to bet that someone takes them with booze, and then she sleeps like the dead. It’s the only explanation.”
Livy agreed. “How else would someone miss any of this? There’s no way. We found the dent in the door, and it’s likely from her head. She was attacked here.”
“What about the neighbor on the other side?” Elizabeth asked. “Did you have any luck with them?”
She laughed.
“What?”
“He’s deaf.”
“What? Come on! You’re kidding, right?”
“Imagine my surprise when he came to the door signing. Imagine his horror when I had to draw pictures in my notebook to get him to understand. Let’s just say that someone shouldn’t play Pictionary in her downtime.”
Elizabeth laughed.
God!
She loved her partner.
“Anything else with the crowd?”
Livy shook her head. “Everyone I spoke to was pretty much shocked it had happened. No one saw it coming. I heard the same thing over and over. Stephanie was a sweet girl, and we’re screwed if we don’t get something.”
She was well aware. The worst part of a serial killing case wasn’t the killer. It was the media, the scared citizens, and your boss breathing down your freaking neck.
They had all three.
It was the shit fest trifecta.
“Okay, so we have absolutely nothing, and this killer probably knows it.”
“Yep. That’s what it looks like.”
Livy glanced down at her phone.
Elizabeth proceeded to bust her ass. “Got a hot date?” she asked. “Running late?”
Livy sucker punched her in the side. “Shut up. You know it was your idea. If this blows up in my face, I’m going to make your life hell tomorrow.”
“Livy, we look at dead bodies all day. What could you really do to make me miserable? Make me hold some dead woman’s stomach? Oh wait…I did that today. Make me stare at a deboned victim. Yep…been there too.”
“Don’t be a smart ass. I’ll think of something.”
“Well, in that case, while you’re pondering my demise, you should head home, get a shower, and then get dressed to meet up with your sexy love muffin.”
“What will you do while I’m doing that?” she asked, hating that she was leaving her partner to do all the work while she was on a man hunt of her own.
“I’m going to lay low, avoid Gabe, and wait until he leaves for dinner with you before I camp out at my desk to do some work.”
“Gee, that sounds titillating.”
“Yeah, I’m one hell of a wild woman. Sadly, my life is about as exciting as sleep and it’s never going to get any better. The life of Elizabeth LaRue is a boring one.”
Livy dropped her arm around her partner’s waist as they headed for the Denali. “Well, if I have a good night, do you want me to call you and tell you all the sordid details later?”
“Are you kidding me? Hell yeah, I do. I do believe that rule five of the girlfriend code states…”
“Sex talk happens often, and is kept on the DL,” replied Livy. “Yeah, I have them all memorized.”
The two women laughed.
How could they not?
At least they had each other.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
He watched them leave.
The entire time they wandered around, he was impressed by their persistence. While they were there, they didn't stop asking questions.
He liked that in a competitor.
Maybe he’d been wrong about judging them. The one woman was pretty enthralling.
He could see himself making her over into some beautiful piece of art. Before it was over,
“Is she saying there was no screaming?” Livy asked. “This sicko mutilated her. Someone had to hear something. There’s not enough gag material in the world to block that out.”
Elizabeth agreed.
“Well, grandma said we’re chasing our tails on this one.”
Livy shook her head.
“When granny wasn’t looking, I peeked around her kitchen. She had a shitload of pills on her counter. I’m willing to bet that someone takes them with booze, and then she sleeps like the dead. It’s the only explanation.”
Livy agreed. “How else would someone miss any of this? There’s no way. We found the dent in the door, and it’s likely from her head. She was attacked here.”
“What about the neighbor on the other side?” Elizabeth asked. “Did you have any luck with them?”
She laughed.
“What?”
“He’s deaf.”
“What? Come on! You’re kidding, right?”
“Imagine my surprise when he came to the door signing. Imagine his horror when I had to draw pictures in my notebook to get him to understand. Let’s just say that someone shouldn’t play Pictionary in her downtime.”
Elizabeth laughed.
God!
She loved her partner.
“Anything else with the crowd?”
Livy shook her head. “Everyone I spoke to was pretty much shocked it had happened. No one saw it coming. I heard the same thing over and over. Stephanie was a sweet girl, and we’re screwed if we don’t get something.”
She was well aware. The worst part of a serial killing case wasn’t the killer. It was the media, the scared citizens, and your boss breathing down your freaking neck.
They had all three.
It was the shit fest trifecta.
“Okay, so we have absolutely nothing, and this killer probably knows it.”
“Yep. That’s what it looks like.”
Livy glanced down at her phone.
Elizabeth proceeded to bust her ass. “Got a hot date?” she asked. “Running late?”
Livy sucker punched her in the side. “Shut up. You know it was your idea. If this blows up in my face, I’m going to make your life hell tomorrow.”
“Livy, we look at dead bodies all day. What could you really do to make me miserable? Make me hold some dead woman’s stomach? Oh wait…I did that today. Make me stare at a deboned victim. Yep…been there too.”
“Don’t be a smart ass. I’ll think of something.”
“Well, in that case, while you’re pondering my demise, you should head home, get a shower, and then get dressed to meet up with your sexy love muffin.”
“What will you do while I’m doing that?” she asked, hating that she was leaving her partner to do all the work while she was on a man hunt of her own.
“I’m going to lay low, avoid Gabe, and wait until he leaves for dinner with you before I camp out at my desk to do some work.”
“Gee, that sounds titillating.”
“Yeah, I’m one hell of a wild woman. Sadly, my life is about as exciting as sleep and it’s never going to get any better. The life of Elizabeth LaRue is a boring one.”
Livy dropped her arm around her partner’s waist as they headed for the Denali. “Well, if I have a good night, do you want me to call you and tell you all the sordid details later?”
“Are you kidding me? Hell yeah, I do. I do believe that rule five of the girlfriend code states…”
“Sex talk happens often, and is kept on the DL,” replied Livy. “Yeah, I have them all memorized.”
The two women laughed.
How could they not?
At least they had each other.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
He watched them leave.
The entire time they wandered around, he was impressed by their persistence. While they were there, they didn't stop asking questions.
He liked that in a competitor.
Maybe he’d been wrong about judging them. The one woman was pretty enthralling.
He could see himself making her over into some beautiful piece of art. Before it was over,
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