asked.
“Yes,” Nick said.
“The father would be better, but we’ll try. If it doesn’t work, we can still exhume the body.”
Anjelita moaned. Marisa felt sick again. She should have known they’d have to compare her results to someone already deceased, but to defile Carolyn that way … She shuddered.
“Open your mouth, Miss Avalos. This will only take a second.”
A moment later, Dr. Smail whisked away with the swab clutched like a prize. And the DNA test was over except for the waiting.
“We’ll call you with the results in a day or two.” The young male technician smiled and left the room.
“In a way, I feel let down,” Marisa said. “I guess I thought I’d know right away.”
Nick took Anjelita’s and her arm and led them out of the hospital.
“How are we going to get home?” Marisa asked.
They looked at one another. They’d ridden in the ambulance with her.
“Do they have cabs in this town?” Nick asked.
“No, but they have rental cars.” The lawyer, Jantzen, detached himself from the side of the building. “I brought yours. I volunteered to play chauffeur for the woman who’s going to save the town.”
CHAPTER 11
Nick had the lawyer drop him at the sheriff’s department. He didn’t want to be separated from Marisa, but she had work to catch up on and he had something important to do.
As soon as he entered the building, he spotted Brian talking to Sheriff Kehr in the sheriff’s office. He caught his friend’s eye through the office window and Brian nodded. Nick waited at Brian’s desk for the other conversation to end, tapping his foot with barely restrained anticipation.
Finally Brian joined him, settling into his desk chair with a sigh. “I heard Marisa is going to be fine.”
Nick scooted to the edge of the other chair and leaned forward. “Yeah, the hospital proclaimed it a miracle. I think it had more to do with her trying to control her car after her brakes failed. It’s terrifying to hear her tell the tale. What’d you find out about that, by the way?”
Brian frowned. “She had almost no brake fluid left. She probably went too long between oil changes.”
“Were the other fluids low?”
Brian shook his head and shrugged. “We didn’t check those.”
“Last night Marisa tripped on a child’s ball left on her stairs, but no children live in her building. I thought it was an accident, just neighbor children being careless. But after this morning, I’m not so sure.”
“Who do you have in mind as the suspect?”
“I don’t know. Does someone just want to scare Marisa, stop her from what she’s doing, or does somebody want her silenced for good? She could easily have broken her neck on those tall, narrow stairs.” A cold chill ran through Nick at the thought.
Brian lowered his voice and leaned forward. “You’re talking about premeditated murder, Nick. I know you’re burnt out from all the overtime you’ve been working. Is that affecting the way you look at things?”
Nick hadn’t seen much goodness in the past six months, but he felt he was right about this. He shook his head. “I’ve been in town for two weeks, Bri. If it weren’t so peaceful here, this place would be boring. But in the past four days a lot of things have happened. They can’t be unrelated.”
Brian sighed. “I can’t think of anyone in town I’d believe capable of cold-blooded murder.”
“It doesn’t have to be a townsperson. What have you found out about Scott Wentworth?”
Brian gave Nick a sharp look. “His business is in debt, so, yeah, he’s got a motive to push his wife in front of a train. Only why not just ask her for the money?”
“Most of her assets weren’t liquid.”
“She could have used them as collateral on a loan.”
“I don’t know, Brian. You’re the cop, not me.”
“I’ll keep digging. But, Nick, even if he killed his wife — and I’m not saying he did — what reason would he have to come after Marisa?”
Nick kept an eye
“Yes,” Nick said.
“The father would be better, but we’ll try. If it doesn’t work, we can still exhume the body.”
Anjelita moaned. Marisa felt sick again. She should have known they’d have to compare her results to someone already deceased, but to defile Carolyn that way … She shuddered.
“Open your mouth, Miss Avalos. This will only take a second.”
A moment later, Dr. Smail whisked away with the swab clutched like a prize. And the DNA test was over except for the waiting.
“We’ll call you with the results in a day or two.” The young male technician smiled and left the room.
“In a way, I feel let down,” Marisa said. “I guess I thought I’d know right away.”
Nick took Anjelita’s and her arm and led them out of the hospital.
“How are we going to get home?” Marisa asked.
They looked at one another. They’d ridden in the ambulance with her.
“Do they have cabs in this town?” Nick asked.
“No, but they have rental cars.” The lawyer, Jantzen, detached himself from the side of the building. “I brought yours. I volunteered to play chauffeur for the woman who’s going to save the town.”
CHAPTER 11
Nick had the lawyer drop him at the sheriff’s department. He didn’t want to be separated from Marisa, but she had work to catch up on and he had something important to do.
As soon as he entered the building, he spotted Brian talking to Sheriff Kehr in the sheriff’s office. He caught his friend’s eye through the office window and Brian nodded. Nick waited at Brian’s desk for the other conversation to end, tapping his foot with barely restrained anticipation.
Finally Brian joined him, settling into his desk chair with a sigh. “I heard Marisa is going to be fine.”
Nick scooted to the edge of the other chair and leaned forward. “Yeah, the hospital proclaimed it a miracle. I think it had more to do with her trying to control her car after her brakes failed. It’s terrifying to hear her tell the tale. What’d you find out about that, by the way?”
Brian frowned. “She had almost no brake fluid left. She probably went too long between oil changes.”
“Were the other fluids low?”
Brian shook his head and shrugged. “We didn’t check those.”
“Last night Marisa tripped on a child’s ball left on her stairs, but no children live in her building. I thought it was an accident, just neighbor children being careless. But after this morning, I’m not so sure.”
“Who do you have in mind as the suspect?”
“I don’t know. Does someone just want to scare Marisa, stop her from what she’s doing, or does somebody want her silenced for good? She could easily have broken her neck on those tall, narrow stairs.” A cold chill ran through Nick at the thought.
Brian lowered his voice and leaned forward. “You’re talking about premeditated murder, Nick. I know you’re burnt out from all the overtime you’ve been working. Is that affecting the way you look at things?”
Nick hadn’t seen much goodness in the past six months, but he felt he was right about this. He shook his head. “I’ve been in town for two weeks, Bri. If it weren’t so peaceful here, this place would be boring. But in the past four days a lot of things have happened. They can’t be unrelated.”
Brian sighed. “I can’t think of anyone in town I’d believe capable of cold-blooded murder.”
“It doesn’t have to be a townsperson. What have you found out about Scott Wentworth?”
Brian gave Nick a sharp look. “His business is in debt, so, yeah, he’s got a motive to push his wife in front of a train. Only why not just ask her for the money?”
“Most of her assets weren’t liquid.”
“She could have used them as collateral on a loan.”
“I don’t know, Brian. You’re the cop, not me.”
“I’ll keep digging. But, Nick, even if he killed his wife — and I’m not saying he did — what reason would he have to come after Marisa?”
Nick kept an eye
Similar Books
