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The news stunned the DI “Wow! We were at a party there last night Do you knoho the victim is?”

“Robbie Spencer” Fritz rustled the paperwork

“Has the cri any bells

“Yes”

“And Scottie?”

“Yes, Sergeant Cruickshank is on her way”

“Thanks” He hung up, glad his partner was already headed out For just a ht fall on his face Then he dipped the paddles into the water, swung the kayak round and doubled his speed to scoot to the wharf Katherine would deh she knew the drill Each time he was on standby and had to take off, her abandonment issues resurfaced He shivered at the imminent shon

Gibson corated Major Crimes Unit, VIIMCU He had transferred fro the lowest, the most vile, was his passion Justice for the victims of hideous crimes drove hi, of the sufferer and their fanawed at his psyche, boiled his blood and threatened to unleash his fury against each despot And behind all of that, there was a personal reason that he rarely spoke of, not even to his wife

The kayak bumped the quay—thwack—a little too hard He hopped out of the boat and whipped a rope around a cleat so he could clear out his gear With expert deftness, he lifted the boat into its cradle and fastened it with the sturdy straps

“Until next week,” Gibson whispered and tapped the hull The surface was sranted him a modicum of pleasure He strode up the ramp, past the Seaside Café at the top and crossed the street to his house Katherine wasn’t about, so he stole a hurried glireenhouse Her gardens bedded for the winter were barren, but he could see the green of herbs through the glass She appeared jaunty in the vivid red top and stylish jeans, her hair pulled into a loose ponytail The lightness of her movements reflected her inner calm—this was her safe zone

Gibson headed to the bedrooed into his official attire Not a uniform, always a suit Today he favoured a worsted wool blue suit with a striped blue and white tie He liked to set a solid precedent for the officers orked with hi professionally was ie He unfastened a lockbox to retrieve the 40 calibre Se off the dresser

The door banged, and Katherine glanced toward the disturbance Gibson knew his suit would tip her off about his intentions He watched her pleasant countenance draw into a pout, the lines racing fro the other way

“Turning aside doesn’t reenhouse door, and the sweet fragrance of basil ca out He slipped into the heady waro when on call” He spoke in a soothing, placating tone She remained quiet

“It has to be so awful for the dispatcher to contact ot easier “I know today was special Andrew and Heather will be there They’ll keep you company” Andrew Thompson was Katherine’s brother, and Heather Clark was her best friend Would that persuade her that all would be well? He waited to see which way her

Katherine edged toward the far corner, somewhat aloof But with the mention of Heather, her expression had relaxed somewhat A more or less imperceptible smile passed over her lips Her ht line as she bit her bottoht upon his shoulders lift a tiny bit but kept up the chatter, struggling to get intimate, to caress her, to set her mind at rest

“Don’t worry I’ you Textall the bases Today’s lunch was to nificant milestone for his wife—the one-year anniversary of her sister’s death

There was a slight uplifting of her nation She wiped tears from her sad brown eyes with the back of her hand

“Okay” Her sweetness shone through Gibson brushed velvet lips across her salty cheek and escaped

Chapter 3

David’s eyes flickered, but Robbie lying dead on the cold cement floor had burned onto his retinas Every ropey muscle on his buttock and every bump of his spine were accentuated by the skimpiness of his outfit His cleated shoes faced upwards with one ankle bent sideways at an aard angle David blinked and glanced over to the rack where Robbie’s street bike was locked, ready for the ride home A streamlined helmet was placed casually over the seat His ure, his li for safety Blood splotches on his clothes and pooled underneath hiht Bits of dirty blonde hair were glued to the tip of a bat that had rolled against the wall Pinkish stuff, listened in the pall of death The ies had found a place to harbour in David’sto hiht in his throat Don’t be sick, he thought, and stood panicked on wobbly legs

The four ether in shock as a dozen vehicles slipped down the boulevard that ran through the cas Soon there was hardly rooradual hum as the crime scene officers set up their stations From an unmarked vehicle that had slid into the coed SheHer steel-blue eyes held a wariness as she scanned the scene Shortly after, a large cube van drove in, snaking its course through the packed courtyard toward the parking lot Four black-clad officers exited the vehicle, each one larger than the last David watched their movements as they opened the rollup rear door and tossed out its cargo onto the ground It looked like tents, poles and lots of rope

The ruckus started up again Men pounded stakes and strung tape until a substantial fortress enclosed the crime scene The detective in command, the tall dark lady—someone had called her Scottie—shouted orders and requests to her workforce Despite all the action, the maintenance crew remained paralyzed, their feet frozen to the earth as if a flash freeze had swept through the yard

“Jackie So row of poplars at the entrance of the building When the spring breeze weaved down the open landscape, their leaves would quiver Now the branches were stripped bare, exposing the furrows on their bark to the harsh stor no shelter to him as he stood aloof from the crowd

“What? What is it?

Tell er that lived at David’s workplace

“There’s been an accident Ato say the word aloud He heard the intake of her breath over the hum of the connection

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Not kidding Robbie is dead Someone bashed his skull”

“Oh od How terrible Why?”

“I don’t know anything, but there are cops everywhere”

“Should you tell them?” Jackie asked

“I’m not sure”

“Be careful”

“Thanks I’ll call you when I get a chance,” David said and hung up Most of the crew had arrived and clung together in packs, wondering, guessing and questioning What happened? Who is it? Who did it? Why? Nobody knew anything for sure David struggled to re down at his feet, his hands tucked in the pockets of his work pants He watched the others twitch and shuffle It wasn’t until the black truck with dark tinted s pulled into the courtyard, silently and stealthy, that his flesh truly craith trepidation The F150 pickup had no strobes and no sirens David had a sudden urge to run when the man stepped out of the vehicle

Gibson’s feet hit the gravel with power His long liht with easy self-confidence His gun- but steady And he had a quirky sedness Ale was deceiving to er that lay underneath

Gibson let his face harden—a warning for everyone to look out A ot, and he would bulldoze his way through to get the killer When he ly euilt The characters in this tragic drama would be exposed as he opened their lives for all to see He would pry into their buried secrets and reveal their predatory behaviour Without compunction, he would collect every detail, hear every sound, tune in to every voice and amass the data in his me stored deep in his mind would leap to the front of his consciousness at theon—slowly flickering and then enlightenh a case, every detail was important until it wasn’t Soive hi the site frooal was to bring the antagonist to his knees