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I hung up, then clipped the phone back ontoCory Crawford
I jogged up the steps of the courthouse while Ryan circled the block to avoid the trouble of finding a parking place We’d left my car at my aunt’s house It was such a piece of crap that I illing to use any excuse to get out of having to drive it I flashed h the lanced quickly at the schedule taped to the desk, pleased and relieved to see that the duty judge was again Judge Laurent I’d experienced severalthrough ies refusing to sign the warrant for a fellow judge I didn’t think I’d have any proble her computer down as I entered the office She looked up at me with an expression that clearly told me she wouldn’t be happy with ave hersmile "I’m sorry to coe Laurent still here? I need a warrant for a buccal swab and a subpoena for phone records signed"
She sighed "He’s still here" She held out her hand for my folder
"I really appreciate it," I said hat I hoped was enough fervor
She just gave a brisk nod as she passed through the doors leading to the judge’s office A few o on back," she said, holding the door open for ave er the bored resignation She lanced at it, I realized Oh, well In less than an hour, everyone would know
Judge Laurent didn’t look worried or upset He looked positively gleeful as I stepped into his office and shut the door behindto the wall for boffing his son’s wife to death?" He cackled as he signed the warrant and subpoena in an overly large script, as if to be sure that no one could be ned it
"Well, sir, I don’t have anything solid yet That’s why I need this DNA saet it That sonofabitch has nailed or tried to nail every pretty girl in this city Can’t believe his wife puts up with it" He shook his head as he handed the folder back towith all the women"
I accepted the folder fro this works out the way I think it will"
He gave rin "You just be sure to coned"
I couldn’t help but chuckle "Absolutely, sir"
I was still s as I let myself out, unsurprised to find that his secretary had left already I pulled my cell phone out and dialed Ryan’s number as I exited the courthouse
"I have it," I said when he answered
"I’ht around the corner I’ll pick you up in half a e Harris Roth lived in Ruby Estates, about half a mile down the road froet so staircase and ostentatious landscaping of the Sharp residence Roth’s house wasn’t on the lake-front like Davis Sharp’s, but he had a double lot that was still e but didn’t have the feel of plantation-wannabe that Sharp’s did The Roth house relish country home--a two-story structure with stone exterior I could seein a place like this--lovely, tranquil, and quiet
But not so tranquil right now An a driveway as we approached Ryan and I exchanged a troubled look
"Bad feeling," he stated
"Ditto," I replied
My bad feeling wasn’t helped by the sight of another a," I said
Ryan parked out of the way of the aed up the broad front steps I had the strong i to need the buccal sarrant after all
The door ide open, so alked right in Inside, we could see paraure A blond wo her hands
It was Harris Roth on the floor Quite dead too, though I doubted that the paramedics had accepted the fact yet But I could feel it
"He’s not the one," I said to Ryan in a low, rough voice "Not unless he ripped his own essence out"
Ryan swore under his breath I forced myself to step closer to the body so that I could approach the woman "Ma’am? I’m Detective Gillian with Beaulac PD Can you please tell ave me a jerky nod "I’estured with a fluttering hand in a direction toward the front door, "and I’ether Oh,on hiently by the arured the kitchen to be Fortunately I’d guessed correctly, and a few seconds later I directed her into a chair at the kitchen table "Ms Cavendish, can you tell ether "They … Rachel and Harris had a big fight It’s been so hard for theulped and her eyes greide "I ht the urge to shake her "Yes, ma’am What happened here? Where is Rachel Roth now?"
Connie took a shuddering breath "I was inI looked out my door and Rachel was in the front yard, totally hysterical So I ran to see rong" She rubbed her arms, eyes still wide "I couldn’t understand her at first Then finally I got that someone had called Harris to tell him that the police were on their way, about Carol" She paused to give Ryan andstare I returned the look with a steely-eyed one of aze back to her hands in her lap "Rachel heard it, heard the conversation She said she and Harris got into a fight" Connie’s lip quivered "Rachel kept saying, ‘He killed his own son to protect himself, he killed her and killed his son’" Her shoulders shook, and she looked up at me with tears in her eyes "What kind ofto suspect what kind of monster, and I was fairly positive that it wasn’t Harris Roth "Where is Rachel now?"