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“You’re not going to ruin ood cop”
“Then you have nothing to worry about” He waited, as if he expected her to lose her teuts And she sure as shit wasn’t stupid This ass was not going to ruin her life
He glanced at the burn phone and pulled up the new textto aThis wasn’t the first text with pictures of Leah attached They’d started four weeks ago and arrived several tiye was clear Her spirit had not been broken
This not-so-subtle trail of bread cruned to lure and eventually trap But traps were tricky If the trapper wasn’t careful, the coil could spring closed unexpectedly and snare the wrong person
He slid behind the wheel of his truck and lowered the sun visor Attached to the visor was a picture of his wife He unclipped it and studied the iht saze
God, she’d been so da dress that hugged her curves and skih a lot Weathered a lot of storms A part of him really wanted to renew their vows and wish all the past darkness away Start fresh
He typed a sie YOU’VE GOT MY ATTENTION
WHERE’RE YOU?
IN TOWN
He barely hesitated before he typed I WANT TO SEE YOU
WHY?
OLD TIMES’ SAKE
Deidre’s visit and her connection to John Doe weighed on Alex’s mind as he entered Exaht in the warehouse
Standing at the head of the table was Dr Miriaist with the state medical examiner’s office Tall, thin, she wore scrubs and athletic shoes and her dark hair skimmed back in a smooth ponytail
As she pulled on rubber gloves, she glanced up “Agent Morgan,” she said “It’s been a while since I had the pleasure”
“Dr Heller” Both his brothers had worked with the doctor on multiple homicides, and they respected her work
“I hear you’ve joined the dark side Working a homicide”
“Never a dull moment” He removed his suit jacket, neatly folded it, and carefully laid it over a chair He then rolled up his sleeves and donned a gown and rubber gloves
“And your partner in crime, where is he?”
“Deke’s on his way”
She moved to the head of the stainless-steel table where the body lay under a white sheet Dr Heller’s assistant, a short woman with brown, curly hair, approached the table with a sterile instruht Dr Heller switched on the overhead light and tugged a hanging h the doors “Ah, noe can start the party”
Deke threw off an overcoat and tossed it over a chair “We’ve got to stoplike this, Dr Heller People talk”
She laughed “Good Nothing like a little gossip to get us all through this long winter”
He donned a gown and gloves and joined Alex at the table
Dr Heller cleared her throat and switched on the mike “This is Dr Miriaent Alex Morgan I’ht in a warehouse on the East Side of town on the Cumberland River”
Her assistant picked up a digital camera from the stainless-steel workbench and readied herself to take pictures as Dr Heller pulled off the sheet
In the clear light of day, the body took on a grotesqueness that last night’s shadows had softened The peeling skin was charred black, and what remained of the extremities had curled inward
Alex took abefore him and focused on evidence and facts “Let’s see what he can tell us”
Dr Heller winked “I’m sure he has a few secrets to share”