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“We’ve not finished, and I would recommend that you wait Our makeup artist is very talented and will be able to showcase her natural beauty”
“I’m sure And that will be fine for the funeral But for now, I’d like to see her just as she is”
A neatly plucked brow arched “If that’s your wish”
“Yes”
“Follow me”
He trailed behind her down a long carpeted hallway past several sets of double doors that led into parlors A couple weredown a dark tunnel The deeper he rew He would not cry He would not lose his shit in front of the doctor
At the end of the hallway they pushed through another wooden door, this one leading to a tiled room filled with a collection of drawers stacked neatly one above another In the center of the room was a stainless-steel table, and beside it a collection of face paints and fillers She moved to a drawer in the middle of the wall and laid her hand on the silver handle “You’re sure?”
Hell no, he wasn’t sure “Yes”
She twisted the handle and the door swung open Inside lay a draped body She pulled out the slab until the body jutted out several feet As she gripped the edges of the sheet, he thought her hands were just as pale as the thick fabric and wondered how someone came to have a job like this Slowly, she pulled back the sheet
For a ot his first full look at Deidre since her death There were angry bloodless gashes on her face One across the cheek The other across her chin Color had abandoned her skin and her pale lips were parted slightly, as if she needed to whisper so to him in his ear
Tears burned the back of his eyes and his throat tightened with eined
Even in death, she possessed a terrible beauty that still drew hi, he wondered ould fill the space in his heart that she’d carved out for herself Whatever lay before hiht look like his wife, but he understood that his Deidre was dead and gone forever
Carefully, he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the forehead Cold to the touch, her skin didn’t feel like Deidre’s Despite all the bitter problee, he took satisfaction in knowing the last lips she’d ever feel against her skin would forever and always be his
The phone cradled under his chin, Alex dialed Deke’s nuh traffic His brother answered on the second ring “Yeah”
“Anydevice found at Deidre’s town house?”
The sound of Deke shuffling through papers echoed through the phone line “Can be ordered fro radius of a couple of miles”
“Who was listening in on Deidre’s life?”
“Controlling soon-to-be ex-husband and secret lover aside, I think this could also have so to do with her work Have you reviewed her case files lately? She’s put away a couple of really bad drug dealers”
“Who’s top of the list?”
“Top three isAll three of the because of her undercover work”
“Which cases would have moved forithout her testimony?”
“They’re all solid cases She did a hell of a job and she’s the one who triggered their downfall We both know Ray has one bad te a cop sends one hell of a e”
Anger strained under his even tone “Have you dug into their alibis for Sunday night/early Monday ?”
“As a matter of fact” More papers shuffled “Tyrone was in jail Picked up in a prostitution sting Sa an ankle bracelet All have good alibis, but all could have hired someone”
Alex considered the answer and rejected it “This killing wasn’t done by a hired third party”
“There’s very little evidence This killer knehat he was doing He was a pro”
“Agreed But if this was a hit, why not just shoot her and leave?”
“Violence sends a e”
“It does But this killing feels personal The killer would have been looking into Deidre’s eyes as he’d stabbed”
“Locking a guy away can feel really personal”
He couldn’t diso?”
“Ray Murphy Guy thinks he’s invincible Has never worried about jail ti look on his face, like he can beat the rap”
“But you said if he killed Deidre the case would continue”
“Provided her death didn’t intimidate the other witnesses If he can kill a top cop, he can kill anyone”
Alex conjured up the last minutes of Deidre’s life “Deidre opens the back door; before she can react, the killer plunges a knife in her and she hits the floor Rolls onto her back He keeps stabbing as she watches”
“But he keeps stabbing”
“Because he’s pissed or trying to send a e”
“I think this killer wasn’t angry as e”
“To the other witnesses?”