Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114419 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114419 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
“Good,” she said. “Much better.”
“Hi, Mom,” Gavin said, coming around the corner and standing in the doorway.
“Oh, Gavin, you’re still here.” She brought her hands together, looking from one to the other, obviously reading the situation, and Sienna blushed, looking down. When she looked back up, she saw that Mirabelle’s eyes were lingering on her, a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. “Oh,” she breathed. She reached forward and hugged Sienna, squeezing her so tightly Sienna laughed as she looked over Mirabelle’s shoulder at Gavin, who was watching them with an amused smile. “Well, that’s that then,” she said as though something was finally settled, giving Sienna one final squeeze.
Mirabelle let go, sniffing and stepping back before she picked up the items she’d placed on the floor and held them forward. “The cheesy chicken casserole you always loved and a plate of baklava from Argus.” She bustled past Sienna, who closed the door. She felt warm and cared for and happier than she’d been for a long, long time. “Comfort food,” Mirabelle said over her shoulder.
She and Gavin followed Mirabelle into the kitchen, where she’d put the dish on the stove. “Mom, we just ate breakfast,” he said.
She glanced at the table. “Oh, okay, then I’ll just put this in the refrigerator for later. Sienna, do you have any Tupperware? That way you don’t have to worry about scrubbing my pan. The last thing you need is more work.”
Sienna’s phone rang, and she reached for it on the counter, seeing Kat’s number on the screen. “I’ve gotta get this,” she said.
“Of course,” Mirabelle said. “Gavin will help me.”
Sienna walked into the bedroom, connecting the call. “Hi, Kat.”
“How are you feeling?”
“So much better. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Okay, great, because we have another DOA. It came in last night. I was up late, so I’m just heading into the office now.”
Sienna sank down on the bed. “Damn. You could have called me, Kat.”
“No way. You weren’t feeling well. And I was waiting for the initial pathology report, which came in about an hour ago. I thought it better to let you recover until we got more information. And thankfully Ingrid was available last night to join me at the scene.” Another scene. Another victim. And here she was rolling around in the sheets with Gavin. Not that that made a bit of difference to this killer.
“What do you know about the victim so far, and where was she found?” Sienna asked.
“He,” Kat said. “And he was found on the edge of a park in a pretty rough area. Near an old unused section of railroad. A homeless guy looking for bottles found him.”
“He?” Sienna asked, frowning. “That makes no sense to our profile.”
“I know. Throws things off, right?”
“Was there a note found?”
“There sure was,” Kat said.
“So it was definitely our killer’s work.”
“Definitely. Also, same methodology, and there were clues in the victim’s hand. Specifically, a pair of dice. You can read the note and see the rest when you get in.”
The note. Her mind cast back momentarily as she reminded herself where the last one had left off, with Danny Boy’s humiliating date with “Smiles.”
“Okay,” she murmured, her mind whirling. They’d thought they were dealing with bad mothers. “Wait, could this guy be a bad father?” she asked. That would expand things to bad parents, but it would still link the victims.
“If he is,” Kat said, “there’s no sign of it. His name’s Harry Lockheed. His wife had reported him missing twelve hours before he was found. From all initial evidence, he seems like he was a good family man: three grown kids, five grandkids. Obviously, we haven’t had time to interview them yet, so we’ll see if it’s a mirage, but on first sight, yeah, it doesn’t fit. The two women victims’ ages are similar, but this guy is older.”
“Well, shit,” Sienna muttered.
“That’s for sure. Anyway, hey, I just wanted to update you, but it’s your off day, so enjoy it, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Enjoy it. While she would love to do just that and spend the entire day with Gavin, the case was going to have to take priority in light of this new development. She’d made up for lost sleep, and she’d be mindful not to push herself as far as she had again. “No, I’ll be in. Just give me an hour or so.”
“Are you sure—”
“Absolutely. I want to be there.”
“Okay, well, if you’re sure, you know Ingrid will approve the overtime,” Kat said, and Sienna knew she’d made the right call by the relieved note in Kat’s tone. “See you soon.”
Sienna ended the call just as there was a soft rap on the bedroom door. “Come in,” she called.
Mirabelle peeked her head in. “I’m going to get going, honey. You make sure to prioritize your rest, okay? The world needs you at your best.”