took the first opportunity to exit the room.
I stopped in my office and scribbled the haunting words on the board. I didn't like it. I didn't like anything about it. What the hell did it mean? A riddle, puzzle, sick poem, clues that we needed to find that weren't there? He was clever and calculating. An animal. I wasn't operating at full capacity, with no sleep, and it was affecting my thinking. I needed to walk and catch my second wind. That chat with Billy Randall might lead us in the right direction. I headed down the long hall to the interview rooms and found Cole sitting at the desk.
Chapter 9
I stood there for about a minute before Cole raised his head to acknowledge me and then looked away. "How's Billy doing?"
"Just missed him. Parents took him home about ten minutes ago." He stared at the file in front of him.
"Why? I needed to talk to him?" I threw my hands up in the air.
"Ward said to cut him loose." He continued to look at his file and avoid any eye contact.
"What? Wait? You're kidding me, right? Did he say where he was last night?" I was pacing back and forth in front of his desk. I felt the heat rise up and surround me.
He finally looked up at me. "At a bonfire down by the river."
"What else did he say?" I put my hand out and he handed me the Randall file.
"Said he saw nothing until he fell on her." He stood up and pressed his finger to his nose.
"Did anyone happen to ask him why the smell didn't stop him from entering the premises and contaminating a crime scene?"
"No, I don't know. Ask Ward." He slid around me and headed down the hall. "He wasn't saying much. He was scared to death," he yelled back.
I headed to Ward’s office. From day one, he had been undermining all of my decisions and sabotaging our investigations, all at my expense. It was obvious what he was trying to do, but nobody stood up to him. "Ward is just being Ward," was not going to fly anymore. I stormed his office without knocking. He was sitting in his chair, facing the back of his office. First lesson. Always sit with your back to the wall. Any fool knows that. I slammed the Randall file on his desk like I was swatting a nasty fly. Ward swirled around like a top.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Sam?" His eyes darted around.
I bent over his desk to make sure that he heard my words. "Don't mess with me anymore."
"Why, so you can make an ass out of yourself and the department?"
"No, so you can stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
"Let me tell you something, little girl. I've been around here long enough to know that you have no idea what you're doing. I'll stick my nose anywhere I want. Now, get the hell out of my office." He threw his arm in the air and motioned at the door.
"Not until you back off and let me do my job," I yelled. "You sent Billy home before I had a chance to interview him,” I shot back. “You know that he was our only witness."
"I interviewed him," He shouted, slamming his hand down on the desk.
"It's not your case." I slammed harder. "Where was he, what the hell was he doing, and why the hell did he just happen to be in that house?"
"Dumb luck, I guess," he yelled back. "You think because you have a fancy degree that you can run the show? You've got a lot to learn, little girl."
"Little girl?" How many times was he going to call me that?
"If you go near another one of my cases, I'm going to Hayes." I edged my way toward the door to leave.
“If I were you, I’d stay away from him,” he huffed. “Understand?”
He stopped me in my tracks. I turned around and strolled back to his desk. “Don’t ever threaten me, understand?”
"You sound like your crazy mother." Bad choice of words.
"You're a miserable prick with nothing better to do than to make my life more difficult. I'm done playing your stupid game, and the next time you say anything about my mother, me or mess with my investigations. I'm gonna shove my fist down your throat and pull your little balls out of your
I stopped in my office and scribbled the haunting words on the board. I didn't like it. I didn't like anything about it. What the hell did it mean? A riddle, puzzle, sick poem, clues that we needed to find that weren't there? He was clever and calculating. An animal. I wasn't operating at full capacity, with no sleep, and it was affecting my thinking. I needed to walk and catch my second wind. That chat with Billy Randall might lead us in the right direction. I headed down the long hall to the interview rooms and found Cole sitting at the desk.
Chapter 9
I stood there for about a minute before Cole raised his head to acknowledge me and then looked away. "How's Billy doing?"
"Just missed him. Parents took him home about ten minutes ago." He stared at the file in front of him.
"Why? I needed to talk to him?" I threw my hands up in the air.
"Ward said to cut him loose." He continued to look at his file and avoid any eye contact.
"What? Wait? You're kidding me, right? Did he say where he was last night?" I was pacing back and forth in front of his desk. I felt the heat rise up and surround me.
He finally looked up at me. "At a bonfire down by the river."
"What else did he say?" I put my hand out and he handed me the Randall file.
"Said he saw nothing until he fell on her." He stood up and pressed his finger to his nose.
"Did anyone happen to ask him why the smell didn't stop him from entering the premises and contaminating a crime scene?"
"No, I don't know. Ask Ward." He slid around me and headed down the hall. "He wasn't saying much. He was scared to death," he yelled back.
I headed to Ward’s office. From day one, he had been undermining all of my decisions and sabotaging our investigations, all at my expense. It was obvious what he was trying to do, but nobody stood up to him. "Ward is just being Ward," was not going to fly anymore. I stormed his office without knocking. He was sitting in his chair, facing the back of his office. First lesson. Always sit with your back to the wall. Any fool knows that. I slammed the Randall file on his desk like I was swatting a nasty fly. Ward swirled around like a top.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Sam?" His eyes darted around.
I bent over his desk to make sure that he heard my words. "Don't mess with me anymore."
"Why, so you can make an ass out of yourself and the department?"
"No, so you can stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
"Let me tell you something, little girl. I've been around here long enough to know that you have no idea what you're doing. I'll stick my nose anywhere I want. Now, get the hell out of my office." He threw his arm in the air and motioned at the door.
"Not until you back off and let me do my job," I yelled. "You sent Billy home before I had a chance to interview him,” I shot back. “You know that he was our only witness."
"I interviewed him," He shouted, slamming his hand down on the desk.
"It's not your case." I slammed harder. "Where was he, what the hell was he doing, and why the hell did he just happen to be in that house?"
"Dumb luck, I guess," he yelled back. "You think because you have a fancy degree that you can run the show? You've got a lot to learn, little girl."
"Little girl?" How many times was he going to call me that?
"If you go near another one of my cases, I'm going to Hayes." I edged my way toward the door to leave.
“If I were you, I’d stay away from him,” he huffed. “Understand?”
He stopped me in my tracks. I turned around and strolled back to his desk. “Don’t ever threaten me, understand?”
"You sound like your crazy mother." Bad choice of words.
"You're a miserable prick with nothing better to do than to make my life more difficult. I'm done playing your stupid game, and the next time you say anything about my mother, me or mess with my investigations. I'm gonna shove my fist down your throat and pull your little balls out of your
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