Fractured Memory by Jordyn Redwood Read Free Book Online Page B

Though he exuded polite calm and unflappability—the job had aged him beyond his fifty-four years. His hair was gray and the beard he wore fashionably clipped barely held the color of his youth.
    Eli and Quentin stood off to the side as Aurora police detectives began to analyze the presumed crime scene. Eli waved to Nathan Long, a well-respected detective he’d had the honor of working with on occasion. Local law enforcement would handle the case, which added to Eli’s apprehension as to why Quentin called him to the scene.
    “Quentin.”
    “Eli, thanks for coming by.”
    Eli motioned to the woman. “Not that you gave me a choice. What does this mean for Julia?”
    “That’s what we’re here to discuss and why I wanted you to see the crime scene for yourself. You understand my concern?”
    “I see a woman who may or may not have committed suicide.”
    “Follow me.”
    They rounded to the backside of the woman’s body. Quentin pointed to the noose. “What we know about the Hangman is he is very methodical in the way he dispatches his victims. Each noose had a device that was anchored into the ceiling. The rope—always yellow nylon. The noose was elaborate—far beyond what was needed to kill somebody. Decorative, you could say. The perpetrator would need to be skilled in tying knots.”
    “Like the doctor currently on death row for the Hangman’s crimes. Have they found any blood?”
    “The man who was convicted of being the Hangman, Dr. Heller, was a pediatric intensivist and doesn’t have the skill that, say, a surgeon would have with tying knots.” Quentin smoothed his hand over his mouth, his eyes narrow. “And no—so far they haven’t found any blood.”
    Eli shrugged. “If it proves to be murder, perhaps we have a copycat at play. The Hangman’s trial was televised and heavily covered by the media. There was extensive forensic presentation of the materials he used to make the noose and how it was anchored.”
    “Perhaps.” Though Quentin sounded far from convinced. “From looking at the scene right now, how could it possibly be suicide? There is nothing under her feet she could have stepped off of.”
    That was problematic. Eli’s gut tightened. “Who is she?”
    “Evelyn Roush was CEO of Medical Interventions International or MII. They’re a company based out of Colorado Springs.”
    Eli fiddled with the coins in his pocket. That was concerning. All the Hangman’s victims had a connection to the health-care field. As of yet, they hadn’t determined if the medical angle was significant or just the killer’s preferred type.
    “What does the company do?” Eli asked.
    “From what I gather, they revolutionize life-support equipment. Recently, the company was in the news for getting FDA approval for a specialized type of ventilator. Evelyn just became infinitely richer than she was before—quadrupled her net worth.”
    “I’m sure Aurora PD will look at all the usual suspects. Husband—”
    “She wasn’t married. No kids. Early reports say she dedicated her life to her company and was also a big philanthropist.”
    This woman’s death, on the surface, could be connected to Julia, but there wasn’t a logical straight line. If it was the hit man—why a hanging and not bullets? And if the real Hangman was free and not awaiting a state-sponsored injection to whatever was beyond this life—why didn’t he choose to kill Julia in the same manner as before?
    Quentin sighed and nudged Eli from the room with his hand pressed against his back. He didn’t stop guiding Eli until they were in the front yard. Eli put his sunglasses on—in part to shield his eyes from the sun, but also to hide his feelings from his more experienced, astute supervisor.
    “I know you were involved with the Hangman’s case. I know you were part of the responding team that found Julia barely alive. How did that come about?”
    “What?”
    “That you found Julia?”
    “The hospital called and reported her