On Pins and Needles by Victoria Pade Read Free Book Online Page B

walls, the floors, the base boards, the door jambs, the edges and corners of counters and cup boards, and on whatever furniture has been there all along. We’ll probably have to spray luminol inside the drawers of any dresser that you didn’t bring with you, but you can take out your personal things yourself before we do that. And on the bright side, for now the warrant doesn’t allow us to pull up floor boards or get into your pipes.”
    He seemed to think that was some kind of consolation. He also almost sounded sympathetic and apologetic. But none of it made any difference. A bunch of strangers— men —were about to go into her home, open her closet doors, her cup boards, her drawers, and go through every nook and cranny of her living quarters, no matter how private. There was no consolation for that and even if he was sorry about it, it didn’t change anything.
    But since there was nothing she could do to stop it,Megan closed her paint can, went to set her brush to soak in the sink in the break room and, without another word to Josh Brimley, she walked out of her office to her car, thinking the whole way that no matter how terrific-looking Josh Brimley was, it didn’t make up for this.
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    The search took several hours and Megan hated every minute of it. Even though Josh allowed her to be the one to take her and Nissa’s undergarments from the drawers, and their personal things from the bathroom, he was still right there watching her, keeping an eye on everything she removed as she removed it.
    It was humiliating. Embarrassing. Enraging.
    And it made her determined to dish out a little in return. So, once her and Nissa’s unmentionables were out of the way, she opted for never letting Josh out of her sight as if she didn’t trust him as far as she could see him.
    But it didn’t seem to bother him quite the same way. Instead, as if she weren’t there at all, he went about his business.
    As the forensics unit studied the grave and surrounding area, and the patrolmen walked the rest of the property and searched the old barn, Josh searched the house.
    He did a thorough job of it, beginning by getting up into the attic and down into the crawl space, then turning his attention to the main floor and the second level of the two-story home.
    Since the furniture had been there from before her family had taken to the road, Josh left no piece of itunmoved, over turned, or with a drawer that wasn’t pulled completely free and checked inside and out.
    When that was accomplished, he sprayed the luminol over nearly every surface and used a fluorescent light that he explained would expose even old blood that was in visible to the naked eye.
    And while he confiscated several items—her father’s ancient sneakers and her mother’s equally aged gardening gloves among them—Megan was convinced he didn’t find anything that would end up being evidence of a crime.
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    It was after eight o’clock that evening before Josh decreed the search over. The forensics men had left before sundown but the other two officers had stayed as long as Josh.
    Megan could see them through the living room window, talking beside the patrol car. She wondered if they were all just going to leave or if at least one of them would allow her the courtesy of a goodbye.
    She didn’t have long to wonder, though. After a while Josh shook both men’s hands and watched them get in their car.
    But he didn’t follow suit. Instead he stayed staring after them until they’d driven out of sight.
    Then he retraced his steps back to the house and came in without so much as a knock on the front door that opened into the living room.
    Still, he didn’t say goodbye. He didn’t say anything. He merely leaned a nonchalant shoulder against thedoor he’d closed behind himself and gave Megan the once-over.
    â€œTime for my strip search?” she said facetiously before she