Promises of Mercy(Montana Promises-Book 1) by Vella Day Read Free Book Online Page B

for parental acceptance and considered yourself Chris’s surrogate mother.”
    His words took her breath away. Was she that obvious? “Being Chris’s older sister, I believe I understood him better than my mom did.”
    “You see? I’m right.”
    “You can’t know someone in only a few days.” Though she believed she knew Stone. He wasn’t complicated. When he’d been with her, he’d always been good. There didn’t seem to be any hidden agenda.
    Bea came by and placed the drinks on the table. “Have you two decided or have you been too busy feeling each other out?”
    Amber sucked in air. Did Bea think she was flirting? She was about to tell the woman her brother had just passed away, when Stone nudged her foot.
    “Give us a few minutes, Bea.”
    “Sure thing, cowboy.”
    The woman left and went over to another table. “She means well. Bea’s been trying to fix me up for years. So far she’s failed.”
    Amber had been so consumed with her brother’s situation she hadn’t taken the time to truly study Stone beyond how he’d acted with her. Seeing him flirt with the elderly woman, Bea, endeared him to her more.
    Whoa . Now wasn’t the time to consider dating, but if she were looking, he’d be the perfect man for her.

Chapter Five
     
    Detective Cade Carter’s boss, Dan Hartwick, tossed a folder on his desk.
    Cade looked up. “What’s this?”
    “Another case.”
    He was juggling three of them already, but the one that still haunted him was Emma Luther’s. “I already have my hands full. Give it to Trent Lawson.” Trent had just closed out the burglary case he’d been working on for the last two weeks.
    “Take a look at it.” Dan’s usually controlled expression was suddenly filled with concern. But there was something more. Excitement maybe?
    Curious, Cade pulled the file toward him, and when he opened it and spotted the name, Delacroix, his gut churned. He scanned the comments. “They ruled Chris Delacroix’s death a homicide?”
    “The toxicology screen came back this morning. There was an excessive amount of Ativan in his system.”
    “Shit. That was the same drug Emma Luther had in her system when she died. I’m guessing his doctor hadn’t prescribed that drug to him?” From what Stone had told him, Chris was quite angry and depressed, not anxious, which was the reason to prescribe the drug.
    “No. Besides, the dosage was significantly more than what would normally be given to a patient.”
    “Would that amount be enough to kill him?”
    “It might, though Dr. Almaguire suspects succinylcholine. It’s a—”
    “Neuromuscular blocker. Stone uses it on rare occasions to sedate a victim and then has to intubate them.” Shit . He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to die by paralysis. With the blocker, the kid wouldn’t be able to breathe.
    He glanced at the report. “It doesn’t say the drug was in his system.”
    “According to Almaguire, the blocker dissipates quickly, making it basically undetectable.”
    “Crap. Had the person not used Ativan first, he would have gotten away with murder—literally.”
    Dan’s mouth twisted. “Looks like we might have an angel of mercy killer on our hands.”
    His thoughts shot to Amber. Was she so kind that she’d kill? His chest constricted. He hoped like hell she was innocent. Stone seemed quite taken by her, and Cade knew why.  When he’d previously interviewed her, there was something about her that made a man want to get to know her better.
    He scoured the report again and spotted Chris’s nurse’s name and was relieved it wasn’t Amber’s. Reason intruded. The hospital never would have assigned her to treat her own brother, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have access to Ativan. She’d admitted to giving the drug to Emma Luther.
    He pushed back his chair. “I’m on it.” If it killed him, he’d find the bastard who did this to Chris.  No one had the right to say when a person should die. Not even a