Shades of Murder (The Mac Faraday Mysteries) by Lauren Carr Read Free Book Online

naked. Then, he ordered a take-out pizza, drank soda straight from the liter bottle, and put it back in the fridge without the cap.
    When he woke up that first morning, Joshua thought about Reverend Brody’s request for him to visit Oliver Cartwright in prison. He hemmed-and hawed before finally agreeing at the last minute to go. He’d feel guilty if he didn’t.
    Joshua wasn’t going to embark on this investigation so much for Oliver Cartwright as he was for Jane Doe’s family. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if Jane Doe was one of his two daughters, and he didn’t know what had happened to her.
    Modern technology had become a Godsend. While drinking a cup of coffee at Starbucks, Joshua searched the Internet on his smart phone to find the names of the lead investigating officers in the Oliver Cartwright murders. Lieutenant Hank Gregory, the lead officer, had died. The second lead investigator, Detective Cameron Gates was stationed at the state police barracks in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, off Interstate 79.
    Within two hours of leaving Waynesburg, Joshua pulled his SUV into the police barracks, in hopes of having a sit down with the homicide detective. At least, that was his hope.
    As expected, the state police barracks was more spacious and contained most of the coveted conveniences of modern technology. It was a big step up from Hancock County’s small Sheriff Department.
    After being directed to the homicide section, Joshua was greeted by an obese woman with dark shaggy hair and bangs that fell into her black eyes. On her way out, she made a U-turn on the other side of the door to follow him into the squad room. “May I help you?”
    “I’m here to see Detective Cameron Gates,” Joshua answered her.
    “Who’s asking?” Licking her lips, she looked him up and down.
    Behind her, Joshua saw another woman watching him from behind her desk. Her short wavy audburn hair and tan jacket gave her a casual youthful appearance. She flashed him a wide grin that pushed her laugh lines up to frame her greenish-brown eyes. For most women, the wrinkles that come with age would be considered unattractive. Hers served to accentuate her high cheekbones.
    Her grin was welcoming, while that of the short woman blocking his path resembled the sneer of a predator spotting her next conquest. Tapping the end of a cigarette on a black leather case, she undressed the man with silver wavy hair with her eyes.
    He handed her his business card, which she read out loud. “Joshua Thornton, County Prosecuting Attorney, Hancock County, West Virginia.” Her big, grating, voice drew the unwanted attention of anyone who had not noticed them before. “So, Joshua Thornton, what brings you here from West-By-God-Virginia?” Laughing at what he did not know, she turned around for applause from the others in the squad room.
    Judging by the amusement of everyone, except the pretty woman, the fat cigarette smoker was someone of authority.
    “The Oliver Cartwright case,” he told her without humor.
    The laughter stopped.
    The grin fell from the smoker’s round face. “Are you his attorney?”
    “No,” Joshua replied. “I’m here to ask questions about the victim he wasn’t charged for killing. Jane Doe. Victim Number Four.”
    The pretty woman was now sitting up tall in her seat.
    “You’ve come to the wrong place, Joshua Thornton,” the smoker said.
    “This precinct has the lead on Jane Doe’s case. It’s never been closed.”
    “Unofficially, it’s closed,” she argued. “Everyone knows Oliver Cartwright killed her.”
    “If he killed her why wasn’t her murder brought up at his trial?” he countered. “Was it because you had evidence to prove he didn’t kill her? Evidence that could lead to identifying her and finding her real killer? That’s why the prosecutors steered clear of even mentioning her to the jury. If they had, the defense would have been able to make a case for reasonable doubt.”
    “There was no