Sweet as Pie Crimes by Anisa Claire West Read Free Book Online Page B

leaving the Organic Lavender Fields for some unknown hideaway.
    Slowly, I walked to the front counter and pressed the power button on my iPad despite my misgivings.  As the neon light of the screen flashed in my weary eyes, I felt as though I had just made an irreversible decision that would change my life forever.  As I typed “Marcus Briton” into the Google search engine, this notion of destiny became even more potent. 
    The first several articles that came up made my blood curdle.  I clicked on one from the San Francisco Gazette and felt ill as I read the details of the murder. 
    Marcus Briton has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the gruesome stabbing murder of his estranged wife, Caitlyn Briton.  The victim was stabbed more than 20 times in an attack so brutal it has left even seasoned homicide detectives in shock.  A grand jury convicted Briton of the heinous crime after a grueling two weeks of testimony and evidence.  Although the murder weapon was never found, the jury apparently found the circumstantial evidence of the case sufficient to convict Briton.
    I reread the last sentence, troubled by the tidbit about the knife not having been recovered.  Sure, the spouse was usually the perpetrator when a violent murder like this was committed, but not always.  Maybe Marcus was the exception.  I scrolled down further and found the same article retold by different newspapers.  Clicking onto the next page of results, I discovered an article from an independent news blog that sent my heart from palpitating to aching.  Next to the article was a snapshot of Marcus in a white lab coat flanked by two beaming children.
    Pediatric resident physician Dr. Marcus Briton of Pacific Ocean Children’s Hospital has been convicted of murdering his wife, Caitlyn Briton.  In the throes of a bitter divorce, Briton was found guilty of stabbing his soon to be ex-wife in a fit of rage over finances and possessions.  The news comes as a shock to his colleagues at the hospital.  Most people we interviewed refrained from commenting, but his mentor, Dr. Bill Townsend, pictured in the sidebar, issued this statement:
    “I’m in a state of shock right now.  Marcus has been working under my supervision for the past two years since graduating with honors from Stanford Medical School.  He’s one of the finest doctors---and men---I’ve ever known.  I simply refuse to believe that he was responsible for this crime, and I hope he wins a retrial on appeal.”
    The candid support of the highly esteemed pediatrician Bill Townsend raises questions about the character of the convicted and further complicates a case that has inspired intense division on both sides…
    I swallowed hard, feeling a lump rise up in the base of my throat as I forced myself to read the rest of the article.  In addition to the comment fr om Dr. Townsend, Marcus’s parents had issued impassioned statements proclaiming his innocence and dedication to the field of pediatric medicine.  My heart softened at the knowledge that Marcus was a children’s doctor. 
    Glancing at the time, I widened my eyes, no ting that it was already past 11.  If I had felt lured to investigate Marcus’s case before, now nothing would stop me, and I knew I had to meet him at the lavender farm before he disappeared forever---or worse, before he was arrested and carted back to San Quentin.
    Slipping my iPad into its case and grabbing my car keys, I scurried out the door to find Marcus.  Thankfully, I knew exactly where the farm was, and at this time of night, traffic would be light to non-existent, so I should easily be able to make it there before midnight.  My exhaustion transformed into adrenaline as I accelerated past the speed limit of the back country roads.  A few street lamps lit up the night, but mostly all I could see was blackness.  I envisioned Marcus locked up in his cell after the lights automatically switched off each night in