Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
“I’d mark it as a positive ID,” I tell Tabatha, knowing she’ll enter it into the preliminary case notes. “Address?”
“Out of state. Red Mesa Arizona. I’ll contact Arizona’s Department of Public Safety and see if they have others listed with the same address.”
I thank her before hanging up.
“Her name is Elizabeth Burr. Her driver’s license and vehicle registration are from Arizona.”
I look around the area, the sun barely visible, but dawn is fast approaching.
“So either she’s moved here recently or?” Colton says, always using every chance he can as a teaching experience.
“It’s possible the person who left her here and set her on fire is from Arizona, or they’re from around here and brought her body back to a place they feel comfortable, a place they’re familiar with.”
He nods, his approval not making me feel the same thrill of accomplishment it normally would.
“Next step?”
“See if the vehicle’s contents offer any information, and if not, then we try and track her banking and spending to see where she was last.”
He nods again.
“It’s going to be a long day,” Colton says, and I have to agree with him.
A lot of cases go cold because others aren’t willing to put in the leg work required to solve them. Some are never solved no matter how much effort the detective working the case puts into them.
I vow to solve this case, not only because it’s my first to take the lead on, but because no matter who Elizabeth Burr was, she didn’t deserve to be dumped off on the side of the road and discarded like trash.
Chapter 2
Ugly
Watching people, getting a read on them, is a skill I honed many years ago.
Watching and not acting or voicing an opinion is something I struggle with to this day.
It’s been nearly impossible for me to keep my mouth shut where Boomer and Drake are concerned.
I suspected something was going on weeks ago, but I knew for certain they were involved the morning I showed up at the bar to get my debit card from Jake’s, the local bar in town.
I was one of the first people back to camp after the group hike, and Drake wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was waiting for someone. He looked up every time someone else trickled in.
The drive up yesterday was miserable, neither Drake nor Boomer adding to the conversation. It had the potential to ruin the trip, but my mind kept wandering back to the woman from earlier in the week. She was seriously the hottest piece of ass I’ve had in as long as I can remember, and that’s saying something because I’m not exactly a celibate guy.
I don’t regret the night, but I do regret not asking her name. I know she’s a cop. I saw the gun and badge she carried with her to the local gym, despite it being a public place. It managed to turn me on even more—a woman concerned enough about her safety to stay armed even in public places. The world is so fucked up, after all, that you just never know when you’ll need to protect yourself.
I know I can find her. Hell, Colton is here on this trip and probably knows her personally.
Asking can’t happen, however. We both knew what that night was, and even though it’ll live in my memories for a long time, I’d never be the one to put in the effort to go looking for her. I may end up at the gym again despite having better equipment back at the clubhouse, though.
I know it’s a combination of thinking of her and the way Drake searches the group of people returning to the camp that makes me smile wider. I don’t know who either of them think they are fooling. I don’t know a single member of Cerberus who isn’t intuitive enough to read them both like an open book, but we’re also a group of people who will let it play out.
It’s obvious to me that they’re involved, but I have no clue if it’s love, infatuation, or just a fun time. I don’t know if it’s one-sided.
I frown when I realize that Drake, a man who is known for flirting with everyone, might have a little more emotion invested in my teammate than Boomer is willing to reciprocate. I invited Drake, not considering how that would make Boomer feel. I wanted to shove them into action, let Boomer know that whatever was holding him back from dating the man in the open wasn’t something he needed to worry about.
It may have been a mistake.
Boomer disappeared hours ago, and as night starts to fall he stays gone.
I’m not the only one sitting around the fire laughing and chatting that can feel him on the periphery of the group. I see several people dart their eyes at the shadows just on the edge of camp. They have to sense that it’s him as well. Many of these men are here with their families and would never risk not responding to that feeling of being watched if they didn’t know who was lurking on the edge.