Already Trapped by Blake Pierce

Author:Blake Pierce [Pierce, Blake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths
ISBN: 9781094372150
Google: hJz9DwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Blake Pierce
Published: 2021-10-12T04:00:00+00:00

***

Laura stepped inside the apartment with one last deep breath, knowing it might be the last one that was easy to take in. Within seconds, the smell hit her nostrils: the sharp tang of blood. The scent of death that she was all too familiar with. At least this one was fresh. The older they were, the worse it got.

“Detective Frome,” she called out, bringing his attention their way. He was standing in the living room of the apartment with a loose cluster of other detectives, discussing something in serious and quiet voices, standing with arms crossed over chests or on hips.

“Agents,” he said. He looked pale. Laura wondered how many homicides he’d actually attended. Even if the answer was a lot, there probably weren’t too many that he felt personally responsible for. She felt bad for him, but underneath that was still a little anger. He should have known to protect the victim first. “The body is this way—in the bedroom.”

Laura hadn’t needed him to tell her that. Even if her nose hadn’t told her, the crime scene photographer flashing his bulb through the doorway would have. “You were first on the scene,” she said. “Tell me your impressions.”

Frome looked to the side, then back at her, almost helplessly. Like he didn’t know the answer. “It was very quick, eh. Didn’t get a chance to look at him or anything. He was gone through the bathroom window before I came in.”

“What did you hear through the door?” Laura pressed. Maybe Frome was too young, too inexperienced to be taking point on something like this. She should have seen that, assigned someone else to the duty. She’d just gone for him because she knew his name.

She should have handled it herself, like she did everything else. Sent Nate to one apartment and tackled the other herself. He was the only one she could trust, at least when it came to following procedure. She knew Nate would never have allowed this to happen.

And even before that, she could have acted sooner. Could have swallowed her pride and spoken up and not cared whether Nate was off with her or not. Could have rushed off herself without waiting for Frome to offer the opportunity to suggest new targets.

This was on her.

“Not much,” Frome admitted. “There was a kind of thud, I suppose—I called out to ask if Kenneth was all right, and the guys suggested he probably dropped something in his hurry to get ready. It was when he didn’t answer and didn’t come out that I started to get suspicious.”

“You didn’t hear anything else?” Laura asked, trying to confirm. She tried to push the lingering guilt to the back of her mind. Not to forget it. To allow it to fuel her. To make her push harder, try more. To not make the same mistakes again.

Frome thought back, his eyes going up to the ceiling. “I don’t think so.”

Laura nodded. She moved to the crime scene, slipping on a pair of gloves.

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