At Close Range by Jessica Andersen - Bear Claw Creek Crime Lab 02 - At Close Range

Author:Jessica Andersen - Bear Claw Creek Crime Lab 02 - At Close Range [Andersen, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Man-Woman Relationships, Police, Colorado, Criminologists, Contemporary, Women Forensic Scientists, Romance, United States - Officials and Employees, Romantic Suspense Fiction, Suspense, General, Love Stories
ISBN: 9780263198669
Google: R1BhT7CrlXAC
Amazon: B0068SP8L4
Goodreads: 975042
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2006-04-10T16:00:00+00:00

“Peter Dunbar had no apparent connection to the apartment he was found in. The super claims the room’s been vacant for nearly a month. The lease is still active, but the last known tenant—this Nevada fellow—took off weeks ago. The killer either knew the room was empty, or he got lucky.”

The chief called Tucker up next. The homicide detective cleared his throat and looked grave. “A missing persons report was filed first thing this morning by parents who’d been out of town. Their nineteen-year-old daughter wasn’t home when they arrived.” He paused. “They positively ID’d the female victim as their daughter, Jasmine Gardner.”

Oh, hell. Cassie’s shoulders slumped. True, it was a break in the case. The names would allow them to follow up with Jasmine and Peter’s friends, to see if they were connected to each other either directly or through a third party. But at the same time, assigning names and families to the dead was one of the hardest aspects of cases like this.

When Tucker retook his seat, the chief looked around the room, clearly searching for Varitek. With the FBI agent AWOL, Parry was forced to call on Cassie. “Can you update us on the forensics findings, Officer Dumont?”

She stood and crossed the room, thinking that she needed food or sleep or both, because she was feeling seriously funky.

She gripped the sides of the podium, which provided her a sturdy, solid anchor.

“Reexcavation of the canyon crime scene yielded a class ring that appeared to have been associated with the skeleton.” Was the room spinning or was it just her?

“Early this morning, we were able to use the insignias and manufacturer’s stamp to track the ring to Tyngsboro High School, outside of Boulder. Even better, we were also able to pinpoint a graduating year for the wearer. Our comparison of the class list to missing persons files has presumptively identified the skeleton as belonging to eighteen-year-old Marcia Pennington, who disappeared from her Tyngsboro home eight years ago this March.”

Cassie’s heart dragged at giving a name to yet another dead body, but she also felt the burn of satisfaction, of a job well done. Eight years after their daughter’s disappearance, the Penningtons would finally know where she’d gone. They’d finally be able to bury her and say good-bye because of work done by the Bear Claw forensics department. It had been her work, not Varitek’s, that had identified the victim.

But he wasn’t even in the room to hear the announcement.

Where was he, anyway?

“Congratulations—you’ve ID’d an eight-year-old skeleton,” a male voice called from the crowd, “but what about the current murders? They’ve got to be the priority right now.”

There was a murmur of agreement, or maybe that was the buzzing in her ears.

Irritation spiked through the dizziness. “You want progress?” Cassie snapped, knowing she’d agreed to keep it under wraps but suddenly not really caring. The spinning sensation overrode caution, telling her it was time to stir things up. Time to give her coworkers a taste of their own medicine. Suspicion.

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