Blood on the Badge (A Villain’s Story Book 1) by Mary Stone

Author:Mary Stone [Stone, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mary Stone Publishing
Published: 2023-07-20T23:00:00+00:00

21

After knocking on the apartment door, Eliza stepped back and glanced at her smartwatch—10:47 a.m. She had begun writing that morning and was still crafting the report in her head.

Her idea to take a break, get some air, and clear her thoughts had been good. She stood waiting—rocking comfortably on her heels.

Eliza didn’t normally engage in everyday flatfoot police work anymore. But now that Al had threatened her—

She touched her thick brown bun.

Sorry, Senator Daulton.

She found it hard to think of him branded by that title. The truth was she rarely thought of Al in a professional context at all. That was why it’d been so unexpected to see him barge into her place of work again two days ago.

Of course, he’d been there before. Many times. But that was different.

That was politics.

He was with that private detective too. What an asshole. Did Al really think she wasn’t up to the task of finding his boy?

Why do you care? You hate him, remember? Remember what he made you do. Remember the girl…

With the added pressure from the most powerful man in the county, the normally busy sheriff’s department was swamped. Now, standing outside in the gathering heat as the endless stream of cars whooshed by, Eliza felt a sudden emptiness. She forced herself to perk up, to remember what she had told herself not thirty minutes ago.

Might as well take on some of the grunt work myself, lighten the load.

The truth was Eliza usually enjoyed being out in the field. When she’d first been elected sheriff, she hadn’t realized just how much time she’d end up spending behind a desk.

But then she learned how to write.

She rapped on the apartment door a second time. Finally, she heard movement inside. A chain unlatched, and the door swung open.

Like a bear cub emerging from hibernation, a young man with long, dark, greasy hair stood within the threshold. The combination of his height and his extreme lankiness was immediately disarming.

Yet the young man’s big, bloodshot green eyes seemed kind as they blinked in the daylight. She spied a tattoo of Sylvester the Cat on his bicep. He was probably in his early twenties, but to Eliza, he looked about twelve and in need of some mothering.

“Good morning.” Eliza smiled, showing her badge. “I’m Eliza Galvez, sheriff of Elmaeder County. I’m looking for a young lady by the name of Rebecca Mann. Is this her place of residence?”

“Beck? Yeah.” The guy sniffed and glanced to the side. “What’s the problem? She in trouble?”

The tangy stench of weed and day-old macaroni and cheese wafted from inside the apartment.

Eliza discreetly turned her nose away so as not to gag. “No, no, nothing like that. I’m investigating the murder of Loree West. Do you mind if I ask your name?”

“Ren Jenkins.”

In her elegant handwriting, she jotted this in her notebook. “It’s my understanding Rebecca was once romantically involved with Loree. Is that correct?”

“I heard about Loree.” He nodded and bit his thumb. “I knew her a little bit.

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