HER LAST SHOT by Blake Pierce

Author:Blake Pierce [Pierce, Blake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-28T13:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“Well, according to the records,” Rachel said as she and Jack stepped out of the car, “there won’t be anyone home. Mr. Hoffman was a widower. He lost his wife about two years ago.”

Larry Hoffman lived on a street that resembled so many others in that part of the city. As they pulled up in front of his house, Rachel was a bit unsettle to find that a lot of the yards and houses along the well-to-do streets were similar to her own. His home was a cute and spacious one-level with a wrap-around porch. Two hummingbird feeders hung from the porch posts.

Looking sadly at the house, Jack nodded. “So let’s see what the neighbors have to say.”

They started at the house to the right, mainly because Rachel could hear the sound of a young girl speaking rather animatedly about something—a surefire sign that everyone else in the house was awake. Being that it was a weekday, she assumed the girl was getting ready for school.

She noticed that Jack allowed her to take the lead, purposefully falling a few steps behind while she knocked on the door. A dog started barking, and the little girl's voice made an announcement to rival that of the dog.

“Mommy! Someone’s at the door!”

The dog continued to bark as a set of hurried footsteps came toward the door. Rachel felt bad for intruding, imagining the chaos of the moment in a house where a girl was getting ready for school. She knew the feeling all too well; the slightest hiccup could throw the entire situation out of control.

The door was opened a foot so, and Rachel could hear a large-bodied dog scratching at the other side, anxious to get a glimpse at the visitors. A pretty but clearly annoyed woman peered out. She looked to be in her late thirties, but her expertly applied makeup made it hard to be certain.

“Yes?” she said.

“I’m so very sorry to bother you, ma’am,” Rachel said. She sowed her badge and said, “I’m Special Agent Rachel Gift, with the FBI. This is my partner, Agent Rivers. It sounds like you’ve got your hands full, but we’d really appreciate just a moment of your time.”

The woman looked at the badge with great interest as she shooed the dog away. She then turned her head slightly to face inside, and said, “Ben! Watch Sophie for a second!”

“Daddy!” the little girl said. “Mommy said watch me! I need to pack my lunch!”

Rachel did her best not to smile as the woman rolled her eyes and stepped out onto the orch. She actually looked slightly relieved to have stepped out of the situation going on inside the house.

“FBI,” she said with uncertainty. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s about your neighbor, Mr. Hoffman,” Jack said from his place on the stairs.

“What about him?” She looked over to his house with sad suspicion.

“What’s your name, ma’am?” Rachel asked.

The women cringed slightly at the term ma’am but looked beyond it. “Regina Flores.”

“Mrs. Flores, Mr. Hoffman was killed earlier this morning.

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