Mortal Crimes 2: 7 More Thrillers (The Mortal Crimes Collection) by J Carson Black & Melissa F Miller & Brett Battles & Robert Gregory Browne & Michael Wallace & M A Comley & Carol Davis Luce & Phoenix Sullivan

Author:J Carson Black & Melissa F Miller & Brett Battles & Robert Gregory Browne & Michael Wallace & M A Comley & Carol Davis Luce & Phoenix Sullivan [Black, J Carson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steel Magnolia Press
Published: 2014-11-24T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifty-Three

Richie called her a week later. All the pieces were falling into place; she could hear it in his voice.

He told her about the blog on Josh Wingate’s computer, left up for them to read. “Kind of like a suicide note.”

A suicide note from the age of social media.

He gave her the details: Josh had used the same 12-gauge shotgun he’d used on Dan and Kellee to kill his mother and then himself. “She was making him lunch,” Richie added. “Shot her point-blank in the face—a real mess. Kind of a shame, she was such a looker.”

There he went again. Laura inwardly groaned.

“Then he put the gun in his mouth and used his big toe to blow himself to kingdom come.” He paused. “Something interesting came up on another front. Jamie Cottle was in a Catholic youth group run by Barbara Wingate.”

“You mean the catechism class?”

“Nah, more like a youth group after school. According to one of the kids I interviewed, those two were thick as peas in a pod. Wonder what they talked about.”

“I’ll bet she wanted him to keep trying for Kellee.”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Big-time. Stoke up his fantasy, get him fired up. Couldn’t hurt, I guess. Maybe Kellee would have tumbled to him. Persistence can wear a person down. That’s how I got my wife.”

Laura didn’t want to go there, so she said, “Barbara Wingate could be manipulative.”

“Uh-huh. She manipulated herself right into an early grave.”

“So. How are things going?”

“Believe it or not, we all kind of miss you. You are coming back, aren’t you?”

Laura held on to the phone. She looked out the window at a roadrunner crossing the back patio, a lizard dangling from its beak. Beautiful around here, but enough was enough.

Already wishing she was back in the squad bay, bantering with the guys, feeling the electricity as she zeroed in on an answer to a particularly tough case.

Missing it like it was a ghost limb.

“Laura? You there?”

“Oh, yeah,” she told Richie. “I’m here. And you don’t have to worry—I’m coming back.”

Big-time.

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