Pattern of Wounds by J. Bertrand

Author:J. Bertrand
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group

Before Cavallo’s husband went back to war, the newlyweds played house in a dilapidated Montrose cottage that must have seemed like a good investment at the time. A little sweat equity and they could flip it for a tidy profit. From the curb it looks like the sweat was invested elsewhere. Nothing has changed since my last visit apart from the wreath on the door and the jumble of unlit lights hanging from the rain gutters.

I step through the open door and call Theresa’s name. She walks through from the kitchen dressed in sweats and a v-neck shirt, a laundry basket balanced on her hip.

“Give me two minutes,” she says, disappearing down the hallway.

The nice thing about the cottage is that it’s never been updated. The floors, the wood trim, and even the windowpanes look original. I shudder to think what state the wiring must be in. Cavallo’s flat-packed furniture and rock band posters are an incongruous fit, and despite the passage of months, the place still feels like she’s just moved in. I sit on the edge of a shiny black sofa to await her return.

Five minutes later, she reappears, now dressed in jeans and a baggy sweater, her curly hair tied back into a ponytail. She sits cross-legged in an overstuffed chair across from me, the only piece that’s seen much use, and I fill her in on everything that’s happened since our visit to Dr. Hill’s place on Monday. When I finish, she shakes her head in amazement.

“You’ve had quite a week,” she says. “But I still don’t see what you want from me.”

I look at my watch. “An hour from now, I’ve got to sit down with this guy Lauterbach and compare notes. I’d like you there as a fresh set of eyes.”

“Wouldn’t you be better off with a fellow homicide detective?”

“Not particularly. Look, I want someone I can trust, and you fit the bill. Plus, you have a connection with Brad Templeton, thanks to his book on the Mayhew case, and that could be useful now that Brad’s got me in his crosshairs. Someone has to talk sense into him, and it might as well be someone young and pretty like you.”

“I’m flattered,” she says. “Though I don’t think I’m Brad’s type.”

“You can turn on the charm if you have to.”

“But what’s the real reason you want my help? It’s not like last time where I can go to Wanda and get her to sign off. You’ve gotta give me a good reason, March, or this isn’t gonna happen.”

“I’m asking you because you’re not in Homicide and don’t want to be. That means my bosses can’t put a word in your ear and turn you against me.”

“You don’t trust your colleagues?”

“Aguilar’s all right. Reliable. But he’s not going to stick his neck out.”

“But I will?”

“You won’t have to,” I say. “And it’s not like I’m asking you to work the case with me. It’s just this one meeting. All you have to do is sit there and take everything in, then afterward tell me what you honestly think.

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