Rough Ride by Paulla Hunter

Author:Paulla Hunter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Epicenter Press Inc.
Published: 2022-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

Hank Nelson’s piercing blue eyes swiveled to Darcy, making her feel twitchy. He took the toothpick out of his mouth.

“Do you have a problem, Ms. Darcy?”

“No problem. I mean, I thought since he was Bridget Emerson’s boyfriend . . .”

“You think there’s a connection?” He tilted his head to the side as if the idea hadn’t occurred to him.

“Don’t you?”

“Generally, I try to let the evidence tell me what’s going on.” He responded.

“You never pay attention to instinct or act on hunches?” Darcy put her hands on her hips.

“I mean it’s better to gather as much evidence as possible before coming up with theories. It usually works better that way.”

“I’m as interested in the evidence as you are, “Darcy said.

“It’s been my experience that the press generally doesn’t much care about facts if they interfere with a good story.”

She took a deep breath. No point in poking at a rattler who was already annoyed. “I’m sure you’ve had a few bad experiences with reporters in the past, but it’s unfair to assume that all of us play fast and loose with the truth. I happen to have a good reputation for using both accurate facts and reliable intuition. It’s a combination that’s worked well for me.”

“I like to use forensic science, careful observation, and focused interviews.” He smiled at her. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ll get on with it.”

Darcy watched him walk out through the gate and stop to talk to two of the officers She wondered why he was being so formal with her. He acted like their friendly breakfast had never happened. Could he be jealous of Gary Romero? Hank did look at her funny when he saw her with him. She dismissed the thought instantly. Hank was definitely not the jealous type particularly when they didn’t even have a relationship. Maybe it was trying not to mix business with personal feeling? She would have to watch that too.

She studied the men with Hank. One officer looked like he was beginning his career and the other looked old enough to be ending his. She followed Hank out and hovered close enough to overhear their conversation.

“We’ve bagged this.”

The young Opie look-alike officer held up plastic evidence bag that contained the bloody knife. He held it gingerly with a gloved hand between two fingers as if it were alive.

“I don’t think we’ll get much off of it. It looks like a standard Ka-Bar hunting knife, eight-inch blade. Maybe there are some prints on it.”

“Anything else?” Hank asked.

“Not much. The Medical Examiner is still making notes. There were some footprints in the blood at the scene though.” The older officer nodded in the direction of the upper stands.

“Complete or partials?”

“Just partials. Looks like a boot though. It’s either a man with small feet or a woman with large feet. I need to take some pictures while the blood’s still damp and run it at the lab. We might be able to reconstruct a whole print and learn more.”

“Okay. Keep me informed.

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