Heat of the Moment by Lori Handeland

Author:Lori Handeland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781250019769
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Chapter 15

Owen returned to the first floor to discover his mother in the back of the squad car banging her head against the window and screaming in tongues.

Just another day at the McAllisters’.

“What happened?”

Reitman glanced up from bagging the evidence. He must have received permission to take it. Fine with Owen. He wanted every last bit of it out of here.

“She lunged at me.”

“She’s handcuffed.”

“Legs still work.” He let his gaze lower to Owen’s. The comment “unlike yours” was left unsaid. Owen heard it anyway and his hands clenched. Reitman quickly went back to work.

George came in. “I’m taking your mom to the station.”

“Her caseworker is on the way to get her.”

“She can get her at the station.” George held up his hand. “There’s gonna be paperwork.”

“I’ll call her back,” Owen said, though the idea of climbing the stairs to make another call made his leg ache worse.

George frowned at Reitman. “I didn’t say you could take that.”

The doctor didn’t pause in what he was doing. “You said you’d call.”

“Calling isn’t okaying.”

“I don’t have the okay?”

“You do,” George said. “But what if the chief had said no? It’s not like you could put it back the way it was.”

“I could. I took a photo and I’m sure someone here did too.” Reitman set the final bag on the ground next to the others. “But the FBI uses me, why wouldn’t you? I work at the UW, which has ridiculously well-funded lab facilities. If it didn’t, I wouldn’t still be there. I’m the best forensic veterinarian in the state. Probably in the Midwest. Ask Becca.”

George glanced at Becca, who nodded.

“I was trying to be polite by asking, but the okay for me to take the evidence was a given. Why waste time?”

George blew air out his nose, sounding like the Carstairses’ prize bull on his way to a pawing, charging tantrum. Owen knew the feeling. Reitman was beyond annoying.

“You’d better be as good as you think you are,” Owen said.

“I am.” Reitman turned his gaze to Becca. “I’m not going to be able to stay like I planned.” He motioned to the plastic bags. “This shouldn’t sit in my trunk overnight. I’ll head back now and get right on it.”

“I understand.” Becca moved forward as Reitman drew off his plastic gloves and tossed them onto the now empty table like a surgeon who knew the peons would be cleaning up after him later.

Owen turned away. He wasn’t going to watch them say good-bye. There’d be hugging and kissing. He just knew it.

He found it odd that Reitman had planned to stay in the first place. The man had known he was coming here to examine animal sacrifices. Had he thought the scene would be so cut-and-dry that no further forensics would be needed? Or maybe so messed up further forensics would be inconclusive? Owen should be happy that Reitman believed there was evidence still to be had.

He was, but he was even gladder the guy was going. Not just because he was a pain in the ass, but he obviously knew Becca a lot better than she’d let on.

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