Mitigating Circumstances by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg

Author:Nancy Taylor Rosenberg [Rosenberg, Nancy Taylor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Signet
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

About to leave for the day, early, due to their appointments at the Ventura Police Department to look at photo lineups of possible suspects in the rape, Lily punched the hands-free button on the speaker phone for what had to be her last call. She hadn’t arrived at the office until almost noon, waking late in the morning on the sofa in the empty house, and she was now trying to wade through the deep pile of cases on her desk and make one last assignment before leaving. The deep voice of Bruce Cunningham was recognizable without introduction.

“Thought I would let you know what’s going on,” he said hurriedly, excitedly. “I’m heading out now to Moorpark, where they’re digging up a body that fits the description of Patricia Barnes. Seems they were bulldozing for a new housing tract and spotted a leg or something after the first level of dirt had been removed.”

Lily slammed back so hard and fast in her chair that it slipped backward on the plastic mat. She pushed herself to the desk with the heels of her shoes and grabbed the receiver. “I’ll get one of our investigators over there too,” she said. “I want one of our men present when the body is exhumed.” She then added quickly, “If you get there before he does, try to preserve the crime scene before they destroy it.” Wanting to have him call her at the police station, she hesitated, not willing to disclose her reasons for being there. “Let me give you my home number. Call me around six-thirty or seven. I should be home by then.”

She rattled off her number and disconnected, swearing she would purchase a cellular phone, her heart jumping and her mind racing. What she wanted to do was get into her car and go to Moorpark, actually be where she could feast her eyes on death brought about by Hernandez. She wanted to smell the putrid odor, lean over the grave and take the cold, lifeless hand and hold it in her own, seal in her mind the bond they had, both of them victims, sisters. Then perhaps she could exonerate herself, free herself from this nightmare of guilt. But Shana was waiting and the fact that Hernandez had murdered Patricia Barnes was still no more than speculation. The body buried in Moorpark might not even be the prostitute.

She made the necessary call to Investigations and started someone rolling. Then she called Clinton.

He was huffing and puffing when he answered the phone. “Did Cunningham call you?” she asked.

“No, I just walked in the office this second. What’s up?”

“They found a body in Moorpark and it may be Patricia Barnes. He’s on the way now and I have one of our guys responding.”

“Fuck…“he said, letting the word roll off his tongue and linger. “You had the guy nailed from the beginning.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Clinton. It might not be her. That’s a virtual dumping ground for homicide victims out there from all over the state.

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