Page 14 of Heat of Justice (Duty #3)

Lia brought up the copy of each article she had made onto her main computer screen. She placed them two aside on a single slide and hit zoom.

“Take a look at these for me, Dem,” she invited. “What do you see?”

“There’s four of these articles now?” Demi exclaimed.

“Yes; whoever’s writing them has publishing diarrhea.”

“I hope it hurts.”

“Yes,” Lia approved with a heartfelt nod. “The last article is particularly vicious. It makes up a fictitious story about Quinn bullying a young female soldier under her command when she was in Iraq.”

“Jesus! No one who actually knows Quinn will believe this web of lies! Before she took on Special Crimes, she was one of the best field training officers the department ever had. The best coach and mentor, and this coming straight from the mouth of the officers she trained!”

“Yes, but this blog isn’t aimed at the people who know and appreciate her. Now look,” Lia repeated. “What do you see?”

The more she stared at the four blogs aligned in this format, the more obvious it became to her, and the more her heart sank. It only took Demi a couple of seconds before she nodded.

“I notice a pattern. Each blog is about the same size, just one big paragraph with a concluding sentence.”

“Yes.” Lia highlighted each one.

A BAD COP!

A STINKING COVER-UP!

DON’T TRUST THE POLICE!

SHE’S A BULLY!

“All in caps,” Demi noted. “With an exclamation mark. It’s a style of writing, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Like a signature, you might say.”

“Wait a minute.” Lia clenched her teeth as her friend turned astonished eyes toward her. “You sound just like… Lia, do you know someone who writes like that?”

“Yes.” Lia exhaled long and hard. “Or I used to, at least. A long time ago.”

◆◆◆

There was no time. Cody had to get back to a crime scene. She needed to focus on finding a killer. But for sure, the kiss on the beach dismantled her. Was it a case of mindful manifestation? Because as she watched Kim walk out of the ocean with little droplets of water on her eyelashes, scintillating in the sunshine like diamonds, the thought of grabbing her for a kiss was first and foremost on her mind. Kim’s wet t-shirt clung to her breasts, highlighting erect nipples and giving undeniable proof that she did not wear a bra. A few strands of wet hair clung attractively to the line of her jaw, her eyes sizzled, and Cody failed not to stare. When Kim stepped into her and cupped her face in her hands, her mind went totally blank. She tensed, only for a quick second as her startled brain adjusted to the situation. Then, there were no more thoughts, only pleasure and sensation. What had Kim said?

‘I’m going to do something a little crazy if you don’t mind.’

Hell of a disclaimer to kick things off. And Cody did not mind. Not at all. It was crazy, yeah, how much Kim made her feel with just a simple press of the lips. Perhaps it was because there were layers to this embrace. Gentleness, desire, connection, need… Cody felt it all and then a bit more. Kim’s lips on hers were at once soft, smooth, hot, and tantalizing. Jesus! Amazing. The woman left her breathless and wanting never to stop kissing her. When Kim pulled back and smiled, her honey-colored eyes conveyed all the joy and uncertainty that she clearly felt at the moment. Cody could not resist; she kissed her back, wanting to dispel any doubt in her mind that this may be one-sided. With one hand sliding around the back of her neck, braced firmly to support her trembling legs, she captured her waiting mouth. As Kim yielded to her, instantly, Cody let out a small whimper. This felt so good… It was so easy! They parted again, exchanged a loaded glance. and

“Mm,” Kim murmured. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Cody confirmed.

Kim raked her fingers through her hair, gripped with both hands and delivered another kiss. This time it was deep, long, and hard. And the very second that silky tongue touched hers, Cody was lost. Not since Emma had a kiss felt so damn right, so perfect. Kim both led and invited at the same time. She directed, but she was not forceful. Her kiss was just exciting. Demanding, you bet, but also gorgeously allowing. Cody tasted salt on her mouth from the ocean. Warm skin. Moist lips. All of it… All of her! So beautifully intoxicating. And again, there was no time. Neither of them said very much back in the car. But they held hands all the way. Tight.

“I’ll be home later,” Kim said as Cody pulled up in front of the building. “Come back when you can.”

“It might be very late when I’m done.”

“Doesn’t matter what time. I just—” She stopped, bit on her lip, stared at her intently.

“What?” Cody prompted, catching a question in her eyes.

“You come only if you want to,” Kim murmured.

“Gosh, Kim, don’t you know I do?”

“Yes, I… I guess I’m just making sure you know it’s okay if you’d rather wait.”

Cody kissed the tempting half-smile on her lips, which held a hint of amazement and wonder. She felt the exact same thing and did not want to wait.

“I will come to you as soon as I can,” she promised.

Kim laid a soft hand on her cheek. Her gaze turned urgent once again. And searching.

“This is crazy,” she repeated. “Isn’t it?”

“Well, yes,” Cody grinned. “Not my usual day at the office, that’s for sure.”

“How do you feel?”

“Great. Perhaps a little dazed.”

A shadow flashed across Kim’s eyes, and she tightened her hold on her fingers.

“I do not want you distracted on the job, Cody.” Nice and sharp now. A lawyer’s tone, laced with intimate concern. “You be careful out there, okay?”

Cody nodded.

“Yes. Always am.”

It was a long time since a woman had said this to her like she meant it absolutely. Cody carried the feeling and the sweet taste of Kim’s lips with her all the way back to the crime scene. Her heart was still racing with the charge of that mind-blowing kiss when she got there. Crazy... But she, too, was a professional, of course. So, she took a deep breath, and stored the memory safely at the back of her mind. By the time she re-joined her team at the scene, her focus was once again total.

“What have we got?” she prompted.

“A footprint,” the chief forensics officer informed her.

Cody stared, frowning at the muddy patch of ground, now cordoned off behind police lines, in front of the water. The area was a mess.

“There must be a million footprints out here,” she grunted. “Including mine from earlier. How do you know what you got, O’Neill?”

“Because I happen to be ace at my job,” he told her with a knowing grin. “Plenty of prints, yeah, but only one set of ‘em sunk in three times as deep as the others like maybe that guy was carrying a load. Size 15 boots. It got my attention.”

Now it got hers too. “You know what kind?”

“Of course.” He winked. “Logo on the bottom says Carhartt work boots.”

“Right. So this may be the dump site.”

“That would be a logical conclusion.”

“How tall would a guy need to be to wear size 15 boots?”

“Well, I’m six-two and I wear 13.”

She recalled that Jack Winters looked about 6”4. He was a bricklayer. Worked in construction. I wonder if he wears Carhartt boots.

“He dumped the body from here and didn’t care that he left tracks. Your guy is either very stupid or over-confident that no one would care to call the cops in this area,” O’Neill added.

“Over-confidence makes stupid.” And O’Neill was right as well. If not for Kim, no one would give a damn if they found a dead body here. “What else?” Cody prompted.

“The bag was tied to the base of the piling with a length of rope. I assume to keep it submerged, but he’d have been better off using a chain for that purpose.”

“Not a pro, uh?”

“Definitely not, and I’d say not very bright either.”

“Agreed on that.”

“I’ve got people combing through the open area in front of the bridge to see if we come up with anything else.”

“Okay. Let me know if you do.”

Not surprisingly, given the makeup of the population of Docktown, canvassing for witnesses who had something useful to share proved a fruitless exercise. Either no one had seen anything, or their drug-fueled descriptions were too farfetched to be taken seriously. Or they lied, wanting nothing to do with the investigation. Cody headed to the morgue. At least she was never disappointed with the quality of the information that she received there; the medical examiner ran a tight ship. Cody was pleased to find her already at work on her latest patient when she walked into the exam room.

“Morning, Doc.”

Dr Lee LaRiviere, an interesting mix of British, Chinese, and Cajun French, shot her an assessing glance from behind her pair of magnifying goggles.

“Mm,” she answered. “Are you being economical with your words today, Detective, or not sure if the morning is good?”

Cody nodded toward the body on the table. “Not good for her, eh?”

“No, but she’s with people who care now.” Lee laid a gentle hand on the dead woman’s shoulder as she said this.

She had her patient positioned on her stomach, with a light sheet covering her. She did care, for real, and also excelled at her job.

“How did she die?” Cody prompted.

“Sadly, hard. Let me show you.”

Lee removed her goggles, and she retrieved a large hammer from a side table.

“Hmm,” Cody grunted when she picked it up, anticipating.

“Yes,” the pathologist nodded. “This is a claw hammer with a carbon steel head. It's a very handy piece of kit that can be turned into a terrifying weapon. Come.”

Cody went to stand with her at the head of the exam table. From that vantage point, the gaping hole in Cassie Winters’ skull was even more glaringly obvious.

“She was hit from behind.” As Lee positioned the hammer to show her, it fit so perfectly that Cody could almost hear the shattering of the skull.

She winced. “How many times?”

“Once would have been enough. You can see from all the missing bone that he hit, then pulled sharply to get the hammer out.” “He used the claw side.”

“That’s correct. The blow would have been devastating.”

“Do you think she knew it was coming?”

“What I can say for certain is that she had her back to him when he struck her. Either because she trusted the guy or didn’t see him coming, I don’t know.”

“Could she have been running away from him?”

“Perhaps.” Lee considered. “But probably not, as I haven’t found any defensive injuries on her. She was not fighting at the time she was struck.”

“Okay. You think the attacker was male?”

“From the angle of the wound, I’d say so, yes. Over six feet in height and very strong. Either male or a WNBA player. Draw your own conclusions.”

“Oh, I am,” Cody murmured.

“Got a suspect in line?”

“The victim’s husband is a 6”4 bricklayer who used to slap her around badly. She was planning her escape. Sadly, it looks like she ran out of time.”

Lee’s feline dark eyes flashed in genuine anger, a rare show of emotion for her.

“I think you should go and see if he’s got a bloody hammer, Detective. Or missing one from his toolbox.”

“My next stop,” Cody confirmed. “Thanks, doc.”

She drove straight to Winters’ place of work and spoke with a frustrated manager who told her that he was three hours late and had not bothered to call. He was not answering his phone either. Cody went to his apartment, but she already suspected that the man would not be there. It was a good guess. She called O’Neill, who promptly arrived with an eager smile on his face.

“We’ve got probable cause to enter,” Cody told him. “Open this door for us, will you?”

“Be my pleasure.”

The search revealed a bunch of clothes apparently missing from the man’s closet. He’d left the door open as if he’d been in a hurry when packing. A hanger was on the floor. All consistent with a hasty departure.

“No Carhartt boots in the closet,” O’Neill stated. “But we’ve got Nike running shoes, size 15. Dress shoes, same size. And two pairs of Carhartt work trousers. So…”

“Maybe he’s wearing the boots.”

“Maybe.”

Cody issued an arrest order for Winters as soon as she got back to the station. She wrote her report, sent a copy to Wilson as per Quinn’s orders, and one to her as well. The lieutenant was still not back on official duty but wanted to be kept in the loop. Then, Cody headed back out to dig into Jack Winters’ personal life. She interviewed some of his friends and co-workers. No one seemed overly surprised to hear that he was the prime suspect in his wife’s murder. The general consensus about the man was that he had a short fuse and a nasty temper and that there had been issues in the marriage. The sad truth of it was that no one cared enough about Cassie to get involved and try to help her. Except for one lawyer...