MIne 2 Mine To Keep Cynthia Eden

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as if he were just going through the motions. Mimicking everyone else around him.
Her attacker drove a blade into her heart, Dr. Dulane said. Based on the size of her injury, I think
it was the same type of blade used on the other two victims. But this time& there were defensive
wounds.
She pulled back the sheet and pointed to Sara s wrists. The bruising is coming through. It looks like
he had to restrain her.
Take care of my sister. Sara had something to fight for.
Did she get the perp s DNA? Alex asked. Tell me you found it under her fingernails.
Dr. Dulane shook her head.
There were no signs of forced entry at Ms. Kramer s house, Alex said. And she was& dressed
provocatively.
She was sleeping with the man who killed her. Trace had already figured that part out himself.
She didn t sleep with him the day she died. There was no sperm, Dr. Dulane said with a shake of
her head. No sign of any sexual penetration.
So the guy hadn t fucked her before he killed her. Was that supposed to be some kind of mercy act?
Trace wanted to destroy the bastard.
Show us the other bodies, Alex directed.
Dr. Dulane headed toward a wall of vaults. She bent. Swung open one door, and pulled out a slab. A
black body bag filled the space. The hiss of the zipper seemed too loud as Dr. Dulane revealed the
body.
Sharpe s body was ghost-white. His eyes were closed. His muscles tight and frozen in death.
A two-sided blade went into his chest here, Dr. Dulane said, tapping her gloved fingers near the
wound. The assailant knew exactly what he was doing. The attack was dead-on.
Trace had already reviewed the report, so he knew about the type of blade used.
Tucker had always carried a two sided weapon. Always. There were no signs of struggle? Trace
asked. There had to be something there. If the killer had left Trace s dog tags with Parker, then some
sort of message had been left with Sharpe.
Trace just had to find the message.
None. The fact that Mr. Sharpe didn t have time to struggle is a good thing. It meant he probably
didn t have long to suffer.
He would ve wanted to fight. Dying easily hadn t been Ben Sharpe s style.
I ll be damned. You have an idea who the killer is, don t you? Alex suddenly demanded.
Trace looked over his shoulder at the detective. Not yet.
Alex s gaze called Trace a liar.
Nothing else was found with the body? Trace asked. He had to be missing something.
But then his gaze fell on Sharpe s throat. On the wound there. That s wrong.
Alex pressed closer. Yeah, getting your throat sliced open is wrong and
No, I mean the wound looks wrong. His stare flashed to Dr. Dulane. I need to see Parker s body.
Now.
She opened the next vault. A burst of cold air drifted out, rising as the body bag appeared.
The zipper hissed down. Trace leaned forward, studying the knife wound at Parker s throat. Parker s
throat had been sliced clean, from ear to ear.
But with Sharpe&
The wound stopped half-way across. He could see the jagged V where the knife had lifted out of
Ben Sharpe s throat for an instant. Then the killer finished the job.
Not a defensive wound.
A hesitation?
Why? The kill had already been complete by that point.
Then, understanding came. You didn t want to cut his throat.
He whirled around and rushed back to Sara s body. He stared at her throat and saw that same V
notch on the skin. Just a jagged tear, but Trace knew exactly what he was staring at. You didn t want
to cut her throat, either. But you did.
The killer hesitated with her, too, Trace said.
I-I made note of the injury pattern in the file, Dr. Dulane said, sounding a bit offended. I measured
the wound and included that
You didn t say the killer hesitated, Alex snapped.
Because you can t know that for sure! Maybe the blade slipped. Maybe
Why didn t he hesitate with Parker? Alex asked, focusing on Trace.
Trace knew the answer, and that made this dangerous game even more complicated. Because he
thought Parker deserved to die.
And if that were truly the case, then it meant that the killer had been watching him and Skye very
closely.
For a long time.
You know about our pasts. And you re using them against us.
***
Claire edged carefully into the morgue. Skye was at her side. Skye had only been in a morgue once
before. When she d gone to identify the bodies of her parents.
The smell was the same. The cold chill one that reminded her of death it was the same, too.
A redhead in a white lab coat stood near the door. Ms. Kramer?
Claire nodded.
Alex appeared beside the redhead. This way.
Claire shuffled forward. Skye hesitated. This was private. She shouldn t go in.
But Claire turned toward her. Come with me?
Skye nodded. She entered the viewing room with her chin up.
Sara was on the table. Her body was covered with a sheet, all the way up to the top of her neck.
Only her face was visible. Her face was perfect. No wounds. No pain.
It wasn t him, Claire whispered. H-he always shoots in the head. It wasn t him.
Then Claire grabbed Skye and held onto her tightly.
Skye stared over Claire s shoulder. Her gaze locked with Trace s. He d been there, watching them
all along. His eyes glinted.
No, a monster from Claire s past hadn t committed this crime.
Sara had just gotten caught in someone else s battle.
Who else did the killer plan to hurt?
***
Drake Archer drained the whiskey and slammed the glass on the bar. The liquid barely burned as it
slid down his throat. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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