Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
I followed him and gasped at what I saw. Saul Nelson sat on the wooden floor, slouched against the reception desk, an arrow shaft protruding from his heart. His eyes were wide, and blood had dribbled out of the side of his mouth.
“Stay here,” Aiden said. “Back to the wall.”
I sidled with my shoulders to the wall and kept my gun at the ready. Aiden edged into Clark’s office and then made his way down the hall, clearing each room before returning.
Saber appeared at my side from the hallway, his gun out.
“The office is clear,” Aiden said. “Search the rest of the building again and then scout the area. Whoever broke in and dumped the body did it fast. When you’re done, check the camera feeds.”
Saber took off.
I looked at the dead man on my floor and sighed, returning my gun to my bag and reaching for my phone.
“Pierce,” the detective answered.
“Hi. Remember when I said I wouldn’t bug you again tonight?” I asked tentatively. “Well...”
Chapter 30
Aiden helped me finish cleaning the blood off the floor on Monday morning after a few hours of sleep Sunday night. The police had searched the entire building again, and it had taken the crime scene techs a few hours before they finally removed the body. We’d subsequently been interviewed by Detective Pierce and then headed home for some rest.
“Thanks for this,” I said.
“No problem.” Aiden threw the remaining rag in a plastic garbage bag. “I’ll take this out.” His phone buzzed, and he looked down. “I have to go, Angel. The police have a guy on your office for the day, and I’ll pick you up tonight. Okay?”
“No problem.” I nodded at Bud Orlov, who had already taken point near the door. He held a cup of coffee and seemed to be in a decent mood. At least his hair looked cheerful with its buzz cut standing perfectly on end.
Aiden gave me a kiss and then left. I took a deep breath and walked back to my office, having worn comfortable slacks and a pink sweater as a nod to the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday. I didn’t have court today or much else on the books, so it would be a paperwork-filled day, which I enjoyed quite a bit.
Oliver, Pauley, and Clark soon showed up, each popping into my office to ask why Bud was once again guarding us. After I explained, Oliver shook his head.
“I’m telling you, this is a far more exciting place to work than I ever thought.” He didn’t sound very down about it, so I figured, at the very least, it gave him something to talk about with his friends at school. He moved to tidy the bookshelf to the left of my door, reaching down to lift the entire thing up with one hand just so he could move it an inch.
“You’ve been working out,” I mused. Good for him. I should follow suit.
A smile spread across his face. “Yeah. I know I can’t ask a girl like Violet out yet, but someday.”
The guy definitely had a crush. I sighed. “Listen, Oliver. Depending on what Buddy and Yara think, you could probably ask Violet out after she turns seventeen, but there can be no physical intimacy before she’s eighteen, if you know what I mean. And maybe way, way, way after that.”
He blushed a deep red. “Dude. I just like her. I wouldn’t push her. In fact, I’d do anything for that girl.”
“Does she know that?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Sure. I’m surprised she didn’t call me for help when she took off, but I think she was really trying to figure out how to leave town, which meant me, too.”
I cocked my head. “Would you have helped her?” Just how deep did this crush go?
He looked down at his tennis shoes. “Helped her? Yeah. To leave town? No. I would’ve talked her into telling you the truth because I know you would’ve helped her—like you did. It’s like me and Donny McLerrison. We’re family, and that comes first, you know?” The front desk phone buzzed, and he turned to head down the hallway, muscles rippling down his broad back.
Yeah, I really needed to work out more.
Holding my breath, I clicked on the online version of the Timber City Gazette, which usually released a day before the print version. The headline wasn’t about the dead body found in my office, but instead a declaration that prosecuting attorney Nick Basanelli had been put on unpaid leave pending the murder investigation. I winced and dialed him up.
“Basanelli,” he said.
“Hey. I read about you being put on leave. I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s the right thing,” he said. “Especially during the pendency of this investigation. I just got a call from a source at the police department that the second Cupid was found dead in your office?”