Deadly Abandon by Kallie Lane Page A

the blood drain from her head. Eclipsed by a nauseating wave of dizziness, she clutched the lapels of Sully’s jacket to hold herself upright. “The music he plays when he calls me—it’s always the same hymn—something about a shepherd. He played it again last night when he attacked me at the clinic.”
    Sully’s glance cut to Denise and Pete for an instant before sliding back to her. “Did Rainey, or Miranda, ever mention receiving the same type of phone calls?”
    “They never said anything.”
    He inhaled a quick breath and she could feel the muscles tense in his hands wrapping her arms. “After I leave here, I want you to stay in the house until I get back. And lock the doors. I’ll keep the patrol car outside in the driveway. If you see, or hear anything unusual, you boot it to the door and get those officers inside with you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
    “I’ve got it.” She was sickened by the implications of the rosary tucked in her drawer and the killer tracking her down on both her cell and home phones. He not only watched her; he had come into her house. “But, I’m not staying inside forever, Sully. I won’t let the creep curb my actions or control my life.”
    “Bree, if this guy gets a hold of you, you won’t have a life.”
    ****
    “I’ve got the info on the rosary,” Sal mumbled to Sully between mouthfuls as he reached for another chocolate donut. Detective Clemente was a bottomless pit with a lanky frame to fill. The man never stopped eating, but he was a talented cop. Jacques Millette and Marie Matisse were also in the conference room to compare notes on the investigation. Sully poured coffee all around before taking his seat at the table.
    He spared a glance at the puke-green walls and grimy windows before flipping open his laptop and powering up. At least the electronic equipment was up to scratch in the department, if not the decor.
    “In a minute, Sal. Let’s start with the autopsy results on Miranda Greene first.”
    Marie Matisse opened the file folder in front of her and gave them the specifics. “Cause of death was difficult to determine. But, not impossible. I can tell you this; Miranda wasn’t on the lake by herself that night, not when someone wrapped their hands around her throat. The bruising pattern is significant, as well as the repeated strike marks on her face and shoulders. She was hit with a wooden object for sure. It could be a paddle because I found splinters in the wounds. The official cause of death is blunt force trauma, which nullifies the accident report of the Mallard Bay squad doing the initial investigation, Loot. No way was the lady hit by a tanker.”
    “Do we know where the canoe and other evidence are now?”
    Jacques grunted at him in obvious disgust. “The canoe was never recovered. Everything else was destroyed when the accidental death ruling came down.”
    Sully shook his head. He couldn’t help but wonder how many other crime scenes had been botched. How many other women had lost their lives to the madman with no one being the wiser? Jesus Christ. It ends here .
    He and his squad were on the case now, and he would nail the bastard if it was the last thing he did. “Marie, do you have forensic results on the evidence from the cold cases yet?”
    “No, it’s still too soon. I’m hoping for some news by late afternoon. I’ll call you.”
    “Good.” Sully zeroed in on Clemente across the table while he updated his notes in the laptop. “Sal, what did you find on the rosary left at Dr. McGill’s house?”
    The detective dropped his donut and wiped his hands on a napkin before reaching for his notebook. “No prints, Loot, but I do have some information on the rosary itself. The sterling silver chain is twenty inches long with pink glass beads. The crucifix and Madonna medal centerpiece are also sterling silver. You can buy it on the internet for about forty dollars and small change from several suppliers.” He paused to