Maniacal: A Detective Jade Monroe Crime Thriller Book 1 by C.M. Sutter Page B

directly to voice mail.”
    I felt the phone vibrate in my pocket. “Excuse me for a second.” I walked over to the row of vending machines at the end of the cafeteria and checked the text. Lieutenant Clark wanted me in his office immediately.
    “Perry, I’ll be right back. Why don’t you make a call to your folks? Talk to your kids, reassure them. Sit tight.”
    “Yeah, okay.”
    I headed back through the bull pen. Jack got up and was right on my heels.
    “The lieutenant texted you too?”
    “Yep.”
    I rapped on the door, and he waved us in.
    “Close the door, Jade. Sit down.”
    “What’s up, Lieutenant?”
    “I just got a call from the park patrol out at Glacier Hills. He recognized the white Malibu he heard about on his police scanner. It’s sitting vacant at the farthest end of the parking lot. He felt the hood—the engine was cold. He said a lone dime sat on the hood. Round up everyone and get out there now.”
    “Shit. Morris King had a dime in his pocket, nothing else. Boss, that sounds like a calling card to me. The person Morris met up with that night calls himself Dime.”
    “I know, Jade. We’ll go over all of that again after we see what’s going on in the park. Right now, we have to move.”
    “What do you want me to do with Perry?”
    “Have Billings sit on him while we check the area. If we find Elise’s body, the husband stays for interrogation, even if he isn’t our main suspect. Right now, we don’t have anyone else. Get Kyle and Dan out there right away. Have somebody call Doug and Jason. If we find a body, they’re going to be working today too. It’s not sounding good. Let’s go.”
    My cell phone buzzed as Jack and I headed to one of the cruisers. Amber was texting me, wanting to know if she could come over. She wasn’t scheduled to work until six o’clock. We could have a girl’s day, do lunch, and discuss the living arrangements. I sent a quick message to her.
    Sorry, Sis, I have an emergency. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
    I jammed the phone into my pocket and zipped it up. Jack flipped on the red and blues as he squealed out of the parking lot and headed west.
    We arrived at Glacier Hills County Park in less than ten minutes. Four patrol cruisers, Clayton, and the forensic team arrived ahead of us and were already in the parking lot.
    “Hear or see anything?” I asked as we approached.
    “We were waiting for you, Sergeant,” one of the patrol officers said.
    “Did anyone talk to the guy from park security?”
    Clayton responded, “I got his statement. He said he only touched the hood of the car with the back of his hand, nothing else.”
    “Okay, let’s spread out. This is a big park. I want to take a quick look at the vehicle first.” I pointed ahead at the expanse in front of us. “You guys start searching that meadow. We’re looking for a thirtyish blond woman, shorter than me. She’ll likely be wearing workout clothes. Let’s move.”
    Kyle and Dan were already at the Malibu, doing a quick once-over to see if anything looked suspicious. Goose bumps rose on my arms. I felt certain we were looking at a crime scene. I didn’t view Elise as somebody that would wander off for an overnight hike in the park, plus there was that damn dime. Jack and I walked over and joined Kyle and Dan. I leaned over the hood and felt it with my gloved hand—stone cold. The dime sat about a foot back, dead center where it wouldn’t be overlooked. Kyle snapped a few pictures.
    “Anyone take a peek inside?”
    “We’ve only looked through the windows—haven’t tried the doors yet. The yoga bag in the backseat looks like it’s been rifled through. The doors are unlocked, and the keys are still in the ignition.”
    “Damn… that isn’t a good sign. Who would wander off and leave their keys in the ignition with the doors unlocked? Kyle, did you take any pictures through the windows?”
    “Yep, all done. Let’s open her up.”
    When Dan opened the driver’s