contents. “Three prostitutes knifed by pimps; four ex-lovers, various modes of death; six drug shootouts over product; numerous suicides, mostly pills; and a few accidental overdoses.”
Eva flinched at the last one. She’d read the Tribune article on Paul’s death—a small blurb on the last page. The account was condensed to fit neatly in the Law Enforcement section. The caption read, O UT-OF- T OWN M AN F OUND D EAD . Her insides recoiled at the unspectacular announcement.
“Was anything unusual about these cases or how they were handled?” She needed to concentrate on work before her emotions took over.
“Nope.” Tom paused and looked at her with sympathetic eyes, like he was unsure if he should proceed.
“What? Go on.”
“I’m sorry about your brother. I meant to say that the other day, but I was a little surprised to see you in person. From what I could tell, his cause of death looked pretty definitive.”
“Appearances can be deceiving, Tom. You should know better than to take anything at face value. People who didn’t know Paul could easily categorize him as another accidental overdose and move on. I can assure you he didn’t die that way. I don’t have proof yet, but I won’t stop until I do.”
Tom straightened in his chair and returned his attention to the single file still in his hand. “And then we come to this one.”
Eva’s heartbeat increased as she sensed something important, finally. “Tell me.”
“Not a homicide, but an ongoing drug investigation in this area for over three years. I wouldn’t have pulled the file, but Greer and Derrick Bastille’s names flagged it. He worked undercover with DEA for a while and she helped track down the main supplier. They eventually got enough information to secure a warrant on the guy, Johnny Young.”
“What’s significant besides Greer and Bastille?” Sometimes reporters were awful drama queens. Their livelihood depended on hooking readers quickly and keeping them interested.
“Wait for it.” He grinned and his fair-skinned face turned a light shade of pink. “The investigation is ongoing because every time the police get close to the head man, he gets killed and another one takes his place. The last one was Mr. Young, two years ago, which leads us to this case.” He placed his hand on the bulky file on the table. “It’s the town’s only double homicide.”
“Double homicide. Who else died?” Tom kept his hand on top of the folder and his green eyes shone with the excitement of a big scoop. He was obviously thrilled with whatever he was about to say. “Tom?”
“A nurse named Clare Lansing.”
Eva heard the gasp and initially thought it came from Tom. “Oh, Deus.” She had to be Greer’s Clare. The news hit her with an unwelcome wave of emotion, as if she’d known the woman personally. She bit back another gasp for air.
Tom looked disappointed. “I take it you’ve heard about Clare?”
Eva shook her head. “Only the name. I don’t know anything about her death.”
Tom’s disappointment vanished and he once again looked like a man ready to spill the day’s big story.
“You knew her, this Clare?” Eva asked.
“She came to town about twelve years ago to work at the hospital. She was a great trauma nurse and was pretty soon running the ER.”
“How did she get involved in a shooting?”
“She went to the police station that afternoon. Johnny Young did too. No one’s sure why, since the police had a warrant for his arrest. Sergeant Fluharty came out of the building as the two of them were walking up that long set of steps at the entrance. He recognized Young and pulled his weapon. But Young had already started firing. He shot Clare in the back before Fluharty killed him. She didn’t have a chance. The bullet pierced her heart.”
Eva grabbed her chest. She couldn’t imagine something so horrible happening to someone she loved. No wonder Greer was distant and wore her loss like an extra layer of
Eva flinched at the last one. She’d read the Tribune article on Paul’s death—a small blurb on the last page. The account was condensed to fit neatly in the Law Enforcement section. The caption read, O UT-OF- T OWN M AN F OUND D EAD . Her insides recoiled at the unspectacular announcement.
“Was anything unusual about these cases or how they were handled?” She needed to concentrate on work before her emotions took over.
“Nope.” Tom paused and looked at her with sympathetic eyes, like he was unsure if he should proceed.
“What? Go on.”
“I’m sorry about your brother. I meant to say that the other day, but I was a little surprised to see you in person. From what I could tell, his cause of death looked pretty definitive.”
“Appearances can be deceiving, Tom. You should know better than to take anything at face value. People who didn’t know Paul could easily categorize him as another accidental overdose and move on. I can assure you he didn’t die that way. I don’t have proof yet, but I won’t stop until I do.”
Tom straightened in his chair and returned his attention to the single file still in his hand. “And then we come to this one.”
Eva’s heartbeat increased as she sensed something important, finally. “Tell me.”
“Not a homicide, but an ongoing drug investigation in this area for over three years. I wouldn’t have pulled the file, but Greer and Derrick Bastille’s names flagged it. He worked undercover with DEA for a while and she helped track down the main supplier. They eventually got enough information to secure a warrant on the guy, Johnny Young.”
“What’s significant besides Greer and Bastille?” Sometimes reporters were awful drama queens. Their livelihood depended on hooking readers quickly and keeping them interested.
“Wait for it.” He grinned and his fair-skinned face turned a light shade of pink. “The investigation is ongoing because every time the police get close to the head man, he gets killed and another one takes his place. The last one was Mr. Young, two years ago, which leads us to this case.” He placed his hand on the bulky file on the table. “It’s the town’s only double homicide.”
“Double homicide. Who else died?” Tom kept his hand on top of the folder and his green eyes shone with the excitement of a big scoop. He was obviously thrilled with whatever he was about to say. “Tom?”
“A nurse named Clare Lansing.”
Eva heard the gasp and initially thought it came from Tom. “Oh, Deus.” She had to be Greer’s Clare. The news hit her with an unwelcome wave of emotion, as if she’d known the woman personally. She bit back another gasp for air.
Tom looked disappointed. “I take it you’ve heard about Clare?”
Eva shook her head. “Only the name. I don’t know anything about her death.”
Tom’s disappointment vanished and he once again looked like a man ready to spill the day’s big story.
“You knew her, this Clare?” Eva asked.
“She came to town about twelve years ago to work at the hospital. She was a great trauma nurse and was pretty soon running the ER.”
“How did she get involved in a shooting?”
“She went to the police station that afternoon. Johnny Young did too. No one’s sure why, since the police had a warrant for his arrest. Sergeant Fluharty came out of the building as the two of them were walking up that long set of steps at the entrance. He recognized Young and pulled his weapon. But Young had already started firing. He shot Clare in the back before Fluharty killed him. She didn’t have a chance. The bullet pierced her heart.”
Eva grabbed her chest. She couldn’t imagine something so horrible happening to someone she loved. No wonder Greer was distant and wore her loss like an extra layer of
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