BooksBarbecue
Back The Hallows
Chapters (89)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. 82
  87. 83
  88. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  89. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

We entered the unit. The townhome was sparsely decorated, really just a couch with a TV and an Xbox next to it. The stairs leading down to the basement were off to the right. I got some paper booties from one of the forensic techs and slipped them over my shoes and made Jia and Will do the same.

Vail and Howard showed up, too, and stood at the door. Vail said, “Be nice if you called us first since this is our case and all.”

“Hey, back when I was a defense attorney, we were enemies, and I would do anything to win. But now I’m on your side, and I’m still going to do whatever I can to win. So cut the whining and be glad I called you at all after you hid evidence.”

Howard stepped right up to my face and said, “You know, I might get sick of your bullshit one day and decide to do somethin’ about it.”

“Well, until that time, Detective, please put some paper booties on your feet before you kick another crime scene in the balls.”

I went into the living room and watched a tech spray something on the couch and then go over it with a heat lamp. I opened the sliding glass door and stepped onto a small patio. The air was hot and dusty, and a fence blocked the view of the neighbors. A bag of charcoal lay on the ground against a wall, but I didn’t see a barbecue.

Back inside, the techs were working feverishly to finish up a scan of the house, and I watched them for a while to make sure the speed wasn’t interfering with the quality, and it didn’t seem to be. One tech, a woman in a blue jumpsuit with CRIME LAB emblazoned in bold lettering on her back, was vacuuming a section of carpet with a small handheld vacuum.

“Why you guys in such a hurry?” I asked.

“We’re not really,” she said without looking up. “None of us expected to have to stay the night, so it’s throwing a little bit of a wrench into some of our other cases, but we’ll deal. That’s why they pay us the big bucks, right?”

Jia was speaking with Howard, and the detective glanced at me before leaving.

“Where’s he going?” I said.

“Talk to the neighbors. See if anyone heard or saw anything.”

“You mean he’s actually doing his job? I’m impressed.”

“He’s not so bad. You guys might actually get along if you talked to him.”

“Doubtful, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Detective,” one of the techs shouted from the basement, “we got something.”