Cut to the Chase Read Free

wood and a deep, husky bark. The door swung open, revealing a woman who had seen too much in her young life, but who was still strong enough to stand there with her hands on her hips and display a smile he had adored since she was a little girl. The screen door kept the furry newcomer from leaping into Andrew’s arms. The bark had deceived him. He had expected a German shepherd, a Rottie perhaps. But as he stared into the chocolate-brown eyes of a yellow Lab that was in that in-between stage of puppy and adult, Andrew concluded that Mia’s new sidekick was just a big old baby.
    “Uncle Drew, meet Henry,” she said.
    Andrew loved that Mia always picked up from where they left off. A week, a month, six months could go by and it was as if they had just seen each other. Mia had always been special to him. He remembered his weekly visits. Sunday-night dinner with his brother’s family had been a ritual he never grew tired of. The night had been spent talking about their past week and the days ahead. Tim would discuss his latest case and Andrew would share as much about his own experiences as he could without breaking confidence and scaring his young niece.
    But it had surprised and intrigued him to learn that Mia was not only fascinated with the stories her dad and uncle told, but she seemed to crave the details surrounding particular cases, especially the ones that appeared to have gone cold. She would ask question after question, all the while jotting the answers they gave into a black-marbled composition book. When she had finished with her interrogation, she would give her opinion, her take on the kind of criminal they were dealing with. As a youngster, she had been quick and insightful; as a teenager and young adult she had been alarmingly accurate, to the point Andrew knew she had a gift at profiling.
    Although Andrew kept his observations and admiration of her skill to himself, Tim made it obvious how proud he was of his talented daughter. His constant comments and coaxing about joining the force had started to wear on her, forcing her to make a decision between a career she had always wanted and one she saw as a hobby, although she loved participating with her dad and uncle on the weekends. In the end, her aspirations to be a teacher had prevailed and she left New York to attend Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. Andrew had made certain that they stayed in contact during her four years at college, even visited her on occasion when he found a break in his unrelenting schedule. She had grown into a beautiful young woman, with every opportunity within her grasp.
    And then the unthinkable occurred and every nightmare was realized. Her mother’s body was discovered under a large oak tree in Central Park. Joyce had been raped and strangled, as the hand marks around her neck indicated.
    Andrew had been the one to make the phone call. His brother had been too distraught, blaming himself for what had happened to his wife, for not being there to protect her. The night of the murder had been uneventful. Tim had been at work, patrolling. Joyce had just finished her twelve-hour shift at Jefferson Hospital as a NICU nurse. The cameras had time-stamped her departure from the hospital at seven eighteen in the evening. She was discovered in the park around midnight by two teenagers. The young couple had literally stumbled over her body while trying to find a secluded spot to make out.
    Despite his numerous pleas, Andrew could not convince Mia to stay put, at least for that night. She had made the ninety-minute drive in a little over an hour. The moment she had walked into her parents’ home, he knew something inside of her had snapped. Mia’s eyes had been bloodshot and crazed. He had tried to console her, but she wouldn’t have it. She had rushed into her parents’ bedroom, where she found her dad crying. She had knelt down, taking his head into her arms, and wept with him.
    Andrew had expected Mia to spend some time at home