Guardian Of The Grove Read Free

bath.”
    “Enjoy.” He turned away and walked into the room. I could hear the click of his camera as I stepped back into the hallway. Thank God for those SD cards. These guys could shoot as many pictures as they wanted, and almost all of them were helpful. I started to make my way out of the house, and a sense of sadness filled me. These people had been happy once, and now their lives were shattered.
    The officer was waiting for me right where I had left him. He was standing with his back to the house, looking down the driveway. He looked over at me once and shrugged his shoulders. That look said I stayed here and didn’t touch a thing . He was one of the good ones; I would give him a chance to show me what he could do tomorrow.
    “Ready to go?” I said with a smile. I was beat, and this was my third crime scene of the day. Fortunately, the other two had been assigned to someone else.
    He moved his hands out from behind him and placed his cap back on his head. “I sure am, but the media requested a word with you before we leave.”
    “Damn it. Are they really here already?”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    I knew they had scanners, but this was quick even for them. Something felt off here. Had the lieutenant called them just to trip me up, to get my face out there in front of the circling vultures? I wanted just to get in the car and go, but this was part of the job. It had to be done. I nodded to the officer. “Get the car started; this shouldn’t take too long. When I’m done, I want to get the hell out of here.”
    He impressed me again by following me down the porch stairs and heading straight for the car without saying a word. He knew what I needed from him, and he gave me the space I needed to work. I had never been assigned a rookie who picked up on the intangibles of the job so quickly. I made my way slowly toward the front of the property. The four officers had their hands full holding the media back. If I knew whose house this was when I got the call, I wouldn’t have sent the other two away.
    Bright lights on top of the cameras flared to life as I approached the wooden barrier. At least the officers had been thinking ahead and had blocked off the driveway. I could see the red lights from the cameras, and they were all pointed at me. I pushed my loathing of the media to the side and found a smile to put on my face. We needed them on our side if we could swing it. Cops were getting enough bad press as it was—giving a bad interview now could keep that golden shield dangling just out of reach.
    Before I could make a statement, a blonde reporter shoved her microphone out and asked, “Is it true that we have two victims and that their son is the primary suspect?”
    I frowned at her for a moment. What was she doing, hoping for a sound bite? And who had told her that we had two victims and that they were the parents? “We aren’t far enough along in our investigation to release any details. We do have two victims, one male and one female. Until we learn more from the crime scene, we haven’t focused on a suspect yet. Unlike the media we have to have evidence in place before we accuse people of a crime.”
    Damn, did I really just say that out loud? So much for building goodwill with the reporters.
    The reporter tried to press the issue. “This was a boy who not long ago was the primary suspect in an arson investigation at this very address. An investigation the police perused to no avail. My sources inside the department tell me the general feeling was that the son, Jackson Fairfield, was guilty of the crime. Do you think your failure to arrest him then led to his parents’ deaths, Detective?”
    Damn, that blonde was a real bitch. I’d love to get my hands on whoever her inside source was. It was hard for me not to let out a sigh. They paid well for the information, and not all of our officers were immune to the temptation. It was even harder for me not to reach out, grab her microphone, and shove it down her