L.A.P.D. Special Investigations Series, Boxed Set: The Deceived, The Taken & The Silent Read Free Page A

they’d pretty much closed the books on the investigation.”
    He nodded. “The part about getting information quickly is true, but my job is to clean up a lot of the old cases and recent forensic advances have allowed us to solve some old cases that we weren’t able to get conclusive evidence on at the time.”
    “Don’t you usually have to have some new evidence or something to open a case again?”
    “An unsolved homicide is never really closed, Mrs. Sullivan. We work it until all leads are exhausted, then if still unsolved, it becomes a cold case. But now, with the improved methods, we’re getting new leads on old cases. Which is why I’m here.”
    Dread ripped through Jillian at the thought of reliving the most horrible time in her life. She took a deep breath. “I don’t understand. I told the police everything four years ago. I’m sure you’d be better off going to your files for the information, because my memory of events is pretty hazy now.”
    “The answers to my questions aren’t in the file.”
    She stared at him for a moment. “Such as?”
    “How involved were you in your husband’s business? Did you know much about it?”
    Her heart sank. He was going to go into it all over again. “Of course I did. I took care of the accounts. But you already know that—your predecessors confiscated our books and never returned them. I had one helluva time trying to get the taxes done that year.” She moved from the chair arm onto the seat.
    He looked surprised at the comment but continued, “How about business partners?”
    “Rob worked alone. He owned his truck and contracted with several companies. He did regular runs most of the time.”
    “And…the night he died?”
    “No different from any other. He worked alone,” she repeated. Then added more softly, “And he died alone.” A renewed sense of loss washed over her.
    “Maybe you can tell me a little about your husband’s friends, longtime friends he might’ve known before he met you. Friends he might’ve kept in touch with?”
    Her nerves twitched. Was he saying Rob might have told a friend something he hadn’t told her? She bolted to her feet and in three seconds was at the door. She turned to face him. “Four years ago, Detective Ramsey, I lost my husband. My daughter lost her father. We’ve finally managed to get on with our lives and we’d like to continue to do so.”
    She paused, struggling for self-control as she realized how easily their lives could be turned inside out once more. “I’ve answered all those questions before and frankly, I don’t wish to do it again. The information is already in your records. So unless you can give me a compelling reason to do so, I refuse to put myself or my daughter, especially my daughter, through that pain all over again.”
    Ramsey dropped his chin to his chest and ran a hand across the back of his neck, then rose to his feet. She thought he would leave, but instead he stopped right in front of her. He was close enough to alert her senses, make her suddenly, acutely aware of him as a man, just as he had that morning.
    Which seemed dangerous somehow. Threatening.
    “I’m sorry for your family’s loss, Mrs. Sullivan. I understand how you feel, and I don’t want to cause you any more pain. But I do have a good reason for asking.”
    His eyes warmed, and for a second he looked as if he really did know how she felt, as if he, too, knew about loss. Still. “And that reason is?”
    He cleared his throat. “I’d like to have your husband’s remains exhumed for further testing. It would speed things up if you gave your permission to do so.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER TWO
     
     
    ADAM WINCED AT THE shock he saw in the woman’s eyes. Sometimes he just didn’t get the words right. Damn. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you with that.”
    Her chest heaved. “Really? What did you expect?”
    “Are you okay?” he asked, ignoring her sarcasm.
    She took another deep breath and