The Dying Room Read Free

man, but he appeared fit. His hair was a distinguished color, more white than gray. He wore a white t-shirt and khaki slacks that were stained by his body having relieved itself.
    Sylvia looked up from her work. “Daddy is not going to be happy about this.”
    “Was the victim a friend of your father’s?” Jess moved to the center of the room where the victim was secured to a chair. Nylon ropes bound his wrists to the arms of the chair and his ankles to the chair legs. Another wider band of nylon was used like a safety belt around his waist and held him in a seated position.
    “They hadn’t been friends in a long time.” Sylvia removed her thermometer from the incision she’d made just beneath the ribcage on the victim’s right side. “The two hadn’t spoken in years, but I think Daddy always hoped they would one day clear the air.” She read the thermometer. “Taking into consideration his body temp and the state of rigor, I’d estimate time of death at around noon today.”
    Jess considered the wall directly in front of the victim. Other than the floor-to-ceiling window that towered behind his desk, most of the walls were filled by bookshelves. This space, however, had been reserved for a grand portrait of the judge. The portrait had been removed and set on the floor a few feet away. Great care had been taken in filling the newly emptied space with photos and newspaper clippings. The brass light that would have spilled a warm glow over the painting now highlighted the photos and newspaper clippings, many of which were less than flattering to the judge.
    “It looks as if someone carried out a little payback.”
    “Well.” Sylvia peeled off her soiled gloves and reached for a fresh pair. “The judge certainly had a reputation for controversial rulings.”
    “There’s significant bruising.” Jess covered her nose with the back of her gloved hand and leaned forward for a closer look at the victim. “Are those Taser marks on his neck?”
    Sylvia had lifted his t-shirt to access his torso. She gestured to his abdomen. “The bruising is maybe a day old. These,” she indicated the marks on the right side of his neck, “are definitely Taser burns.”
    “To disable him maybe.” Jess crouched down next to Sylvia to inspect his neck, wrists, and hands. “I don’t see any indication that he fought his attacker before he was restrained, or that he attempted to free himself from his bindings.”
    Sylvia pointed to his upper arm and the needle mark visible just above his elbow. “I’m guessing the killer kept him drugged, at least to some degree.”
    “Any children or close friends?”
    “A son who lives in Nevada.” Sylvia stood. “As for friends, the judge didn’t have any real friends that I can think of. He had associates.”
    Pushing to her feet, Jess suppressed a groan. That move was becoming more difficult all the time. “The sooner you can give me cause of death, the better.”
    “Once we get him to the morgue,” Sylvia assured her, “the judge will go straight to the head of the line.”
    Jess thanked Sylvia before joining Lori at the collage of unflattering newspaper articles. “I’m guessing this wasn’t meant to be a tribute to all the judge’s accomplishments.”
    “I don’t think so.” Lori tapped an article with its accompanying photo and then another and another after that. “All of these are cases the judge presided over, which created considerable controversy. I remember reading about him. Most people considered him a hard-ass with no compassion.”
    “So this may have been a family member of a defendant who feels the judge ruled the wrong way.” It certainly wouldn’t be the first case of revenge Jess had investigated.
    “Or someone who wanted it to look that way,” Lori offered.
    Jess surveyed the articles once more. “These clippings aren’t new.” She pointed to the yellowed edge of one. “Someone has been collecting and keeping these for years.”
    “So our