The Killing Code Read Free

the knife diagonally across her forearm with the precision of a trained medical doctor and the blood came forth. It flowed faster than expected and she knew it wouldn’t be long before she would go into shock. The coldness would come over her in a wave, then it would wane, then she would become sleepy and weak, eventually lapsing into unconsciousness and finally, death would come.
    Helen looked up into the eyes of her children, who were now sobbing uncontrollably. She wanted so desperately to comfort them and shield them from this violence and pain but she was already feeling the waves of shock come over her body. Blood was quickly pooling on the carpet beneath her chair and as she became more and more drowsy, her daughters and Bryan Adler strangely began to fade from view. As she looked on in confusion, it became evident that there would soon be only vacant chairs and she couldn’t understand what her eyes were telling her. With one final burst of strength, Helen tried to lunge toward the rapidly disappearing image of her girls but she and her chair toppled to the floor. Frantically searching for the sight of her children, her field of vision began darkening into an ever shrinking circle and she vaguely sensed strong hands tugging at her body, and a powerful pressure on her injured arm. She imagined she could hear the panicked voice of her husband Jim but how could that be.
    The blood flow was too great and as she was beginning to drift into unconsciousness, she groaned softly then clearly whispered the name ‘Bryan Adler’. The life flickering from her eyes, she thought she could see her husband’s face come into focus above her, frantic and fearful, as she drifted away into the darkness.

 
    Chapter 2
     
    D etective Alan Beach sat at his desk in a remote corner of the Homicide Investigation Department of the Columbus, Ohio Division of Police. His slate grey eyes glanced up to survey the room as he ruminated on the wording of his latest report. His fellow detectives went about their business; some working at their desks, others talking or joking with one another here and there. It was a fairly typical day in the department where Alan had become used to being a loner. Not that being ignored by his colleagues particularly bothered him, as he didn’t much care for them anyway but he did find it disappointing that he obviously hadn’t escaped his past and the exclusion it had brought upon him.
    An in telligent looking man in his late thirties, Beach carried a few extra pounds but certainly wasn’t fat. With average height and medium build, he was always impeccably dressed in a well cut, dark suit and tie. His sandy hair was neatly trimmed at the back and sides but the top was slightly tousled. The hair, combined with vaguely chubby cheeks made him appear slightly younger than his age but his eyes betrayed an inner sadness.
    H e had transferred to Columbus three years previously from Boston, where he was a highly respected and successful homicide detective for ten years. Alan had been happy in Boston and had no desire to move - at least not until after ‘the incident’ and the ostracism that followed. His commanding officer in Boston had recommended the move from Massachusetts to Ohio as he feared that out of sheer frustration at the acts of his colleagues, his star detective would either leave the profession altogether or that one of Alan’s calls for backup in emergency situations would be ignored and he might face mortal danger on the job. Alan knew that his boss had his best interests at heart and there was nothing he could do to assuage his colleagues’ aggression toward him so he followed the advice. The Divisional Commander of Investigations at Columbus, an old friend of Alan’s boss in Boston, was happy to have such a skilled investigator on her team and so the deal was struck.
    Of course the scuttlebutt had arrived before Alan so he was unsurprised by the cool welcome he’d received from his new