Harlequin Intrigue April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 Carol Ericson (short books to read TXT) 📖

Man, he needed a visit with Fiona.

He strode to the elevator, his suit jacket draped over one arm. He and Kyra planned to meet early near the front door so they could intercept the Lindquists when they arrived for the sad ritual available to the families of homicide victims. Some didn’t want or need the last look at their loved one, and in this day of DNA the in-person ID wasn’t necessary.

Kyra had to be an old pro at this, although she barely looked older than twenty-five. How’d she manage to look so fresh when hundreds of patients must’ve poured thousands of sorrows in her ears? Maybe it didn’t affect her. Maybe he could learn something from her.

Nah. Therapists were full of it. How do you feel about that, Jake? How the hell did they think he felt and how would talking about it change anything?

Not that his old man was a role model, but Jake could understand drowning in the booze. Not the other stuff, but the booze. Hell, he could name ten cops right now who coped that way.

The elevator doors opened and he crossed over to the coroner’s office. He slipped into his jacket as he caught sight of Kyra, standing by the door looking cool in her beige skirt and white blouse. She liked white. It made her look...icy.

A smile tugged at his lips as he recalled her clipped tone during their phone conversation earlier today. He’d decided to add the personal touch by calling instead of texting; she hadn’t seemed to appreciate his effort.

He’d stung her pride last night when he captured her purse and gun. To be fair, if she were out there on her own and a strange man approached her, she wouldn’t let him get that close. Hadn’t she drawn down on him when he came traipsing along the trail? Yeah, he’d give her credit for that.

“Good morning.” He kept his distance this time, eyeing the leather satchel slung over her shoulder. Did she have her little .22 in there, too?

“Morning.” Her blue eyes flicked over him, and he could feel the chill.

He sure hoped she warmed up for victims’ families, or she’d be no use to him at all. Verona had sung her praises, but Verona could be wooed by a pretty face and a nice pair of legs. Jake’s gaze dropped to the hem of Kyra’s knee-length skirt and below. Yep, she had those.

She cleared her throat. “David and Marie should be here any minute. Is the medical examiner ready for us?”

Jake jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I can check at the desk to make sure.”

Jake looked in at the desk where the receptionist assured him the coroner was expecting the Lindquists. The coroner would conduct the autopsy tomorrow. It was always better if the relatives could ID the victim before the autopsy.

As he walked back to Kyra, a middle-aged couple walked through the front doors. Even without an introduction, he knew they were the Lindquists due to their zombie-like appearance. They shuffled into the lobby, the woman with a dazed look on her face and the man drained of all color and life.

Kyra launched forward to greet them, shaking their hands.

By the time Jake joined the group, they seemed like old friends. Kyra turned to him. “Mr. and Mrs. Lindquist, this is Detective Jake McAllister. He’s the lead detective on Kelsey’s case. Detective McAllister, this is David and Marie Lindquist.”

Jake shook David’s hand and gave it an extra squeeze just to try to infuse some strength into him. He took a gentler approach with Marie. He cupped her thin hand in both of his. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“C-can we ask you some questions about Kelsey’s death?” Marie’s gaze darted to her husband’s face and back to Jake’s.

Did the two of them have a different approach to how they wanted to handle this? He could understand that. It was a strong marriage that survived the murder of a child.

“I’ll tell you what I can, Mrs. Lindquist. There’s some information we don’t release—even to the family. It gives us a better chance of finding her killer.”

“That’s what we want.” David’s watery blue irises were barely distinguishable from the whites of his eyes.

Kyra placed a hand on Marie’s arm. “Are you ready? You know, you don’t have to do this. You’re going to provide her dental records, and that should be enough.”

Jake slanted a quick glance at Kyra. Although he knew it would be hard on them, he wanted the Lindquists to ID their daughter this way. They’d have her dental records, her DNA, her picture, but the personal identification seemed to bring some reality to the victims’ families, and it also opened up the floodgates sometimes where law enforcement could glean some valuable information for the case. As a victims’ rights advocate, Kyra should know this. Maybe she cared more about the families’ feelings than catching the killer. In his experience, nailing the bad guy brought peace to the families more than any therapy could.

Marie shook her head. “We need to do this. It wouldn’t seem right to let Kelsey take this part of her journey alone. Does that make sense?”

David stared at the dull linoleum floor as if nothing in his life made sense anymore.

Kyra slipped an arm around Marie’s shoulders. “It makes perfect sense.”

With that settled, at least for Marie, they moved toward the elevator. Jake brought up the rear as he herded the group into the car and stabbed the button for the basement.

In a quiet voice, Kyra asked Marie questions about Kelsey on the ride down.

David murmured to Jake, “Kelsey’s murder is connected to that other case two weeks ago?”

“We think so, yeah. We’re forming a task force.” Jake dipped his head to David’s. “We’ll get the bastard who did this.”

When the elevator settled on the floor, Jake smacked his hand against the door, holding it open for everyone. He’d misjudged Kyra. Marie was hanging