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She gave him a quizzical look, meeting the narrowing of his gaze. She nodded slowly. Was the room bugged? She stared around the bare bedroom. There was a double bed; the sheets were filthy, the blankets torn. In a corner was a small dresser, other than that, the room was empty.
"Dave said Tommy Mason's stats show him as exactly…" She checked her notebook.
"Five feet, eleven inches. Your killer is six-four. Based on the angle of the bartender's wound, as well as this one, there won't be more than an inch plus or minus margin there. "
She stared down closely at Tommy Mason once again.
"There are no defensive wounds on his hands, so he didn't have time to fight. The attack came from the back, definitely. The angle is different if you attack from the front. And there's a very faint earthy scent on his body. It's not natural to his particular stink. I'm guessing your killer spent some time lying in damp ground before he came in. "
"Liza said Tommy hustled them into the basement so he could meet with someone. Someone he didn't want them to see. She said he was prone to do that though. "
"No witnesses. " She nodded. "It saved her life. " She rose to her feet slowly.
"Is the killer a Breed?" Lance asked as she stepped clear.
"Doubtful. Breeds can't cover their natural scent if they touch anything. Whoever killed him was holding him real close and personal for several seconds. The scent would still be on his clothes. "
"I have a report of a Breed who can hide that scent. " He posed the idea carefully.
"When needed. "
Harmony shrugged. "There's a few cases where scent was able to be temporarily disguised by a Breed. But not like this. " She waved her hand to the body. "To hide all traces the Breed would have had to attack from the front. This was a sneak attack. And he held his victim for a second or two, savored the kill. "
Lance glanced back at the body. "The blood on the front of his clothes," he said. "If the killer had dropped him immediately, it would have run in a different pattern. "
"Yep. " She stuck the pencil the deputy had given her behind her ear before brushing her hands off and staring around the room again. "Whoever it was is careful tho
ugh. " She pointed to the open window. "All the windows have been opened just enough to allow the air to circulate well, diffusing scents. He was going to make certain he couldn't be detected by me. "
There were ways to hide from another Breed, tricks she had learned over the years in her battle to stay at least one step ahead of the Coyotes.
"We have a footprint beneath the window you went through the other night, but nothing else. He's careful, Harmony. Too damned careful. "
The window could be coincidence, but hell, she just didn't believe in coincidences. Someone besides her friendly neighborhood Bureau Lion Breed was watching her.
"He knew I was out of the house this morning," she mused, keeping her voice low as Lance leaned in closer to her. "How many of these assholes are watching me anyway?
It's a wonder they aren't tripping over each other. There's no way the killer could have been watching and then set up a meeting. No time. He would have needed a partner. "
"No doubt. Liza said Tommy hadn't expected the meeting," Lance said before asking,
"Are you finished here?"
She breathed out silently. "I can't find anything, Lance. Whoever did this is being damned careful so far. He knows the tricks. "
And something about that tugged at her memory. It was like a subtle itch just between her shoulder blades. An awareness, a familiarity she wasn't certain of. She had perfect recall; her memory was a tool in and of itself. It wasn't a photographic memory, but Harmony did not forget details. Until now.
"Let's get to the office then and get the report filed. David has the investigation, and until something else breaks, you're off patrol. "
"But Jonas…"
"Fuck Jonas," Lance snarled as they left the house, his hand lying against her lower back, as his big body seemed to hover over her. "I'll deal with him. "
"I hear he's a wham-bam man; you wouldn't enjoy the experience I don't believe. " She turned her hand over, checked her nails, then preceded him to the Raider.
"A wham-bam man," he repeated slowly. "God, I didn't need that thought in my head. " He seemed to shudder as she opened the vehicle door and jumped inside. As Harmony moved to close the door, Lance stepped between it and the seat, bending to stare back at her. She met his gaze evenly, wondering if the anger simmering inside her showed in her eyes.
Perhaps she shouldn't be angry. If he wanted to accept Death and Harmony together, who was she to complain?
