Page 13 of Final Inning

“How did he die? Do you think she was close to him?” Miranda asked. A death of someone close to her could cause trauma. Trauma that led to drug use. She had seen it before.

Deputy Lindhour stared at her for a moment. In…shock, possibly? “That is why…I asked for a favor from a friend to get you here. Sheriff Johnson doesn’t want to even consider it—he says it’s too coincidental, and nothing I say changes his opinion—but…why here?”

“Back up a bit. Consider what?” Knight asked. Or…demanded. They really needed to work on his crime scene side manner. “How did her coach die?”

“He was murdered. Here. Just fifteen feet from where Harper’s body was found. Beaten to death with a softball bat—we think. Almost eleven years ago next week.” Deputy Lindhour looked at them, a determined but almost broken look in her eyes. “It’s connected. I know it is. But no one believes me. And I can’t prove it. Yet. But I’m going to. Harper deserves someone who actually cares about what happened to her. And no one else in Helery County seems to care at all.”

Harper’s coach was murdered.

Well, that was a coincidence, wasn’t it?

Chapter 8

Danielle Connor was the queen of all things “The Lab” this morning, apparently. All should revere her. The moron lab tech who was currently on a massive we-are-watching-every-move-you-make probation was asking her questions on everything. Things the doofus should know. She was usually a tolerant person, but Michael had come in and decided it was his job to mansplain to her how she needed to arrange her workspace to be more efficient. Because of her particular issues.

She was about ready to grab one of her crutches and shove it up his ass. Show him exactly how her issues would work with him in her bubble.

Dani knew he was doing things to irritate her on purpose. He thought it had been Dani who had reported him to the head of the lab for his latest round of screwing with their evidence—it hadn’t been. This time.

It had been Dr. Richison. The assistant director of the forensics lab.

And that seriously hot, seriously distinguished man of science was very, very angry right now.

No one messed with evidence. They just didn’t do it.

Dani was actually surprised Michael hadn’t already been sent back to where he came from. Someone had mentioned Michael being the nephew of the man currently acting as liaison in Washington for the bureau right now. Nepotism. It really was the only real answer for Michael.

She was about ready to scream—and she’d only been at work an hour—when Miranda buzzed in. Dani rolled her chair to the large monitor, and answered the video call.

Dani really needed to just breathe for a moment.

Miranda’s face popped up on the screen.

Miranda was in a small room, the traditional 1970s faux wood panel behind her. And the light behind her…wow. That fixture was probably older than Miranda and Dani—and probably Knight—combined.

“Hey, Dani. Good morning…” Miranda didn’t sound as chipper as she normally did. It stood out. Miranda was their happiest person. The rest of them were kind of dull and gloomy at times—the job did impact them all in different ways—but Miranda was their resident…sunshine.

Sunshine. As Knight liked to call her.

Dani had her theories as to why.

That boy was definitely attracted to the sun’s flame.

He was just terrified he was going to get burned or something.

Dani suspected it was just a matter of time.

“Is it? I am about ready to kick a man’s ass, Randi. To kick and kick and not stop. Or call Cam to take care of it for me.” Her bestie, and one of the main reasons she’d transferred to PAVAD in the first place, worked in REY—Runaway & Endangered Youth—and he had offered to reeducate Michael for her a few weeks ago. After Michael had almost made Mia Stephenson cry. The asshole had mocked Mia’s scars—in her hearing. Mia had claimed she wouldn’t have cried, except for being super-hormonal right now—she was pregnant with her second—but Cam had been beyond furious. He was exceptionally protective of all of his ‘peoples’, and even more so of his wife’s ‘peoples’. Mia and Cam’s wife Kyra were close peoples…

It was probably a good thing for dear little Michael that Cam was down about two hours south of where Miranda and Knight were right now on paternity leave with the second baby girl he and Kyra had created. That baby—so beautiful and so sweet; Dani couldn’t wait to hold her when they returned to St. Louis. Kyra had surprised everyone by going into labor last week, much earlier than anticipated, while visiting her family in Texas.

Cam had nothing on what Evan was going to have to say when he got back from his latest case. There would probably be rabid Evan-beast events. Evan was fiercely protective over his wife, after all. And those scars…Evan’s father was responsible for them. The things Michael had said…

No. Dani really hoped that asshole got his ass handed to him very, very soon.

“It’s going to be one of those days, I think.”

No. Fearless Leader Girl was definitely not her usual bubbly self. “You good? You seem a little rough today.”