Loves Redemption by Kimberly Terry (best novels to read in english .TXT) 📗

defensive position. Montgomery’s back had been close to the wall, his arms held close to his body.

Now, as he looked over at the agent, he took note of the way his legs were braced apart as

he sat in the straight back chair. There was an intense quality about him that was hard to define.

He had the look of someone who was prepared for anything. Mark wondered what he was

preparing for.

He caught Jordan observing the agent also. He knew Jordan held a dislike for the man

because he was FBI. He and Jordan once had an ugly run-in with an FBI agent when they’d first worked in the homicide unit. Since then, Jordan had steered away from anyone in the division.

“Detectives, thank you for joining us. I’ve been in conference with Agent Montgomery,

going over some of the particulars of the case. I’ve also informed him of the valuable insight Dr.

Richardson has been providing for us.” Lieutenant Hernandez waved Mark and Jordan to the two available seats at the conference table.

“Mark, were you able to reach Dr. Richardson to set up a conference?”

“Yes, sir, I was. She said we could come by Imani House this morning, and she would be

able to fit us into her schedule.”

“That’s great. When we conclude here, why don’t you take Montgomery over to meet Dr.

Richardson?” The Lieutenant suggested, and after the four men spent time going over the case, Mark took out the notes he had compiled with Maya over the last month.

“Dr. Richardson’s foster sister Allison Hill and Phil Hardcastle were victims five and six

in the slayer killings. Ms. Hill was the first female victim, and we believe the slayer felt forced to kill Allison for unknown reasons. However, from the projection of the bullet, and the point of entry into the spinal cavity, it appears Allison had been turning to leave when the bullet tagged her,” Mark initiated the brief as he looked over his notes.

“Dr. Richardson. Yes I’m familiar with her,” the FBI agent spoke in his low, scratchy

voice.

Marked look up from his notes. “Oh? And how is it you know her?”

“Dr. Richardson’s work is known, and her publication’s are well received in the medical

and psychology fields. She’s published in JAMA as well as other scientific periodicals. I’ve read one or two of her articles. I have not had the pleasure of meeting her in person. Yet.” A small smile graced his austere features.

“I wasn’t aware scientific journals were standard reading fare for FBI agents,” Jordan

mumbled in an aside to Mark.

“I’m sure there are plenty of things you are unaware of regarding the FBI, Detective

Philips.” The agent’s expression remained neutral when he aimed the comment at Jordan.

“Detective Halstan will take you over to Imani House so you and Dr. Richardson can

meet. Maybe you can share insights on the case before you go to the crime scenes,” Lieutenant Hernandez said in an attempt to lessen the slight tension that vibrated in the room.

“You want us to head to the crime scenes?” Mark asked in reference to the latter part of

the lieutenant’s statement.

“Yes. Agent Montgomery has requested he be taken to a few of the crime scenes this

afternoon after visiting with Dr. Richardson.”

“No problem. The entire team has gone over the scenes with a fine-toothed comb. If we

haven’t found it, it’s not going to be found,” Mark said with the complete confidence of a

professional.

“I’m not calling anyone’s competency into question,” Agent Montgomery told all three

men. “This is standard procedure for me, as well those in my unit when we’re called in on any case.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, Jordan was the first out of his chair. “I’m going to start working on those call backs.” He was referring to the steady stream of calls they received from citizens who thought they had information on the slayer .

It was the same every time. Whenever there was a high profile case with any media

coverage, the department was inundated with calls from people with ‘information.’ Most of the time they were crackpot calls. They ranged from the nosy neighbor who knew something weird was going on with the guy in 2D to the ticked off lover trying to get even. Unfortunately, every lead had to be followed on the off chance it was valid.

“I’ll catch up with you when we return,” Mark told his partner. He turned to Lieutenant

Hernandez before continuing. “We’ll head over to Imani House and afterward we’ll go to the

crime scenes.”

“Sure, Mark, that’s fine. I’ll leave you and Agent Montgomery to decide on the ones

you’ll visit.”

When the two were alone, Mark sat back in his chair and reached down for his notes.

Before he took them out, he glanced over at the agent and asked the question that had been on his mind for the last twenty minutes.

“When Jordan made the comment on the scientific journals, he wasn’t trying to offend

you. He made a comment he thought only I would hear. In fact he said it so low, I barely caught it, and I was sitting next to him.”

“Well then, perhaps he should be more careful of what he says,” Agent Montgomery

answered in his scratchy voice.

“Well maybe he should. But like I said he didn’t mean for you to hear him. How could

you hear him? Do you read lips?” Mark asked half in jest.

“Yes I do read lips. Quite well.”

When no other answer was forthcoming Mark, dropped the subject. However, he knew

the agent hadn’t been reading Jordan’s lips. Jordan had been sitting next to him, and Mark’s body had been blocking his partner’s face from the man as he whispered his comment.

“Have you had a chance to go over any of the files Lieutenant Hernandez provided for

you yesterday?” Mark changed the subject.

“Yes, I’ve gone over all of them. I read fast, and I retain a great deal of what I read.”