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Washington, DC
A black SUV pulled to a stop at the curb, and the engine idled for a moment before shutting down. The driver’s door opened and a detective climbed out, a large paper cup of coffee in one hand. Flashing lights lit up the street and several neighbors crowded on their front porches, watching the show unfolding before them. The detective shook his head and slammed the door, rounding the front of the vehicle to walk up the driveway and towards the hub of all the activity. Why did these things always happen just when he was about to sit down and relax? The call came in just as he’d settled onto his couch to binge-watch the last season of Game of Thrones.
He held up his badge for the local police officer standing guard.
“Evening,” he said.
“Good evening,” the police officer replied, glancing at his badge. “Go ahead. He’s around back.”
The detective nodded and ducked under the crime scene tape, striding around the side of the house to the back. He was greeted by a bevy of activity. His forensics team was already there, securing the area, while one of their medical examiners knelt beside a prone figure on the grass.
“What do you have, Frank?” the detective asked.
The medical examiner glanced up.
“Hi Joe,” he greeted him. “Sorry about Game of Thrones.”
Joe grinned.
“Who told you?”
“Carl mentioned it,” Frank said, motioning to one of the forensics team. “He said you’d be pissed to be pulled out again.”
“I’m not happy, but I hadn’t started yet,” said Joe, pulling on latex gloves. “So what am I looking at?”
“It’s pretty straight-forward,” Frank said, getting to his feet. “He came out of the house to take the trash down. On his way back, someone stabbed him. The blade went in just below his sternum and pierced his heart. It’s a very precise wound.”
Joe looked at him, frowning.
“Same as Dominic DiBarcoli?” he asked sharply.
Frank nodded.
“I was wondering if you’d recognize it,” he said. “I won’t know for sure until I get him on the table, but it appears to be the same. Since that murder is still unsolved, I know you’ll want my report as soon as possible. I’ll get it to you as soon as I’m finished.”
Joe nodded and looked down at the body. It was on its side, facing away from him.
“Is it OK to take a look?” he asked.
Frank nodded.
“Yes. I’ve finished my initial examination.”
He stepped back and watched as Joe crouched down beside the body. He glanced up before touching the body.
“You’ll need to make it a priority,” Joe told him. “Given the victim’s identity, by morning we’ll have the Secret Service and everyone and his mother breathing down our necks.”
Frank nodded.
“I’ve already called autopsy and told them to have everything ready. I’ll get started as soon as we get him back.”
Joe nodded.
“You’re a good man, Frank. Don’t let anyone tell you different.”
Frank snorted.
“Tell that to my wife after I call to tell her I’m not coming home.”
Joe grinned and turned his attention back to the body beside him. He sighed.
“Let’s take a look at you,” he murmured, “then we can get started on letting you rest in peace.”
He reached out and rolled the body onto his back.
Senator Robert Carmichael stared lifelessly up at him.
CW Browning was writing before she could spell. Making up stories with her childhood best friend in the backyard in Olathe, Kansas, imagination ran wild from the very beginning. At the age of eight, she printed out her first full-length novel on a dot-matrix printer. All eighteen chapters of it. Through the years, the writing took a backseat to the mechanics of life as she explored other avenues of interest. Those mechanics, however, have a great way of underlining what genuinely lifts a spirit and makes the soul sing. After attending Rutgers University and studying History, her love for writing was rekindled. It became apparent where her heart truly lay. Picking up an old manuscript, she dusted it off and went back to what made her whole. CW still makes up stories in her backyard, but now she crafts them for her readers to enjoy. She makes her home in Southern New Jersey, where she loves to grill steak and sip red wine on the patio.
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CW loves to hear from readers! She is always willing to answer questions and hear your stories. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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If social media isn’t your thing, she can also be reached by email at cwbrowning12@gmail.com and on her website at www.cwbrowning.com.
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Copyright © 2019 by Clare Wroblewski
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Dissect Designs / www.dissectdesigns.com
Book design by Clare Wroblewski
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.
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CW Browning
Visit my website at www.cwbrowning.com
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First Printing: 2019