Jane Doe's Return Read Online Free Page A

herself as detached as possible.
    Lifting two pictures in the air, she compared them. In one picture, the victim’s head was tilted just to the left. The same angle had been used for the second picture, but the head appeared to be straight. Then she noticed a safety pin pressed deep in the green shag carpet in the first picture, but the pin wasn’t in the second one.
    Taking a deep breath, she brought her focus back to the pictures. Not only had the crime scene been tampered with, but this case was older than she thought. She swallowed, knowing others had died.
    “That’s it.” She nudged his arm.
    “Huh?” He took the pictures and looked at them.
    She rubbed her hands on her slacks and pointed to the safety pin.
    “I can’t believe I didn’t see that before.”
    She sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. “Yeah, right.”
    “What do you see?” he questioned with a straight face.
    “I think you know what I see,” she said, frustrated.
    “Tell me.” He pushed the pictures in front of her.
    “The crime scene was tampered with after the first initial photographs were taken.” She flipped over the pictures and pointed to the times written on the back. “And this case is about eight years old.” She tried to swallow, unsure of what her next move should be. Clearly, her skills were being put to the test, but why this case?
    “The guy charged with the case was put away, but not for this murder. Too many things were disturbed at the scene to pin it on him, not to mention the unprofessional way the evidence was treated. To make matters worse, there were no other suspects. Case closed on a technicality.” He turned his chair and leaned back, clasping his hands behind his head.
    She knew Travis had to have personal feeling attached to this particular case. She shoved the pictures aside, desperately trying to keep the flashes of the past from interfering with the present. “So, did I pass?”
    He gave a slight smile.
    “That was a little underhanded.”
    “My job is to train you. If I presented this as a test, you would have approached it differently, instead of using your instincts. Which, by the way, are damn good.” He stood and stretched.
    When he twisted his back to the side, she let her eyes drop, then blushed.
    “I better get going. We have a court date at nine.”
    She led the way to the door thinking about her partner in ways that would most likely be considered unprofessional. Compartmentalize, she reminded herself. Keep each detail of her life in its appropriate box and all would be good. “We do?”
    His long fingers squeezed her upper arm sending a pulse down her body. Stiffening her spine, she forced the physical senses to the side and concentrated on her mission. The only way Travis fit into the picture was through the information he could provide. Her attraction to the man would just interfere with not only her career goals, but her personal goals as well.
    Abruptly, he pulled his hand away. “Never a dull moment. I’ll pick you up a 7:45. Goodnight.”
    “Thanks.” She closed the door and took in a deep breath, looking around at an apartment which had little to offer. “I can do this.” She blinked a few times. The same faceless man who had been haunting her mind for years laughed at her. “I’m coming for you,” she whispered. The only way she knew how to close to the door on her past was to find the guy who had nearly destroyed her.
     
    ****
     
    Travis pulled down his street noticing an extended cab pickup sitting in his driveway. “Great.” He parked next to Jake Hanson’s truck. “What brings you by?”
    “Working a dumbass case for some rich chick.” Jake stepped from his vehicle and stretched out his tattooed filled arm. “Heard about the latest murder.”
    “I bet you did,” Travis said. “It’s late. I’ve got court in the morning.”
    “Won’t stay long. One beer and enough time to make myself presentable before I head home.” Jake threw