Particles of Murder (A Shadow of Death Romantic Suspense Series Book 1) Read Online Free

Detective Stolz already called. She wants you to go down to that office in Tuskmirth College and check over everything again.”
    I scowl. “Why?”
    “Because she doesn’t want to close the case without being certain,” he says. “And she said you were the one upset over the idea of closing the case this soon. She said that she didn’t think you would be satisfied unless you were the one who did it.”
    “Or she hates me and she’s purposely trying to piss me off,” I say.
    “It’s possible,” he says with a shrug. “But if you do want to continue the investigation, I suggest you get down there and find evidence that someone caused Ms. Glassman’s death.”
    “I have some suggestions for you too,” I mutter, but I grab a few kits that I might need and pack them into a duffle bag. I leave the lab within minutes of arriving.

    * * *
    W hen I arrive on campus , there’s a crowd of people in front of the student union. A young bald man with an impressive beard is standing on top of a short ladder. The crowd surrounds him, staring up at him like he’s their savior.
    “These cops don’t care about the truth,” the man declares. “They just want to close up the case and pretend they mourn like we do. They did the same damn thing with the rape cases from last year, and the media plays right into their hands. The local newspapers won’t press the police for more information or insinuate they can’t do their jobs because then the police will refuse to talk to them when another crime is committed. The media can’t risk losing their viewership when they don’t have the facts from the police. This is not a conspiracy theory. This is the truth and you are all here today because you believe in the truth. Let’s stand up for it now because I know we’re all sick of being on our knees.”
    As the man steps down, I approach him.
    “Hey, Liam,” I say. “That was quite the speech.”
    He flashes me a smile. “Hey, sis. Is the government paying you well to ignore a young woman’s death?”
    “I’m actually here to continue investigating,” I say. “So what you’re telling your friends isn’t actually true.”
    “It will be,” he says. “I mean, they must have said something to you already. You know they’d rather investigate the senator’s murder because that will get them better press than a student’s mysterious death.”
    “That’s right. It is mysterious, which means it could be completely natural.”
    “They do have you brainwashed,” he says. “That’s cute. Next, you’re going to tell me that I can’t protest, right?”
    “No, carry on,” I say. “But if I come around and tell you that the autopsy showed her death was caused naturally and not by some mysterious murderer that doesn’t leave a trace on the body, then I’d like it if you backed off. This is the last thing the police need to deal with.”
    “If they don’t want to deal with it, they shouldn’t bring it on themselves.” He spins around and walks away from me.
    I admire his passion and his heart is in the right place, but sometimes I just want to talk about new music or how dolphins are secretly assholes. Instead, I get told about human trafficking and how 75% of prisoners who are released from prison are rearrested within five years. Sometimes I want to ask him why he’s so focused on the bad things that happen in life, but I know it’s because of Sarah and he has simply chosen the hard truth over happiness.
    Or, at least, what he suspects is the truth.
    I continue walking to the English building, Kasparian Hall. When I reach the crime scene, everything looks exactly the same except Victoria Glassman’s body is gone and there’s an eerie feeling without anyone else around. I crouch down near the site where she fell. In all likelihood, her death was caused by some part of her body malfunctioning, but I can’t quite accept that yet. I’ll need to find evidence that something more was involved or the case will be