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

pushed to the back of our detectives’ minds and forgotten.
    I look over the nearby bookcase. I brought some luminol that makes blood glow, but I doubt I’ll use it. There was absolutely no sign at all that Victoria struggled before she died. I don’t know what I’m doing here. I’m looking for a needle in a haystack when there’s no reason for the needle to be there.
    “Hey.”
    I spin around. John is standing in the doorway, his hands in his jean pockets. I can remember exactly what he looks like underneath his clothes, but I’ll be damned if I let that distract me.
    “I didn’t expect anybody to be back here so soon,” he says. “Are you here because you’re searching for evidence that you know will be here, or because you’re fresh out of ideas?”
    “I’m…just double checking,” I say. “There really isn’t anything to find here, though. We’re pretty sure that she died from natural causes.”
    “You’re ‘pretty sure’ that she died from natural causes. That’s not very assuring,” he says. “She was in her early twenties. She should have been perfectly healthy.”
    “There have been people younger who die from cardiac problems,” I say, standing up. “I’m sorry for…all of this. Her death, the investigation…but the investigation should be over soon. There’s no reason for us to think foul play.”
    He shakes his head. “You’re really going to give up that easily?”
    “I’m not giving up,” I say. “We just have other murder cases—”
    “Senator Holden?” he guesses.
    I grimace. Of course he would already know. It has to be all over the news by now.
    He says, “I understand that he’s a priority because he’s well-known and a government official, but—wait. You said you have other murder cases, which means you think this is a murder case.”
    I flush. “I just meant…it could be, but the medical examiner doesn’t think so, and neither do the detectives.”
    “But you do,” he says.
    I shrug. “It’s a possibility.”
    He takes a step forward and grabs my hand. His hand encompasses mine, keeping it in a pocket of warmth. I jerk my hand out of his grasp. He flushes, but doesn’t step back.
    “Please understand,” he says. “I taught Victoria in five classes and then she was my teaching assistant. She was one of my favorite students. I can’t accept that she died from natural causes until you’re certain.”
    “We may never be certain,” I say. “And I’m really supposed to do what the detectives tell me to do—”
    “What if I find more information on my own?” he asks. “I could ask around…see if she was hanging out with anyone dangerous.”
    “I wouldn’t advise that,” I say. “If somebody killed her, they are dangerous. Besides, you wouldn’t even know what to look for.”
    “Which is why you could help me.”
    “John, look…I shouldn’t have slept with you. The only reason I did was because I thought this case was going to be closed.”
    “The only reason?” he asks.
    I don’t answer.
    “We can keep thing platonic. Please, Mira. My gut is screaming that she didn’t die from natural causes. She deserves justice.”
    The question bubbles out of my throat like it had been trapped since this morning. “Were you sleeping with her?”
    His eyebrows shoot up. “No. No way. I would never sleep with a student. Besides the fact that it would be enormously unethical and create an unfair power balance, it would just become too complicated. My students come here and they leave. Sometimes they leave suddenly. And she was in her early twenties. It’s not an age I would want to date. They’re still discovering who they are, and that can cause them to lean on everyone in their lives. I don’t need someone that dependent.”
    I keep my eyes on him. He seems overly invested in his student, but I don’t see a single indication that he’s lying. He’s certainly more devout to his students than any of my professors ever were, but maybe