𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 tracing circles over her left temple and inner cheek fixed between her teeth, Cady let her eyes skim the file she had open on Pete's desk. It was the same information she had read over for days. Eleanor Trevas, Dani Miller, Eliza Woodstaff; three women, three reports, one assailant.
Sighing, she turned her attention to Pete's silver laptop, an electronic file open on the screen. She didn't bother printing Louise Turner's information, not yet. Especially since the FBI had more details than the Greentree Police could pull. She scrunched her nose at the thought. "Fucking FBI," she murmured, scrolling her fingers on the touchpad to read further.
Her phone buzzing across the polished teakwood of Pete's desk made her curse, interrupting her thoughts. She sighed, grabbing it to lodge between her ear and her shoulder. "What?"
"Hello to you too," came the response.
"Sorry, Mel," Cady exhaled, slumping as she leaned back in Pete's leather chair. "Wound up."
Her friend chuckled. "Yeah, what else is new?" Mel toyed, but Cady ignored it.
"Got something for me?"
Mel grinned. "Always. So, short version, honey, is Louise was definitely hit with a hammer. Unfortunately it's of pretty standard size," there was a shuffling on the line as Mel lifted the sheet that covered the corpse, examining the wound again as she spoke, "dime a dozen at the hardware store. Most of your contractors would have this kind."
"Contractors?" Cady echoed, the word rolling over in her mind.
"Mhm," Mel reiterated. "Now, what's really interesting is what I found when I looked closer at the bruising on her neck."
"What's that?"
"They were made with cording," she explained. "A rope, a wire, something thin but firm enough that it didn't snap under the pressure of when he choked her."
Cady's brows knitted into a frown. "He didn't use his hands?"
"Oh, no, believe me, he tried," Mel clarified, "but he couldn't get a grip. She has scrapes from his nails all over the back of her neck. This essentially makeshift-tourniquet did little to help him though, that's why he knocked her out with the hammer, which ultimately killed her. One whack would've been enough, but this guy went ham. Like, I've counted at least six hits after his initial blow."
