Robbed & Shot

Chapter 2

*Crime Scene*

"What do we have on the vics?" Kate asks Detective Javier Esposito who is writing down notes on a little black book.

"Tough guy out there is Dominic Hamilton and she is Jordan Chambers," Javier answered, pointing to the dead woman lying on the floor. "He's the bodyguard, she's the assistant. As confirmed by the loft's owner, Daryl Harper."

It wasn't a pleasant sight at all, her body was lying on the floor but her hands were outstretched trying to reach for the telephone on the nightstand. Along the carpet was a trail of blood stains left by the victim. It showed that her last moments were spent struggling to drag her wounded self to call for help.

"Who is this Daryl Harper? He's got to be a somebody to be such close buddies with the city council's president," Rick asks. Just then, Detective Kevin Ryan joined the three of them after talking to the man himself, Daryl.

"Daryl Harper is the owner and curator of the very famous art gallery, Harper Fine Arts. Home to some of the best by the Ricardi brothers and Marc Chagall," Kevin grins widely. Kate, Rick and Javier stared at him for a good five seconds, not saying a word, with the occasional blink of the eye. "My dad was very interested in art and it kind of passed on to me," Kevin finally says, upon realizing the awkwardness.

"Right, bro," Javier said.

"Anyway, he's a famous guy in the world of arts and he happens to be the childhood friend of the city council's president," Kevin continues.

"Who discovered the bodies?" Kate asks.

"Harper did. He said Jordan didn't show up for work so he came home during lunch and found them dead," Kevin replies.

"I thought you said she's the assistant," Rick muses. "Why would he check his own house when she doesn't show up for work?"

The other three turns towards Rick simultaneously, giving him the isn't-it-obvious-look.

"Ahh..." Rick finally figures out. "The sexy secretary," he winks.

"Anyway, Daryl said the missing artworks here include pieces by Francesco Del Cossa, Paul Gauguin and..." Kevin says, pausing dramatically. "...Lewis Thayer's Untitled #2," he says, trying again to emphasize on how great these artworks are. Yet, it fails as the only reactions he got was blank looks at each other trying to recognize the names. Kevin lets out a sigh, admitting defeat.

"Where did Harper go?" Kate asks, realizing that the man himself was nowhere to be seen.

"He said he's going back to the gallery to check on it. The gallery hasn't been opened for today yet so we don't know if it's robbed too," Kevin explains. "Don't worry, I sent police escort with him."

"Alright," Kate nodded and she heads toward Jordan's dead body where Medical Examiner Lanie Parish was. "What do we have, Lanie?" she asks.

"We have the FBI coming in and you don't like it," Lanie answers, knowing how much Kate did not like the feds.

"I meant on the dead bodies," Kate corrects herself.

"Single gunshot wound to the chest on the bodyguard outside. Died on the spot," Lanie starts. "But for her, she took two rounds to the lower abdomen and bled out a slow death," she says, still examining the body.

"So why not kill her off like him? Why let her live long enough to drag herself to the phone?" Rick asks.

"Maybe it was personal. Pure hatred," Kevin says.

"Phone was disconnected. Cords were pulled out," Javier told them. "Someone really wanted her dead."

"Time of death?" Kate asks Lanie.