Boston's Best

1

Chapter 1

Power over others is weakness disguised as strength

- Eckhart Tolle

Pacing the floor in her living room, Lillian Harper cursed. "Fuck!" She yelled as she stepped on the open box cutter on the floor. She hobbled over to her kitchen sink and dampened a paper towel. Plopping down on the floor, her wavy blond hair flying about, she shoved the damp material against the small cut now oozing small drops of blood from her foot. She pursed her lips and thought, hard. The captain of her district had asked the young detective to look over some cold cases and Camilla Moretti's murder had screamed "solve me!! Solve meee!" and while she was happy to try her hand at resolving these old cases this particular one was driving her bat shit crazy. Crazy enough to leave an open blade on the floor like an idiot, she reminded herself.

The first cold case Lilly had picked up was just a month after she had started as a detective under Captain Nancy Warren. If it had been a test of her intelligence she certainly passed. She did, however, think it was a bit unfair to test the intelligence of someone who had been the top of their class, and a year ahead of other pupils her age. She was used to people miss-judging her based on her small stature, young age and blond hair. People saw her how they wanted to until they learned otherwise. Generally, she made sure people learned otherwise shortly after meeting her. That 6-year-old case was on Lilly's desk for all of four days before it was solved, putting two well deserving criminals behind bars and turning her co-workers an ugly shade of green. Since then, the Captain had given Lilly the key to the storage closet for unsolved cases and told her to pick and choose as time permitted. She managed to solve four "unsolvable" cases in six months and had earned herself a pretty little pay raise.

Having given up on trying to unpack ages ago, Lilly had been pacing the floor of her newly purchased Charlestown condo reading the case file on the murder of Mrs. Moretti. Up early and wanting to continue her streak of un-packing procrastination she had decided a cup of coffee some reading would be a good way to start the day. She could tell this case file was thinner than it should have been and wondered why. She made a mental note to ask around the office that day to see who remembers what about this case. It had only been five years ago; surly Patty O'Sullivan would remember a few details, even if he wouldn't want to give them up.. Either way she knew she'd get no more answers out of the papers she had been re-reading since she woke up.

Mentally shaking herself and checking to make sure she had stopped bleeding, Lilly stood up, tossing the now pink paper towel in the garbage. She walked back into her living room and picked up the offending box cutter, and sliced open a box labeled DVD'S. Opening the box she caught a strong whiff and knew her best friend Mike must have hidden a moving present in her box of movies. Digging to the bottom she found a bag of green buds. She rolled her eyes but smiled as she put the baggie back in the box and grabbed a handful of movies to stack together on her bookshelf. Making her way across the room she glanced out of her large picture window to see a couple having a nice early morning walk down the street, holding hands. Probably appreciating the sunrise. She sighed as she reached the shelf and placed the movies on it. She had spent so much time at the academy and furthering her carrier the last few years that she only recently started to feel the pangs of loneliness creep in on her. She longed for the caress of a rough male hand on her thigh, the warmth of another body, the tingles of.. Her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill ring and she exhaled. Glad her mind hadn't taken things further. No point even imagining it, Lilly. she thought bitterly.

"Lillian Harper" She said, answering the call without looking at the caller. "Lilly," Peter's voice said "We've got a body. A dump near the Northern Expressway, in the woods near Galvin Memorial Park. How soon can you get here?" She sighed. "I'm at home so it won't take me more than 15 to get there. I'm grabbing my coat now, I'll be there soon" "Cool, thanks Harper, We're on the north east edge of the park" "Yeah, Yeah, I'll find you" She said and hung up.