Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“I don’t understand. Please clarify.” Laurel’s mind parsed the words like a computer processing data, isolating relevant details and discarding anything extraneous.
“That’s the odd part,” Dr. Ortega continued, the hesitation in his voice breaking through his usual clinical professionalism. “Dr. Liu’s brain showed the same lesions, growth, and abnormalities as the ones I found on Tyler Griggs.”
Laurel’s hand stopped completely as her brain locked onto the name. Her thoughts realigned, recalculating. “Wait. What?”
“Tyler Griggs,” Dr. Ortega confirmed. “The podcaster. Walter’s brother.”
“Yes.” Laurel’s reply was immediate. “I remember the case. But . . . the same lesions?”
“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Dr. Ortega’s voice shifted. “I’m still waiting for details from the state lab. Trying to get a clearer picture. I don’t even have the bloodwork back yet.”
Laurel leaned back, her shoulders hitting the couch cushions with more force than she intended. “How in the world was Tyler Griggs’s death related to Dr. Liu’s? I need to see those autopsy results as soon as possible.” The two lived in different worlds.
“Of course. I called you because Dr. Liu is your case,” Dr. Ortega replied. “I haven’t contacted the city police about it yet.”
“If somehow those two deaths are related, Tyler Griggs’s investigation was just transferred to the FBI.” Wait a minute. What about the other two deceased employees from Dr. Liu’s lab? Was there any connection? Larry Scott had been cremated already. What about Melissa Palmtree?
Huck’s gaze remained on her, unwavering and direct. His stillness made her hyperaware of her own agitation, her body tense beneath his steady focus. The fire’s warmth felt distant, muffled by the sudden chill of what she’d just learned.
“What in the world could Tyler Griggs have in common with Dr. Miriam Liu?” Laurel murmured, her thoughts racing. “Except for those odd lesions on the brain. Could there be some new virus out there?”
“Let’s not speculate. I’ll see if I can put a rush on the chemical analysis, bloodwork, and histology,” Dr. Ortega said. “Now, I have to go. I’ll be in touch.”
“Thank you.” Laurel ended the call, her thumb hovering over the phone for an extra second before setting it down. She quickly rang up Nester. “Sorry if it’s too late.”
Nester laughed. “It’s just after dinnertime. I’m still in my twenties, boss. So are you, by the way.”
Sometimes she felt older. “I need you to officially get the Tyler Griggs murder transferred to the FBI. Fill out a warrant for Griggs’s computer, apartment, and car. See if you can find a judge to sign off, and then take a couple of city officers with you to Elk Hollow to obtain the evidence. Keep the chain of evidence clear.”
Huck rolled his neck. “Nester can take Tso from my office. He’s itching to be back in the field.” Both Tso and Jordan had been shot in a previous case, but both had recovered nicely.
Laurel relayed the information. “Thanks.” She clicked off.
The quiet that followed felt too thick, the fire’s crackle suddenly intrusive. Huck’s eyes remained fixed on her. “What’s going on?”
She glanced back at him, the intensity of his gaze offering something steady to hold on to. His honey-bourbon eyes reflected the firelight, familiar and grounding. Somehow, without explanation, she found an unexpected comfort there. “The truth is, I really have no idea.”
Chapter 18
Laurel had to admit she felt decidedly better the next morning. The tension in her shoulders had eased, though she wasn’t entirely sure if it was because the FBI had taken over the Tyler Griggs case or the fact that Huck had been especially . . . energetic that morning. She looked through file folders with her office blinds closed tightly behind her, pleased that Nester had succeeded in obtaining warrants and now they had jurisdiction of the Tyler Griggs case. They needed to search his residence again.
“Hi, Laurel.” Viv Vuittron strode into the room. She wore ripped jeans and a crop top, her curly blond hair around her shoulders. “I have my FBI internship application and was hoping you’d take a look at it.” She placed a neatly stapled stack of papers onto the old door desk.
“Of course.” Laurel had already written her letter of recommendation. “Hopefully you’ll be assigned here.” That is, if they caught the sniper trying to kill Laurel and made the office safe again.
Viv grinned. “That would be awesome.” At sixteen years old, she seemed bright and ambitious. She sobered. “Thanks for checking on Larry for me. We worked together sometimes at Oakridge, and I really liked him. He treated me as an equal and not just like a dumb high school student.” Her eyes glimmered.
Laurel nodded. “I’m sorry about his death.” She wished he hadn’t been cremated so she could order an autopsy. “Did you know either Dr. Liu or Melissa Palmtree?”
Viv frowned. “Yeah, kind of. Why did you just use past tense?”