Page 64 of Power & Punishment
A weird combination of relief and possible indigestion from the burrito I wolfed down earlier swirls inside my gut. “That’s all I need.”
She huffs out a muddled sound of disbelief before turning back to the metal dish. She works quickly, swabbing the bullet's surface before transferring it to another dish. I’m so locked in, praying for a break, that I don’t realize how closely I’m hovering. But Katy doesn’t seem to mind.
If this bullet has Vince’s blood on it, I can start looking for the murder weapon and find his killer.
That should make me happy and the slightest bit hopeful for what’s to come next. But after being exposed to Vince’s world last night, all I feel is a foreboding sense of fear because I know the likelihood of his killer getting any real justice is slim.
At least that is until I met Leo.
I clench my hands at my sides and take a deep breath. I’ve been trying to avoid thinking about him all afternoon.
Something shifted between us this morning, and it terrifies me.
A timer beeps, pulling me out of my stupor.
I push all those conflicting feelings to the back of my mind as Katy leans in, studying the results. Her brows furrow and then deepen as she pulls away.
“Well?” I ask.
She glances at me; worry carved into her delicate features. “The blood type lines up and the markers match. Of course, I’d need to do a full comparison to confirm, but I’m fairly certain it’s a match.”
That’s enough for me.
“So, it could be the bullet that killed him,” I say quietly, staring at the small object that tore through my brother and took his last breath.
“Yes.”
I wait for the anger to come, but all I feel is pure and undeniable determination.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and this time I reach for it, but then my hand brushes against another item I found last night. It’s a long shot, but it might be something.
“Would you be able to look at this too?,” I say, carefully pulling the matchbook out of my pocket and holding it between my two fingers. “It was with the bullet and could be another clue.”
“Why not? I’ve already broken enough rules today. Let’s pile it on, shall we?” she drawls sarcastically, crossing her arms. “I think I’m entitled to more than a date with your partner after this.”
I smile and nod my head. “Consider me in your debt.”
“That’s an understatement,” she points out and pulls on another fresh pair of gloves before plucking the item from my hands. “Don’t get your hopes up. Most of the time, these come back useless. And considering you’ve already contaminated it, I can assume there won’t be enough clean material.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, biting my bottom lip. “I figured.”
Katy doesn’t respond. She just goes to work swabbing the edges and doing a quick examination underneath the microscope.
“Alright,” she says, setting the sample aside. “I’ll run a quick screen, and if anything meaningful hits, it’ll flag it in the system eventually. If anyone asks, I’ll say I didn’t know the case was being transferred.”
“I appreciate it, Katy,” I say as she hands me the matchbook and the resealed evidence bag with the bullet. I slip both into my pocket.
“You better,” she smiles, glancing at me before sliding her glasses back on. “Why do I get the feeling you didn’t get these things anonymously sent to you?”
I swallow hard, letting all my emotions weigh down my face. “I’m just trying to do my job.”
She nods, her eyes softening in a somber acknowledgment. “Get out of here before I change my mind and report you. I’ll let you know if anything turns up.”
I give her a real smile and turn on my heel before swiping my takeout bag. Before I can exit the door to the lab, she calls out, “Oh, and tell Keith my favorite food is Italian. I can’t wait for our date.”
I nod once, trying to ignore the suffocating feeling of guilt as I slip into the hallway.
Before getting too far, I pull out my phone to shoot Keith a text letting him know I’m on my way back, but instead I’m met with five missed calls and a very angry text message from a man I’ve purposefully given the contact name, The Devil.
