Trent sat at his desk, leaning back against his office chair. Crimson stained his white dress shirt. He'd been stabbed in the neck. The puncture looked like it severed the left carotid. The killer was right-handed. There were cast-off patterns on the ceiling, the walls, the floor, and the desk.
Trent’s blank, lifeless eyes stared at the ceiling. His sports coat lay open, exposing a sea of red that had trickled down from his neck. The blood must have spurted out like a fountain. His silver tie was speckled with blood.
"What do we know?" I asked the sheriff.
"His secretary came in this morning and found him like that," Daniels said, nodding to the auburn-haired lady. "Her name is Leanne.”
"Time of death?"
"Between 7:00 and 9:00 PM last night," Brenda said. “Give or take.”
I hadn't noticed a video doorbell, but maybe the neighbors had one that captured footage of the assailant coming or going.
"Any signs of forced entry anywhere in the house?" I asked.
"Erickson did a walk around," Daniels said. "Nothing appears to be disturbed. I’ve got deputies canvassing the area."
“Murder weapon?” I asked.
“Looks like some kind of long, narrow blade,” Brenda said. “But I’ll know more when I get him back to the lab.” Then she added, “Looks like the killer stabbed him, then set the murder weapon on the desk.”
She pointed to an area of blood drips and smears.
I stepped back into the foyer, flashed my badge to Leanne, and made introductions. "I'm sorry for your loss."
She gave an appreciative nod.
"Tell me what happened."
She shook her head, frazzled. "I don't know. I came in this morning as usual around 8:45 AM. I saw him like that and freaked out. I left the house immediately and got in my car and locked the doors. I called the sheriff's department and waited for you guys to arrive.”
"Was the door locked when you arrived?"
"I think so.”
"Are there any video cameras anywhere on the property?”
"Not that I know of."
"Does anyone else have keys to the house? Girlfriend, wife?"
Leanne shook her head. "I don't think so. Trent was single at the moment. He had a lot of lady friends, but I don't think he had given any of them a key.”
"I'll need a list of names.”
She gave me a flat look. "I don't know their names. I don't think Trent did either,” she said dryly with a hint of disapproval. “They didn't stay around for long, if you know what I mean.”
"One-night stands? Prostitutes?"
She looked a little shocked by the latter. "I don't think Trent had to pay for it. Let's just say he had plenty of opportunities. As you can see, he was a handsome man.”
Trent was early 30s with a strong jaw, ice-blue eyes, and untamed dark hair. He had the kind of bad boy look that drove the ladies wild. He wasn't a billionaire by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm sure he earned a nice living.
"Did Trent always work late and on weekends?"
"Trent was the kind of guy who liked to work hard and play hard. He would work when he needed to. Sometimes he’d take off in the middle of the day and go play golf. Sometimes he’d work all weekend. It's a small firm. You do what you have to do."
"How was your relationship with the deceased?”
