“Zane. Kara.” He sighed and shook his head. “Sorry to bring you two out tonight, but I’m sure PADA will want to take over. I have two men out questioning the neighbors. If they get anything, I’ll let you know.”
The front door opened behind us, and Doc Treestone stepped inside. The medical examiner was an imposing polar bear shifter. His long silver-and-black hair was pulled back from his face, accentuating his high cheekbones beneath his neatly trimmed beard. He was so large, he filled the doorway without trying.
“Evening,” he said, stepping farther inside the foyer. “Cold out there.”
“I’ll say,” a voice muttered behind him.
As a descendant of an Amazonian tribe, Barbie Warren stood just over six feet tall. She was lithe and athletic, and the way she moved reminded me of a fighter assessing every room sheentered. Her voice always sounded like she smoked a pack a day and gargled with rocks, even though I knew she didn’t. Tonight, the tips of her spiky hair were colored pink and red. A nod to Valentine’s Day, I assumed. She wore a tailored red pantsuit that accentuated her strong frame and carried a field kit in one hand.
“Nice hair,” I said.
The forensic scientist grinned. “Figured I’d lean into the theme. I was out with friends having dinner when the call came in.”
“And I’m sorry about that.” Sheriff Stiles cleared his throat. “I’ll take you to the kitchen. That’s where we found her.”
We followed him down a wide hallway that opened into a formal living room on the left.A deputy sat stiffly in an armchair, notepad in hand. Across from him, on a long cream-colored couch, sat a man who looked as if the ground had dropped out from beneath him. His elbows rested on his knees, and even from my place in the hallway, I could see his fingers were laced together so tightly his knuckles were white.
He looked up as we passed, andour eyes met for half a second. Emotions crossed his face—fear and guilt. He quickly averted his gaze and stared down at the floor.
“Mari’s husband,” Sheriff Stiles said quietly as we moved farther down the hall.
I glanced at the family portraits lining both sides of the walls…pictures of numerous family vacations, a wedding photo, a little girl chasing a dog.
The hallway opened into an extremely large kitchen.It was like two rooms had been combined into one seamless space. A massive marble island dominated the center, large enough to prepare a meal for an army. Pendant lights hung overhead, casting bright white light across the countertops. Stainless steel appliances lined one wall, including double ovens, a commercial-grade refrigerator, and a gas range with six burners.
Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched along the back wall, revealing the ocean beyond. Even though it was almost dark outside, I could see the water clearly. The exterior enchanted lights illuminated the waves as they rolled in, crashing over the rocks.
A private wooden dock with two boat slips extended out into the water. It, too, was lit up. I turned from the windows and stared down at the body on the kitchen floor.Mari Quinn, her blonde hair fanning around her head, lay on the polished hardwood near the far end of the island.
The same blonde woman from the alley.
The same blonde woman from the grocery store.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Sheriff Stiles said. “I’ll be in the living room with the husband.”
7
“I’ll start processing the scene,” Barbie said, slipping on booties and gloves.
I took a good look around the kitchen. A cutting board with diced onions and peppers sat on the marble island in the middle of the kitchen. Mari had obviously been making dinner.
“No sign of a break-in,” I said. “The front door looked intact, and the French doors over there seem secure. Plus, no broken windows that I’ve seen so far.”
Zane nodded. “So she either let someone in, or they had a key.”
“I have mud on the back doormat, and it’s damp,” Barbie said.
“So someone came in through the back,” I said.
Zane nodded. “Makes sense if they didn’t want to be seen entering through the front door. Hopefully, Sheriff Stiles or his men will get something from one of the neighbors.”
“Looks like ligature strangulation made by a narrow object,” Doc Treestone said from his position next to Mari’s body. “Could be cord, ribbon, twine. Something like that.” He pointed to the marks on Mari’s neck. “You can see how thin the rope was.Unless I have the murder weapon, Barbie and I can’t tell if it was magically enchanted or not.” Doc Treestone rose and pushed his oval glasses up his nose. “She hasn’t been dead long. Body temp and lack of any significant rigor mortis puts time of death between three and five today. I’ll know more when I do an autopsy.”
Barbie took out her magically enhanced fingerprint powder and large brush. “Let’s see what I can find.”
I turned to Zane. “I say we go talk to the husband.”
Zane nodded, and we headed back down the hallway. I paused near the wedding picture and could make out muffled voices from the living room. Sheriff Stiles was still with the husband.
