Page 6 of The Advocate’s Ultimatum

“What about him?”

“I want to know everything.”

“Now that sounds like the Sabre I know.”

She allowed herself a small smile. “It feels like it was engineered.”

“You think so?”

“I feel it in my gut.”

“Why?”

Sabre thought about the girl who had sat across from her in the interview room, the certainty in her voice, the way she had said Sabre’s name. “Because she expected me,” Sabre said quietly.

JP didn’t answer right away. “Finally,” he said, “That’s… unsettling.”

“Yes, it is.”

She ended the call and sat there for another moment. Then she reached over to the passenger seat and picked up the file the clerk had given her. Inside was the preliminary police report from the El Cajon Police Department. Sabre flipped it open and began reading it.

It listed the case number, date, time reported, and the address in El Cajon. She continued to skim it.

VICTIM:

Name: Todd Maddox

DOB: [Pending Confirmation]

Sex: Male

Race: White

Paramedics arrived at approximately 4:26 PM and pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.

INCIDENT SUMMARY:

Officers responded to a 911 call reporting sounds of a disturbance followed by screaming inside the duplex.

Upon arrival, officers located the victim lying on the living room floor suffering from an apparent stab wound to the upper chest and visible blunt-force trauma to the head. Large amounts of blood were observed surrounding the victim.

The apartment showed signs of a physical altercation. Several items of furniture were displaced, and a floor lamp was overturned. No indications of forced entry were observed. The front door was partially open upon officers' arrival.

Cause and manner of death are pending examination by the Medical Examiner.

SCENE OBSERVATIONS:

Apparent stab wound to victim's chest.

Apparent blunt-force injury to the right rear portion of the victim's head.

Significant blood loss observed.

Kitchen knife recovered inside apartment.

Victim's wallet, identification, cellular phone, and other valuables remained at the scene.

No indication robbery was a motive.