CHAPTER THREE

Angus cursed whoever had left the coffee pot empty as he walked into the office. It was an unwritten rule that it never sat empty. Franks was in court, so that left Detective Burns or Detective Madison. Considering the half cup of coffee on Detective Burns desk, he figured it was her.

He quickly headed out into the hallway to fill the pot full of water, then back into to the office where he started a fresh pot. He glared at Amy's coffee cup again as he went to his desk to wait while it brewed.

He stared at his computer as he waited for it to load, thinking over what he had to work on today. Things had been quiet recently. Other than an unknown male shooting victim someone had found in a car near the racetrack, they hadn't had any murders. Signs on and around the body found near the track linked the victim to a local gang, but without a confirmed identity, things weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Morning." Detective Amy Burns walked into the office.

"You drank the last of the coffee." Angus didn't glance up at her.

"Shit, sorry. My brother-in-law dropped in and took the last of it. I meant to make more after he left, but I ended up walking him outside." Amy glanced at the pot. "I'll make the next pot you finish."

Angus shook his head. "Sorry for complaining. I'm just testy. It was a late night. How's Officer Burns doing?" He knew her brother was a street cop. Angus had worked with him on several occasions.

"We're trying to decide what to do for my mother-in-law's birthday. She'll be sixty." Amy picked up her coffee cup and stood, going over to fill it. She reached for Angus's mug and filled it for him.

"Thanks." Angus took the cup.

"I heard about a drowning last night. Was the body really held down with a bucket of cement?" She wrinkled her nose as she sat back down at her desk.

"Yeah. She's the daughter of Alan Bloomquist."

"The attorney?"

Angus nodded and went on to tell her about Fiona's mother coming home and finding her at the bottom of the pool. "Seventeen, just like the other girl earlier that morning."

"Connected?" Amy asked.

"I hope to find out today. They went to the same school, but that doesn't mean anything. I plan on talking to Liz's boyfriend at ten if you want to join me. I'll ask about her friends then. I figure her boyfriend will know more than anyone about what was going on in her life." Angus clicked to a file on his computer where he'd made notes yesterday. "You left before I did yesterday, and I was still there when Marcus Bradly called to inform Gavin what had happened. He spoke to his parents first so they could be there for him, then told Gavin what happened. Everyone was upset. It was horrible. I know Liz was dating Gavin. I'm told they'd been a couple since eighth grade. The parents said he was like a son to them. They figured the kids would get married once they graduated high school." Angus tapped his pen on the desk.

"Does Gavin have an alibi?" Amy asked.

"His parents said he'd been home all night, but we both know at his age, he could have easily snuck out and been back before the parents woke up. My gut says he's not who we're looking for, but I have no evidence to back that up. We need to go into this with an open mind. I'm very interested in finding out if these two victims knew each other." Angus dropped the pen and reached for his coffee. "This afternoon, I'm interviewing Fiona's parents. I'm not sure what to expect with her father being a big-league attorney, but hopefully, they will be open with us and not play the legal games with us."

"Where's Franks?" Amy asked.

"In court. His testimony got held over a day. He should be back in the office late today or tomorrow."

"Then I'll join you for those interviews if you don't mind the company," Amy offered.

"I welcome it." Amy was great with grieving families and would be a great asset with keeping them calm and comfortable. "I want to drop by the morgue and see if they've gotten to Fiona yet. I mentioned the case to Lance this morning and he promised to put a rush on it if he could."

"They find someone to replace Kathy yet?" Amy asked.

"Nope. Seems they're not having any luck. Lance mentioned they were going to interview more today."

"I'm going to give my sister a call and see if she's interested. She just got divorced and is moving out here in a week. She's been an executive secretary for years. Do you think they'd wait a week or so for her to get here if she's interested?"

"We can ask when we're there. She could interview through Zoom or something. I know Lance is desperate to get Carrie back assisting him, but for a dependable person who doesn't have some death fetish, I'm sure they'd wait." Angus shrugged. "Can't hurt to ask."

"Death fetish?" Amy wrinkled her brow.

"Yeah, crazy, right?" Angus laughed. "I guess they keep having people interview who just want to deal with the bodies." He shook his head. "I didn't even know you had a sister. Where's she now?"

"Vail, Colorado. She married at seventeen and moved away. Her now ex-husband runs one of the ski resorts in the area. She worked for the same company. The divorce hasn't been pretty. I don't blame her for wanting to move and start over. I never did like her husband. He's one of those men who have to have the best of everything. Flaunt all his money. I don't remember the last time Gretta looked happy. I'm hoping coming here will help. She's going to stay with us for a few months while she looks for an apartment or condo here."

"I've got a house for rent." Angus grinned.

"Too much room for her. She wants to downsize and keep it simple. She doesn't want the upkeep and yard work." Amy stood. "I'm going to hit the bathroom, then we can head out. I'll meet you in the lobby."

Angus nodded, downed the rest of his coffee, then grabbed his things before heading to the lobby. He only had to wait a few minutes for Amy to meet him, then they headed out to the parking lot. "You okay if I drive?"

"By all means, please be my chauffeur today." She grinned. "Just promise me you've got air conditioning."

"If I didn't, you'd be driving us." Angus pulled out his keys and hit the button on the fob to unlock the doors. "You have warned your sister about our heat, right? It'll be a huge change from Vail."

"Oh, I've warned her. She's only been here once to visit and that was in November. She has no idea what she's in for with our summer temperatures." Amy got into the passenger seat.

Angus got in and started the car. "Where are you two from originally?"

"Ohio. My dad still lives there. I tried to get him to move here when Mom died, but he's got a lot of friends back home. He's happy there. I go see him a few times a year. He's coming here for Thanksgiving this year since Gretta will be here." Amy reached out and turned the air conditioner up a couple of notches. "You're lucky to have your parents close."

"I am. I can't imagine it any other way. I love that they're just a few minutes away when I want to visit. They're good about not interfering in my life too much. If they were a pain in the ass, I'd probably feel different about living close." Angus pulled onto the road. It was a short drive to the Medical Examiner's Office. Hardly enough time for the car to cool off.

"Are Lance's parents alive?" Amy asked.

"No, they died years ago. He's got a brother in the Navy but that's it. My mom's adopted him though. You'd think Lance was one of her own kids."

"That's good. It's important that your parents like who you date or marry. My parents hated Gretta's husband. That should have warned her off him, but unfortunately, she married him before introducing him to the family." Amy sighed. "I'm just glad she finally got smart and left him."

"Was he abusive?" Angus glanced over at Amy.

"Not physically that I know of, but mentally and verbally for sure. She was never good enough for him. He wanted that trophy wife he could show off. Gretta tried to be what he wanted, but that's not who she is. She's more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt. He wanted sexy dresses and heels all the time. He'll find himself some young thing on the slopes to replace her, if he hasn't already. I'm hoping in time, she'll find someone who lets her be herself. Right now, she claims she'll never date again."

"We all go through that after a bad breakup. I imagine a divorce is even more traumatic." Angus pulled into the parking lot of the M.E.'s office and found the closest parking spot. "Ready to get to work?"

"You really think he's got the autopsy done already? It's just after nine." Amy got out of the car.

Angus met her and started inside. "Maybe not but it doesn't hurt to check." He held the door to the main office open for Amy to step inside then followed her.

"Morning." Carrie smiled up from her desk behind the counter.

"Morning." Amy smiled. "Strange seeing you out front."

Carrie sighed. "It's not where I want to be, that's for sure."

"Have you hired anyone yet?" Amy asked.

Carrie shook her head. "We're still interviewing. I think Sam has two more coming in today."

"My sister is going to be moving here in a week and will need a job. She's got office experience. If she's interested, how do I have her apply?" Amy asked.

Carrie stood up and handed Amy a business card. "The job qualifications are on our website. The address is on that card. Have her look at it and if it's something she might like doing, have her call me directly. I'll set up an interview."

"Could she interview virtually? Like I said, she won't be here for a week." Amy slid the business card into her pocket.

"Sure. I'll even give Sam a heads up that she might apply so he doesn't hire someone in desperation. I can't wait to get back into autopsy, but I'll suffer working out here for another week if it means we get someone hired who will stick around." Amy stood and pushed the sign in log toward Angus. "I'm guessing you're here to see Lance?"

Angus nodded as he signed his and Amy's name on the log. "They haven't gotten through Fiona Bloomquist's autopsy yet, have they?"

"Sam and Kyle have her on the table now. Autopsy room one if you want to view. Brayden and Lance are working on the guy from the raceway in room two." Carrie hit the button that unlocked the half-door that would allow Amy and Angus back so they could get to the viewing rooms.

"Thanks." Angus started back.

"I'll call my sister as soon as we finish here," Amy told Carrie as she followed Angus.

"Perfect. If she's interested, we can set up an interview as soon as she's able," Carrie called to her.

"Think your sister will want the job?" Angus asked as they walked down the hallway.

"Finding a job was her biggest worry. I think she'll jump on it. I'm just not sure if she'll be comfortable working with the dead."

"She won't have to. Kathy, the lady she'd be replacing never went in the back to see the bodies. She stayed in the front office or breakroom. She would have to deal with grieving families, but if she's anything like you, she'd be great at that." Angus pushed a door open and started up the small stairway that led to the viewing rooms.

"Where to first?" Amy asked.

"Autopsy one. I'm hoping to find out if Fiona was dead before she was placed in the pool." Angus opened the door to the first viewing room. He slowly walked in, looking down at the room below him where Sam and Kyle were working.

"Morning, Detectives." Sam glanced up. "Just getting started here."

"Morning," both Amy and Angus said in unison.

"So, you don't know if she drowned yet?" Angus asked.

"Actually, I do. I've gotten far enough that I know she has water in her lungs. I can't give you anything final until I finish, but I feel safe saying this was a drowning. I can't verify as of yet if she was injured or conscious when going into the water. She does appear to have broken several fingernails, and we'll send samples to the lab to see what was under her nails, but by the scratches around her ankle where the chain was, I'm guessing it might be her own skin from where she fought to try and get the chain free." Sam shook his head. "Just when you think you've seen it all."

Angus nodded. "I had the same thought."

"It'll be another hour before I can give you much more." Sam went back to work.

"That's okay. I mostly wanted to know if she was alive when she went into the water. I'll get the final report from you later." Angus didn't need to watch more. He'd seen enough autopsies to not get queasy over them, but seeing a young girl cut open was pushing his limits. "Thanks, Sam."

"No problem. Sorry I don't have more for you." Sam didn't look up at them as he worked.

"I knew it was early." Angus waved him off before nodding to Amy that they should go.

They stayed quiet as they went from autopsy one to autopsy two.

"You're here early." Lance glanced up from where he stood over the body of a man.

"Was hoping for information before I meet with families." Angus took a step closer to the window and frowned. He knew the man on the table. "That's the shooting victim from by the racetrack Phil got called on?"

"Yeah, one shot to the back of the head, execution style." Lance didn't look up.

"Got an identity on him?"

"Nope. He had nothing on him when they found him." Brayden glanced up at them, then back at the chart. "Looks to be around forty."

"I know him." Angus sighed. "At least I think it's him. Jeffery Biggler. I arrested his brother Carl a few years back for murder. Jeffery was one of the suspects at the time. The brothers have ties to the cartel. If she's still around, his mother and sister live just outside of the city." He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Phil. "His prints should be on file to verify it's him."

"We'll follow up." Lance set the scalpel he held down before glancing up. "You get what you need on your case?"

"Enough for now. We're headed to talk to Liz's boyfriend first, then to speak to the Bloomquists. I'll be late again tonight," Angus told him.

"I'll see you when you get there." Lance smiled. "The sooner you solve these murders, the sooner we get our nights back."

"Won't be soon enough." Angus was nowhere close to figuring out who killed either of the girls. "Call if anything pops."

"I will. Stay safe." Lance glanced up and smiled.

"Always." Angus blew him a kiss then turned and followed Amy out of the viewing room, wishing the day was over.