baby. The pain and grief were overwhelming. He had persuaded his parents to remember her as she was. The sight would have broken their hearts. The only comfort to the family was, she hadn't been raped.
Tegan's death certificate showed Death from Loss of Blood due to Laceration of Jugular Vein. It was estimated, she would have bled out in minutes and not been forced to suffer for hours. Alone. Some fucking consolation that was.
The Police Captain had forbidden him to work on the investigation. He wanted a conviction which was beyond doubt. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the young man to conduct the investigation with integrity and honesty. But, he knew the lawyers would have a field day when they found out the detective on the case was also the victim’s brother. The family had suffered enough; he would not allow a killer to walk free because a jury might have doubts about tainted evidence.
The investigation was to be conducted by two detectives from the nearby town, Glanville, where his sister's body had been found. Gabe was livid when told he couldn't participate but after he calmed down, he realized his Captain was right. It didn’t stop him from asking about the progress of the case though.
****
Gabe pushed through the glass doors of the Police station, nodded to the Desk Sargent and strode to where the Detectives working his sister's case would be waiting for him. He had called and told them he was on his way.
As he negotiated several desks, he sent a chair crashing to the floor. The Detectives looked up.
It had been two weeks since his sister's funeral and he needed some answers. So far there had been nothing. He approached Detectives Bryce Williams and Elizabeth Connors who he’d crossed paths with on previous cases. They motioned for him to sit.
“I hope you have something for me. My patience is now non-existent and I swear I'm gonna start investigating this case myself. I don't give a fuck what the Captain says.”
“Calm down Gabe and listen to what we have to say,” Elizabeth urged.
Gabe relaxed into the chair. He would give them a fair hearing. But if he wasn’t satisfied, he would take matters into his own hands.
Bryce began, “Over the past few days we have talked to your sister's school friends, her team mates at Hockey and her Teacher's. They all say Tegan had been withdrawn, quiet, not herself for a few weeks.”
“Her closest friend…” Elizabeth flicked through her notebook. “Janice said she had stopped going to the library with them after school and they can't remember the last time they spent a night with her.”
Gabe listened carefully. His sister was an 'A' grade student in her final year of school. She spent most of her time at the library or studying at home with her friends. It was unusual for this routine to have stopped. His parents had complained she had been very quiet. They said she was spending four nights a week at friends' places studying and came in very late. She was usually tired and when they asked her to cut back, she had become testy and told her parents to mind their own business.
Bryce continued. “Her teachers said her grades had fallen badly in past weeks and she had refused to talk about what was bothering her. She didn't participate in debate like she had previously and, she had quit the Drama Club and the Hockey team.”
Gabe raked his hair with his fingers. “What the fuck was going on with her? I should have listened to mom and dad when they said something wasn't right.” He didn't miss the swift glance exchanged between the two detectives. “What?”
“Um, you need to see this and we know your reaction is not going to be good.” Elizabeth looked at him with sympathy.
“What are you talking about?” Gabe growled.
“Calm down. Remember, we’re investigating her murder and want answers. We are not judging.” Bryce said. He swung the computer screen around to face Gabe.
The detectives watched as their colleague’s face reddened. His
Tegan's death certificate showed Death from Loss of Blood due to Laceration of Jugular Vein. It was estimated, she would have bled out in minutes and not been forced to suffer for hours. Alone. Some fucking consolation that was.
The Police Captain had forbidden him to work on the investigation. He wanted a conviction which was beyond doubt. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the young man to conduct the investigation with integrity and honesty. But, he knew the lawyers would have a field day when they found out the detective on the case was also the victim’s brother. The family had suffered enough; he would not allow a killer to walk free because a jury might have doubts about tainted evidence.
The investigation was to be conducted by two detectives from the nearby town, Glanville, where his sister's body had been found. Gabe was livid when told he couldn't participate but after he calmed down, he realized his Captain was right. It didn’t stop him from asking about the progress of the case though.
****
Gabe pushed through the glass doors of the Police station, nodded to the Desk Sargent and strode to where the Detectives working his sister's case would be waiting for him. He had called and told them he was on his way.
As he negotiated several desks, he sent a chair crashing to the floor. The Detectives looked up.
It had been two weeks since his sister's funeral and he needed some answers. So far there had been nothing. He approached Detectives Bryce Williams and Elizabeth Connors who he’d crossed paths with on previous cases. They motioned for him to sit.
“I hope you have something for me. My patience is now non-existent and I swear I'm gonna start investigating this case myself. I don't give a fuck what the Captain says.”
“Calm down Gabe and listen to what we have to say,” Elizabeth urged.
Gabe relaxed into the chair. He would give them a fair hearing. But if he wasn’t satisfied, he would take matters into his own hands.
Bryce began, “Over the past few days we have talked to your sister's school friends, her team mates at Hockey and her Teacher's. They all say Tegan had been withdrawn, quiet, not herself for a few weeks.”
“Her closest friend…” Elizabeth flicked through her notebook. “Janice said she had stopped going to the library with them after school and they can't remember the last time they spent a night with her.”
Gabe listened carefully. His sister was an 'A' grade student in her final year of school. She spent most of her time at the library or studying at home with her friends. It was unusual for this routine to have stopped. His parents had complained she had been very quiet. They said she was spending four nights a week at friends' places studying and came in very late. She was usually tired and when they asked her to cut back, she had become testy and told her parents to mind their own business.
Bryce continued. “Her teachers said her grades had fallen badly in past weeks and she had refused to talk about what was bothering her. She didn't participate in debate like she had previously and, she had quit the Drama Club and the Hockey team.”
Gabe raked his hair with his fingers. “What the fuck was going on with her? I should have listened to mom and dad when they said something wasn't right.” He didn't miss the swift glance exchanged between the two detectives. “What?”
“Um, you need to see this and we know your reaction is not going to be good.” Elizabeth looked at him with sympathy.
“What are you talking about?” Gabe growled.
“Calm down. Remember, we’re investigating her murder and want answers. We are not judging.” Bryce said. He swung the computer screen around to face Gabe.
The detectives watched as their colleague’s face reddened. His
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