Cavanaugh Hero Read Online Free PDF Page A

Crimes. You just might be in luck. My partner handed in his papers today and he’s leaving the department for the private sector.”
    Charley nodded, but she hardly heard a word of what the other detective was saying to her. The phrase “you just might be in luck” was echoing over and over again in her head.
    She was never going to be in luck again.
    Her brother, her best friend, her entire family lay on the sofa, dead.
    There was no such thing as luck anymore, she thought darkly.
    She didn’t realize Cavanaugh was talking to her, didn’t even hear him, let alone have any of his words register until she felt someone touch her arm. Blinking she looked up, once again abandoning the haze she hadn’t even realized she’d slipped back into.
    “Are you all right?” Declan was asking.
    She roused herself, doing her best to look alert and generally unfazed. She had her suspicions she couldn’t quite carry off the impression that she’d come around. “Why shouldn’t I be?”
    Declan began to enumerate the reasons that occurred to him. “Well, for one thing, you look like you’re a million miles away.”
    Charley shrugged. She had that one covered. “That’s not exactly a pretty sight to emboss on my brain,” she replied flippantly, indicating the dead body on the sofa.
    There was more going on here than that and Declan knew it. Moreover, he was fairly certain that she knew he knew it. But now wasn’t the time to get into it. He had to give her a little time to collect herself—while he did a little digging on the side into her background.
    Keeping her close would turn out to be a good thing, Declan decided. Other than the fact that—strictly speaking as a man—she was even more of a knockout now than she had been back in the academy, she was obviously mixed up in this somehow. Whether merely innocently because she was acquainted with the victim or if there was more to it than that, he’d yet to decide, but she figured into all this somehow and he intended to use that to his advantage.
    He was fairly confident he could sell this to the lieutenant. The man trusted his judgment and more important than that, he wanted to stay on the good side of the chief of detectives, Brian Cavanaugh, and Brian took a personal interest in all his detectives, especially those bearing the same surname as his.
    All that remained for him to figure out, once the dust settled and he—or they—found the killer, was what he intended to get in exchange for letting her come on board and work with him.
    This was going to be very interesting, he decided as he heard the sound of what he presumed was the crime-scene investigative unit’s vehicle approaching.

Chapter 3
    S ean Cavanaugh was the first crime-scene investigator in through the doorway.
    Nodding at his son and the unfamiliar woman with him—was it him, or did it seem like there was always a woman with Declan?—the head of the day investigative unit looked grimly down at the body on the sofa. The dead man appeared to be in his late twenties, early thirties. Strong, well built and undoubtedly with a good future in front of him until a bullet ended all that.
    What a waste, Sean thought, setting down the case he always carefully checked and restocked after every crime-scene investigation. It was time to get to work and find answers.
    “So the victim’s one of our own,” Sean said sadly, addressing the remark to both of the occupants within the room.
    Charley answered first. “Yes, sir, he was. Sergeant Matthew Holt,” she told the head of CSI.
    Oh, Matt, Matt, what have you gone and let happen to you? Why’d you let your guard down like that? You always told me to be careful. Why weren’t you?
    Charley felt her throat closing, suddenly clogged with tears. She fought them back.
    Sean nodded, taking in the information. “And you are?” he asked.
    “Detective Charlotte Randolph, sir.” Charley focused strictly on answering the questions put to her. Her voice sounded almost