I Am Death Read Online Free PDF Page B

olive-shaped eyes complemented by a petite nose and full lips. Her cheeks were
dusted with a handful of freckles, and her hair was light brown in color, coming down to the top of her shoulders.
    ‘Seven days ago,’ Captain Blake continued, as Hunter and Garcia moved past the opening photograph and on to the second page of the file – Nicole Wilson’s fact sheet
– ‘Nicole was babysitting for Audrey and James Bennett, a wealthy couple who live in Upper Laurel Canyon, when she was abducted.’
    Hunter’s questioning gaze moved from the fact sheet to Captain Blake.
    ‘Yes,’ the captain confirmed, reading the unspoken question in her detective’s eyes. ‘She was abducted while she was babysitting, not on her way to work, or on her way
back. The perpetrator took her from inside the house.’
    Hunter’s attention returned to the file. He flipped to the next page and skimmed through it. ‘No struggle?’
    ‘Forensics found no sign of it,’ Captain Blake replied, then paused for a second, observing both detectives before nodding once. ‘I know what you two are thinking – that
the perpetrator was probably known to Nicole, and that she willingly allowed him into the house, hence the lack of evidence of a struggle. The same thought came to me when I first read that file,
but no, that doesn’t seem to be the case here.’
    ‘How come?’ Garcia asked.
    Captain Blake shrugged and moved over to the espresso machine on the corner by the bookshelves. ‘Because the perpetrator tricked Nicole with a bogus story.’ She chose a coffee
capsule and inserted it into the machine. This was her second cup since she’d arrived at her office less than half an hour ago.
    ‘A bogus story?’ Hunter frowned.
    ‘That’s correct. Coffee?’
    Both detectives shook their heads.
    The captain watched the last drops of coffee trickle into her cup while she clarified: ‘It looks like the perpetrator pretended to be Ms. Bennett’s cousin from Texas, who was
supposedly staying over at their garage apartment.’ She took a moment, allowing Hunter and Garcia to absorb the information before moving on. ‘Audrey Bennett doesn’t have a cousin
from Texas. They had no one staying over at their garage apartment.’ She dropped a single sweetener tablet into her cup. ‘And get this, the perpetrator was having a sandwich in the
kitchen when Nicole walked in on him.’
    Curiosity and intrigue flooded Garcia’s face.
    ‘He was having a sandwich?’
    ‘According to Ms. Bennett, yes.’
    ‘Wait a second.’ Hunter lifted a hand. ‘I’m guessing that if Nicole was babysitting for the Bennetts, they were out of the house at the time?’
    ‘That’s correct,’ Captain Blake confirmed. ‘They were attending a judge’s dinner. James Bennett is a high-flying lawyer.’
    ‘So if they were out of the house, how does Ms. Bennett know about the perpetrator posing as her cousin?’
    ‘Well, that’s where it starts to get creepy,’ Captain Blake said, sipping her coffee. ‘The perpetrator allowed Nicole to answer a call from Audrey Bennett and tell her
about the man she had met in the kitchen, before taking her.’ She indicated the file in Hunter’s hands. ‘A very detailed transcript of the interview Missing Persons did with
Audrey Bennett is in there, next page along. It also includes her entire account of the phone conversation she had with Nicole.’
    Hunter and Garcia turned to it.
    ‘How did the perpetrator gain access to the house?’ Hunter asked.
    ‘As yet unknown,’ the captain replied. ‘There were no signs of forced entry but the back door was unlocked. The problem is, Ms. Bennett can’t remember if she had left it
that way or not. But even if she hadn’t, Nicole could’ve unlocked it for some reason and forgot to relock it, there’s no way of confirming that. And there’s also the
possibility that the perpetrator could’ve simply picked the lock. Forensics said that there was no damage to it, but we all