Irrefutable Read Online Free PDF Page A

for the two along the tree line. That’s where I’d be.
    Alex walked across the field toward the dark area. A bright light appeared from behind him. He looked back toward the parking lot to see headlights, as the man who had confronted him, prepared to leave. Alex turned back toward the far side and continued across the field. He could hear voices in the distance behind him. He turned again to see the remaining joggers standing between the cars in the lot. As the last of the cars drove away, the track was empty, deserted, like it would have been the night before.
    A gentle breeze blew across the field from the water just beyond the trees. Alex could smell a hint of fish as he neared the far side of the track.
    There was no yellow tape, no X marking the spot where the attacker hid, waiting for his prey to come within range.
    It had been nearly twenty four hours. There have been scores of people here, runners, children playing, dogs chasing Frisbees. The chance of finding any evidence at all was slim, but he had to try.
    Alex stood under one of the darkened light poles. There was just enough light for him to see that the bulbs had been shattered. He used the small flashlight to look on the ground around the poles for broken glass. He found only a few small pieces in the grass along the edge of the track. There were no large pieces. The area appeared to have been cleaned up. By who, he had no way of knowing. He walked along the dark area of the track, looking into the trees as he went. It was dark enough to provide cover for anyone who wished to go undetected. On his second pass he noticed a small opening in the trees that he’d missed the first time. It was narrow, but wide enough for a person to get through quickly and quietly.
    Alex stood at the opening. Where did you wait? He slowly entered the trees, looking around for the best place to hide and watch. He turned to face the track. From here the view was obstructed by trees and small bushes. He moved slowly to his right, looking for the best view. He stopped when the space between the trees gave a clear view of the part of the track that leads toward the dark area. From here the attacker could have seen her coming. Is this it? Is this where you watched her?
    He shined the small flashlight along the ground all around him. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he would know it, if he saw it. He took a step back and shined the light at the base of a large tree. He moved it slowly along the roots then he saw it. He almost missed it. It was partially hidden under a dead leaf. But there it was.
    He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a plastic zip lock bag and a pair of tweezers. He moved the leaf and using the tweezers, picked up the small plastic cap.
    It was two inches long and thin, less than a quarter inch in diameter. It looked like a cap from a hypodermic needle.
    Alex held it up in the beam of his light. Inside, he could see a tiny drop of fluid, near the tip. You did drug her. He placed the cap into the bag and sealed it, then placed the bag and tweezers in his pocket and walked back across the field to his car.
    Carmen would still be at the prom and Alex wasn’t in any hurry to get back home, so he drove. He had no particular destination. He just drove.
     
    The old marina, as it was now known, was the remains of what was once, the most popular recreation spot on Lake Duvall. Until fifteen years ago, the outdoor stage that overlooked the pool was the setting for live music every weekend during the summers.
    Hundreds would gather to eat in the restaurant or have their food and libations delivered by bikini clad waitresses to the poolside tables while they enjoyed the free concerts. Local radio stations often held summer parties here, complete with bikini contests and all the barbeque the partiers could eat.
    Now it was nothing more than an empty shell of a building, its crumbling, graffiti covered walls served only as shelter for the occasional