Konarth, Joe - Jack Daniels 02 - Bloody Mary Read Online Free PDF Page A

front, with the arms splayed out crucifixion-style.
    Officer Dan Rogers knocked on my open door. I invited him in.
    “Got the GC results from the burned skin samples.” He handed me a file. “My tongue was correct. The arms were diluted with bleach.”
    “No trace of anything else?”
    “Nope. Bleach will clean up just about anything. That’s why it’s used by HazMat teams. Hey, Lieut, you got any aspirin? I’ve got a headache that’s making my eyes water.”
    I found a bottle in my desk and tossed it to him. He shook out five, and swallowed them dry.
    “Thanks, Lieutenant. Call me if I can be any more help. I like CSU, but
Detective Rogers
has a nice ring to it too.”
    Rogers left. Herb made a grunting, satisfied sound, and tossed his empty cookie box into the garbage, on top of three other such cookie boxes.
    “Herb, not that I want to question your dieting efforts, but how many boxes of those cookies have you eaten today?”
    “Why?”
    “Let’s just say you could hibernate with all I’ve seen you eat in the last ten minutes.”
    “So what? They’re fat-free.”
    “Chocolate syrup is fat-free too. Look at the calories.”
    He fished out the box he’d tossed and squinted at the nutrition panel. “Ah, hell. No wonder I’ve gained four pounds on this diet.”
    “You need to watch the carbohydrates, not the fat.”
    “Oh. These only have fifteen grams of carbs.”
    “Per serving. How many servings per box?”
    “Ah, hell.”
    A knock. I turned to see Officer Fuller in the doorway. Fuller was an ex-pro football player, tall and wide, and he towered over his companion, a short, balding man wearing Armani and too much Obsession for Men.
    “This is Marvin Pulitzer.”
    Marvin smiled, his caps unnaturally white, and offered his hand to me. I took it, and discovered he was palming something.
    “Pulitzer Prizes Talent Agency. Very pleased to meet you, Miss . . . ?”
    “Lieutenant. Jacqueline Daniels.”
    He held on to me a moment longer than necessary. When I got my hand back I saw he’d given me his card.
    “You’ve got great bone structure, Lieutenant. Do you model?”
    “I did
Vogue
a few issues back.”
    Pulitzer narrowed his eyes, then smiled again.
    “Joking. I get it. Funny. But seriously, I just landed this new account. They’re looking for distinguished, mature women. You should come in, take some test shots.”
    “What’s the company?”
    “Ever-Weave.”
    I confessed to never hearing of them.
    “They sell protective undergarments. You know, adult-sized diapers.”
    Fuller chortled, deep and throaty. I dismissed him.
    “Think it over. You wouldn’t have to pose wearing the product. You just have to stand there, looking embarrassed.”
    No kidding.
    “I don’t think I’m quite ready to delve into the glamorous world of modeling, Mr. Pulitzer. Come in and have a seat.”
    Pulitzer and Herb exchanged greetings, and then he sat in a chair between us on the right side of the desk.
    “So, where’s Davi?”
    Herb handed Pulitzer the mug shot.
    “This is Davi McCormick?”
    “Yeah. Oh, Christ, she’s in trouble, isn’t she? What did she do? Has she called a lawyer yet?”
    Pulitzer pulled out a cell phone the size of a matchbook and flipped it open, dialing with his pinky.
    “She doesn’t need a lawyer, Mr. Pulitzer. The county medical examiner found Davi’s severed arms in the morgue yesterday morning.”
    “Her . . . arms?”
    Herb handed him another picture. Pulitzer lost all color.
    “Oh shit! Those are Davi’s? Shit! What the hell happened to her?”
    “When was the last time you spoke with Davi?”
    “Four days ago. We did lunch at Wildfire. Right after that I had to catch a flight to New York.”
    “What did you talk about during lunch?”
    “The usual stuff. Upcoming gigs. Auditions.”
    “Did Davi seem nervous, or afraid?”
    “No, everything was completely normal.”
    Herb and I took turns interrogating Pulitzer. We confirmed his trip, and asked several dozen