Never Alone Read Online Free PDF Page A

I know about Claddagh rings?”
    Zachary Jones, commonly referred to as Jonesy, was thin and had precision-cut brown hair. He always wore Oxford shirts with matching ties—which Megan joked were clip-ons—underneath his blue medical examiner’s windbreaker. He was smart and young, and had a direct sense of humor. Megan considered it a dry humor, while most people meeting Jonesy for the first time thought he was bleak, sometimes bordering on crass.
    â€œDo you want to know why there’s a dead girl in the middle of the room, or are we going to chitchat about jewelry some more?”
    Megan could see why people thought Jonesy insensitive. She smiled, remaining quiet as Jonesy explained how Shannon Mc­ Allister was murdered.
    â€œCarpe jugulum.”
    â€œSorry?” Nappa interrupted.
    â€œGo for the throat.” Megan had trouble grasping as well as remembering the Ten Commandments in Catholic school, but Latin had always fascinated her.
    â€œVery good, Detective. You two have a fresh kill on your hands.”
    Megan shot a look over at Nappa, then back to Jonesy. “What do you mean fresh . It’s barely eleven o’clock.”
    â€œMaybe three hours, if that. I’ll have a better idea when we do an autopsy, check the temp of the liver.”
    Fucking ballsy unsub , Megan thought.
    Jonesy continued, “I think he wore surgical gloves, two pairs, specifically. Based on the bruising around the neck, I think the killer first attacked from behind. Then, because of the abdominal bruising, I’d say he put his knee on her side to hold her down while he strangled her. So far no fingerprints, and I mean not one print, even from the victim. It looks like he wiped the whole place down.”
    â€œDon’t forget to bag her hands,” Megan said.
    â€œI’ll bag ’em, but I don’t think we’ll find anything,” Jonesy said.
    â€œWhy not?” Nappa asked.
    â€œLook,” Jonesy knelt down and held up one of Shannon’s wrists, moving her clutched hand side to side. “He cleaned her hands and trimmed the nails down to the quick. It looks like he used nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol to do it. I’ll do a chem test to tell for sure.”
    â€œThe killer cleaned her hands?” Megan asked.
    â€œYes, and he was extremely thorough about it.”
    â€œSo he kills her and gives her a manicure.” She looked up at Nappa. “I doubt he threw any cotton balls, or whatever he used, in the trash can.”
    He shook his head. “Nope.”
    â€œHe killed her, gave her a manicure, and cleaned her apartment. That’s a hell of a Merry Maids service, isn’t it?” Jonesy said.
    â€œThis has not been a good fucking morning,” Megan whispered to herself. A moment later, her cell phone vibrated. She turned away from the group for the slightest bit of privacy. “Detective McGinn.” The call was one she’d receive every now and then. “Well, is she okay? Did she hurt herself ? Okay. Good. I’m going to have to call you back.” She hung up without saying goodbye and reconvened with the others. She stood with her arms crossed as if preparing for a fierce chill.
    â€œThere aren’t any signs of a break-in, so she knew him, or he had a key and waited until she got home,” Nappa said. “What do you think? Any connection to the murder on the Lower East Side?”
    â€œCould be. It’s too early to tell.” Megan muttered again, “Could be.” She walked a few steps around Shannon to look at her from a different vantage point. “The other vic didn’t have anything under her nails, right?”
    â€œTotally clean,” Nappa answered.
    Megan thought a moment. “She was found a few days after being killed. Maybe there’s a time issue with what he used to clean under the nails, something that couldn’t be detected after a few days.” Megan stepped