Slasherazzi Read Online Free PDF Page B

needs to do something about people like him.”
I nodded, not wanting to dwell any more on the subject. Silence filled the small metal cab, the officer beginning to shift on his feet.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” he said quietly, avoiding my gaze.
“Depends what it is.”
“Well, I’m gay too, and—”
The elevator came to a stop, and the doors screeched open. I started on my way out, resisting the urge to correct his assumption about me.
“What’s your name?” I asked, pausing just outside.
“Michaels. Rick Michaels.”
“Do yourself a favor, Michaels, and keep it a secret for now.”
It hurt to say those words. I thought to myself it shouldn’t matter, but it did. In a world where the economy was plummeting and wars were being fought in the Middle East, people still had time to worry about the sex lives of others.
“What’s got you so down?” Tanya asked as I approached the car. I climbed in and shut the door with a loud bang. “Was it Fernando again? I swear when I see him next, I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind. That boy needs knocking down a few pegs.”
“It’s not that,” I said, starting the engine. Tanya took up the passenger seat. She fastened her seat belt as I began to pull out of the garage. “Sometimes, life’s just a bitch. So where’s this church then?”
Tanya’s eyes remained fixed on me for a few seconds. She shook her head before taking a notepad from her pocket and opening it up to where she had scribbled down the address. “Cherry Creek. Not far from Lake Magdalene,” she replied. “Sure you’re okay?”
“I will be,” I said, putting the name ‘Cherry Creek’ into my GPS as we waited for an opening to turn onto the main road.
“Think we’ll find anything useful there?” Tanya asked.
I turned my head to arch an eyebrow at her. “Not a fucking chance.”
Whoever our killer was, he was too smart to leave a potential witness. He had yet to leave us a single decent lead, and somehow, I didn’t think he was about to start now.
We drove north up Lake Magdalene Boulevard, taking the turn off into a narrow road lined with neatly trimmed lawns and white bungalows. Palms and cypress trees lined the sidewalks, their canopies shading us from the sweltering heat as we began to cruise through the neighborhood.
“Should be somewhere around here,” I muttered.
We crawled to a stop at a junction when Tanya pointed to her right. “Think we found it,” she said. Sure enough, there was a small church not far down the road, with a large white signpost outside that read ‘St. Matilda’s Catholic Church.’
I turned in the direction of the building and pulled up just outside. I killed the engine and grabbed a small notepad from the glove compartment, which I shoved into my back pocket as I climbed out of the car and stood. The church was set back a little from the main road, a paved walkway leading up to the wooden doors, above which hung a large white cross.
The door was slightly ajar. I pushed it open and stepped into the cool shade. Rows of pews led up to a raised platform where the main altar stood proudly. Only a single woman moved about the hall, carrying several Bibles in her arms as she headed for a door on the far side. She paused, her head turning to us as we strolled down the aisle.
“Can I help you?” she asked. “The Reverend won’t be in for another hour yet.”
We walked up to her, and I held up my badge for her to see. Tanya mirrored the action. “Detective Beckman, and this is my partner, Grissom. We have a few questions if you have a moment.”
“Oh!” The woman bent slightly to place the Bibles on a nearby seat before straightening up and brushing down her pastel yellow blouse. “Of course. My name is Judith. Judith Williams. I help look after the place. I’d be happy to help any way I can.” She smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling. She brushed at a rogue strand of graying hair that had fallen over her face.
“We have a few questions about