Ten Times Guilty Read Online Free PDF Page A

better. “What happened?”
    “He beat her nearly to death, that’s what happened.”
    “Heard she worked here.”
    Ramirez nodded. “RN. Started last week, just out of school. Young, about twenty-three. She wasn’t on my floor, but from what I heard, she was competent and pitched in without complaining. She’s from somewhere in the Midwest.” She glanced at the blinking light on the phone. “I have to take a call.”
    “Two more minutes.”
    Ramirez pursed her lips. “Marnie’s seeing someone new and there’s something about him I don’t like.” She cocked an eyebrow at Reese.
    He nodded.
    “She was semi-conscious when they brought her in,” Ramirez said. “Severe abrasions and contusions to her face and torso. Dr. Prescott suspects concussion and broken ribs. They’re trying to save her teeth, but it’s doubtful. Poor kid.”
    “Was she raped?”
    “Bastard nearly tore her apart. Get him, Reese. No woman is safe with that much hatred on the streets.”
    A nurse stepped from room Three and motioned for the officers. “Ready to do the rape kit now.”
    Both officers hustled to Three. Ramirez held up a hand. “Only one. Reese, you stay.”
    Like hell he’d stay. He hurried to room Three and pushed aside the curtain.
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
     
    Forks of lightning jagged across the sky. Thunder rolled through boiling gray clouds. A fat raindrop splattered Tracy’s face. She scanned the clouds, hoping to make the last block home before the storm broke. Judy Golden, her teenage babysitter, was attending hairdressing school and just last evening had cut and styled Tracy’s thick brunette hair into a sleek bob.
    And now it was going to be ruined. All because of Rita and Karr. If she hadn’t stayed those extra few minutes she’d be warm and safe in her apartment by now.
    But if she were honest, it wasn’t Rita or Karr that had kept her from leaving; it was the damn cinnamon rolls and trying to figure how to get one.
    She deserved to get soaked.
    Another drop splashed her face, followed by several more. Cold and wet, they trailed her neck and ran under her collar. Goosebumps prickled her skin. Tracy held her purse over her head and took off running. The clouds burst. Rain fell in sheets, drenching the sidewalks and streets with water. By the time she reached her apartment, her dark hair hung in her eyes and her feet squished in her shoes. Scurrying up the stairs, she paused to open the door, a puddle forming under her feet.
    Judy looked up from the futon across from Ritchie’s crib. One thing about an efficiency apartment, everything was convenient.
    “Good grief,” Judy said in a loud whisper, “if you didn’t like the style, you could’ve just said so.”
    “Very funny.” Tracy slipped out of her shoes, then tiptoed to the crib. Ritchie slept in his favorite position, on his tummy with his knees tucked under him, his rump in the air. Tracy peeled off her sodden jacket and hung it over the bathroom door.
    “Why didn’t you take your umbrella?” Judy asked. “It would’ve helped, you know.” She placed a bookmark in her paperback and stacked it on top of her textbooks.
    “I threw it away weeks ago. Looked like a bunch of toothpicks with scraps of nylon stuck in the middle.”
    “Maybe you shoulda kept it. Stuck marshmallows on the ends and used it as a decoration. Anything would help in here.” Judy looked around the barren room in distaste.
    “You know, I love your mother, but sometimes she’s a smartass and you’re just like her.”
    “It’s in the genes—”
    “I’d like to yank down those jeans and paddle your rear end. Then perhaps you’d have some respect for your elders.”
    “Elders? You? You’re only a few years older than me.”
    “Yeah, but sometimes I feel like your grandmother. And keep your voice down.”
    “Why? You usually get him up,” Judy stage-whispered.
    “I want some time to go over the mail.”
    “Oh, yeah.” Judy stood and gathered her things