The Love Killings Read Online Free PDF

homes, but within close proximity of each other. At least five gunshots had been fired, maybe more. As Doyle said when he first described the crime, it would have been a night of total chaos. A night when Dr. Baylor came to punish another physician and blew his mind.
    Matt turned to Brown. “I’m assuming people live in the carriage house, and that they were home, right?”
    She nodded. “Yes.”
    “It’s only sixty feet away, Kate. It’s hard to believe that they didn’t hear anything. The gunshots. The kids screaming and shouting for help. Things got crazy in there. It had to be a loud night.”
    “No one heard anything,” she said.
    “How old are they?”
    “Early fifties. A middle-aged couple. Empty nesters. The time of death was 11:35 p.m. They were watching TV and didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary.”
    “Eleven thirty-five,” he said. “What do you mean?”
    “Stratton wore a pacemaker. At 11:35 p.m., the box shut down and he was flat lining. According to the medical examiner, everyone was killed within an hour of Stratton’s death.”
    Matt could almost see the expression on Baylor’s face as he shot five innocent people with his gun. The joy and satisfaction. The doctor’s sick mind leaking out of every pore.
    He let the image pass and switched on the flashlight as he sensed movement in the darkness. There was a large pool and spa on the right side of the house. When he panned the flashlight into the yard beyond, he noticed three more cops in black uniforms, carrying rifles and guarding the perimeter. Deeper into the yard he could see a pond partially iced over and another home he suspected had been part of the original estate. A small gatehouse built of stone and set along a quiet tree-lined road. As Matt spotted the stream and bridge and wrought iron gate, he couldn’t help imagining how peaceful the carriage ride would have been as the horses led the way around the pond and up the slope to this beautiful colonial mansion built on top of a plateau halfway up the hill.
    “How did Baylor get in?” Matt said.
    “There’s no sign of forced entry. Either the front door was open—and according to the house manager, it often was—or he waited for someone to come home and followed them in.”
    “There’s no live-in staff?”
    Brown shook her head. “Three day workers clean the house and take care of the grounds. The housekeeper doubles as the family chef. Once she makes dinner and cleans up, she’s out. Most nights that’s around eight thirty or nine.”
    “Then where does the first door on the end lead to?”
    “A one-bedroom guest suite. Same thing on the second and third floors.”
    “Let’s go inside.”
    Matt started walking toward the main entrance. Brown followed him onto the porch, then stopped as they reached the large glass door.
    “What is it?” Matt asked. “What’s wrong?”
    “I read about you,” she said quietly. “The things that happened to you, and the things you did. You received the Medal of Valor.”
    Matt didn’t say anything.
    She cleared her throat lightly and seemed nervous. Those blue eyes of hers were all over his face.
    “Doyle specifically asked me to wait outside,” she said. “County detectives processed this crime scene. Their techs shot enough pictures to fill two murder books, and they recorded everything they saw and everything they did on video. You’ll see it all tomorrow. It wasn’t until they found Baylor’s fingerprints that we became involved. Tonight Doyle wants you to take a walk-through on your own. No one seems to know why Baylor murdered these people where he did. Doyle wants your opinion.”
    “Where were the bodies found?”
    “I’ve been ordered not to say anything. He’s looking for a first impression.”
    She pointed to the lockbox attached to the door. “The key’s in there. One-eight-seven, that’s the combination to every lockbox so nobody forgets. I’ll be waiting in the car. Take as much time as you