The Poisonous Ten Read Online Free PDF

and Parks began to feel sorry for the kid. No sense in taking out his frustrations about the morning on him.
    “Look, kid, it’s been one hell of a morning, and you’re not at fault for any of it.” Parks looked to Jackie and felt the same way. She was just doing her job as well. He had been thrown a lot on his first case in three weeks. He had been complaining of boredom at home, well, the universe was complying. “No one’s to blame. It’s just me getting the best of myself. And we have a dead body we need to process.”
    “Um . . . not to be rude, but who are you?” Tippin was embarrassed by having to ask this question.
       “Sorry,” Parks chuckled, looking out the doorway where Hardwick had just disappeared. “I’m Dave Parks. Lead detective. It’s my job to try and keep this rag-tag group of people in check.”
    “Though more often than not he’s the one who needs to be kept in check,” Fairmont joked, gathering a chuckle from Moore and a smile from Parks.
    Parks needed to keep this light. His first impressions to both Jackie and Tippin weren’t exactly his most shining moments. 
    “This is Rachel Moore,” Parks said as he nodded to Moore. “She’s my assistant supervisor. She’s been with the LAPD for almost twenty years now. And working on and off with this me for close to . . . what? Six? Seven years now?”
    “In one way or another,” Moore agreed. “I started out a detective, then transferred over to the CSA division when they were short people. My main area of expertise is in trace. I find the hairs, fibers, fingerprints, and other little things that most people look right over and don’t notice.”
    “She’s got hawk eyes. Don’t even try to get away with anything around her,” Fairmont joked. “She’s also our res ident mama bear.”
    “And that’s Jake Fairmont,” Parks said, keeping the i ntroductions moving. They still had a body to examine.
    “Photography’s my gig,” Fairmont said with the wave of his hand holding his camera. “I’m the one who’ll record ev erything in this room for our reports. You need to look back and refer to anything that was here today, I’m the one you see.”
    “Good. Our team’s sort of been out of commission for the past few weeks,” Parks admitted. “We’ve lost two members of our team due to our last case, which is where you two come in. Tippin. What’s your story?”
    “I finished high school at sixteen. Then went on to Stanford, where I got degrees in Computer Science and Criminology. I’m of the generation that is practically born with a computer attached to their hands. They just come naturally to me, but I’d actually rather work with my hands in the field. I want to try and help make the world a safer place. I want to be here. A part of this team.”
    “Good,” Parks said. “Then why don’t you follow Dete ctive Moore as she begins on the hunt for fingerprints?” Parks looked to Moore, who nodded in agreement. “We’re a family here. We all work together. I prefer it that way. Everyone has their specialties, but we help each other out when needed. If someone asks for help, I have a strict policy that anyone that can help does so. If you have a problem with that, then I suggest you ask to be transferred to one of the other teams.”
    Tippin nodded enthusiastically.
    “Okay. And finally that brings us to our newest temporary member,” Parks said, turning to Jackie. “From time to time we get cases that have certain special qualities about them. Such as this victim behind us, a victim who appears to have been poisoned. So we’ve got ourselves a poison specialist to help out with the case.”
    Parks stood silently while everyone stared at Jackie.
    “Oh, right.” Jackie smiled as she realized what they were waiting for. “I’m Doctor Jacqueline Isley. I’ve been a forensic toxicologist with the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office for the past four years now, though I spend half my time with the CDC as