With a Vengeance Read Online Free PDF Page B

you ever think about…you know?”
    Of course he knew. Eleven years ago, he and Chuck had responded to a report of shots fired. A drug deal gone south. One kid lay dead in the street. A second one took a shot at Chuck, hitting him in the leg. Pete had returned fire, ending the life of what turned out to be a fifteen-year-old boy. “Donnie Moreno.” He’d never forget the night or the name.
    “To this day I wake up in a cold sweat remembering,” Chuck said. “If I still lived back there, I’d probably have eaten my gun by now. And I wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger.”
    “It’s ancient history. We were doing our jobs. If you still can’t let it go, maybe you need to talk to someone.”
    Pete’s suggestion was met with a gruff laugh. “I do. I talk to the pretty barmaids downstairs at the lounge. I’m telling you, you need to come check the place out. Take a vacation. Bring your girl with you.”
    Bells jangled on the front door. “I have to go, Chuck.”
    “Think about it at least?”
    “Yeah, yeah. I’ll think about it.” Pete ended the call.
    He couldn’t make out the words in the muffled exchange between the newcomer and Nancy, his secretary, but he heard enough to know the speaker’s identity. A moment later, Baronick swaggered into the room carrying two cups from the new coffee joint in Phillipsburg.
    The detective handed one to Pete. “I figured you could use this.”
    He mumbled his thanks.
    “Do you realize you have a crew of reporters camped outside?”
    “Yeah. I told them I’d give a statement as soon as we know something.” Pete inhaled the aromatic steam from the cup. “So do we have anything new?”
    “Not yet.” Baronick took a sip. “Your officer’s still overseeing things at the site. We’ve got teams with metal detectors trying to locate the spent bullets. What about the ambulance?”
    “I sent Nate Williamson over to Kramer’s to process it. We should hear something from him shortly. And Metzger’s in the back on the phone trying to track down the owner of the bait ATV.” Pete tapped the photo of the tread marks. “Tires aren’t a match, so we’re definitely dealing with two different vehicles.”
    Baronick set down his coffee and shook his head. “Quite the elaborate ruse, don’t you think?”
    “Yeah.” Maybe too elaborate, which was one of the many things that bugged Pete about the case.
    The bells at the front of the station jingled again. At the same time, Seth Metzger rapped on the open door to the conference room. Pete waved him in.
    “I tracked down the owner of the overturned ATV.” The officer handed a sheet of paper with his notes to Pete. “He’s from over near Marsdale. Reported it stolen two days ago. I called Marsdale PD and they confirmed.”
    Baronick read Metzger’s scribblings over Pete’s shoulder. “Maybe my guys will be able to pull some fingerprints or fibers off it.”
    “Not likely. This guy’s been pretty good about covering his ass.”
    Baronick grinned at Pete. “Don’t be so negative. He’s bound to slip up at some point.”
    Another knock at the door drew Pete’s attention. Zoe, pale and sporting a matched set of dark circles under her gorgeous baby blues, leaned against the doorframe as if her legs might fail her. He moved toward her. “Are you okay?” But the reason for her pallor hit him before she had a chance to respond. “The autopsy.”
    She pushed away from the door and allowed him to guide her to a chair. “I don’t care what anyone tells you, Vicks VapoRub does not cover those smells.”
    “You’re just now figuring that out?” Pete offered a sympathetic smile. “What did Franklin learn?”
    She shot a sickly glare at him. “Besides how fast I can run when I need to barf?”
    Pete winced. “Yeah. Besides that.”
    “Nothing unexpected. The bullet entered the upper left quadrant of the chest, took out the aorta, broke several ribs, and shredded the lung and the liver along the way before exiting