Page 2 of Only Girl Alive

Eve shielded her face as a bitter wind zipped across the skin of her neck. The gust didn’t stop her from hearing a vehicle approaching in the distance. She managed to keep a low groan beneath her breath when she realized who it was. Her worst adversary was about to make his presence known.

“Hell,” Clyde, the large man at her side, muttered when he saw who drove the car. He kicked dirt with the toe of his boot and planted his long legs in his ready for action stance.

Eve hid a grin at her second in command’s muttered expletive. Clyde, a Black man, six feet two inches tall with a muscular frame, resembled a linebacker. His pristine bald head and square, defined jaw added to his commanding presence. Eve was always glad to have him beside her. It helped that he disliked the man pulling up only slightly less than she did. It gave her an added mental boost for what she knew would be a sea of fundamentalist red tape.

Tightening her shoulders, Eve walked toward the car as the man stepped out. His closely cropped hair, dark suit, and hands covered in black leather gloves made him look important. He had pasty skin, blond hair, a prominent forehead, and a large mouth, which gave away his unholy heritage in Eve’s opinion. His paleness extended to lips that looked entirely bloodless. His hands, though the long manicured fingers weren’t showing, had the same colorless tint. He was the perfect symbol of a pure bloodline, in the church’s blessed opinion. He and Eve exchanged mirrored glacial expressions. At five feet eight inches, he stood only three inches taller than her, so she could look him squarely in the eyes: his blue, hers hazel with a slight touch of green that seemed to change depending on the color she wore. Today her blouse was pale peach with three-quarter sleeves tucked into black tactical pants with loads of pockets that helped carry extra forensic gear. She added a light jacket with the state seal to keep her warm. Her black belt held her detective sergeant’s badge and her gun along with a handcuff case at the back.

Slowly Aaron’s gaze traveled to her hair like it always did. It was secured close to her scalp at the back of her neck without a single stray wisp. She couldn’t help an internal shudder. They didn’t shake hands. She avoided his touch at all costs.

“Aaron,” Eve said using her professional voice.

“Mr. Owens,” Clyde acknowledged. He stepped closer and towered over the shorter man.

Clyde knew Aaron wouldn’t speak to him unless necessary. His black skin was an abomination to the fundamentalist community into which County Attorney Aaron Owens was fully indoctrinated. Clyde had worked in the state his entire adult life and could handle Aaron’s scorn.

Collin, Ray, and Bina, the remainder of Eve’s team, moved forward to stand beside Clyde and show their unity. Eve stifled a smile, squared her shoulders again, and waited.

“Eve,” Aaron said with a sharp bark that was his usual tone when dealing with her.

A smug turn of lips was the prevailing attitude of men in the church when speaking to outsiders. Aaron’s sneer was specifically for her and Eve knew it.

Their rivalry was buried deeply in church doctrine, or the lack thereof in Eve’s case. Even with their unsettled personal history, they usually managed civility. Eve hoped this could continue. Three officers from local law enforcement stepped forward and fanned around Aaron. Another two men from his office who had arrived with him stood alongside him, adding to the threatening vibe.

This would go more easily if Eve quickly settled the chain of command. He wouldn’t like it, but then, he never did.

“I want a statement from each person who entered the crime scene from the time the bodies were discovered until now.” She didn’t stop when pink rose in Aaron’s neck and suffused his cheeks. His face took on a darker hue of red as she continued speaking. “I’m not talking only the inner tape.” She made eye contact with each man surrounding the county attorney. “If you crossed the outer tape or went inside, you will have a detailed report to me within twenty-four hours.”

Hollywood rarely got the simplest of things right and double crime scene tape was one of them. You wanted the outer tape to keep out the public and the inner tape to keep out all but the essential officers and evidence collection personnel. Each person who crossed either tape was required to give a written statement and Aaron knew this. Left to his own devices, he would let the county sheriff or police chief do their looky-loo of the scene without bothering to file a report. This was only one of the many reasons local law enforcement was now dealing with Eve’s team.

She brought her gaze back to the county attorney. “That includes your report.” His eyes almost bugged from his head and he blustered. She cut him off before he could start his usual nonsensical tirade. “I know you entered the home. I want a written statement about what you touched, moved, everything. You know the way I handle my crime scenes and this is not up for debate.”

His attitude was nothing new and Eve was accustomed to it.

“If there is nothing dangerous inside, we’re going in,” she said abruptly. “After our preliminary findings, we’ll review yours.” She wasn’t doing this to upset him. Eve wanted her team’s mental mechanics fresh with no preconceived thinking. She’d told them there was a dead family without additional details. She needed their minds open.

Aaron started to speak again but she lifted her hand in a stop motion.

“You gave me the specifics of the murders on the phone earlier and told me you had no suspects or leads. I want your people and the police moved behind the outer crime scene tape, now.” She pointed past the yellow tape she currently stood at to the one approximately fifteen feet beyond. “Before you argue, it’s an order, not a request.” Her voice carried and several of the men took small steps back. Eve knew if she gave an inch, they would take a mile. A judge gave her this authority and today was not their day.

Inside, she trembled like she did every time she dealt with Aaron. He brought back childhood memories, scars that had never truly healed. If he ever saw her fear, he would exploit it.

Aaron glared at her until he realized it wasn’t working. He then turned his expression on her team. They ignored his hostile display too. Eve knew he was killing time to think of ways to disrupt her job. Aaron’s hands were legally tied but he had no problem interfering every chance he could. Aaron, as the county attorney, was the highest law in this major fundamentalist area. He had one nemesis who was court ordered and that nemesis’s name was Eve Bennet.

Eve was thirty-five years old. Her olive skin tone came from her father’s Italian side and made her different from other men and women who grew up in the polygamist community. Single, she lived with her cat, Daisy, in a one-bedroom apartment completely unlike the large homes of those forced into plural marriages that were all she had known as a child. Seldom-cut long brown hair kept perpetually in a tight bun at the nape of her neck gave her the appearance of a librarian. She knew if she ever needed reading glasses, the look would be complete. With a narrow facial bone structure, Eve looked thinner than she was, though she carried no extra weight and worked out to stay in shape. After attending the police academy, she spent six years on patrol before making detective. Working long hours without complaint and treating even the smallest case with exceptional care took her from property crimes to homicide. It all paid off when she landed her current position. The coveted spot opened because of an overhaul in the way the state government dealt with the fundamental polygamist church.

She turned away from the county attorney, done with this standoff. There would be more conflict in the days to come. With an entire family murdered, Eve and her team would have an extended stay in the community.

Cold air whipped dust and scattered leaves across the yard in front of the house, making a crinkling sound, which conveyed the change in season. Eve shivered then motioned to her team. She unconsciously glanced over her shoulder at Aaron, keeping her revulsion deeply buried.

He couldn’t help having the final word.

“Whatever you say, little sister.”

Three

When Eve set foot on a homicide scene, her first thought was always for the ghosts who lingered there, holding on to their secrets for a short while longer. As she paid her respects to the soulless bodies and quietly took in her surroundings, she and her team would begin to make a plan, laying the foundations for the real work to begin.

The brick home in front of Eve, yellowed by time with high, stark outer walls, held mysteries ready to unfold. Her unit was entering a family’s inner sanctum and would dismantle their lives in public records for all to see. The yard within the block fence was mostly sand and dust, with no bicycles or toys littering the area. The prophet declared no toys for children and his congregation followed his word to the letter.

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