Page 41 of Shadows of Before

“No problem, Will. What can I do for you?”

He gave Thomas a typed report. “These are the things that have happened here at the precinct to Kate Donovan. Through negligence or malicious intent.”

Thomas scanned it. “Sorry, son. I can’t confirm or deny these. Or talk to you about her.”

“I’m a private investigator.” He’d gotten his results in the mail along with his license. “I met the NY State requirements and passed the exam this week. I’m running the Syracuse office of Investigative Solutions. It’s a branch of the one in Rochester.”

“Hmm. You should have alerted us that this company was coming here. We work with PI’s a lot.”

“Consider it done.”

“I guess I can do this. First off, I got suspicious when all the things happened. But I couldn’t find proof that anyone was behind the incidents.”

“I’d like to investigate it myself. Tell me what you did.”

“The first incident with the pros and the knife was by negligence on two officers.”

“What happened to them?”

“I talked to them and told them they were on thin ice.”

“The dead bird was mischief and didn’t rise to the level of a crime. Caused her some grief, though. It was the slit tires that concerned me the most. But I never found any evidence of the tires being vandalized by Landry and Lawrence. I’m not sure you’ll find anything new. I’m not even sure what it is you’re looking for.”

“I’m establishing an escalating pattern. Ending with destruction of property, malicious endangerment, intent to kill.”

“Hold on a second. You mean the ceiling falling on her was rigged.”

“I do mean that.”

“Well, I called in a ceiling carpenter. He said the floor in the attic had some rotting boards. The desk pushed over on the area was too heavy to hold it.”

“No desk fell on her.”

“It got hung up in the joist and never made it down.”

“Is it still up there?”

“Yes.”

“I want you to fingerprint it.”

The chief shook his head. “Even if Landry’s prints are on there, a ton of other officers’ prints will be too. That’s still circumstantial evidence.”

“Not in conjunction with the other things that have happened to her here. I’d likeallthe fingerprints on the desk tested.”

He picked up his phone. “Sally, call Officer Perry. Tell her to come to my office. I want her to fingerprint something.”

“Yes, sir.”

“What are you thinking, Will?”

“I’ll find out if someone else from the department wanted to hurt her.”

“Shit,” Thomas said. “This could be messy. And I hate mess.”

* * *

Kate wasn’t used to leisure time—only two days left—but she vowed to enjoy them. She felt an unfamiliar emotion well inside her. It was joy, especially after her time at the lake with Will, where they had good, honest fun. Was more of that coming in the future? She hoped so.

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