Page 24 of When You're Broken
Finn moved back toward the bar’s gloom, scanning the floor for footprints or signs of forced entry.Wendell must’ve come here to kill Kelvin Street.Possibly Kelvin had arranged a meeting with the bar’s owner for a private after-hours session, or Wendell forced them into this scenario.The typed apology hammered out that Kelvin recanted his old claims about Wendell’s mother—an insult that had enraged Wendell enough to do this.
Amelia ended the call.“They’re on their way.We shouldn’t touch anything.Let’s step outside if we can, keep the scene intact.”
Finn blew out a breath, glancing at the gruesome table in the corner.“Agreed.We’ll wait for the others, fill them in on everything.”He gestured for Amelia to follow, flicking the door open again.The midday drizzle turned heavier, pattering on the ground.A handful of passersby had begun gathering around the corner, curious at the shuttered bar, but no one close enough to see inside.
Amelia turned to Finn with a haunted look."Kelvin Street… He wrote that entire exposé on Wendell's mother.Now, he's an example.Another message."
Finn nodded grimly."Wendell's crossing off everyone who offended him or threatened his sense of control.I just wonder how many people he wants to settle a score with."
She raked a hand through her hair, eyes flicking to the half-lowered shutters.“When will this end...”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Finn stood on the pavement outside Harlin’s Bar, aware of a distinct hush hovering over the scene.A pair of uniformed officers guarded the shuttered front doors.Occasional gawkers paused, craning their necks for a glimpse of drama, only to be ushered away.
Amelia stood a few feet from him, arms crossed over her jacket, her expression taut with worry.The drizzle that morning had settled into a gray gloom, but the midday was no brighter.She’d said little since they’d updated their team and called in forensic support.Finn stole a glance her way, concerned about the shadows under her eyes.She’d insisted on staying on-site, refusing to let the matter rest, even though she’d hardly slept since the last time they’d found new bodies.
A wail of sirens announced another arrival.A police car pulled up, lights rotating but no longer flashing.Out stepped Rob, phone in hand, his tie crooked from a rushed exit.Another figure climbed out from the passenger side: a woman in her early thirties, wearing a well-fitted black coat over a charcoal sweater, dark hair pulled into a neat bun.She carried a small forensic kit with a sense of familiarity and mild annoyance.
Finn recognized her as Wednesday the pathologist.She’d assisted on several cases before.Finn couldn’t help the slight smile that tugged at his lips—he’d privately nicknamed her “Wednesday Adams,” a joke about her first name, though it rarely amused her.
Rob approached them first, his footsteps quick over the wet pavement.“All right, you two, let’s have the details,” he said, scanning from Finn to Amelia.
Finn nodded, letting a breath escape.“We came here under McNeill’s orders, checking the bar for Kelvin Street.Found it unexpectedly closed.Suspicious, so I climbed in through a back window.”
He paused, casting a look at Amelia to see if she wanted to add anything.She just pursed her lips, so he continued.“Inside, it was dark—power cut.We discovered the bar owner’s corpse behind the bar.He’d been stabbed.Then we found Kelvin Street strangled, his fingers glued to a typewriter, apparently forced to type some twisted apology about Wendell Reed’s mother, and to tell me that ‘the end is nigh’ for me, too.That’s… about it.”The horror of it still churned in his gut.
Wednesday, who had been listening with an air of clinical detachment, folded her arms.“And you rummaged about, stepping all over my crime scene, I take it?”She cast Finn a sharp glance.
Finn caught the faint edge in her tone.“I was an FBI agent, you know,” he said stiffly, bristling under her critique.“I’m aware of crime scene protocol.”
She lifted an eyebrow.“And yet you still went in alone, rummaging in the dark.”
Amelia interjected, a half-smile curving her lips.“You see, Wednesday, he’s got that unstoppable hero streak in him.Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”
Wednesday gave a curt laugh.“I hope for your sake, Finn, that you didn’t smear footprints or shift the bodies around.Because if you have, I’m going to label it all over my official records: ‘Contaminated by ex-FBI agent who can’t keep his hands to himself.’”
Finn sighed, turning to Rob for backup.“I did the bare minimum.I just needed to see if anyone was inside.Once I found the bodies, all I did was confirm they were dead and see if we could ID the victims.That’s it.”
Rob grinned sympathetically, patting Finn’s shoulder.Then he faced Wednesday.“Give him a break.Let’s check the bodies.If it’s as bad as they say, Wendell Reed left us another real mess.”
Wednesday sniffed.She shrugged dismissively, then turned to the constables at the door.“Shall we go in, then?”Her tone softened slightly as she addressed them, indicating her readiness to do her job.
Amelia followed suit, hooking an arm through the police tape so they could duck under it.Finn trailed behind, aware that Wednesday’s criticism was mostly banter, and the tension he’d been carrying eased a fraction; he’d take a bit of mild ribbing over contemplating Wendell’s next move, any day.
Inside, the dim hush remained oppressive.The power was still out, and the bar’s interior was soaked in the watery glow of late afternoon seeping through the half-drawn shutters.Pools of shadow filled the corners, and the stench of dried blood had grown more pungent since their discovery.Wednesday flicked on a high-powered flashlight, stepping carefully between overturned chairs and sticky puddles.
Finn guided her around the bar, pointing out the first victim.“This is the bar owner.We believe.He was behind the counter.”
Wednesday crouched, setting her kit to the side.She flicked her light over the corpse, careful not to dislodge any evidence.“Multiple lacerations across the torso… likely a stabbing or a slashing.Hard to tell specifics until I examine more closely.Rigor’s fairly advanced.”
She snapped on latex gloves, adjusting them with brisk efficiency.“From the initial report you gave me, he might’ve been killed a few hours before Kelvin, or possibly around the same time.We’ll check body temps, though with the power out, the environment’s not typical.”
After taking preliminary notes, she rose, glancing at Rob.“We’ll get the body bag in shortly.Let’s see the second victim.”
Finn ushered her across the bar area, weaving around a spatter of broken glass.Amelia went with them, voice subdued.“Kelvin Street is over here, near the small corner table.”
They reached the place where Kelvin’s body slumped.A flickering beam from Wednesday’s flashlight revealed the typewriter, the dried adhesive on Kelvin’s fingertips, and the final line typed out on the page.The reek made Finn want to flinch, but Wednesday took it in stride, leaning closer to examine Kelvin’s wrists, his neck, the glistening glue around his nails.
