be.” His smile widened.
“It’s comments like that that make me think you and Wacko have been spending too much time together.”
“But the chick’s got balls, I’ll give her that.” Jon said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, think about it. You saw the murder scene, the condition of the body. Here’s this small woman in the dark who literally stumbles on that mess. And then she waited there, in the thick of it until the cops came. She knew she’d contaminated a scene. She made a point not to move until someone could secure the area and collect evidence. That not only takes a strong stomach, it takes guts.”
“Guess she deserves a little more credit then, huh?”
“Hey, I’m giving her credit…just not to her face.” Jon swung into the parking lot of the Department of Justice. The DOJ and Madison Crime Lab were different from the Milwaukee Crime Lab only because they looked nothing alike. The Milwaukee building had been a dated brown brick with bright-blue railing and trim while the Madison Lab exemplified a modern neutral look. But each facility had state-of-the-art equipment and top-notch criminalists.
Terri and Jon entered the building, walked through a large metal detector and had to show their official identification in order to gain access. Jon smiled when he saw the awestruck look on Terri’s face. It had been a number of years since she’d toured the facility as a cadet and he could tell she was impressed.
Jon had thought to call ahead and arrange a short tour of a few of the labs for Terri. He could manage this because he knew a guy who knew a guy. They went to the Crime Analyst offices first. There they were granted a meeting with a junior CA named Jennifer, an enthusiastic twenty-something dressed in a sky-blue blouse, and clogs like the ones nurses wear. Between her egalitarian style of dress and the fact that she kept glancing around nervously, Jon had her pegged as an intern.
Jennifer assisted in handing off their evidentiary items, completing chain of custody and was then giving them the fifty-cent tour. Terri had a silly grin on her face the entire time, like she was guest starring on CSI. It was interesting but short. They thanked the intern and were then shown the route to Pathology.
Jon was surprised when they turned a corner and ran headlong into a tall woman in a navy pantsuit and high-heeled pumps.
“Excuse me. So sorr…” Jon stopped mid-sentence. A look of recognition crossed his face as quickly as the blood drained from it. He glanced at Terri as if she could somehow help.
“Jon!” The woman’s face transformed from one of annoyance to elation. “Oh my God, what on Earth are you doing here?”
He cleared his throat and glanced uncomfortably at Terri. “Here…um, let me introduce you. This is Detective Terri Watman.” Jon’s face went red as he let the one-sided introduction hang midair. He quickly busied his hands, fumbling with the temporary ID lanyard around his neck.
Terri stared at him in disbelief. After a moment’s hesitation the woman thrust her hand out to Jon’s partner. “Hi Terri, I’m Rebecca Howell.” Her mouth opened as if to add something, then snapped closed. She glanced over at Jon with a puzzled look.
Jon shrugged and started forward. “Well, we have to be going. We have to get to Path right away.” He pulled at Terri’s elbow and rushed her down the hall. “Good to see you.” He said over his shoulder as he all but jogged away from the woman.
Jon didn’t let go of Terri’s arm until they’d made it to the end of the corridor, around the corner and were hovering at the entrance to Pathology. He let out a deep breath, and leaned against the wall.
Terri leaned against the opposite wall, folded her arms and with a shit-eating grin said in a thick Latin accent, “Lucy, you got some ’splaining to do.”
Chapter Eleven
The offices of Lassiter Inc. weren’t grand by any means—just a small functional, street-front space that
“It’s comments like that that make me think you and Wacko have been spending too much time together.”
“But the chick’s got balls, I’ll give her that.” Jon said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, think about it. You saw the murder scene, the condition of the body. Here’s this small woman in the dark who literally stumbles on that mess. And then she waited there, in the thick of it until the cops came. She knew she’d contaminated a scene. She made a point not to move until someone could secure the area and collect evidence. That not only takes a strong stomach, it takes guts.”
“Guess she deserves a little more credit then, huh?”
“Hey, I’m giving her credit…just not to her face.” Jon swung into the parking lot of the Department of Justice. The DOJ and Madison Crime Lab were different from the Milwaukee Crime Lab only because they looked nothing alike. The Milwaukee building had been a dated brown brick with bright-blue railing and trim while the Madison Lab exemplified a modern neutral look. But each facility had state-of-the-art equipment and top-notch criminalists.
Terri and Jon entered the building, walked through a large metal detector and had to show their official identification in order to gain access. Jon smiled when he saw the awestruck look on Terri’s face. It had been a number of years since she’d toured the facility as a cadet and he could tell she was impressed.
Jon had thought to call ahead and arrange a short tour of a few of the labs for Terri. He could manage this because he knew a guy who knew a guy. They went to the Crime Analyst offices first. There they were granted a meeting with a junior CA named Jennifer, an enthusiastic twenty-something dressed in a sky-blue blouse, and clogs like the ones nurses wear. Between her egalitarian style of dress and the fact that she kept glancing around nervously, Jon had her pegged as an intern.
Jennifer assisted in handing off their evidentiary items, completing chain of custody and was then giving them the fifty-cent tour. Terri had a silly grin on her face the entire time, like she was guest starring on CSI. It was interesting but short. They thanked the intern and were then shown the route to Pathology.
Jon was surprised when they turned a corner and ran headlong into a tall woman in a navy pantsuit and high-heeled pumps.
“Excuse me. So sorr…” Jon stopped mid-sentence. A look of recognition crossed his face as quickly as the blood drained from it. He glanced at Terri as if she could somehow help.
“Jon!” The woman’s face transformed from one of annoyance to elation. “Oh my God, what on Earth are you doing here?”
He cleared his throat and glanced uncomfortably at Terri. “Here…um, let me introduce you. This is Detective Terri Watman.” Jon’s face went red as he let the one-sided introduction hang midair. He quickly busied his hands, fumbling with the temporary ID lanyard around his neck.
Terri stared at him in disbelief. After a moment’s hesitation the woman thrust her hand out to Jon’s partner. “Hi Terri, I’m Rebecca Howell.” Her mouth opened as if to add something, then snapped closed. She glanced over at Jon with a puzzled look.
Jon shrugged and started forward. “Well, we have to be going. We have to get to Path right away.” He pulled at Terri’s elbow and rushed her down the hall. “Good to see you.” He said over his shoulder as he all but jogged away from the woman.
Jon didn’t let go of Terri’s arm until they’d made it to the end of the corridor, around the corner and were hovering at the entrance to Pathology. He let out a deep breath, and leaned against the wall.
Terri leaned against the opposite wall, folded her arms and with a shit-eating grin said in a thick Latin accent, “Lucy, you got some ’splaining to do.”
Chapter Eleven
The offices of Lassiter Inc. weren’t grand by any means—just a small functional, street-front space that
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