Free When a Heart Stops by Lynette Eason Page A

shot this man,” she said. Her gut churned. Had Dominic caught up with him? Was he okay?
    He seemed satisfied but didn’t relax his stance.
    She kept her eyes peeled in the direction Dominic had disappeared.
    Officer Tullis spoke into his radio. Serena couldn’t understand him, but got the response that more help was on the way. Officers had started going door to door checking on the residents, warning them to stay inside.
    Then Dominic appeared in her line of sight, his gun held at his side.
    â€œFreeze!” Officer Tullis yelled, raising his weapon to train it on Dominic. “Put the gun down now!”
    Dominic froze, held his arms out to the side, and knelt to place the weapon on the ground.
    Serena said, “He’s an FBI agent. He’s the one who went after the shooter.”
    Her gaze locked on Dominic’s and she could see the frustration there. The shooter had gotten away.
    Officer Tullis hollered, “Show me some ID.”
    Slowly, Dominic reached into his back pocket and pulled out his ID, flipping it open with the smoothness of someone who’s made the move often.
    Tullis relaxed a fraction and lowered his weapon. Dominic picked his up and slid it into the holster under his arm.
    Serena breathed a little easier. “Howard’s dead,” she told Dominic.
    He nodded once, his tight jaw and granite features telling her this hit him hard. And she thought she knew what he might be thinking.
    Had their presence today gotten Howard killed?
    â€œHe whispered something before he died,” she said. “I think he said, ‘File. Look.’”
    Dominic frowned. “‘File. Look’? Wonder what he meant by that?”
    â€œThat we’re supposed to look in a file for whatever it was he decided at the last minute that he wanted us to know?”
    â€œSounds logical to me.”

    The killer blew out a harsh breath. Killing Howard had been easy. And it had been a long time coming. But HE might not be pleased with this new development. Howard’s murder wasn’t in the plan. At least not HIS plan.
    Learning that Serena and Dominic were going to visit the man who held explosive secrets had necessitated quick action. But they’d spent nearly an hour with the man before the shot. What had he told them? Watching the man chase after the FBI agent and Serena, it had been obvious he was going to say something more.
    No doubt about it. He’d had to die.
    Now, to make sure all of his secrets died with him.
    It was time to visit HIM again, to fill HIM in on the latest developments.

    Crime scene tape now fluttered in the slight breeze that almost offered a respite from the glaring heat of the sun. An Attempt To Locate had gone out and officers logged each and every person who entered the area. Mickey Black, the crime scene photographer, snapped a constant stream of pictures. Hunter Graham and Katie Isaacs arrived on the scene twenty minutes later.
    Dominic saw the car pull up as Serena crouched over Howard, collecting whatever she could from the deceased man. Althoughhe and Serena had seen what happened, they still needed to collect trace evidence from Howard. If the killer had ever been in the house, there was a possibility the lab could match the evidence up with . . . something.
    Assuming they caught the person and the lab had something to work with. Nevertheless, they’d cover all their bases.
    Officers still canvassed the neighborhood and Dominic was ready to begin searching Howard’s house. He’d already spoken to the lead crime scene team member. Part of the team was already working, determining the exact place Howard had been standing and the position of his body, the direction he’d been facing, when he’d been shot. This would allow them to figure out the angle and path of the bullet, which would lead them to the exact spot the killer had chosen to wait for his target.
    Hunter waved Dominic over while Katie engaged the