Free Dying for Justice by L. J. Sellers Page B

and dressed for work. Dark slacks, topped by a sleeveless knit top and matching jacket with handcuffs in the pocket. It was almost a uniform. She tossed a Luna bar in her brown-leather shoulder bag and took a quick inventory. She still had aspirin, band aids, and masking tape, in addition to all her crime scene tools. What else would she possibly need that day? As she slung the heavy bag over her shoulder, she remembered she needed to replace the blade in the small utility knife she carried at all times.
    Finally Evans strapped on her Sig Saur, took a moment to enjoy the look and feel of it, and headed to the department.
    She sat at her desk, gulping a tall coffee she’d picked up on the way and decided to call McCray again. She would never nail Bekker without the help of other police officers who were willing to tell her what they knew. McCray still didn’t answer, so she left him a message, offering to buy lunch.
    “Evans, you lucky dog.” Tom Dragoo, a vice detective, slid up to her desk.
    “Lucky? Since when?”
    “You got the coma-woman case. I hear she’s Sergeant Bekker’s ex-wife and crazy as box of weasels.”
    “Where did you hear that?” How the hell did the information get around so fast?
    “Someone heard Lammers give you the assignment. You know how her voice carries.”
    “Who told you?”
    “Never mind. But good luck.” Dragoo gave her a wicked grin and slithered away.
    Shit . Did Bekker already know she was investigating his ex-wife’s complaint? The department was such a gossip mill. She would have to work fast. Evans grabbed her bag and headed out. It was time to talk to Gina again.
    In the parking lot, seeing all the patrol cars, Evans had one of those moments when she couldn’t believe how her life had turned out. Right out of high school, she’d been arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct and had spent two nights in jail. Hearing the doors clang shut behind her was terrifying and she decided to make radical changes. Two months before, a sheriff had come to her civics class and said, “Out of these twenty students, one of you will end up in prison.” It had been a punch in the gut. Evans had known he was talking about her. Yet until she was arrested, she continued to party and shoplift just to see if she could get away with it. Life in Ketchikan, Alaska was that boring.
    She’d been sentenced to three months’ probation for the drunk and disorderly charge. Her parents kicked her out and she was homeless, sleeping on friends’ couches while she waited tables and saved money. When her probation was over, she left Ketchikan with only an overnight suitcase and took the ferry to Seattle. She stayed with a friend of a friend until she could find work. Her first stop was the social security office, where Leeann Egerton became Lara Evans. She had not seen or talked to her parents since the day they kicked her out. Birthday calls to her brother were all the contact she had with her old life.
    When Evans entered Gina’s room at the care center, a physical therapist was working with the patient and her parents hovered nearby. The family greeted her warmly. “We were just getting ready to leave,” Sharon said. “But I’m glad you’re here. Gina said you could go through her stuff, but she thinks if you have the notebook, there’s nothing else that will help you.”
    The physical therapist manipulated Gina’s fingers and said, “Now squeeze.”
    Gina scrunched her face with effort and her hand contracted. She beamed with the result but tears rolled from her eyes. Joy or pain? Evans wondered. Maybe some of both.
    After the Stahls left, Evans took a seat and said to the therapist, “Gina and I need to talk. Can you come back later?”
    “I’m almost done.” The woman didn’t even look up. “You can ask questions while I finish.”
    Evans didn’t like the situation but what else could she do? Driving back and forth to Springfield to talk to Gina for ten minutes at a time was