Free Count to Ten by Karen Rose Page A

Let us investigate. Now if you’ll get me the name of the dentist, we’ll go.”
    “Dr. Bloom. He’s local.” Burnette met Mia’s eyes directly. “Tell me,” he said in a low voice. “Did he...”
    Mia hesitated. “We don’t know.”
    He looked away, cocking his jaw. “I understand,” he bit out.
    Mia leaned forward, snagging his attention again. “No, Sergeant. I mean we really don’t know. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
    “Thank you.” She’d started to move away when he caught her arm hard and it was all she could do not to flinch in pain. But she didn’t, shaken when his eyes filled with tears. “Find the bastard who did this to my baby girl,” he whispered, then let her go.
    Mia straightened, her shoulder burning like a live flame. “We will.” She slid one of her cards across the counter. “If you need me, my cell phone number is written on the back. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t let Caitlin’s friends know that anything’s happened.”
    “I know the drill, Detective,” he said between his teeth. “Just get her released as fast as you can so we...” His voice broke. “So we can bury our child.”
    “I’ll do everything I can. We can see ourselves out.” She waited until she was in Solliday’s SUV before hissing out a breath of pain. “Goddammit, that hurt.”
    “I have some Advil in the glove compartment,” Solliday said.
    Mia moved her arm and winced at the fire that raced up into her shoulder. “I think I’ll accept.” She found the bottle and dry-swallowed two pills. “My stomach’s going to hate me later, but my arm thanks you now.”
    One side of his mouth lifted. “You’re welcome.”
    “I hate these visits. Their kids are never screwed up, never in any trouble.”
    “I think it’s worse when they’re cops,” Solliday observed.
    “That’s the truth.” It came out more fervently than she’d intended.
    He glanced over at her before pulling into traffic. -“Personal experience?”
    If she didn’t tell him, he’d ask around. “My father was a cop.”
    He lifted a brow, looking like Satan again. “I see. He’s retired?”
    “He’s dead,” Mia said. “And before you go asking around, he died three weeks ago.”
    He nodded, his eyes glued to the road. “I see.”
    No, you don’t.
But she wouldn’t argue. “Cops’ kids go astray, like everybody else’s.”
    “Did you?”
    “What, go astray? No, I didn’t.” And that’s all he needed to know. She looked through her notes. “This could have been random. Somebody could have broken in to rob the Doughertys and found Caitlin there feeding the cat.”
    “She wasn’t feeding the cat.” He glanced over at her before returning his eyes to the road. “I didn’t want to say anything to Burnette, but I found pages of a statistics book in the Doughertys’ spare bedroom. I think she went there to study.”
    Mia considered the compassionate restraint he’d shown with the parents. “The Burnettes don’t need to know that,” she agreed. “That they fought over grades and that she was there to study would be salt in their wound. Let’s go to the Doughertys’ now. CSU should be there already.”

Chapter Four
    Monday, November 27, 11:45 A.M.
    A CSU guy met them at the Doughertys’ curb as they got out of the SUV, his face breaking into a grin. “Mia. I’m glad you’re back.”
    She smiled with true pleasure. “I’m glad to be back, Jack. This is Lieutenant Reed Solliday.” She looked up at Reed. “This is Sergeant Jack Unger, CSU. He’s the best.”
    “I heard you give a lecture last year,” Reed said, shaking the man’s hand. “Use of new analytical methods in detecting accelerants. Good stuff.”
    “Glad you got something out of it. Lieutenant, I already have my team inside, working with your guys. They’re gridding off the front hall and the living room.”
    “Give me a minute to change into my boots.” -Mitchell and Unger inspected the front of the house while Reed -concentrated