Free Blood Score by Jordan Dane Page B

you. If you didn’t know a different way of living, why would you give that up?”
    “ That’s a scary thought. So what you’re sayin’ is that ignorance is bliss.” He smiled. “If you’re born with money, you have no idea how bad it really is for you. A place like this is more like a gilded cage. You and me, we’re better off without all this grandeur.”
    “ Well, that’s one way to look at it.”
    The condominium grounds were beautifully landscaped, and the gated entrance would keep traffic to a minimum, even though the guard booth was unmanned. The exterior of white stucco had an interesting array of balconies jutting out over terraced floral beds. Blue and terracotta decorative tile lined walkways and set off windows. The complex had a sprawling Mediterranean look and a decent view of Lake Michigan.
    “I think my first apartment was smaller than one of those balconies.” Cronan grimaced into the afternoon sun as he got out of the vehicle and slipped on sunglasses. “You got the unit number?”
    “ Yeah, and we won’t have to chase down someone to let us in. The computer forensics techs are here to take her computer into evidence. Schumacher’s guys. He’s already cleared the way for us.”
    “ Sweet.”
    When they entered Olivia’s unit, the forensic team greeted them and were in the process of disconnecting her computer. Cronan recognized one of the guys.
    “You find anything interesting on her computer?” he asked.
    “ Not yet. She had it off so we won’t know anything until we get it back to the lab. Logging on would have changed the file time stamps. We want to preserve what’s on the hard drive.”
    “ Yeah, whatever,” he said and glanced at Angel. She smiled as she slipped into her latex gloves, but she never said a word.
    “ We’ll let you know what we find out,” the tech said.
    A computer had become a necessary part of murder investigations for various reasons, but he’d resisted getting sucked into the high-tech world. Angel wasn’t much better. Both of them usually needed help translating geek speak.
    “Thanks,” he said.
    None of the science geeks were very chatty, which worked for Cronan. He preferred to go through Olivia’s home without anyone hovering over his shoulder. After putting on his latex gloves, he walked through the residence and looked for anything to catch his eye.
    Olivia Davenport had expensive taste and surrounded herself with the best of everything. Cronan saw dollar signs everywhere. The rooms looked as if an interior designer had decorated them. Cozy yet pricey. Rich palettes of gold mixed with earth tones. Olivia’s good taste ranged from top dollar furnishings to paintings and art pieces.
    Unlike daddy dearest, Olivia didn’t decorate with dead animal carcasses. Even though there were pictures of hunting trips on bookshelves—photos of Olivia with her father with a noticeably absent mother—there weren’t as many framed memories as were in the Davenport home. He wondered if that was significant. Her father’s slip of the tongue about Olivia hadn’t gone unnoticed.
    ‘…she resents my…our interference in her personal life…’
    “ Cronan? I got flowers over here. Fresh.” Angel called out. “The card only has two words— Love, me .”
    “ Maybe the florist can help us track down Mr. FTD.”
    “ Yeah. I’ll run that down,” she said.
    Cronan spotted a photograph across the living room that drew his attention. It was a photo of Olivia with Ethan Chandler. Olivia didn’t have many photos displayed of the two of them together, considering she dated the guy. That hadn’t hit him until he saw the photo.
    Olivia looked stunning in a long black gown, and Ethan had on a tux and held his violin. The event looked like a concert or a fancy charity gig. They’d made a good-looking couple. Although both of them were smiling, something else had drawn him to the image.
    “ Angel, come check this out. Tell me what you think.” When she joined