Free Fireflies: A Katie Bell Mystery (book 1) by BG Archer Page A

rthur answered the phone on the third ring.
    "How's the conference?"
    "It's … going."
    "You're hung over aren't you.”
    Margaret laughed. "When the deputy director is at your table and you’re all drinking, you keep up. I just wanted to do a quick check in and see if there’re any updates on William Seaborn. Tapscott forwarded me the arrest warrant last night."
    "I was just headed into the office myself, but so far I've received no calls. I'm going to assume that everything is the standard status quo when it comes to this sort of thing until we have further information. Everyone's looking, etc."
    "Okay. Well, due to the weather, it looks like I might not be back until late Tuesday.”
    "I'll make sure the fort's still standing when you get back."
    “The only reason I'm worried is you're the one manning it."
    "I should let you get back to learning about whatever new bureaucratic restrictions are being placed on us.”
    Margaret scoffed. “Please, don’t talk like one of those counter-terrorist cowboys. Everytime there’s one of these things I feel like they’re getting worse . You’d think after we got Osama last year they’d relax, but no. Maybe they are worried we’re going to mess with their precious budget, but it’s not like they don’t get pretty much a blank check for whatever. Sorry, I’ve had a few Old Fashioneds. You know how I get after I’ve had a few.”
    Arthur smiled and rubbed his forehead with his thumb and index finger. “Yeah. I remember.”
    "Oh yeah, we’ve got a lovely meeting in an hour about the latest cyber security updates. It’s going to be fun when we have an entire office meeting about that on Wednesday when we get back.”
    “I may have to be out in the field that day."
    "It's going to be mandatory, Bell."
    He groaned. "Of course it is."
    Arthur hung up and looked at himself one more time in the mirror before he added the last items to his outfit. His weapon and his badge, which Arthur slid into the breast pocket of his suit jacket. Arthur clipped his leather holster to his right hip, as he always did. He tapped the butt of his Glock and considered it for a moment. Arthur realized to his horror that he hadn't been to the firing range in over two weeks. Ideally he went at least once a week. It was important to never get complacent, and to always keep his skills sharp. Monsters kept their skills sharp, and he had to always be ready to face them.
    Maybe the next day he would give Katie a call and see if she wanted to hit the range with him, but as soon as the thought occurred to him, Arthur waved it away. The day before his baby started classes and he was going to try to distract her into spending time with him? That was not going to help the whole letting her spread her wings and fly thing, nor was it something he expected her to actually want. There was no denying it, his little girl was growing up, and Arthur had to be okay with that and let her. Katie was ready for it, and more than capable.
    Arthur just wasn’t so sure he was ready for it.

10

2:28AM Sunday, Sept 23rd
    T he police tape and patrol cars started on the third floor of the parking lot, but waved Arthur through without him needing to pull out his ID. There wasn’t a sea of police when he parked one floor up, just the familiar black SUV’s of his peers.
    Fields and Tapscott where already there, waiting for him. Arthur ignored his team and moved past them to the latest victim.
    The first thing Arthur noted was her race. She was Latino, and she couldn’t be older than twenty. She was strapped to the hood of a green Subaru Outback, this time with Para-cord. Just like Tori Watson, she was stretched out in the same manner; legs bound together, her arms spread wide. Just like Tori Watson, she was naked. Cut marks were similar as well, and looked like even the same knife could have been used. There was however, one major difference between the two victims. Her neck was slit from ear to ear, and the wound was deep.