Free Criminal Minds (Fox Meridian Book 4) by Niall Teasdale Page A

on the eye: sculpted features and short, blue-black hair. And Georgina felt an element of uncertainty as she saw his face with its perfectly formed structure, but by then it was too late. His arm swung and light glinted from metal blades, and Georgina Parton’s throat was opened up from one side to the other.
    As she fell, clutching frantically at her neck in an attempt to stem the flow of blood, the man grabbed her and dragged her into a nearby alley. Even as Georgina’s vision faded into darkness, she felt him slicing at her clothes and knew she was about to die.
    ~~~
    Fox walked into the chapter house wondering what she was doing there. The summons had come just after ten a.m. and was marked as urgent. It had come directly from Sister Naomi. Fox went straight to the Sister on duty at the front desk, opened her mouth…
    ‘Miss Meridian,’ the receptionist said, ‘Sister Naomi is expecting you. Go straight up.’
    ‘Right.’ Fox looked at the girl, noting the sombre expression. ‘I don’t suppose you have some idea what this is about?’
    ‘Yes, ma’am. It’s about murder. Sister Naomi will tell you everything.’
    Naomi was not smiling, nor was her expression that of the haughty dominatrix. She looked worried. After pouring coffee, she settled herself on the couch in her room, but she leaned forward, elbows on her knees and hands clasped into fists.
    ‘The receptionist said murder,’ Fox said when Naomi did not speak.
    ‘Sister Georgina Parton was found dead this morning. NAPA are being circumspect about the details, even with us, but they’ve assigned Detective Rutherford of precinct seventeen to the case despite the fact that the body was found within precinct nineteen. Rutherford caught a case earlier in the month, a prostitute found murdered and mutilated, and another one on the seventeenth, this time an unregistered sprawler. We assume that Sister Georgina is part of the same sequence.’
    ‘NAPA normally assign an inspector to serial cases.’
    ‘Not this time. We’ve pressed for a resolution on this. When the first one came up, we made contact with NAPA and… expressed our opinion that the murder and mutilation of a prostitute suggested a serial killer might be operating.’
    ‘And they told you to mind your own business. Now they’ve got one, officially.’
    ‘The continued assignment of Detective Rutherford is not inspiring confidence in their investigation.’
    Fox looked at her. ‘And you’d like me to stick my nose in. NAPA are not going–’
    ‘NAPA are not doing their job, Fox. I couldn’t take a direct hand in this before, but now he’s killed one of mine.’
    Fox bit at her lip, thinking. ‘The new legislation goes live on the eighth of October. Then I can get access to the case files. Without them, I’m working entirely in the dark unless this detective wants to give me them.’
    ‘I can get you the data.’
    ‘Do I want to know how?’
    Naomi shrugged. ‘People owe me favours. You’d make it official on the eighth, but I can get the data before then.’
    ‘Okay. Get me what you can and I’ll see what I can do. I’ll go talk to Detective Rutherford and see if she’s willing to share any information. Her captain will be bugging her about clean-up rates, so she may be willing to take the help.’
    Naomi grimaced. ‘From what I hear, I doubt it.’
    ~~~
    Detective Madelaine Rutherford was a slight sort of woman, an attractive blonde with blue eyes and a distracted, almost annoyed, look to her face. She took Fox to a small conference room off the bullpen where the detectives in her unit were housed, sat down, and glared.
    Since she did not seem inclined to start, Fox did. ‘Palladium has been asked to look into the death of Sister Georgina Parton. I understand that’s your case.’
    ‘Yeah, one of eight outstanding cases I’m working on. One of which is someone supplying Titan to kids in North Queens.’
    Fox took a second to consider and then said, ‘So the death of