Blood and Roses (Holly Jennings Thriller) Read Online Free

you. Tieg was tortured and left for dead with a carrot stuck in his mouth.”

CHAPTER
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    3
    Holly and Chad ran the lights on top of the car while working their way toward Tinseltown.
    He drove and she went over the notes regarding Tommy Lyons’s and Katarina Erickson’s murders. “This guy, this detective, did he say anything else about the victim, other than the carrot in the mouth?” Holly asked. She tucked her short auburn hair behind her ears. Holly had worked CSI for several years following her years as a detective for San Diego PD. Most CSI were not trained police officers. They didn’t have to be, but she had chosen that route, and after working a case with Jack ten years ago—the case that had resulted in his death—she’d taken the schooling needed to be a CSI. She’d been pregnant at the time, and she hadn’t wanted to risk her child’s life. Then, after Chloe was born, Holly didn’t want to risk Chloe becoming an orphan due to a dangerous case.
    With the economic downturn and cuts in the department, Greenfield had asked her if she would be willing to come back on as a detective. She’d agreed, with a few stipulations. One—she would not work narcotics, as those cases posed a lot of threat to an officer’s safety. Two—Greenfield had to pair her with her partner, Chad, and he had to allow them to work their cases in the best way they saw fit, affording them flexibility and the freedom of not having Big Brother over their shoulder at every turn. They were good cops who knew how to do their jobs. Greenfield had agreed, and for the pastfew years now, she and Chad had made a good team, solved some solid cases, and kept costs down within the department because of her proficiency as both a detective and a CSI.
    “No. The Hollywood Hills detective was very discreet. His name is Devraj Amar, I believe. Had just a hint of an Indian accent. Nice guy, from what I gathered.”
    “Interesting that he would go so far as to ask us to come up and view the crime scene.”
    Chad nodded and glanced over at her. His hazel eyes darkened with a knowing that she recognized.
    “Yeah. I know what you’re thinking, and I am going to agree here. Either we have ourselves a serial killer, or a copycat.” A text came through on her cell.
Love you. Dinner at eight? Just us? Megan will babysit.
“Shit,” Holly muttered.
    “What?”
    “Nothing. Brendan. You know the drill. Trying to split my time between job and family.”
    “I do,” he said. “I know that drill well.” He glanced at Holly. “Brooke’s due date is getting closer. I wonder how the baby will change things.”
    Holly smiled at her partner and decided not to respond to Brendan’s text. Maybe, just maybe, she would be able to make an eight o’clock date with her beloved. The next few hours would dictate if that was a possibility, or not.
    Chad cleared his throat, back to business. “A copycat, though?” Chad said. “I don’t think that’s as viable as a serial killer. Unless the carrot bit has been leaked to the press, but we’ve kept tight lips on this thing. I think we got one and the same guy here. The obvious connection is that these vics were involved with horse racing.”
    “I think you’re probably right, partner. Here we have two young, up-and-coming jockeys. Now an owner. As far as what we know about the jockeys, it seemed that everyone we spoke to thoughtthe world of them. Trainers liked them, owners liked them, other jockeys. I did have one red flag but couldn’t take it anywhere.”
    “What was that?”
    “The guy training the horse Katarina had ridden that afternoon.” Holly read back over the extensive notes on her tablet. “Geremiah Laugherty. He was a charmer for sure, but something went off in my gut when we spoke. I could never put a finger on it.”
    “I didn’t get that. Tall guy, right? Kind of looked like Clint Eastwood back in the day?”
    Holly laughed. “Right. Before he shouted at an empty