Bob Moats - Jim Richards 01-03- 3 for Murder Box Set Read Online Free
Author: Bob Moats
Tags: Mystery: Thriller - Senior Sleuth
“Maybe it was the CSU guy who came to copy the email off the computer, Sarge.”
Trapper’s eyes glazed over. “Just when was there a CSU guy in here, Becker?”
“Right after I let Richards out the door. He came up and told me he was called to extract an email. You and Davis were in the back room with the vic.” Becker winced.
“One guy?” Trapper asked.
“Yeah, just one,” Becker replied.
“When was the last time you ever saw less than two CSU techs at the scene?”
“Well, now you mention it, I thought it was strange.”
Trapper’s eyes glazed again. “What was he carrying?”
“One of those cases they all carry, I guess.”
“Did you watch him?” Trapper now moved into Becker’s personal space, just short of nose to nose.
“No, I was watching you and Davis with the Harper woman. The CSU guy was done in just a couple of minutes, and I let him out.” Becker wanted to move back from Trapper, but the desk blocked him.
“Just enough time to leave a cup of spiked coffee and….” He paused, and his face went blank. “Shit,” he spit out, went to the computer, and sat at the desk. He looked at the mail program still up on the screen and made a couple of hits on the keyboard. “Shit! The email is gone! He left the coffee and deleted the email. I don’t believe this, right in front of us.”
Trapper picked up the desk phone and dialed a number. “Yeah, dispatch, this is Trapper. Was there a call for CSU to come to my location in the last couple of hours?…Yeah, OK. Thanks.” He hung up the phone. “No one was sent here,” he said, speaking mostly to the air. “This was some real ballsy guy to waltz in and do what he did then skate out.”
He turned the chair toward Becker. “What did he look like?”
“About my height, dark hair under a CSU cap, tinted glasses. I could tell they were prescription since they made his eyes look huge. He had a mustache and a large nose.” Becker strained to remember.
“Glasses, mustache and a big nose, like those gag glasses, mustache and a big nose they sell in a novelty store?” Trapper said sarcastically.
“No, Sergeant, his were real.”
Trapper looked frustrated. He stood, walked to the door, turned and said, “You two wait here. Don’t touch anything until the real CSU shows up, check their IDs when they do, wait till they are done, then seal the place up. Can you do that?”
They both nodded, and Trapper stormed out.
Back at the police station, I was sitting on a hard wooden chair that was making my butt so sore I had to shift a lot to get comfortable. About three butt turns later Trapper showed up. He led me to his office.
“Well, Richards, you lucked out. It seems the killer dropped in to the Harper office and left a present while we all just stood around.” He wasn’t smiling as he briefly filled me in on the incident. “He left the coffee and deleted the email. We can’t even examine that now.”
I hesitated. “Um, I could help you on that. Before you got there I had Joyce copy the email to my flash drive.”
He stared at me and grumbled, “You suppressed evidence?!?”
“No, I copied evidence. It’s only suppressed if I didn’t tell you about it, which I’m doing now. You’re lucky I copied it.”
“Ok, I don’t care, just give me the flash drive!” he bellowed.
I thought this might happen so I had copied the email off to a blank SD card. I handed it to him.
“This is not a flash drive,” he observed.
“The email is on there. I moved it,” I lied. Joyce’s original email was now on my computer. “Oh, and Dee’s email to me is on there, too. I cooperate with my police.”
“Ok, fine. We got one up on the classmate killer now.” He looked hard at me. “I don’t approve that you did this, but thanks.”
“Are you calling him the classmate killer now?”
“Police have a way of
Trapper’s eyes glazed over. “Just when was there a CSU guy in here, Becker?”
“Right after I let Richards out the door. He came up and told me he was called to extract an email. You and Davis were in the back room with the vic.” Becker winced.
“One guy?” Trapper asked.
“Yeah, just one,” Becker replied.
“When was the last time you ever saw less than two CSU techs at the scene?”
“Well, now you mention it, I thought it was strange.”
Trapper’s eyes glazed again. “What was he carrying?”
“One of those cases they all carry, I guess.”
“Did you watch him?” Trapper now moved into Becker’s personal space, just short of nose to nose.
“No, I was watching you and Davis with the Harper woman. The CSU guy was done in just a couple of minutes, and I let him out.” Becker wanted to move back from Trapper, but the desk blocked him.
“Just enough time to leave a cup of spiked coffee and….” He paused, and his face went blank. “Shit,” he spit out, went to the computer, and sat at the desk. He looked at the mail program still up on the screen and made a couple of hits on the keyboard. “Shit! The email is gone! He left the coffee and deleted the email. I don’t believe this, right in front of us.”
Trapper picked up the desk phone and dialed a number. “Yeah, dispatch, this is Trapper. Was there a call for CSU to come to my location in the last couple of hours?…Yeah, OK. Thanks.” He hung up the phone. “No one was sent here,” he said, speaking mostly to the air. “This was some real ballsy guy to waltz in and do what he did then skate out.”
He turned the chair toward Becker. “What did he look like?”
“About my height, dark hair under a CSU cap, tinted glasses. I could tell they were prescription since they made his eyes look huge. He had a mustache and a large nose.” Becker strained to remember.
“Glasses, mustache and a big nose, like those gag glasses, mustache and a big nose they sell in a novelty store?” Trapper said sarcastically.
“No, Sergeant, his were real.”
Trapper looked frustrated. He stood, walked to the door, turned and said, “You two wait here. Don’t touch anything until the real CSU shows up, check their IDs when they do, wait till they are done, then seal the place up. Can you do that?”
They both nodded, and Trapper stormed out.
Back at the police station, I was sitting on a hard wooden chair that was making my butt so sore I had to shift a lot to get comfortable. About three butt turns later Trapper showed up. He led me to his office.
“Well, Richards, you lucked out. It seems the killer dropped in to the Harper office and left a present while we all just stood around.” He wasn’t smiling as he briefly filled me in on the incident. “He left the coffee and deleted the email. We can’t even examine that now.”
I hesitated. “Um, I could help you on that. Before you got there I had Joyce copy the email to my flash drive.”
He stared at me and grumbled, “You suppressed evidence?!?”
“No, I copied evidence. It’s only suppressed if I didn’t tell you about it, which I’m doing now. You’re lucky I copied it.”
“Ok, I don’t care, just give me the flash drive!” he bellowed.
I thought this might happen so I had copied the email off to a blank SD card. I handed it to him.
“This is not a flash drive,” he observed.
“The email is on there. I moved it,” I lied. Joyce’s original email was now on my computer. “Oh, and Dee’s email to me is on there, too. I cooperate with my police.”
“Ok, fine. We got one up on the classmate killer now.” He looked hard at me. “I don’t approve that you did this, but thanks.”
“Are you calling him the classmate killer now?”
“Police have a way of
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