First to Die Read Online Free Page A

reached up and rubbed my head. The morning hours proved that working and living in Riverview would break me. I turned away and walked toward the fire rescue vehicle that was parked on the hill. I needed something to keep me warm. I needed a place to think. I needed this to go away. All eyes were watching me, everyone was asking questions.
    "Detective Kelly, can we get a comment."
    "Detective, are we dealing with the same killer?"
    Ivy Knox shoved the microphone in my face. "Sammy, what happened?" She was the only one who called me that. The only one that I let get away with it. She'd been doing it since we were kids.
    "No comment." I glared at her.
    "Fine." She stuck her perfect nose in the air and stepped back.
    I felt like a character in a horror movie running in the wrong direction. Tears lined my face in some obscured map and I didn't want anyone to see me this way. I was supposed to be hard and tough and playing the role was taking its toll. I wasn't. Not tonight. Not ever. I swept the tiny rivers off my face and wondered if I could sweep this under the rug with the rest of the shit that I had accumulated through the years.
    I sat on the back bumper of the fire rescue vehicle and lit the cigarette that I’d stolen from Neville and drank a cup of coffee delivered from a concerned citizen. It was good, but somebody’d forgotten to add the Irish Cream. I needed a good kick in the pants. I felt safe on this particular side of the line, a barrier of strong, compassionate men and women that would always protect me. We are always taken care of by our community and it wouldn't be long before the pastries and bagels arrived to fill the hungry bellies.
    I wrapped myself with a prickly gray blanket with the embroidered lettering, RFD, a proud symbol of the dedicated members of the department. The color was appropriate for the gloomy morning that was rolling in and covering us with a sense of desolation. The sun would not be showing its face today and there would be no mercy for us, no mercy for our girls.
    I waited patiently for the scene to be processed and thoughts of the needless deaths and torture strained my concentration. It had only seemed like a few minutes after I’d wrapped myself in the itchy cape when Dr. Dominic Fastiggi, Dane County’s Chief Medical Examiner, had walked over to me. Tall, dark and disturbingly handsome. Perfect for the occasion. Confident and comfortable with the dead.
    “Detective, we’ve cleared the scene,” he said in an unworldly voice. “I’ll get the report to you as soon as possible.”
    "Thank you. Do you have a TOD?"
    "Probably closer to four days, but I'll have an accurate time once I get her on the table."
    "Cause of death?" I gritted my teeth.
    "Looks the same. Sharp object to the heart, but he put her through hell first. I'll know more in a few days. You coming to the autopsy?" He smiled an evil grin.
    "Absolutely not. I won't make it through the Y incision."
    "You made it to the brain last time." He winked at me. "Before hitting the floor." His laugh was haunting, and I could hear his saw revving up in my head.
    "Evil doctor,” I said. “You know I have a weak stomach." It was true. Stinky things made me sick and dead bodies had a habit of making me light-headed.
    "Yes, you do." He kicked the dirt around. "Don't be a stranger. We need some entertainment over there." He turned on his heels and walked away. He lifted his arm into the air and waved back without turning around. The wind lifted his long, black jacket into the air and he flew into the darkness. Satan entered my mind.
    "Boo." Neville jumped at me from behind.
    I looked around to see if anyone had heard me scream. "There's seriously something wrong with you, Jackass." I raised my hand to my heart. "Who does that?"
    He laughed "I couldn't help myself. You're a chicken shit."
    "No, I'm not," I protested, and then joined in unison with his contagious vibrato.
    "Everybody knows that you're afraid of the dark."
    "Where do