Innocent Monsters Read Online Free Page B

and took out a few sheets of printed paper. Jessica was looking at him expectantly, unsure of what they were about to discuss.
    “So, as I mentioned there’s something I wanted to discuss with you, Miss Lynch. First of all, do you know if your sister was seeing anyone?”
    “A boyfriend? I don’t think she was seeing anyone at the moment, no.”
    “A close friend maybe?”
    “I suppose it’s possible.”
    She thought about it, Kaitlyn’s smile suddenly appearing in the forefront of her mind, clear as day. That smile, those perfectly plush lips, had won many men over. Kaitlyn enjoyed sleeping around, she never made a secret of it but never talked about her many conquests. The only time they had touched on the subject, years ago, Kaitlyn had admitted using sex to feel a closeness she should have reached in other ways, with time. Sharing this fact with a stranger, at this very moment, was as intolerable as telling him her sister was a complete slut.
    “She was very private about things like that. She wouldn’t necessarily have told me about it.”
    “Oh, I see. You weren’t close then?”
    “Yes, we were close.” She heard herself bark.
    “Talking about every single person you have sex with does not constitute a close relationship, as far as I know.”
    Brown sank in his chair, considering his next words carefully. He had already said the wrong thing.
    “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. Let’s see if I can explain myself a little better.” He looked at his printed sheets again. “The coroner in charge of your sister’s case has decided to open an inquest. This usually happens when the causes of death are not as straightforward as they initially seemed.”
    Jessica stopped breathing for a few seconds. What exactly was this unkempt old man trying to tell her?
    “You see, Miss Lynch, although the cuts on your sister’s wrists were deep, she didn’t lose as much blood as she should have.”
    “She lost enough to die.”
    “That’s just it. It appears that the amount of blood she lost was not enough to kill her. The coroner’s report opens the possibility of Kaitlyn’s death being caused by something else.”
    Something else? She definitely couldn’t breathe now. Her head was spinning and she tried to stop it holding it tight with both hands.
    “Miss Lynch? Are you ok? Would you like a glass of water?”
    Jessica didn’t speak, she merely nodded. What she really wanted was to get out of this stuffy room, breathe, but before she could stand up and walk out of the door Brown was back with water in his hand.
    He repositioned himself on his chair, slid the glass across the table. “Have a drink. Take a deep breath.”
    He waited, watched her drink, pull hair away from her face. She was a good looking woman, under strain, but still good looking.
    “I know this is hard to take in. I imagine you were just coming to terms with your sister’s suicide...”
    “How do you know? How does the coroner know it wasn’t the blood loss that killed her? How can you be sure?”
    “I really don’t want to upset you any...”
    “Just fucking tell me, will you!” She slammed a hand on the sticky table to drive her frustration across. Brown looked unmoved, mildly annoyed by her swearing. “You got me up here to review some details , didn’t you? You must tell me.”
    The detective contemplated disclosing that her sister’s bloodshot eyes were a definite sign of suffocation, that it was surely how Kaitlyn Lynch had died; he also contemplated telling her that Kailyn had been raped, probably just before being killed, which was the only reason he had asked about a possible boyfriend. But the woman sitting across him and didn’t look like she could take in any more information at the moment. She didn’t need to know.
    “Fine, let’s see... When someone has an injury and starts bleeding out, the heart pumps out the blood while it’s still working. The blood loss ultimately stops the heart. If this someone