The Devil's Water: Scenic City Murder Series #1 Read Online Free Page B

big curve of the ridge cut, the lights of downtown Chattanooga came into view. He watched the big tall street lamps whiz by as he accelerated ever so slightly, still keeping an eye on his speed. In no time, he was at his exit. The lights of downtown were well past him now and the black pitch of the night took over. He steered his car off the exit ramp and down a dark wooded road. A half a mile later, he slowed the sedan and rolled down the window. He smiled as he turned off his music. He was there.
    He pulled the trunk release and got out of the car. In the moonlight he could see the dark water swirling on the banks of the Tennessee. The silence was interrupted only occasionally by the hoot of an owl. He was definitely alone. Opening the lid of the trunk, he saw that she was still laying face up. Her face was void of all expression and her eyes were lifeless and blank. He reached in and grunted as he lifted her out of the trunk and began the trek across the loose rocks to the bank of the Devil’s Water.
    Once he reached his destination, he laid her down by a large oak tree and propped up the body. He stood back and admired his handiwork. In the moonlight, she looked as if she was watching the water pass by. He mused that she looked perfectly natural except, of course, for the fact that she was nude. He smiled and chuckled to himself. He watched her for a few minutes more but he knew he had to go. He couldn’t chance someone seeing him there. Satisfied with his work, he turned on his heel and left. That was the last time he would ever see Monica Balzer.

CHAPTER 8
     
    Tasha Yoder was bored and irritable. She glanced at her watch and noticed that it was 3:15 in the afternoon. Two students remained in the classroom. Their heads were down as they worked diligently to finish their exams. Tasha hated exam days. Nothing to do but sit there and make sure none of them were cheating. She picked up the local paper which was sitting on her desk and flipped through the sports section. She had just finished reading an article about the Atlanta Braves when she felt a vibration at her waistline. She reached down and grabbed her phone.
    “Yo.”
    “Hey where are you?” Mclutcheon asked.
    “Class.” She answered simply. “These two kids only have 15 minutes to wrap it up.”
    Both of her students looked up at her in unison and smiled sheepishly. Tasha pointed at the clock on the wall and left the students to finish their essays. She walked out in the hall and closed the classroom door.
    “What’s going on?”
    Clutch let out an audible sigh before he began. “They found Monica Balzer early this morning. The ME has the body, of course, but I’m sure the results will be the same.”
    “You mean the same as with Macy Garcia?”
    “Yep.” Clutch answered. “Sick bastard posed her by a tree down near the Devil’s Water. You shoulda seen her. She was just sitting there and, I swear to God, she looked like she was just watching the river go by.”
    “Okay, that’s one thing that’s different.” Tasha began.
    “What’s that?”
    “Macy Garcia was dumped at the Devil’s water. Her body was disposed of in the same way you or I might throw out a Hefty cinch sack.”
    “So maybe he had more time to pose Balzer.”
    “Nah. This guy is very calculated.” Tasha said. “He spent more time on Balzer because he cared more about her.”
    “What are you talking about?” Clutch exclaimed. “He didn’t give a shit about either one of these women!”
    “Not in the conventional sense, maybe. Look, he had Macy for a very short period of time. He got out of her what he wanted and threw her away. With Monica, he had held her longer. He had gotten to know her and, even though he killed her, he wanted to pose her. He didn’t just want to dump her out like yesterday’s trash.” Tasha explained.
    She listened for a full thirty seconds to silence on the phone.
    “Well, Monica Balzer’s body is with the medical examiner now. You wanna go