Murder Between the Worlds: A Between the Worlds Novel Read Online Free Page A

that he basically told the Guard to go fuck themselves. They thought it was really fucking weird that he wouldn’t answer any of their questions when elves are supposed to be straight up with each other. He wouldn’t tell them anything, but they knew from his address I knew him, and that was fucking fun to explain. So they asked me all kinds of questions about where he goes, what he does.”
    Allie shook her head, as Syndra chugged half her beer in a few gulps before adding, “Al, I think I may have made it worse.”
    “Worse? How?” Allie felt her heart sinking at Syn’s expression.
    “I told them he’s a fucking alcoholic. Don’t give me that look, he’s my friend too, but we both know if there’s such a thing as Elven alcoholics he is one. I told them he goes to work and goes to the bar and that’s about it, but they got all in a twist about that. Seemed to think it proved he was some kind of deviant or something.”
    Syndra looked miserable as she spoke and Allie shook her head again, not knowing what to say. All the roommates had become friends over the years, and Allie had no doubt that Syn would never purposely betray anyone in the house, but she was also a cop and her job came first. Syndra finished off the beer and threw the can into the garbage.
    “But can’t they just do testing, DNA testing, to clear him?”
    Syn winced and shook her head. “This killer’s really smart. He’s like a ghost, no physical evidence worth a damn left behind. No DNA. He uses bleach to clean the bodies up.”
    Allie shook her head, “But surely there’s something? I mean if they know the girls were raped–don’t give me that look. Bleidd mentioned the police questioning him about it– isn’t there some trace of something, er, genetic, somewhere?”
    Syn looked like she’d swallowed a lemon and Allie had the feeling she wasn’t going to like whatever was coming next. She was right.
    “You aren’t getting the fucking picture here. Al. He uses bleach everywhere . Injects it into the bodies. Nothing left to test. What samples they can get show that there was definitely rape, but the quality is so shitty we can’t even tell what species the perp is. Everyone assumed human up ‘til now, because that’s, well I mean isn’t it always a fucking human asshole? But after this shit, all bets are off.”
    For several minutes Allie was too horrified to speak and she watched as Syn grabbed and quickly drank a second beer. She almost wanted to join her. “How much trouble is he really in?”
    “I don’t know,” Syn answered quietly, “Honestly. I can’t get a read on the Guards at all, except that they don’t like him, and the two detectives working the case have been on it for months now. Maybe they really think he did it…”
    “Or maybe,” Allie finished for her, “they just want the case closed.”
    “Yeah,” Syn agreed, sounding frustrated. “Maybe.”
    “This is really bad, Syn.”
    “No shit Sherlock.”
     
     
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      “I still think he’s our guy,” Walters insisted, stubbornly.
    Riordan shook his head as the group of Elven Guard looked on. They’d debated for hours after letting the suspect go. Then they’d called in Officer Lyons when Riordan realized her address was the same as the guy they’d just interrogated, questioned her, and debated some more.
    “We don’t have enough to hold him.”
    “Then we need to get enough,” Walters insisted.
    “Does there seem to be a purpose to the murders?” the Elven Captain, Zarethyn, asked suddenly, breaking his silence.
    “Purpose?” Walters snorted. “He’s a freak. You heard what Lyons said, he drinks like a fish, he’s got no life. He probably just likes to hurt little girls.”
    “If we are seeking a motive for the killer it would seem logical to start by looking at what possible reasons the girls might be targeted,” The elf said calmly.
    “Because being a crazy serial killer isn’t enough