Mystery: Missing Rita: (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Suspense Thriller Mystery) Read Online Free Page A

He silently wondered how she could hear all that from such a distance.
    “How long ago was that, ma’am?” Lohan chipped in after being silent for a while.
    “About two weeks ago.”
    “Did he ever get physical with her?” he asked again and watched as her expression softened before her mind raced through her recollections searching for something useful.
    “I wouldn’t say that he got physical,” she started. “But there were times that I could hear the sound of whips and chains coming from her house – whenever the ex-husband was around.”
    She fixed her gaze on the floor shyly before looking up at both men and saying, “She might have been a silent sufferer, you know, and being a nurse it was easy to cover up the scars and bruises.”
    Sam could not imagine the kind of stories that Mrs. Murphy could possibly be telling herself in that house and the conclusions she would draw by herself.
    “O.k. ma’am.” Lohan got to his feet and gave her a fixed look. “Thank you for the information, ma’am.”
    “Are you boys leaving already?”
    “Yes, ma’am,” Lohan said teasingly and played with his belt as he said these words. He looked stuffed from the muffins he had just eaten. “You have been mighty helpful, you know.”
    Sam took out a card from his pocket and gave it to her. “If you remember anything that would help us in the investigation, ma’am, please give us a call.”
    “Does it only have to be about the investigation? I might need your help with my own personal needs, you know,” she said and for a moment Sam wondered whether she was flirting with him or with Lohan.
    “We will be right at your service, ma’am,” Lohan said knowing well enough that Sam would have nothing to say to her.
    “Thank you ma’am,” he said and started walking towards the door.
    “I hope I was helpful,” she said. She trailed after to close the door behind them.
    “You were,” Sam said and gave her a polite “thank you” accompanied by a warm smile. He stepped out into the scorching sun right behind Lohan.
    “What do you think?” he asked Lohan who was looking into the distance thoughtfully.
    “A lot of nonsense,” he said. “Her views were all based on speculation and not actual facts. In short, she is the ultimate nosy neighbor.”
    “Her muffins were really good though,” Sam said as he remembered how Lohan had shamelessly hogged most of them down.
    “I know that’s right.”
    They walked back to the crime scene. The yellow tape was still in place but the analysts had all left.
    The duo went on to question a few more neighbors. Most of them did not really know Rita because of the nature of her work and her busy schedule. They tried however to collect as much information as they could get and were just about to head back to the office when a call came through for them.
    “Lohan,” he echoed in the phone’s receiver when he picked it up.
    “O.k.,” he answered. “We’ll be right over.”
    “What’s the problem?” Sam asked as he trailed behind him and headed slowly towards the car.
    “We’re urgently needed at the city morgue,” he answered.
    “Did they say what the problem was?”
    “No, they didn’t,” Lohan answered smartly. “That can only mean one thing.”
    “What?”
    “It is really bad news.”
    Sam felt a sudden adrenaline rush as he got in the driver’s seat and got behind the wheel. He looked over at Lohan and marveled how he was always calm in every case they handled.
    “So did you sort out your issues with Gina?”
    Lohan looked over at Sam for a moment and took in a deep breath. It was a topic he had been avoiding ever since he reported to work that morning, but he knew in the end he would blurt it all out.
    “What do you think?”
    “From the nonexistent sex glow on your face,” he chuckled, “I think not.”
    Lohan looked over at Sam and wondered why he confided so much in him when all he did was make fun of him. He looked straight ahead at the road and