HER LAST NIGHTS

CHAPTER ONE

As Richard stared at the crime scene photos, the smell of copper and rotting flesh stung his nose. He closed his eyes, but he could still see the blood moving in pools around the dead bodies. With every inhale, memories of the death dug themselves deeper into his mind.

And the bubbling. Forensics said it was just common sulfuric acid. But there was nothing common about the stench that it caused.

All men, though different races. All overweight, but not obese. All exactly thirty-three years old. Maybe, if he could find the deeper connection in time, he could stop these so-called suicides from happening. And maybe save his job.

“Dick, get in here!” Captain Nguyen barked from his office.

Richard flinched and closed the folder, stuffing it under a book next to his monitor. Though he wasn’t breaking any rules for looking at the photos from crime scenes he had been directly involved with, the department had officially given the cases over to another detective. If a detective had time to work on other people’s cases, they weren’t working hard enough on their own.

Richard jumped to his feet, ignoring the stares from the other officers, and tapped on the door frame to the captain’s office.

“Come in, Dick,” Nguyen said, his voice full of gravel and vinegar.

Richard stood at attention across from the sour captain, waiting in silence. Partly because he hated the condescending nickname “Dick,” and partly because whenever he opened his mouth, he seemed to dig himself into a worse hole.

“I just got off the phone with the mayor,” Captain Nguyen said, his eyebrow raised as if that was all he needed to say.

Mayor Faust was a lazy bum who greased his way to the top, but he usually kept out of general office stuff.

“Hand all your files over to Detective Weeks.”

Richard nodded but kept quiet.

“And until further notice, you are on the admin desk.”

Richard’s hands fell to his sides. “What? Why?” He remembered too late that he forgot to address him as captain.

“You are not being reprimanded.” The captain picked through his sentence as if he were walking over a ground full of glass. “But it has just come to our attention that you are having issues with focusing on your assigned tasks—”

“I found those bodies. It was only natural that I would ask questions. That’s my job.” He tried to control his volume, but it rose all the same. Out of the corner of his eye, officers outside the office looked sideways through the windows at the two of them.

“No.” Captain Nguyen’s voice didn’t match his fiery eyes. “Your job is to follow orders. You have standing cases to work on, yet you shirk those for suicide cases that are not assigned to you.”

“But Uncle Mac—”

The captain slammed his fist on the table. “Captain!” he said, a bit too loudly. Lowering his voice, he stood up, pressing his palms on the table. “Look, your mother was a good friend, so I stood up for you. The mayor is pissed. Fly a desk for a few weeks. That’s all. Just. . .lay low.”

Richard fought the urge to scream at the injustice of it all. Instead, he stood back at attention thinking of his mother. She wouldn’t have him yelling like a little child.

“Understood, Captain Nguyen.”

“Thank you.” The captain sat down, shuffling papers on his desk. “That’s all, Officer Briggs. You can return to work.”

Richard should have taken his leave quietly. He should have been thankful for his “uncle” to have looked out for him. But he couldn’t help himself. He threw an exaggerated salute, clapping his heels together.

“Aye, aye, Captain. Thank you, Captain, sir!” He spun on his heels and exited the office before Nguyen could pick his jaw off the desk.