AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Have you told anyone the details I shared with you about the investigation?”
Cassie opened her mouth to say no. She hadn’t, but she remembered the conversation she had had with George earlier that morning.
Harris must’ve caught the look on her face. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I trust him with my life,” Cassie said. “He would never—”
“The media got wind of it somehow, so it doesn’t matter how much you trust him.”
“That’s impossible.”
Harris hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “The news says otherwise.”
“I told him this morning, right before you called me. There’s no way he could’ve told anyone.” Cassie’s brain was frantic. “Plus, she already knew something the other day when you were on the news.”
The silence stretched on.
“I’m really sorry—” Cassie started.
Harris held up a hand. She waited for a beat. “I can’t stress enough how important it is that the information I divulge to you is in strict confidence. Ms. Campbell is getting her information from somewhere else, but that is no excuse for you to go around prattling about the case to whomever you feel like discussing it with.”
“I wasn’t prattling.” Cassie couldn’t keep the hurt out of her voice. “Dr. George Schafer is my boss at the museum. He’s an academic and a respected member of the community. I trust him with sensitive information.”
“To be frank, Ms. Quinn, this sensitive information isn’t for you to share.”
“You trusted me enough to be a part of this investigation in whatever capacity I could. I went to Dr. Schafer because I thought he might have pertinent information.”
“And?” Harris asked. “Did he?”
“So, you do want to hear it? Or do you want to yell at me some more?”
Harris leaned in close. “Ms. Quinn, I have four dead bodies on my hands and a plucky reporter halfway up my ass. I don’t need your sarcasm. I need your help.”
Cassie took a deep breath to calm her anger. “I may have come across something that could back up your theory about the occult.”
“I’m listening.”
“I went to George asking about ritualistic sacrifice throughout history. There are a lot of reasons why someone might perform a human sacrifice. They may want to honor a god or placate a demon. They could want to heal their land or another person. The rituals involve the heart or blood and their actions have meaning. There’s symbolism to the sacrifice.”
The detective looked at Cassie and, not for the first time, Cassie felt like she was being sized up. “What I’m about to share with you stays between us. Is that understood?”
Cassie stopped herself from rolling her eyes. “Yes. Of course.”
“Underwood called me this morning. There’s been a discrepancy.”
“What kind of discrepancy?”
“Elizabeth’s medical charts say her blood type was A Positive, but she had a Red Cross donation card in her wallet at the time of death. It says she’s O negative.”
“That’s a big mistake to make in someone’s medical records.”
“That’s the thing. I don’t think it was a mistake.” Harris’s eyes had a fire in them. “I think her records were changed. Everything is digital these days. If you have the right equipment, time, and knowledge, it can be done.”
“You think the murderer hacked Elizabeth’s medical records?”
“I’m not coming to any conclusions yet.” Harris crossed her arms and lowered her voice. “But it’s the killer’s first real mistake. And our first real lead. There could be a digital trace. And given that Underwood was insistent that the killer knew what he was doing when he opened the victim’s chest, I can see this leading back to a hospital. But there’s still a lot to work through.”
“I suppose that could make sense,” Cassie said.
