Chapter 14

I went home and went to sleep, but only after I punched the bag for half and hour. I felt guilty and planned to run the first thing the next morning, since I missed my run that night.

When the sun came up I was at the softball field. I checked for cars. I almost didn't stop when I saw the Grey Honda. The woman inside saw me drive into the lot and got out to wait for me. Since she had gone to all the trouble of walking up in the middle of the night, I figured I owed it to her to run along side her.

"Sheriff Porter," Osborn said.

"How did you know where I ran, and more important how did you know I would be here now?" I asked.

"The news whore interviewed you once from here, when you were running for sheriff." Osborn said.

"Okay that's the where now the when?" I asked.

"We worked late last night, and there were no gang arrests on the books. They hang out here smoking weed at night. I know you are religious about running. Tonight will probably be another late one, so this seemed the most likely."

"So I will have to tell Eddie that you are a getting good at it," I said. "'Eliminate the obvious and the whatever is left, no matter how unlikely, must be the truth.' or something like that was a Sherlock Holmes quote."

"Yes I know, I rather like the new Sherlock series. Not the American one the 'Young Sherlock' on the BBC." She said.

"Are we going to talk TV or run?" I asked.

"I'll try to keep up," she said.

"You are ten years younger you should be able to run me into the ground." I said. I was already headed for the free standing bleachers to leave my towel and water bottle. Then on to a counter clockwise lap of the field. I ran off setting a not too fast but a nice steady pace. Something around seven miles an hour I would think. She struggled to keep up. Since she was always behind me. I didn't know she dropped out at the bleachers till I past her on my last couple of laps.

I was out of breath and absolutely soaked when I sat down beside her. I used the towel to dry my face. When my breathing was steady, I said, "You did pretty good. But when you are tired of running you should start walking. You need to keep moving for the whole hour. You will eventually teach your body to run it all."

"They are right you are one tough bitch," she said. "No offense meant."

"None taken, I have heard it all before. Now go home take a shower get dressed and I'll see you at the office." I said.

"Aren't you going to Hardee's for breakfast?" she asked.

"Sure, but I don't talk business. Just in case you are planning on a learning experience." I said.

"Okay, but I would like to have breakfast with you," she said.

I looked at her seriously, then asked, "Do you have an off duty piece?"

"Yes I do a 9mm FIE automatic," she said.

"Do you have it with you," I asked.

"Is something wrong," she asked.

"When you are with me, you have your threats to worry about, and mine as well, so carry your off duty piece," I said honestly.

"Yes Ma'am, I understand," she said.

"Good, come on you gave up you are buying," I said.

Over the coffee and biscuits she asked, "Do you still hit the bag?"

"It's not a heavy gym bag these days. I work out with a duffel bag filled with dirty laundry, but yeah I hit it some," I said.

"I would love to work out with you," Osborn said.

"Lets see how our running friendship goes. Tell you what, you give me your number to put in the phone and I'll call you when I go to run. If you can meet me there answer and I'll wait. If you don't answer in five minutes I'll go without you." I said. It was the best I was going to do. "Now let's go get ready to work."

I went back to the box house and took a quick shower. You had to with that hot water system. The coil that heated the water continuously got cool after a while and the water became only tepid. I had pretty much figured out when it was going to happen and timed my shower accordingly. Wash my body under hot and my hair under somewhat cooler, but still warm water.

Even with all the jumping through hoops, I had time to get coffee and meet with Wilson in the lab. "Alright Wilson what did you come up with?" I asked.

"I found prints all over the place, and I found what I think is the murder weapon last night. Well to be fair, the dog led me to it, sort of."

"Okay Wilson you get the credit, but for god's sake get on with it," I said. "I thought we agreed that there was not enough blood for her to have been killed there."

"There was if someone covered her face with a cloth of some kind, then clubbed her. I think the pathologist is going to find fibers in the wound, when she does her cutting today. She can probably tell us what kind of cloth."

"If it is Lucy, I have a pretty good idea. She was in a low cut tee shirt pushed up above her breast. Her mother would never had let her leave the house dressed like that. She had to have had a cover shirt, or sweater over the top to hide it. She also would never have gotten out with that amount of make up and eye shadow. My guess is she went somewhere put on the make up and opened the top to reveal her cleavage.

When the killer did her, he covered her with the over shirt, then took it as a souvenir," I said.

"Sounds like a good explanation," Wilson said getting all excited.