Day Stalker

Here it is...an excerpt from my new novel. (This excerpt has not been edited.)

The ambulance made it to house before Nancy’s husband. The paramedics knew the woman lying naked of the bedroom floor was close to terminal. They stabilized Nancy and got her on the gurney just as Phil reached the front door. As he opened the screen door to let them out, he started asking many questions, which the paramedics politely ignored, while struggling to get their patient into the ambulance for the ride to the hospital.

Phil sat beside his wife during the trip to the hospital, while the paramedic ran an IV and injected some kind of fluid into the tube. Phil politely asked the man attending his wife if she would survive. The paramedic smiled and said, “I think so, sir. She is stable and the ER is ready with a doctor and team to take over as soon as we get there. We were very concerned when we first got to your house, but she has responded nicely to treatment. Loss of blood and shock were the culprits, but we got there in time and were able to deal with the situation.

The District Attorney had the good sense to make arrangements for a police unit to guard the house while he was at the hospital. The kids were due home soon, and he did not want them to see the bedroom. He knew they would be headed for the hospital as soon as they talked to the patrolman. A forensics team was also dispatched to the scene. This crime scene would be Jon and Manny’s first exposure to the Pock Faced Rapist.

Jon rode as fast as he could and still be safe to the foothills crime scene. As be approached the driveway, a patrolman put up his left hand for Jon to stop, while putting his right hand on his revolver grip and wondering why a biker would want to pull into this driveway. Jon stopped, put down the kickstand, took off his helmet and gloves, and dismounted while pulling his shield out of his hip pocket.
“Sorry, Sir, I didn't recognize you.”
“That’s OK, officer; I was at a rally when the call came in. I did not have time to go home and change clothes for this one.
“I understand, Sir. Your partner is in the house with forensics.”
“Thanks, can you watch the bike for me?”
“My pleasure, detective!”

The detective walked up to the house, lifted the warning tape, and entered through the open front door with his hands in his pockets. Since he didn’t have gloves on, this would ensure he did not touch anything by accident. Jon had been in the house before and knew his way around. He headed for the master bedroom and found the forensics team hard at work dusting for prints and taking pictures. Manny walked out of the master bath just as Jon walked in.
“Hey, partner, glad you could take time off from your partying to do some work.”
“I needed to get to the scene pronto to keep you from screwing up,” Jon replied with a grin.

Sally from forensics looked up at the detective decked out in his biker duds and snorted, “Looks like anyone can come to crime scenes now-a-days.”
Her partner, Ralph, also looked at Jon with mock disgust and replied,
“All we see in Tucson are biker and hippie trash. We can’t even do our job without rubbing shoulders with dirt bags!”
“If you two are finished with your bullshit, let’s get to work!” Jon replied as he was treated to mock salutes, as usual, by the team.
Manny started laughing as Jon started pulling on gloves he had deftly lifted from Sally’s equipment bag.
“Look, Ralph, he’s also a thief.”