Chris Carter: The Crucifix Killer

‘I’m sure he will, but, anyway, that’s not why I called you here.’

Captain Bolter frowned with interest, waiting for Doctor Winston to carry on.

‘Robert will wanna see the autopsy report.’

‘So?’

‘I think I should alter it.’

Captain Bolter shot him a worried look. ‘Why would you wanna do that?’

Doctor Winston took a piece of paper from his desk and handed it to Captain Bolter who read it attentively. His eyes stopped moving halfway down the page and widened in surprise.

‘Are you sure about this, Doctor?’

‘As sure as I can be.’

‘How old?’

‘Judging by the size of the embryo, no more than four or five weeks.’

Captain Bolter ran his hand through his hair before rereading the autopsy report. ‘That’s about when they met isn’t it?’

‘That’s what I thought,’ the doctor replied.

‘Do you know for certain it’s his?’

‘No… not without a DNA test, but she had one agenda in mind. She doesn’t strike me as the type who’d sleep around, not when all her efforts were on avenging her family’s death and getting to Robert.’

Captain Bolter placed the report back on the doctor’s desk. A minute of silence went by before he spoke again.

‘It would do Robert no good if he found this out.’

‘I agree. This is the last thing he needs.’

‘Who else knows about this?’

‘You and I, that’s it.’

‘Let’s keep it that way then. Alter the report,’ the captain said firmly.

‘I heard you’re getting a commendation from the Chief of Police and the Mayor himself,’ Garcia said as Hunter poured himself a glass of water from the glass jug by Garcia’s bed.

‘So are you.’

Garcia raised both of his eyebrows.

‘We’re partners remember? We were on the case together.’

Garcia smiled.

‘Not bad for your first case as a RHD detective,’ Hunter teased.

‘Yeah, not bad for someone who can now use his hands as whistles.’ Garcia lifted his right hand and moved it back and forth in front of his mouth pretending to blow on it and making a quick whistling sound.

They both broke into laughter.

A gentle knock on the door grabbed their attention. ‘I could hear you two laughing halfway down the hall,’ Anna said as she entered the room. ‘It’s great to see both of you laughing.’

‘It certainly is,’ Hunter said, resting his hand on Garcia’s arm. ‘It certainly is.’

Born in Brazil of Italian origin, Chris Carter studied psychology and criminal behaviour at the University of Michigan. As a member of the Michigan State District Attorney’s Criminal Psychology team, he interviewed and studied many criminals, including serial and multiple homicide offenders with life imprisonment convictions.

Having departed for Los Angeles in the early 1990s, Chris spent ten years as a guitarist for numerous Glam Rock bands before leaving the music business to write full-time. He now lives in London. The Crucifix Killer is his first novel.

Visit www.chriscarterbooks.com

Born in Brazil of Italian origin, Chris Carter studied psychology and criminal behaviour at the University of Michigan. As a member of the Michigan State District Attorney's Criminal Psychology team, he interviewed and studied many criminals, including serial and multiple homicide offenders with life imprisonment convictions. Having departed for Los Angeles in the early 1990s, Chris spent ten years as a guitarist for numerous Glam Rock bands before leaving the music business to write full-time. He now lives in London.