Drop Dead Perfect Read online

  For one of the few times in the last two weeks, Ellen’s mind left Big Harv. “My God, does that really happen? Killers meet up like that?”

  “It’s not unheard of,” said Brice. “Especially if one of them is charismatic, like Black was. They build this master-student relationship. The DC Killers were a bit like that and so were the two men in Phoenix ten years ago.”

  “There are a few more cases like this one, but you get the gist of it. Their shit grew from there, but the killing was mostly Kyle.”

  “We do have two unsolved cases we’re looking into. Jansen handled the evidence processing in both. He might have been involved, but we won’t know until the cold-case guys are done,” said Sanchez.

  Ellen shook her head. “I guess it shows you don’t really know people. We only get to see what they show us, but I’d never have put Jansen in the warped category. Although, when I think back to some of his behavior after Oscar was killed, I can see some issues.”

  “That’s an understatement,” said Brice.

  “What about Black’s brother?” asked Ellen.

  “Almost nothing on him. No credit file, no Social Security number, no hospital records, no fingerprint records, no car registrations, nothing. All we got is what Black said to you and Big Harv. It seems that asshole wasn’t a liar, about that at least.”

  Just then, the door from the operating room opened. All thoughts of Kyle Black and Steve Jansen disappeared as Ellen stood and waited for the doctor.

  Ellen scanned the doctor’s face as she walked toward her. Ellen’s tears began to well up. She slipped her shaking hand back into Brice’s. Sanchez moved to Ellen’s side, grasping her other hand as Kate put her hands on Ellen’s shoulders.

  The doctor hesitated, looked to the floor, then found Ellen’s face, and smiled.

  “You can see him tomorrow. He’ll need rest, and he won’t be going back to work, but Big Harv will be around a few more years.”

  The flood of relief was far more than Ellen had expected. She felt her knees turn to jelly.

  Releasing Sanchez’s hand, she leaned on Brice, feeling the first true sense of joy she’d felt in ages.

  Maybe she and God wouldn’t need to have that talk, after all.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Rick Murcer is a New York Times bestselling and USA Today Top-Ten author. He lives in Michigan with his wife, Carrie, and two dogs, Beaux and Braxton. He has two great kids, Josh and Elizabeth; four amazing grandkids, Molly, Charlie, Josie, and Lily; and a wonderful daughter-in-law, Sarah.