The Hughs' Case
Reeks: Detective Rage Mysteries
D. E. Harrison
- An
- unsolved
- 13
- year
- old
- homicide
- case
- is
- being
- given
- its
- yearly
- look
- by
- Inspector
- Strong.
- He
- inherited
- it
- when
- he
- took
- the
- job.
- It
- had
- been
- collecting
- dust
- for
- years
- and
- then
- showed
- up
- several
- years
- after
- Inspector
- Strong
- came
- to
- homicide.
- Detective
- Smith
- has
- seen
- it
- only
- several
- time
- in
- the
- last
- eight
- years.
- The
- case
- file
- is
- old,
- dirty,
- and
- beat
- up.
- He
- has
- a
- brief
- look
- and
- passes
- it
- on
- to
- Detective
- Rage.
- There
- have
- been
- only
- two
- open
- homicide
- cases
- that
- happened
- since
- Inspector
- Strong
- took
- the
- job.
Rage
- in
- her
- youthful
- way
- says,
- “Let’s
- solve
- this
- 13
- year
- old
- cold
- case.”
Smith
- is
- happy
- to
- let
- her
- try,
- “Go
- for
- it.
- Tell
- the
- Inspector
- what
- you
- want
- to
- do.
- There
- may
- even
- be
- a
- box
- in
- Evidence
- in
- addition
- to
- this
- folder.”
Rage
- goes
- downstairs,
- grabs
- the
- dirty
- box,
- and
- dumps
- it
- on
- a
- table
- back
- in
- the
- homicide
- area.
- She
- reads
- it
- and
- finds
- several
- items
- not
- explained.
“What
- is
- E/H
- and
- golden
- mean?”
Smooth
- replies,
- “They
- never
- figured
- that
- out.
- They
- were
- on
- a
- cabinet
- in
- the
- murder
- scene.”
Rage
- says,
- “That
- is
- a
- lead
- that
- was
- never
- chased
- down.”
She
- goes
- into
- the
- Inspector
- office
- and
- he
- approves
- her
- reopening
- of
- the
- case.The
- same
- day
- the
- Inspector
- attends
- Chief
- Anderson’s
- staff
- meeting.
- At
- the
- end,
- the
- Inspector
- tells
- everyone,
- “The
- Hughs’
- case
- is
- being
- reopened.
- Extra
- money
- will
- be
- need
- beyond
- what
- I
- have.”
Chief
- Anderson
- smiles,
- “We
- will
- be
- looking
- for
- some
- of
- your
- hidden
- funds
- you
- all
- have,”
- the
- meeting
- ends.Meanwhile
- Rage
- opens
- the
- war
- room
- and
- requests
- in
- writing
- all
- the
- material
- on
- the
- Hughs’
- case.
- What
- is
- delivered
- is
- 10
- boxes,
- which
- are
- rather
- dusty.
- Inspector
- Strong
- adds
- Detective
- Williams
- and
- Sergeant
- Jones
- to
- the
- team
- on
- the
- case.
- Rage
- now
- has
- a
- problem
- on
- how
- to
- review
- all
- the
- paper
- in
- the
- boxes
- and
- where
- to
- start
- a
- new
- investigation.”
The
- Inspector
- also
- provides
- a
- phone
- number
- of
- the
- police
- long
- term
- storage,
- it
- appears
- that
- there
- is
- other
- material
- from
- the
- case
- no
- one
- ever
- knew
- about
- or
- at
- least
- looked
- at.
- The
- entire
- murder
- scene
- has
- been
- in
- storage
- for
- eleven
- years.
- Whatever
- that
- might
- mean.
Rage
- is
- breathless,
- “We
- can
- rebuild
- the
- scene
- onsite.
- No
- one
- has
- ever
- done
- that
- before.”
Just
- who
- was
- the
- victim?
- Rage
- will
- find
- that
- it
- was
- a
- daughter
- of
- a
- wealthy
- businessman
- living
- in
- a
- 25
- room
- mansion
- with
- two
- sisters
- and
- one
- brother,
- a
- live
- in
- servant
- staff
- of
- seven.
- An
- uncle
- and
- aunt
- live
- close
- by.
- Just
- what
- has
- been
- in
- storage
- for
- all
- that
- time?
- Where
- can
- they
- reassemble
- the
- murder
- scene
- and
- what
- might
- that
- mean?
- What
- other
- deaths,
- if
- any,
- in
- the
- family
- my
- be
- tied
- to
- the
- 13
- years
- old
- one?Just
- where
- did
- the
- 20
- boxes
- of
- evidence
- come
- from
- that
- are
- now
- in
- the
- war
- room?
- How
- can
- four
- people
- investigate
- a
- 13
- year
- old
- homicide
- even
- with
- the
- murder
- scene
- intact?
- Where
- do
- you
- start
- and
- where
- have
- many
- of
- the
- people
- involved
- gone
- or
- worse
- they
- have died.
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