123 Restraining Order (1/2)

”Just don't do it again, okay?” I said.

I went into Nash's office and found him holding up something. ”What is that?” I asked curiously.

”Crime scene pictures,” he said with a smirk. I took it from him and realized that it was footprints, muddy footprints.

I looked at the prints and had to laugh. ”Limited edition shoes, huh? Weren't these selling for a hundred thousand dollars a while back? Pre-order and limited edition too.”

Nash looked impressed. ”You know your shoes, don't you?”

I shrugged. ”I watch a lot of random content on the internet. Especially what rich people are buying and showing off.” I tapped on the picture. ”We have a shoe size and by contacting the brand, we will get a list of people who bought the shoes and in what size.”

Nash nodded. ”You are not interested in this pointing towards the murderer but proving that they committed a crime, aren't you?”

”I met Collins. I understand what you mean. There is something unsettling about him and he likes to play with people.” I paused and had to tell him. ”He was trying to talk to the child. I suspect he wanted to know what we already knew and see if he could scare the child into changing his story.”

”The bastard is capable of that and more.” He pushed the pictures into the file and handed it to me. ”He pissed you off, so do you want to question his client and take out your anger?” he asked.

I looked at him incredulously. ”Surely you aren't telling me to go harder on McCain because of who his lawyer is, right?”

Nash chuckled. ”Of course I am. The scumbag needs to be put in his place.”

”Understood.” I took the file and read it carefully.

Muddy footprints found. According to the chart, the shoes were a Size 12. It hadn't rained that day, so the perpetrator hadn't entered through the front door. There was a garden behind the house through which they entered.

I turned to the picture of the little garden and noticed the sprinklers. I put that information at the back of my mind.

Skin residue under the victim's fingers was found, which showed that she tried to struggle. The kid had said that his father put the mother to sleep. If he saw his father stabbing his mother, he wouldn't say that. I tried to remember if there were any strangulation marks and made note of the redness of her throat. So, I could theorize that he had strangled her unconscious and then stabbed her in a location that would make her bleed out.

Then we had the absence of the murder weapon and the perpetrator. This proved that it was a deliberate attempt to murder and evade the law. The distress call had come from a passerby who heard some commotion, so I had to keep that in mind.

”You suspect Collins or manipulating the situation to his favor, don't you?” I nodded.

”They called early enough that the victim wasn't dead but not earlier when the scuffle was still happening. Don't you find it strange?” I looked at him pointedly. ”And the media arrived at the hospital too early. We didn't even know who we were dealing with at that point. They shouldn't have found out the victim or the hospital in any case.”

”Inside information from someone close to the police force and foreknowledge of the crime.”

”Surely we can pin something on this guy. We could have saved the victim if he had a little conscience,” I huffed.

”Well, he is a cold-blooded lawyer. He only cares about his clients and winning the game.” Nash's words made sense.

”Okay, I will start by taking a footprint, measurement, and DNA samples from McCain. I suspect they will make some fuss about it, but I don't think they know the evidence we found, so I should be able to persuade them.” I squinted. ”I need to get an alibi. Could you follow up with the officers still at the scene and ask them to get the CCTV footage from the house?”

Nash shook his head. ”I don't think there would be footage from the victim's home but if we can place McCain in the locality... I trailed off.” He stood up. ”I'll go myself, actually. I have a feeling this will be difficult. Keep your cellphone switched on while you interview him and be careful of Collins. He'll try to manipulate you.”

I nodded. ”You know me. I don't let people step over me.”

”And I am proud of you for it,” Nash stated. He patted me on the shoulder.