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dead end - KAITLYN WILLIS RoadSigns Mystery book I
Bright red blood oozed from a wound in his head while more blood spurted from the gaping hole on his left calf.
“Sir! Sir!” John Tsai said in a tight, tense voice, as he bent his long legs into a crouch. “Are you okay?”
No response.
“He’s unconscious. Check to see if he’s breathing,” I ordered.
John lowered his head so his face was next to the victim’s mouth. “Nothing.”
I pressed two fingers against the rubbery skin on the victim’s neck. No pulse. I shook my head.
Watch for ice - KAITLYN WILLIS roadsigns mystery book 2
Wind lashed against my white Ford, pushing the truck toward the center line. Over-correcting, I drove through an enormous puddle floating on the side of the road. This sent a tsunami of water over the curb, drenching a woman huddled under a glass bus shelter. She shook her fist at me (there may have been a certain finger raised). Great publicity, since I drove a vehicle with City of Cedar Grove Loves Its Residents plastered on the side.
A few more blocks and I turned left into a part of town that we Code Enforcement Officers feared and avoided, but it was part of the job. It was definitely “the other side of the tracks” in Cedar Grove, Washington. Low-income, high-density; people packed into houses and apartments like 12th Man fans in the third deck at a Seahawks game, which made for a lot of code violations. I was headed to visit a repeat offender.
Wally, the humongous stray white cat that recently adopted me, was curled up on the passenger seat looking like a fluffy ‘70s-era throw pillow. He’d taken a liking to riding in the car and seemed to prefer it to hanging out in his box on my porch. I probably shouldn’t have allowed a cat in a City vehicle, but what the hell, I liked the company.
“Nice weather we’re having,” I said gripping the wheel so hard my hands ached and highlighted my unpolished nails. Wally didn’t stir.
Winter in the Northwest was about as much fun as a root canal.