Hello, all! Thank you for joining me for the return of Forensic Fridays. I hope you’ll continue to check in at my blog weekly as I share tidbits from my Morgan Family novel, I‘LL NEVER LET YOU GO, as we head toward the March 29th publication date of Georgia’s story, VULNERABLE.
Morgan sibling and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent Alex is at center stage taking over what begins as a Nashville PD case when it becomes clear a member of the force may be involved. He’s facing a killer determined to destroy all the evidence, including the victim’s humanity, beginning with fingerprints. The victim’s extremities and head have been removed and clothing, shoes, wallet are nowhere to be found.
Evidence. When you have it, you want to keep it. With it a case can be made. Without it convictions lost. That’s why it’s kept under lock and key. Sometimes that’s not enough as seen in I’LL NEVER LET YOU GO.
Six weeks ago, he’d completely stepped over the line. He’d approached her while she was in the produce aisle of the grocery store. He’d come up to her as she filled a plastic bag with apples. He’d scared the shit out of her, and she’d dropped the apples, sending them rolling over the tile floor. When she’d told him to back off, he’d threatened to expose her secret. He had no reason to remain loyal if she didn’t. She’d know then what needed to be done. Tyler would bring her career tumbling down. The threats had to be nullified . . .
She signed the evidence bag and grinned at the officer. “Cold enough for you out there?” . . .
She made her way along the rows of file boxes until she found the one she needed. From her purse, she pulled out an envelope . . .
She closed the box, locked it, and walked toward the officer as if she didn’t have the sword of Damocles hanging over her head . . . He rose and nervously tugged on his belt, glancing around to make sure they were alone. “Someone was checking behind you last week.”
She tightened her grip on her keys. “That so?”
He cleared his throat. “I could get busted if anyone knew this came from me.” Deidre shook her head slowly, wondering why he placed trust so easily. “No one will ever know”
Five weeks to go until VULNERABLE! Which means it’s time for the third Grab Bag Giveaway in our seven week countdown to publication date. Here’s a share that brings us inside Forensic Specialist Georgia Morgan’s head as she works a crime scene.
Georgia did her best to consider dead bodies as evidence to be studied. But when the victim was young, as this girl had been, it was difficult to not look behind the ravages of death and see a sweet young girl brutally robbed of her life.
A heaviness settled in her chest and, for a moment, she didn’t move as she sat quietly by the girl, her gloved hand resting on the lifeless arm. As she sat, she glanced over at the three waxy puddles that had illuminated the cave. Why the candles? Had the killer used them to light up his little cave of horrors? Tears burned in the back of her throat. “I swear, I’ll find out who did this.”
“Talking to yourself?” Jake asked.
“I talk to dead people,” she said. “Didn’t you know that?”
I hope you enjoyed the above sneak peek celebrating the third “romantic suspense weekend” in my Countdown to VULNERABLE. Ready to read more? Here’s a longer excerpt. And please don’t forget to enter for a chance to win a Grab Bag of my titles.
Hello, all! So happy you are joining me for my “limited series,” Forensic Fridays. I hope you’ll continue join me over the next few weeks as I share info about forensic and law enforcement procedures that have made their way into my books.
Among the many things I’ve learned about evidence is the importance of its preservation. It’s crucial that the crime scene is protected and secured. Proper protective gear must be worn (latex gloves, booties), and anyone entering the scene must be logged in and out. One thing I hadn’t thought about that surprised me — and may surprise you — is that, while much evidence is secured in plastic bags, DNA evidence must be kept in paper containers so it can breath. If the container can’t breath and moisture builds up, the DNA will be degraded or ruined.
Here’s an excerpt from I’ll Never Let You Go with forensic expert Georgia Morgan and her brother, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent Alex, at the scene of a violent homicide —
Alex shifted his attention to the kitchen and moved carefully past the breakfast bar. He saw his sister, Georgia, dressed in a Tyvek suit and booties, her red hair tucked into a surgical cap as she leaned over the body, snapping photos. Blood pooled around the body and under Georgia’s feet. Judging by Georgia’s equipment and grim face, she had been here several hours documenting the scene. He knew this because she would never had stepped into the blood and disturbed the evidence until it was well documented . . .
Georgia stepped out of the blood pool onto a tarp, where she rolled her head from side to side. Crime scenes like this one could take days to process.
Happy Almost Valentine’s Day!
Cover Your Eye‘s Detective Deke Morgan and legal eagle Rachel Wainwright are about to celebrate their first Valentine’s Day together and naturally I can’t help but share a new Killer Recipe to mark the event! And, of course, I’ve got chocolate on my mind and in my pantry and so am honoring the occasion with these Double Chocolate Heart Cookies. I may have pulled this one together for Deke and Rachel but I hope you and your loved ones enjoy it as well! Please let me know how it turns out and–if you like it as much as I do–I hope you’ll share it.
Thanks to all who have helped to make COVER YOUR EYES a USA Today Bestseller! I appreciate the word of mouth and “shares” with friends. Let’s keep the celebration going with another giveaway. I hope you’ll enter to win the audio edition of THE SEVENTH VICTIM, a Texas Ranger novel. And, P.S., excerpts are online for COVER YOUR EYES and THE SEVENTH VICTIM.