Truly Yours (Mason & Sophie 2, Roommate Duet 4)

“Did anyone realize there’s something on the wall here?” I ask.

Jerad looks over the photos and logs into the digital files on the computer and zooms in. “It looks like a fingerprint, doesn’t it?”

“It totally does. I didn’t see any information about fingerprints collected in the system. Just hair. But I think there was talk that it might be her roommate’s.”

He rubs his hand across the scruff on his chin. “You might be able to go back out there and see if the apartment is still taped off. It only happened a few days ago, and I remember the complex manager said they were going to work on renovations early next week.”

I suck in a deep breath, knowing this could help solve this case and give this girl’s family some closure and justice. “I’ll go,” I tell him.

“Take Greg with you.”

I give Jerad a look. “The intern?”

He releases a chuckle. “You were the intern for years. Don’t discredit him because of it. The kid knows his shit.”

“He’s egotistical and thinks he knows everything.” I groan and roll my eyes.

“So do you,” he throws back at me.

“Touché. I’ll grab him, and we’ll go and see if we can get access.”

Jerad hands me the files, and before I leave, he praises me for a job well done. It makes me feel like a badass even though I know the work has only just begun. Greg sits at his desk, shuffling papers, and looks up at me when I walk by. He’s so fucking young, but I refuse to be a hypocrite and treat him the same way everyone treated me when I was fresh blood in the office.

“You’re coming with me today. Grab your shit, I’m leaving now.” I don’t stop or give him a choice, and he catches on quickly because I hear him behind me seconds later.

“Where’re we going?” Greg was smart enough to grab a sample kit and a camera, which is already saving me time. Maybe having an intern with me won’t be so bad after all.

“I think something was missed on this investigation, so we’re going to check it out to make sure.”

Greg’s eyes go wide. “What did they miss?”

“I think a fingerprint,” I tell him matter-of-factly.

He furrows his brows and makes a face. “How the hell was that overlooked?”

I unlock my truck, and he climbs into the passenger side as I climb into the driver’s seat. “You’ll see when we get there. It’s in the corner of a room, and a piece of furniture is somewhat blocking it. I saw it in a photo that was taken at a weird angle. It might be nothing, but my gut tells me otherwise, and it’s usually not wrong.”

He nods and grins. “Nice.”

We drive across town and park at the main office for the apartment complex. Once I go inside and show my badge to the apartment manager, I let her know we’re back to take another look so I need her to unlock the door for me. Greg carries the gear and listens to the woman explain they’ll be cleaning out the apartment tomorrow, so it sounds like we made it just in time. Yellow tape is still crossed over the door, but she unlocks it for us and gives us a bored look.

“Make sure it’s locked before you leave,” she says.

“Will do. Thank you so much,” I tell her before she walks away.

Bending down under the tape, I walk in and cross the room toward the corner and see the faint smudge of blood on the wall. Greg’s brows pinch together. “How the hell did you see that in a picture?”

“It stuck out like a sore thumb, but there used to be a chair and a lamp here. It wasn’t in any of the other photographs, just that one. The accident happened at night, and the lighting wasn’t the best in here when they were called in to process the scene.”

I can tell by the way his mouth falls open that he’s impressed. Moving closer to the wall, he’s mere inches from the small smear. “It’s definitely a partial fingerprint. There’s no doubt about it.”

I stand over him. “I just wonder if it’s enough for the system to scan in.” We don’t always need a full print to get a match with our technology, but only when it’s the right part of the print. There have been many times it hasn’t been enough, and the whole case fell apart.

Smiling, he opens the kit and pulls out his brush and powder. Jerad was right. Greg knows what the hell he’s doing and takes his time, not rushing. Now, I’m the one who’s impressed.

“Good work,” I tell him after he gets it onto his tape sample.

“So what exactly happened here?” he asks after putting his supplies back in his kit.