His memory, he figured, was subjective. It was prone to error. By not relying only on it, perhaps he could identify some clue, some piece of evidence that had so far escaped his attention.
He steadied his hand, and just as he aimed the camera at the victim, it broke apart. Its bottom mirror slipped out and was tossed into the water, just out of reach. And with it, sank the phone. Water rippled over its illuminated display. Then it went dark. Michael dived for it and came up for air, empty handed. He dived once again, to no avail. The thing was lost.
His presence next to the body would raise more questions than he could answer, more suspicions than he could refute. His mistake, he realized, was not calling the police earlier, when he was still in possession of the smartphone. He prayed that it would not fall into the hands of others. That would be disastrous. It would identify his location and result in turning him into a prime suspect.
Michael knew he was no good at being evasive. He was going to have to give his testimony sooner or later, no question about that. He opted for later.
A gull glided down, planted a webbed foot on the body, hopped into the flooded armpit, and poked around once, twice, three times with its beak. Then it soared away, squawking. A ruffled feather started spinning around the mixture of seawater and blood, until—swoosh!—a wave came rising from behind. And just before it crushed down on him, something came into focus.
Michael Morse remembered where he had seen this girl before.
Her name was Lace.
Excerpt from Virtually Lace
(Volume I of High-Tech Crime Solvers)
Haunted by discovering the body of a beautiful dancer, Michael creates a virtual reality simulation of her murder. Can he bring the mystery to life? Can he solve it in time, before the killer turns on the woman he loves, Ash?
“Astonishingly well written, Uvi once again surprises us with the depth of her talent. This is one fine series to follow. Highly recommended.”
~Grady Harp, HALL OF FAME, TOP 100 REVIEWER
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