Branches Book

BRANCHES

The second suspect, Fred Miller, was an unusually thin man with wiry, blonde hair. His face held a calculated glare that made Brewster uneasy. His eyes never seemed to blink, and his eyes seemed to follow Brewster’s every move. He also never answered Brewster’s questions fully, leaving Brewster more and more frustrated as the interview went on. When asked about his whereabouts during the presumed times of the murders Miller paused. After a few moments of silence, he said he was working overtime at his law firm. He wouldn’t give any details about what work or specific case he was working on. The third suspect, James Patterson was a quiet, middle-aged man with glasses that made his eyes seem too big for his face. He had buck teeth and a sharp, crooked nose that slanted to one side. He was a physician at Millestone's local hospital. He neither seemed nervous or calculating, rather just curious, peering at Brewster over the rim of his glasses. He freely gave up any information Brewster asked and explained that he was here for a job interview. After they had all left, Detective Brewster corroborated their alibis. They were all confirmed. However, Brewster had this gut feeling he couldn’t shake. He was missing something again. Something that was staring him in the face. He began fiddling with his gold wrist watch when he remembered Martin, his first suspect, doing the same. Brewster shook his head in frustration. What was it about fiddling with a watch that caused Brewster to make this connection? After a few moments of silence Brewster’s face suddenly filled with realization. It wasn’t the fiddling with a watch that caught his eye, but rather the tattoo that was there below it. Below Martin’s watch was a heart-shaped tattoo remarkably similar to the murder victim’s. It couldn’t be a coincidence. His mind racing, Brewster concluded that the woman Martin was having an affair with must have been the murder victim. That meant that Martin was the killer and he had let him walk away. With this realization, Brewster ran out of the hotel room searching desperately for Martin in the hotel lobby. He was gone. Brewster ran up to the front desk, startling the man behind it and frantically asked him if he had check out. He replied yes, but that Brewster would likely find him at Millestone’s only bar. He said he often saw him return late at night reading of alcohol. Brewster sprinted down to the bar located only two blocks away. At the bar, Brewster laid eyes upon Martin immediately, yet Martin did too. He bolted the moment his eyes fell on Brewster. He ran out into the street oblivious to the oncoming flood of traffic. Brewster waited for the lights to turn before chasing after him. While he waited, for the second time that day Brewster’s fingers curled around his holster. The moment the light changed from green to yellow then red, Brewster was hot in pursuit, his

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