The Case Against Her

Nicole Taylor The Case Against Her First published by N L Taylor 2023 Copyright © 2023 by Nicole Taylor All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. First edition This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy Find out more at reedsy.com For my love Contents 1. Chapter 1 2. Chapter 2 3. Chapter 3 4. Chapter 4 5. Chapter 5 6. Chapter 6 7. Chapter 7 8. Chapter 8 9. Chapter 9 10. Chapter 10 11. Chapter 11 12. Chapter 12 13. Chapter 13 14. Chapter 14 15. Chapter 15 16. Chapter 16 17. Chapter 17 18. Chapter 18 19. Chapter 19 20. Chapter 20 21. Chapter 21 22. Chapter 22 23. Chapter 23 24. Chapter 24 25. Chapter 25 Epilogue About the Author 1 Chapter 1 The precinct was humming with activity; detectives carted nervous suspects in and out of interrogation rooms as pens scribbled across endless case notes. The phones on the rows of desks seemed to be constantly ringing and the noise was giving Laura a headache. She rubbed her temples irritably, trying to lessen the throbbing that was building in her head. A high turnover of cases lately meant stacks of paperwork and she had barely scratched the surface. A coffee mug inscribed with the words ‘I’m nicer after coffee’, was dropped onto her desk, rattling her from her thoughts. “Last day of freedom Carlsson.” Kyle leaned over her desk, his distinct cheeky smirk plastered on his face as he ran his hand through his light brown hair. He touched and played with his hair more than any woman would, constantly making sure it parted perfectly to the side. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with his antics today, not that she was on any other day, but today especially she decided she wasn’t going to engage. Instead, she picked up the mug of steaming hot coffee and took a sip, her tongue uniting with the caffeine in utter bliss. “Foster and I have bets on how long it takes for you to request a new partner. I’ve got three days.” Laura opened her vivid green eyes only to roll them at Kyle, “No one can be as bad as Miller.” She jerked her thumb toward the empty desk beside her. Coffee cup rings littered its surface from the previous resident. Just one of his annoying quirks that had irked Laura to no end. “Captain told you who it is yet?” Laura shook her head. “They’re coming in this afternoon. Apparently, it’s an inter-state transfer.” “Please let it be a woman.” Kyle looked toward the ceiling and placed his hands together in mock prayer. “You’re gross.” “What? Work’s so busy at the moment I don’t have time to date.” Kyle frowned. His big blue eyes pleading like a child’s. “Like I said, gross. No new detective is going to sleep with you.” Laura hoped anyway, women had a tendency to do stupid things when it came to Kyle. “Well whoever it is will probably be in and out in a week and then I’ll have another possible option,” he winked. “Don’t get your hopes up. I have a good feeling about this one.” Laura turned back to her paperwork, hoping that this time she was right. Coming back from lunch Laura noticed the Captain’s door was shut. She could hear voices behind the frosted glass and could only assume her new partner was inside. She sat back down at her desk and began sifting through the slightly smaller pile of paperwork. After a few minutes the Captain’s door opened and the grey-haired man smiled in her direction. “Carlsson, come in and meet your new partner.” He held the door open, his large frame almost completely filling the space. Though she could still see the framed newspaper clippings of all his most noteworthy cases, Laura guessed barely an inch of wall in that office was still visible. He even had a clipping from his very first week on the job, the Fairhope Gazette had run a story after he caught a bag snatcher in action on the main thoroughfare in town. Laura couldn’t help but chuckle that this was the article he chose for his desk, rather than the hundred other more high profile cases. Laura had come to realise, you could take the cop out of the South, you just couldn’t take the South out of the cop. As she moved past the Captain, she noticed a woman sitting in a chair with her back to them. Her dark hair was tied up in a long ponytail that waved down her white blouse. The sight provoked a sense of nostalgia, though Laura quickly quashed it. More than one person could wear that hairstyle, she hated that all these years later certain things still triggered her. She closed her eyes and pushed away that thought as she entered the room. “Detective, this is Detective Isabella Medina. Your new partner.” Butterflies instantly swirled in Laura’s stomach and her heart thundered in her chest. The stunning woman with her familiar chocolate brown eyes stood up and turned towards her, a nervous smile on her lips. She was overrun with nostalgia, the feeling so powerful she wasn’t quite sure if this moment was real or not. She tried to relax her facial features as she stared into the chocolate eyes. That damn sparkle was still there, she cursed. Isabella reached out her hand and Laura briefly hesitated before stepping forward and shaking it firmly. Her