Then there's me. Sigh.
Here's an excerpt from HID FROM OUR EYES. A third Millers Kill Police chief is presented with the discovery of a third seemingly-identical murder:
Hadley
had done a good job as first responder. By the time Russ turned his
truck onto the county highway, the fire and rescue guys were already
in place with cones and blinkers, ready to reroute any morning
traffic that might come through. The scene – an isolated stretch of
road with pastures running away on either side - was ringed round
with yellow tape fluttering from flex poles. Hadley's unit blocked
the road on the Cossayuharie side, its lights looking almost dim in
the brilliant May sunshine.
It
had been a beautiful day the last time, too.
He
heard the whoop-whoop-whoop of a siren as he climbed out of his
truck. He waited while the squad car crested the rise, slowed, and
pulled in behind his pick-up. Lyle MacAuley, his deputy chief,
flipped off the light bar and got out, stretching and snapping his
back. “Heard we have a traffic fatality.”
God,
maybe that was it. Russ had been in such a hurry to get to the scene,
he hadn't pressed Harlene to patch him through to Hadley for the
details. “I hope so,” he said.
Lyle's
bushy gray eyebrows shot up.
“Not
that way.” Russ headed for the yellow tape. Lyle fell in beside
him. “Just...I hope it's not a homicide.”
“Person
dead in the road? Vehicular manslaughter and fleeing the scene.
Probably some damnfool jogger not watching where she was going
meeting up with another damnfool texting and driving on his way to
work. What have you got here, Knox?” Lyle held the tape up so Russ
could duck through.
Hadley
Knox, three years at the department, was their juniormost officer,
and the only woman sworn as a peacekeeper. Despite taking the job as
a last resort – she had two kids and an infirm granddad to support
– Russ thought she had the potential to be an excellent cop. If he
could keep her on the force. If he could make sure there would be a
force for her to work at. He pinched the bridge of his nose beneath
his glasses and tried to make himself focus.
“White
female, looks to be in her early twenties. No ID I could see in the
first pass.” She stood next to a blue Tyvex tarp spread over the
body. Whoever it was beneath there, she was so slight she barely
lifted the plastic shroud.
“This
where you found her?” Lyle looked around at the verge of the road
as if expecting to see signs of the body being dragged. A scattering
of gravel marked the line between asphault and the field beyond. No
blood. No crushed grass or broken wildflowers.
“Right
here in the middle of the lane, dep. I wouldn't move her.” Hadley
sounded defensive.
“We
know that, Knox.” Russ pulled his purple silicone gloves from his
pocket and tugged them on. Lyle did the same. “Let's take a look.”
He peeled the tarp away from the body.
Young.
Pretty. Dressed up like one of the girls he saw in town just a week
ago, headed for the prom. He glanced at her feet. No shoes.
“Where
the hell's the blood?” MacAuley got down on one knee. “No
scrapes. No torn clothing.” He stretched himself flat on the
roadway next to the body. “Doesn't look like there's any blood
underneath her.”
“Doctor
Sheeler's on the way,” Hadley said. The Washington County ME. “And
the state crime scene lab.”
“Good
job,” Russ said automatically.
“Doesn't
even look like anything was broken in impact.” MacAuley got back up
onto one knee. “Damndest thing I've ever seen.”
If any of you have any suggestions for producing more words on schedule, let me have 'em!
