A Widow's Guilty Secret Read Free Page A

already been on their way to becoming lunch a la carte for all the local rodents, wild animals and insects in the area.
    Had he ever been this naive? Nick wondered. Somehow, he didn’t think so.
    “Well, there are three bodies buried pretty close to one another,” he said to Juarez, doing his best not to let his impatience show, “and they’re definitely dead, so, logically speaking, I’d say yes, there’s a pretty good possibility that we’re looking at a triple homicide. But if you’re asking me if I think that the same person killed all three victims, that’s something we’re going to have to find—”
    Nick abruptly stopped talking and he suddenly squatted down beside the body that was nearest to him. With an unreadable expression on his face, he gave the body a very slow once-over.
    The face was not so destroyed that it prevented him from making an identification. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this the county sheriff, Peter Burris?” If that were the case, then this just took on a whole new spectrum of ramifications.
    Juarez paled slightly beneath his peaked complexion. “Are you asking me to look closer?” he asked warily.
    Nick rolled his eyes. “That might be helpful, yeah,” he retorted.
    One of the uniformed policemen, older by a couple of decades than the queasy detective, took pity on Juarez—who looked as if he wanted to bolt for the trees again—and made his way over to the body in question.
    Looking at what was left of the man on the ground, the officer nodded, confirming Nick’s query.
    “It’s the sheriff all right.” Somewhat intrigued rather than repulsed, the policeman squinted and took a closer look at the other two bodies that had been unearthed at the same time. Genuine surprise registered on his leathery face. “And that looks like Senator Merris. Saw him at a fund-raiser once. I was part of the security detail.” His own words seemed to hit him and he appeared properly stunned. “Holy cow, this is a real live senator.”
    “Not quite,” Nick pointed out.
    “Yeah,” the policeman agreed. “There’s that.” He looked up at Nick, the magnitude of the situation finally hitting him. “This is big.”
    Rather than comment on what seemed to be very obvious—and since Juarez was still struggling even to glance down, Nick directed the officer’s attention to the third body. “You know him?”
    The older man shuffled closer and looked at the last dead man intently for several seconds. He frowned, frustrated.
    “He seems familiar, but—” he shook his head helplessly. “Sorry, can’t place him.”
    Striking out, Nick looked pointedly at Juarez. “How about you?”
    Unable to get around his duty any longer, Juarez was forced to take a look. Actually, it was more like taking a fleeting glance in the body’s direction. Exhaling the breath he’d been holding, Juarez shook his dark head adamantly.
    “No, I don’t know him,” he confirmed with relief.
    But the policeman wasn’t through as he continued to study the only unidentified man. Circling the body, he looked at the face from every angle.
    Finally, he said, “I think he used to live around here before he went off to California—or maybe it was some other place out West.” He glanced up at Nick. “He had family here if it’s the guy I’m thinking of. I can ask around,” he offered.
    “You do that,” Nick turned the offer into an instruction.
    Then he turned to his boy partner. Juarez’s face still lacked color. He made up his mind that come tomorrow, if things didn’t change, he was working this case solo. Juarez’s wife was due soon with their first child. Maybe the younger detective could take some time off and be of some use to her.
    But that still left today. “You up to doing a little traveling?” he asked.
    Rather than immediately answering, Juarez asked uneasily, “To where?”
    “I think we need to inform the sheriff’s wife that she just became his widow.”
    In his experience,