An Indecent Death Read Free

depart, Drumm wondered again what people saw in those little ankle-biter dogs.
    Drumm walked over onto a gravel pathway where a tall, muscular man was talking to an older couple. “Morning, Karl. A word with you, please?”
    Wesson spoke briefly to the couple and then accompanied Drumm to the office building. Not yet open for the season, it was locked up tight and the lift gate was down and locked into position. The roads within the park were still closed to vehicular traffic, but cyclists, joggers and walkers were welcome to enjoy the park facilities.
    “What can you tell me, Karl?”
    “Morning, Nick. Well, the body is over that way, a ten minute walk or so along that trail. It’s just off the path…” Karl consulted his notebook. “Blue Heron Trail, it’s called. That couple I was just talking to found the body an hour or so ago. Or rather, their dog did. It was off lead and I guess it went off the path, smelled something and started pawing at the ground. They stopped it before it got very far, but they could see a hand sticking up. They said they left everything the way it was and came back here. Used their cell phone, which was in the car – that silver Cadillac there – and called 9-1-1.”
    Drumm looked over at the couple, standing on the trail. “Where’s the dog? And what have you done so far?”
    Karl ran his hand over his receding hairline. Thirty-eight years old, and Wesson was going bald already, Drumm thought. Thank God for his own thick, brown hair, even if there was a bit of grey here and there.
    “The dog is in their car. I only just beat you here, so I haven’t done much. I’d just started questioning the Jacksons –that’s their names, Norman and Patricia Jackson, both aged 72 – and we’ve got Lori Singh over at the scene.”
    “Right, okay then, Karl. Let’s get one of the uniforms to go down the entrance driveway and block it off. We need to restrict access immediately. How about the Coroner?”
    “She’s on her way. Won’t be too much longer, I don’t think.”
    Drumm thought for a minute, then waved at the parking lot. “We’d best start running down these license plates, Karl. And have the other uniforms start going over this area. We’ll need more people for searching. And we’ll need to see if anybody saw anything at all, although way out here, it’s not likely. There must be a couple of people out in the park somewhere, judging by those cars there. And we’ll have to find out if there are other ways to get in, like say a jogger or cyclist could use. Find out, and make sure that any other means of access are closed off too. We also need to question anyone who has been in the park in the past couple of hours.”
    Wesson was nodding. “No problem. I’ll get right on it.” Phone in hand, he started moving towards one of the uniformed officers but Drumm checked him.
    “Also, Karl, we need a full list of all MPs over the past… let’s say three months. That’s probably going back too far, but let’s just be on the safe side. The victim could have been kidnapped a while ago and held, then killed and dumped just recently. That’s probably not what happened here, though. Staff said a teacher was reported missing yesterday. From Elmdale Elementary. Are you familiar with that peculiar educational establishment?”
    Karl was startled for a second, then realized that this was one of Drumm’s word mix-ups, ‘peculiar’ instead of ‘particular’; he was renowned for them in the force. Aloud, he said, “Elmdale? Newer school, over by the mall? Not an elm in sight.”
    “That’s the one. What about this old couple – the Jacksons, you said? Do they know anything?”
    Karl ran his hand over his hair again. “I don’t think so. They just happened to be at the wrong place at the right time. But I’ll find out for sure.”
    “When the troops start arriving, Karl, get a grid search underway as soon as you can. The fisties will be here soon, I take it?” The Forensic