Dirty Deeds Read Free Page A

it wasn’t hanging in my face.
    I was a pretty low-maintenance kind of woman. I’d spent too long in the medical field, where being a woman was still considered inferior. We’d had to work harder and be smarter to make it through residency. So I’d learned to ignore the things that made a woman feel more feminine. It was a shame really. I’d always thought a third year female student should be able to do rounds without being told she was sleeping her way to the top because she was wearing mascara or lipstick.
    Jack was dressed in a pair of loose khaki cargo shorts and a black Tommy Bahama shirt. The relaxed clothing didn’t take away from his physical appearance. He was a true Alpha male in every sense of the word. When he went somewhere people paid attention. They watched and listened and stayed back. Because despite the vacation clothes, Jack looked dangerous.
    “Please, please,” Joe said, holding up his hands and quieting the crowd. “I know you are upset, and we will have answers soon. These are my police friends from America, so they are very experienced with violent death and horrible crimes.”
    I raised my eyebrows and looked at Jack. It was kind of sad to say we were experienced with horrible crimes and violence, but we were probably the best chance this community had of finding out what had happened to Leon Stein.
    Joe broke away from the crowd and came to the back of the Jeep where we waited. He dug out latex gloves from a cardboard box and handed them over.
    “What should we do now?” he asked.
    Jack blew into his glove and pulled it on easily. And then he did the same with the other. “You know everyone here?”
    “Yes, everyone,” Joe answered.
    “That’s good. Start talking to them one-on-one. See if anyone saw or heard anything. Construct a timeline of events. Who saw him enter and exit the church. Where he sat. Who he talked to. Things like that.”
    “I see,” he nodded. “Like TV. That’s a good idea.”
    “Yep, just like TV,” Jack said deadpan. “See if anyone noticed what cars were parked nearby. And watch their body language. If anyone seems nervous or their behavior is off make a note of it and we’ll follow up. Doctor Graves will be able to determine if Leon was killed here at the church or his body was moved there. Whatever the case, someone had to have seen something. And someone killed him.”
    “All of these people are good people,” Joe said, shaking his head. “They would never do anything like this. We are very peaceful, and Leon was one of our own. He was a good man. It had to be a tourist.” A ferocity came into Joe’s dark eyes, and I could tell he was offended at Jack’s suggestion. He was loyal to his community, and that kind of loyalty would never find a killer.
    The unfortunate truth about our line of work was that everyone was a liar until proven they were telling the truth.
    “I’m not saying it wasn’t a tourist,” Jack said, speaking softly. Jack had a way about him. He was one of those men who never had to raise his voice. When he spoke people listened. He had a natural authority and ability to lead. “And it’s probably a good idea to suspend boat and ferry services off the island for the time being. You can think of an excuse to shut them down. All I’m asking is that you collect information and listen and observe. You’re a cop. You might not be an experienced one, but your gut will tell you when you’re on the right track. Sometimes people don’t realize they know something until you ask the right question. They know you and trust you. The biggest majority of police work is documenting the facts. That’s all you need to do.”
    Some of the starch went out of Joe’s posture and he nodded in agreement. “I can do that. Do you want me to show you the body?”
    I dug through the box and shoved some plastic baggies in the back pocket of my shorts, along with a little black leather pouch that had tweezers and other small motor skill tools in