Ed Lynskey - Isabel and Alma Trumbo 03 - The Ladybug Song Read Free Page B

Trumbo sisters walk,”
said Alma. “Now we should press on, shouldn’t we?”
    Sheriff
Fox tamped down his disgruntlement. What he did next left him in a fouler mood,
but he was convinced he’d no choice if he expected to get fast results. He used
his clear cop voice. “A peculiar set of circumstances has come to my attention regarding
the recent demise of Ms. Ladybug Miles—”
     “Cut to
the chase,” said Alma, horning in. “Ladybug was murdered. We got that. You want
to catch her killer. We do, too.”
    He nodded.
“Exactly so.”
    “Roscoe, let’s
be clear on where we stand,” said Isabel. “Did you call us in to formally
request us to consult on Ladybug’s homicide case?”
    “No way!”
Sheriff Fox caught his outburst and paused for some throat clearing before he lowered
his voice to a civil tone. “I mean our get-together is unofficial and off the
record. Nothing we discuss can go beyond these office walls and closed door.”
    “In other
words, you want us to play your silent helper elves,” said Alma. “We already pretty
much do that.”
    “That’s a
cynical way of expressing it,” said Sheriff Fox. “Nonetheless it’s important you
not give out any information to anybody, especially the news reporters.”
    “We know
how to keep our mouths shut,” said Alma not appreciating his sneakiness but also
seeing they wouldn’t be butting heads with him. “Is our saying Girl Scout’s
honor good enough for you?”
    “It should
be,” replied Sheriff Fox.
    “Then get
to the point,” said Alma. “What is your peculiar set of circumstances?”
    “For starters,
we found no pocketbook, no beach towel, and no shoes along either shore in the vicinity
where we recovered Ladybug’s dead body. If she went to the Coronet River to go swimming, wouldn’t she have taken along with her personal stuff and left it
behind on the riverbank?”
    “Presumably,”
replied Isabel. “Her belongings could’ve been pilfered after she died.”
    “Maybe so
but the main thing is I have to be correct,” said Sheriff Fox. “If I decide to rule
Ladybug’s death as an accidental drowning, and it turns out she got the
business, well, that’s not a messy situation I want to confront.”
    “How awkward
for you,” said Isabel. She realized the sheriff blowing a call that big would spur
the voters to ask embarrassing questions. “Is there more tangible evidence leading you to believe
Ladybug was murdered?”
    “Water,”
replied Sheriff Fox.
    Isabel
almost batted an eyelash. “Water, you say?”
    “Water,”
he repeated. “The Coronet River’s level is down from the dry summer we had. Ladybug
didn’t have enough water to swim there, not even to dogpaddle, so I have to consider
the possibility she was previously killed, and her death scene was a rigged one.”
    “She
might have swum in the main channel,” said Isabel. “The river’s deepest current
provided her a clear lane to use.”
    “Right
now the main channel is a tick mark less than twelve inches deep,” said Sheriff
Fox. “I took off my shoes and socks, rolled up my pants cuffs, and waded into
the water myself. Then I used a yardstick to measure its depth. So unless Ladybug
was an ‘Oz’ munchkin, she wouldn’t be able to swim one stroke there.”
    “If
I was her killer, why would I make the homicide appear to be an accidental
drowning?” asked Alma. “I could see how shallow the river is, and my scheme would
backfire. No killer can be that rattlebrained.”
    “Perhaps
feeling rushed, he didn’t think to use a yardstick and check the actual depth
of the water as I was smart enough to do,” said Sheriff Fox.
    Alma wanted so badly to roll her eyes.
    “Ladybug’s
autopsy will determine if any water is present in her lungs,” said Isabel,
drawing on her book smarts gleaned from a lifetime of reading mysteries. “The
autopsy results will either conclusively prove or disprove your theory.”
    “Dr.
Coe is away with his wife Claire on a