Frozen Stiff Read Free Page A

mummy, no color to it.
    She sank down in the snow and touched the hand, then wiped clear his face. He had turned to ice.
    He must have been locked out and then froze to death. No one deserved that. Not even her bastard husband Dan.
    In some part of her mind, she knew he was dead, but the thought that he might still be alive pushed her to call for help.

CHAPTER 2
    New Year’s Day: 9:30 am
    A my unplugged the block heater on the squad car, climbed into the frigid vehicle, and turned the key. Sluggishly, the car engine turned over, but didn’t catch. She slapped her mittened hands together, waited a few seconds, then tried again. She didn’t want to wear the battery out. This cold weather had gone on for too long. What she wouldn’t give for an attached garage, but she guessed she was lucky that an off-street parking place came with her apartment.
    With relief, she heard the engine come to life, gave it a little gas, turned the heat on full blast, and then climbed back out to clear all the windows. The ice was especially thick on the front window. After she scraped it all off, she saw there was even some ice on the inside of the car.
    Seeing that the heat gauge needle had risen, she backed up and got on the street. No one else around. She only lived about six blocks away from the government center, easy walking distance, except on a day like today. Could freeze your face off in less time than it took to tie up a horse.
    When Amy walked into the sheriff’s department, she caught Tanya yawning at the front desk, a party hat tilted on her red hair like the leaning Tower of Pisa.
    “You look ready to go home,” Amy said.
    “Got that right.”
    “Busy night?” Amy asked.
    “Not really. I’ve lived through worse New Year’s Eves. I think the snow and cold kept the partying to a minimum. Two drunks are sleeping it off in the jail and a kid wandered away from a party, but Bill found him sleeping in the barn, visiting with the cows.”
    Amy was glad to hear that Bill had worked last night. Even though they hadn’t been seeing each other for a while, she still kept track of him and hated to think of him having fun without her. Right after she broke up with him, he had been mad for a few days, then he ignored her for a couple weeks. Now they were almost back to being friends, casual friends, but at least he would say hi to her. She knew it wasn’t very nice of her, but she wanted to be the first one to start seeing someone else.
    “Roxie coming in?” Amy asked.
    “She called to say she’d be late,” Tanya lifted up her party hat, then let it snap back down. “I just want to climb in bed and sleep until tomorrow. I guess it’s called hibernating.”
    “Anything going on this morning?”
    “Yeah, we got a call from near Stockholm, something about a dog.”
    “I’m going to drive down that way. They had a break-in down at the Short Stop a couple days ago and I want to check back with them.”
    “Perfect. On your way you can check out the Walker residence. A woman called and said that there was something in her backyard. She didn’t call on the emergency line so I don’t think there’s any big rush.”
    “Sure. Did she say what?”
    “She seemed pretty calm about it. I think she said her dog. I couldn’t hear her that well. She kept breaking up. I think she was calling on a cell phone.”
    “Why’s she calling us about her dog? She should have called animal control. Last thing I want to deal with this morning is a dead dog.”
    “Why don’t you swing by—it’s on your way.”
    At least the car was still warm, Amy thought as she climbed back into the vehicle, a cup of steaming coffee balanced in her hand. She drove down 25 waiting for the sun to crest Twin Bluffs. These bitter cold days were always bright, clear, and often still. Absolutely beautiful. Right as she approached highway 35 the sun lifted up over the bluffs, sundogs on either side of it. She pulled into the wayside stop there, a convenient spot