Maniacal: A Detective Jade Monroe Crime Thriller Book 1 Read Free Page B

There’s nobody that knows this lake like we do. Only guys fishing for bass go back near that shoreline. It’s too easy to lose your bait. This is a large lake, and we know the prime spots. There aren’t a lot of people that go back to the holes we fish at.”
    “Okay. I think that’s all we need for now. We appreciate your help. Please call us if either of you think of something else, no matter how trivial it might seem. If you wouldn’t mind, we’d like to keep the gruesome details quiet. I’d hate to have this incident start a countywide panic.” I gave the waitress a ten and told her to keep the change.
    Jack wrote down their full names, phone numbers, and addresses. We stood, gave them our cards, shook their hands, and left.
    “What do you think?” Jack asked as we walked back to the scene.
    “I think this entire area needs a thorough going-over, even beyond the police tape. I’m going to talk to Kyle some more.”
    The coroner’s van was backed to the water’s edge. Doug and Jason zipped the young man into a body bag, placed him on a backboard, and carried him to the van.
    “Kyle, got a minute?”
    “Sure, what’s up?”
    “Do you really think this was the actual dump site? There’s no way the guy floated along the bank to this spot?”
    “I doubt it. His body was partially on the shore, which doesn’t happen naturally when one drowns. I’m pretty certain this was the site. We’ve searched for trampled grass and any evidence that a body was dragged to the water, but everything looks normal. The grass is too short to fold over, but the deputies will keep looking. Lieutenant Clark told them to stay out here all day.”
    I remembered Leo’s statement being almost verbatim to what Kyle had just said. “Would it be possible for somebody to carry a body from the road? It’s a quarter mile back to the water.”
    “He’d have to be big and strong, but it’s certainly doable. Like I said before, he could have entered anywhere along the lake and walked the shoreline. Keep in mind, Jade, that there are numerous short streets that take you to the cottages along the lake. The killer could have parked anywhere, not just at the main road.”
    “Yeah, I know, just thinking out loud. How long before we can print the body?”
    “We’ll do that first when we get back to the station. I’ll give you a call if we get a hit.”
    “Thanks, Kyle. Jack and I are going to knock on a few doors around the lake. Maybe somebody saw a car parked out here last night. We’ll catch up with you at the station later.”

Chapter 3
    We spoke to four homeowners on the west side of the lake and five from the area nearest where the body was found. Six other homes looked to be weekend retreats or rental cottages. We saw no signs of anyone at those residences. The curtains were drawn, and the driveways were void of cars, boats, or Jet Skis. We kept our conversations short and vague, hoping somebody had information for us, but nobody did. Not one person had seen an unfamiliar car, or any car for that matter, parked along the road or in the parking lot of the boat launch last night. We thanked the people we spoke to and left.
    “Three hours of asking questions and we have zilch,” I grumbled as we climbed back into the car and headed out. “In all honesty, I wasn’t expecting much given the remote area and likelihood of this being a late-night dump. I guess hoping for anyone that could ID an unfamiliar car was wishful thinking on my part considering how dark it must be out here at night.”
    Jack wiped his forehead with his wet jacket sleeve. “Remind me to carry a few towels when we go door to door in this kind of weather.”
    I nodded.
    “Anyway, I bet a good number of these folks turn in right after the ten o’clock news. Still, it seems like the perp would have to be familiar with the area. It isn’t like there’s a sign advertising Cedar Lake off the interstate, you know,” Jack said.
    I looked out the car window