Neighing with Fire: A Mystery (Colleen McCabe Series) Read Free Page B

Denny,” Bill said to her.
    “With an arsonist floating around the county, I wanted to make sure he’s keeping an eye on his abandoned properties. Isn’t that right, Mr. Custis?”
    “Whatever you say, darling,” Denny said, all oozy, sweaty charm. He peered through a gap between two tarps. “Woowee, seems someone took a dirt nap. That’s one nasty carcass.”
    She studied Denny. Could he really see the body without his glasses? If so, how had his vision improved so quickly from their earlier meeting?
    “Any idea what happened?” Denny asked.
    “No,” Bill said and rubbed his forearm.
    The gesture was a sign Bill was uncomfortable with the conversation. Good, she thought. Maybe Bill will get the man to leave.
    “How long do you think the fella’s been there?”
    “How do you know it’s a man?” she asked, studying Denny intently.
    “I just figured. Not often you find ladies ending up dead like that.”
    “Not often you find gentlemen either,” she said.
    “Good point,” Rodney said, and stepped a little behind Colleen as if backing her up for a fight.
    “Look,” Bill said to Denny. “It’s too early to know anything. I’m sure you can appreciate the need for discretion.”
    Denny regarded first Colleen then Rodney then Bill before smiling broadly and patting Bill on the back. “Sure sure, big guy. You let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, you hear?”
    “Will do,” Bill said, obviously not appreciating Denny touching him.
    An awkward silence filled the air, and then Denny signaled his sidekick and the two retreated behind the dunes.
    Sparky whined to be free of his leash and Colleen released her grip. The dog instantly sprang forward to be with his retriever friend.
    Martin Templeton, the man who had discovered the body, put his arm around his wife Laurie. “Gotta say … it sure is a strange place to end up dead.”
    It was true. The body had been buried between a new walkway and the old one that had been covered by the dunes above it. Corolla’s and Carova’s construction practice of building a new walkway over a preexisting one was a result of the state’s Division of Coastal Management regulations that forbid the removal or relocation of sand or vegetation from the primary or frontal dunes. Owners and renters were forbidden from shoveling or sweeping blown or washed-in sand away from or off of the stairs. The stacked walkways up and down the beach made for a peculiar sight. Colleen wondered what vacationers like the Templetons who were unaware of the building codes must think of them.
    It was uncertain how long the body had been buried beneath the stairs. But one thing was clear … the body didn’t get there on its own. Colleen was hardly an expert on the decomposition process but she could tell from the color and texture of the skin that it must have been at least several months. They had had a mild winter, so it was possible that the body had been there as far back as the fall, but she doubted that it had been longer than that given the intense tourist activity last summer.
    “We’ll need to get a statement from you both,” Bill said to the Templetons.
    “Sure,” Martin said, and whistled for his retriever, who had run off with Sparky up the beach. At the sound of the whistle, both dogs came running.
    “I hope you catch whoever did it,” Martin said, watching the dogs race to the group, tongues wagging.
    “Did what?” Laurie asked.
    “Killed him.”
    Laurie gasped. “You mean murder?”
    “What else?” her husband said.
    “We’re packing this instant,” she said and pivoted on her heels.
    “I’m afraid you can’t leave until we get your statement,” Bill said.
    “Listen to the sheriff, honey,” Martin said, trying to take his wife by the arm.
    The woman yanked her hand away. “If you think I’m staying one minute in a house where there’s been a murder—”
    “We don’t know that there’s been a murder,” Bill interrupted.
    “And if there