Silver's Bones Read Free Page A

harlequin Great Dane. She grabbed it by the collar.
    â€œNew watchdog?” I asked.
    â€œTino, no!” snapped Adriana. “Down.”
    The dog sat. She tried to force him to lie down but he was steadfast in his “sit.”
    â€œYes. His name is Valentino . . . Tino for short. We’re working on a few commands.”
    â€œFriendly enough to pet?” I asked.
    She nodded. “He’s a real sweetheart. He won’t hurt anyone.”
    As I bent over to pet him, his tail thumped on the floor. “What a nice boy you are,” I said.
    Everyone seemed to relax when they realized they weren’t going to get mauled by this giant beast.
    â€œHow old?” I asked, as I scratched behind his ears.
    â€œEight months. A friend decided he was too big for her condo, so I said I’d take him.”
    â€œNice dog,” I said. “When I was young, a neighbor had one—a fawn color. His name was Igor.”
    â€œYes, you told me you always wanted one after that.” She smiled at me and I instantly felt uncomfortable with the old familiarity. I got up and stepped away.
    Everyone had taken off their shoes and made their way to the table Adriana had set up with coffee, raised sugared doughnuts, and a pitcher of ice water. First thing I did was down two glasses of water, then ate a doughnut. They were crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, just how I like them.
    â€œI would have bought cinnamon rolls from the Sportsman, but they were out,” Adriana said to me, which made me even more uncomfortable.
    â€œOh, don’t. Please,” I said.
    When Patrice asked if she could have a tour of the house, Adriana said she’d be happy to. I had thought it would be weird and inappropriate to ask, but since I wanted to see it too, I tagged along with the others.
    The design was pretty much the dream house we had talked about building together: all wood and windows with a beautiful fieldstone fireplace. As everyone followed the short-shorts and tank top, Adriana offered a history of the property she said she’d learned from her neighbor, Madison Mitchell, a great-granddaughter of Hubert Ronson.
    â€œIn 1921, Hubert purchased this square mile for hunting and fishing and built the log lodge to the west. He later donated and sold the southern sections of the property after the original owner was killed in that area.”
    Troy and I exchanged glances. We had just investigated two homicides on the south shore last fall.
    â€œSo is Madison living there now?” Sheriff Clinton asked.
    â€œYes, after Del did the remodeling, Maddie fell in love with the place and decided to live here permanently. She realized she could operate her online jewelry business just as easily from Prairie Falls. Then she and her brother sold off the remainder of the property to Del, who sectioned off the land into four lots. First he built the Campbell’s home to the east, then this one. The buyers backed out on my house after the murders last fall,” she said. “And because of it, I got quite the deal.”
    â€œThe deal just happened to include skeletal remains,” Troy chuckled. He waved his fingers in the air as he said, “Woo-ooo.”
    â€œWhat was that supposed to be? A ghost?” Adriana said as she punched him in the arm—the reaction seemed intimate. “You sound more like a woo-woo girl.”
    Everyone laughed, but this was probably anything but funny to her because she believed in spirits and haunted houses scared her. That’s why she favored new construction.
    â€œHow long has Maddie been living here?” I asked.
    â€œShe moved here in May.”
    â€œWe’ll want to talk to her. Can you let her know we’ll stop by?”
    â€œSure.”
    After the tour and everyone had their fill of doughnuts and coffee, they headed back outside to wait for BRO. I stayed behind.
    â€œAre you doing okay?” I asked.
    â€œGreat.” She