Janet Evanovich - Full Bloom

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Annie and Theenie were in the process of cleaning up after lunch when Danny Gilbert arrived back with his sander. Annie insisted that he eat something before going to work. As he waited for Annie to prepare him a sandwich and heat a bowl of soup, Lovelle recounted her days as a professional ballerina.

At the other end of the table, Destiny, Jamie, and Max discussed newspaper business and chuckled over a couple of letters that had been addressed to the Divine Love Goddess Adviser.

"Some people are so loopy," Destiny said. "Listen to this one: 'Dear Love Goddess Adviser: Some months ago I discovered my husband was a cross-dresser. After the shock had passed, I decided to make the best of it, and now we share our clothes. What has me so frustrated is the fact that he doesn't ask if he can borrow my clothes; he just grabs what he needs out of my closet. When he returns an outfit I often find food stains on it, but he never offers to take anything to the dry cleaners. I have complained, but he doesn't listen. Could you please settle this dispute? I fear our marriage may be in deep trouble unless we can work this out.' "

Max and Jamie laughed.

"Oh, and listen to this one," Destiny said. " 'Dear Love Goddess Adviser: I am probably overreacting, but I suspect my husband is cheating on me. He doesn't return home some nights until almost midnight, and he reeks of Chanel Number Five. I have found lipstick on his shirt collar, long scratches on his back, and the other night when he undressed, his underwear was on backward. Do you think I'm just being one of those suspicious wives?' "

Jamie laughed until her sides hurt as Destiny continued to read several more. Annie was happy to see her friend looking more relaxed, and the private smiles Jamie and Max shared when they thought nobody was looking would have made most women envious.

Danny finished his lunch and carried his dishes to the sink, where he rinsed them. Wes entered the kitchen, a camera hanging from his neck. All eyes turned to him, and the chatter stopped. "You must be the other new guest," Lovelle said, and introduced herself. She had met Destiny earlier.

"Nice to meet you," he said politely.

Max stood and made introductions as well. If Wes recognized Jamie, he didn't say anything. "Nice camera," Max said. "Are you a photographer?"

Wes nodded. "I've been able to get some great shots this morning. Beaumont is a beautiful town."

"It grows on you fast," Max said.

"Wes, would you care for a sandwich?" Annie asked, wishing just once she could round up everybody at the same time for meals. Seemed like she was always offering somebody something to eat; felt like she was working at the Huddle House.

"I grabbed something earlier," he said. "Nice to meet you," he told Max and Jamie as he headed upstairs, stepping aside for Theenie, who was on her way down.

"Good grief!" Lovelle said when Wes was out of hearing distance. "Where did you find him?"

"He sort of found us," Annie said.

"Annie almost killed him," Theenie said. "Then Doc almost killed him."

"Perhaps I should explain," Annie said. She had opened her mouth to do just that when she heard a man's voice out back shouting her name. He sounded frantic. "What in the world!" She threw open the back door and found Doc's gardener racing across the backyard, calling out to her loudly.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and Wes hurried into the kitchen. "What's going on? Is somebody hurt?"

Annie was already on the back porch, the others behind her. The gardener stopped at the back stairs, staggered once, grabbed the porch rail. His face was ashen. He tried to speak.

Annie hurried down and touched his arm. "What's wrong?" she said. "Are you injured?" She looked for blood, didn't see any.

"It's terrible," the man managed. "Worst thing I ever seen."

"What is it?" she demanded.

"Back yonder. Behind the, um, that carriage house."

Wes pushed through the group and cleared the back steps in one jump. He was the first to arrive at the gaping hole, with Max and Danny right behind him. Wes knelt beside it, and his eyes froze at what he saw. "Holy shit!"

Max joined him. "Holy shit is right."

Wes looked at Danny. "Keep the women back."

Danny turned. "Don't come any closer, okay?" he told them.

Theenie and Lovelle came to an abrupt halt, but the others rushed forward.

"What is it?" Annie said.

Jamie blinked several times, trying to make sense of what she was looking at. "Bones?" she asked.

"It's a skeleton," Max said.

Annie gave an eye roll. "Oh, Jeez, it's my grandmother's dog. She had Erdle bury him somewhere back here after he died. I'd forgotten about it."

Wes shook his head. "Sorry, Annie, but this is no dog. It's a human skeleton."

"Oh, I can't see this," Theenie said, backing away. She turned and hurried toward the house. Lovelle followed.

Annie stared back at Wes in disbelief. "That's ridiculous!"

"He's right, Annie," Max said.

"It looks human to me, too," Jamie said, and Destiny agreed.

Annie stepped closer and looked. "Oh, shit, I have a dead person in my backyard! Oh, shit. Oh, shit."

"There's some kind of cloth there," Max said.

Wes nodded and glanced over his shoulder. "Look, this is obviously a crime scene, and I'd rather not jeopardize any trace evidence." He didn't see the look Max gave him. "So I'd appreciate it if everybody would please move back."

Danny convinced the women to step away.

"It's not like I've never seen dead people before," Destiny told him. "They follow me everywhere I go."

Max and Wes were quiet as they studied the site. "Looks like the cloth was yellow at some point," Max said, "although it's hard to tell."

"There's some kind of insignia on the material," Wes said.

Max grabbed a stick. "Only one way to find out."

Destiny stood there, a knowing look in her eyes.

"Be careful," Wes whispered. "There could be hairs or fibers."

"You sound like you know what you're talking about," Max said, very gently lifting a portion of the material.

"I watch a lot of TV. Enough to know we shouldn't be doing this. Okay, hold it right there, and I'll see if I can read it." Taking great care not to disturb anything, Wes leaned forward. "Looks like a C and an F."

"Have you found anything?" Jamie called out.

"Some kind of yellow material," Max said. "Could be a shirt or a jacket. Initials CF on it."

Annie and Jamie looked at each other, their eyes wide and disbelieving. "No!" Annie said. "That's impossible!" She shook her head. "It can't be. It just can't be."

"Annie …" Jamie stepped closer, reached out.

"No!" Annie cried, and pushed her away.

"What the hell?" Wes leaped to his feet and raced toward Annie as she screamed. He shook her hard. "Annie, what is it?"

She opened her mouth, tried to speak, couldn't. Her eyes were glazed.

Wes looked confused but did as he was told.

Jamie looked at him. "It's a jacket. I was with Annie when she purchased it. CF stands for Charles Fortenberry."

"My husband," Annie choked. Her eyes rolled back in her head before everything went black.

Wes was there to catch her.

Police Chief Lamar Tevis studied the shallow grave closely, turning his head this way and that as if to get a better look, as one officer snapped pictures and another surrounded the area with yellow crime scene tape. Finally, Lamar stood and brushed the dirt from the knees of his khaki uniform. "It's a body, all right," he said. "I'm not an expert on this sort of thing, so I can't tell how long it has been there. Takes one of those forensic whatchamacallits for that. They may have someone at the Medical University in Charleston, but there's no telling how long it'll take them to get around to it."