Chris Redding - Corpse Whisperer

Ed took a healthy swig of his beer. “Happens at times.”

“I don’t have any other ideas,” Zach said.

He loathed the idea that some innocent man had been convicted. The Prosecutor had been pretty sure of his case.

“Enough about this. Just mull it over for me and if you have anything you can add, let me know.”

“Sure, buddy.”

“Now how is that love life?”

Ed laughed as Zach’s mind went to Grace.

The Robber Baron, a cop hangout in the small burg of Mill Hall, blasted Conway Twitty when Grace arrived. She spotted Officer Henry or Hank as he wanted her to call him. Hank Henry, quite a name she’d told him. He just smiled and reminded her that she had no room to talk.

“He walked in five minutes ago. He’s at the end of the bar.”

Grace slid onto the stool that Hank gave up for her. Glancing down the smoke-free bar, she saw a talk, lanky man with a cowboy hat. He was talking to the man next to him and glancing at one of the waitresses. Not glancing, undressing her with his eyes.

She expected the conversation was lewd and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was on his territory. “Is he really a cowboy?”

“A legend in his own mind.”

“Why are you ratting him out? What about the cop brotherhood?”

Hank shook his head. “He doesn’t feel that way about any other cops so why should I feel that way about him?”

“I see.”

“What’ll you have?” Hank asked.

Grace surveyed the beer bottles in front of the many bar patrons. “I’ll take the favorite of the blue collar set to blend in.”

“We’d have to throw you out if you ordered white wine, though they do serve it. And a great meatloaf.”

“I’ll remember that. They do takeout?”

“Yep. I ate here a lot when I was a bachelor. I don’t miss those days.”

“You ever see Dolores in here?”

“Oh, Dolores loves this place though I haven’t seen her in a month or so. Rumor is that she was back with Zach.”

Grace shrugged. She didn’t know the answer to that one. And maybe she didn’t want to. Her mind turned briefly to her dream about Zach. A shudder went through her.

Dolores was turning out to be a harder person to pin down with her many amours. Who wouldn’t have a motive?

Her beer landed in front of her and she took a swig trying not to look dainty. Not that she was, but sometimes being small didn’t help.

Lance looked her way, but she figured her chest was too tiny for him. Maybe she’d sidle up to him anyway. She tipped her beer at him and flashed a million dollar smile. Well her mother only paid three thousand dollars to the orthodontist for it.

“I may try this by myself,” she said.

“What?”

“Use my feminine wiles on him. That way you don’t have to be involved.”

“You going to confront him with something?”

“Maybe. Thanks for your help, Hank. Kiss your wife for me and thank her for letting me borrow you.”

“Good luck, Grace.”

Grace ambled past a collection of the county’s law enforcement officers. Even out of uniform, she would have spotted that they were cops. Each looked her over as she passed them in her flowered shirt and blue jeans. Maybe they were too snug to be legal, but she figured she could use all of her assets.

Pun intended, she thought with a smile.

Some of the cops gave her a cursory look while others openly gaped. Please, I’m not that good-looking.

She shifted her startling blond hair over her shoulder and smiled at Lance when she reached him. “Hey.”

His gaze ricocheted from her face to her toes then back to her face. “Yeah? You’re a little lacking in the chest area for me.”

Her gaze went south. “You’re a little lacking elsewhere for me, but I’ll buy you a beer if you’ll answer some questions for me.”

“Oh? What about?”

“Dolores Holten.”

He spat on the floor. “I don’t want to hear nothing about that slut. Heard she got knocked up.”

Grace wouldn’t deny or confirm that to this jerk. “Yeah? You cause that?”

He laughed his little paunch, the only fat on his body, wiggling ever so slightly. “Honey can’t get someone pregnant from 200 yards and I haven’t been that close for three months.”

“Does that make you mad?”

He tipped up his bottle of beer, never taking his eyes off of her. The bar had quieted for a moment then another mournful song about mom and trucks came on the jukebox. Guess it was a favorite since three people near her joined in an off-key accompaniment.

“You some investigator?”

“Nope. I think she’s in danger and I wondered if it was from you.”

“Nope. I’ve moved on as they say and this lady has more class. And more tits.”

If she had that much class why would she be with him? Grace cleared her throat. “Okay. Just checking.”

“I’d look into that ex-husband of hers. He was pretty jealous of me when I dated her. Has quite a temper.”

Grace paid for his beer then left him with his buddies. Amazingly her feet didn’t stick to the floor, but she felt Lance’s gaze all the way out the door. She’d have to shower again to get it off.

A new picture of Zach was emerging, too and she needed to reconcile this with what he’d been like with her. She also needed to find out for sure who the father of Dolores’ baby was. She couldn’t ask her unless she wanted to seem rude.

Zach might know and she’d found out where he lived.

Grace walked down the well-lit Main Street of Mill Hall to where she parked her car. Footsteps echoed across the deserted town.

Not just hers.

She whirled to face the guy she’d talked to this afternoon. Was Ed stalking her?

He put up his hands as if in surrender. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I didn’t realize when we spoke earlier that coincidentally I was looking for you.”

She pulled her purse closer to her even though the guy held himself like a cop. “Why?”

His manner was deferential. “Miss, I just want to talk to you about a fire.”

Grace’s blood went cold. It had all ended with a fire in her last town.

“You moved out of the Grey Arms, correct?”

She stopped and looked at him, her curiosity getting the best of her. “Why?”

There’s been a fire. And it was set in your apartment.”

“Old apartment.”

“Right. Could we go somewhere to talk? Other than the middle of Main Street Mill Hall?”

“I’m tired. Just ask what you want so I can go.”

“Okay. When exactly did you move out?”

She thought back to when she’d rewound this time. Had it been Thursday or Friday. “Uh, Monday. The day after I signed the lease with the new place.”

“And did you go back?”

“No reason to. The place was a dump. No fond memories.”

The cop grimaced as if he knew what she was talking about. “So you were nowhere near the Gray Arms two nights ago?”

“No. Are you finished?”

“Can anyone corroborate your story?”

“I went to bed alone.”

She turned away from him ready to be done with the conversation. His next words stopped her. “You were investigated in a murder by arson in Pennsylvania.”

“And they decided I wasn’t the person they wanted.” Would that haunt her forever?

“The detectives haven’t arrested anyone, yet.”

“And I moved here, proof that they didn’t need me to stay in town. Goodnight Detective.”

She left her blood on its way to boiling.

Zach Holten’s apartment was in a high rise at one end of Main Street Glen Hills. Most of the town Grace had settled in was rural, with the hospital being the biggest employer, so the high rise stood out. Literally.