“I’d say he’s been here less than five hours. That would make it between two and three o’clock this morning.”
Gemma stepped closer while still maintaining a respectable six feet from the corpse. “Worst of the storm happened right about that time. Just saying. Howling wind, rain gushing down in buckets. I remember the time because it was raining so hard that I thought the roof might blow off. Or at least the roof would start leaking. The dogs were going crazy.”
“Did you hear a gunshot?” Lando wanted to know.
“I didn’t hear anything but dogs making a fuss and the wind roaring and rain beating down so hard on the roof I thought it might give way.”
Lando ran a free hand over his stubble. “Ben must’ve thought that meeting up with a killer was so important he had to do it during a bad storm. Weird.”
“Maybe the killer was blackmailing Ben, or vice versa,” she offered. “Maybe Ben’s killer brought him money. Lots of people would go out in bad weather if it means adding to their bank account.”
“I don’t believe Ben would ever be involved in anything like that, though.”
“Isn’t it always the last person you’d suspect?”
“Maybe. Time to head over to Ben’s place and check it out,” Lando decided. “Jeff, you’ll let me know when you finish the autopsy.”
“Sure. If I find any surprises, I’ll let you know that, too. But the GSW to the head is the reason he died.”
Lando rolled his eyes. “Maybe you should do standup.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to start my day in an upbeat manner. Sue me.”
Gemma had a thought as she turned to face Jeff Tuttle. “If you’re thinking of asking out Tina Ashcomb, you should really do it now before she decides to take that new job offer over in Crescent City.”
Tuttle gave her a strange look before shaking his head. “I hate small towns. Does everybody have to know your business twenty-four-seven and then comment on it? Why don’t I just put that I’m interested in Tina on social media?”
“Hey, it was a friendly tip, meant to give you a heads up if you’re in stall-mode,” Gemma explained. “If Tina has her sights set on moving somewhere else, you need to act now or be prepared to accept that you missed your chance when she moves away.”
Tuttle gave her a sheepish look. “Okay, maybe I will ask her out. Do you think she’ll take the job?”
“Crescent City isn’t that much bigger than Coyote Wells. I think Tina will bide her time until something else even better comes along.”
“Good to know,” Tuttle muttered as he turned to go. “Do I need to hang around here while the techs from County finish taking pictures and evidence?”
“I guess not,” Lando concluded. “Thanks again for dropping in when you did.”
“Kiss my ass,” Jeff stated. “I’m the only medical examiner for miles around here. I have things to do and places to go.”
After Tuttle made his way back upstairs, Lando leaned into Gemma. “Are you picking up anything at all about why Ben was here?”
She shook her head. “All I know is that Ben Zurcher was a longtime friend of my grandparents. Marissa mentioned him often in her diaries. There’s only a brief mention of the Copelands. And that’s when she writes about the murders the day after it happened. If either Marissa or Jean-Luc had suspected Ben was part of any sinister plot to kill a family, she would’ve put it down in the journal. She didn’t. That’s significant to me.”
“But hardly anything of real substance I could take to a jury down the road.”
“True.”
Disheartened, Lando tried to hide his disappointment. He planted a kiss on her brow.
In turn, she laid a hand on his cheek. “Look, I’m sorry. Maybe something will pop into my head later. I don’t have much control over the ability to see the past. It just happens.”
“What brought you down the street then?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Something felt off. I came to make sure you were all right.”
He heard footsteps overhead and realized the crime scene techs were upstairs. “I better go point them in the right direction, else they’ll be wandering around in the building looking for a clue.”
Gemma clucked her tongue and patted his chest. “Let me know when you’re heading home. I’ll meet you there.”
“Sounds like a plan, Mayor. How many disgruntled calls did you get when the power went out?”
She began to climb the stairs to the first floor. “I stopped counting at