A Broken Bone (Widow's Island #6) - Melinda Leigh Page 0,3

face was pale. Tessa shone the flashlight on her head. “Is your head bleeding?”

“I don’t think so.” Patsy didn’t sound sure.

Tessa didn’t like the fatigue in her voice. Normally, Patsy had a very strong personality.

“I’m going to check your head.”

“Okay.”

Tessa probed Patsy’s scalp. “The good news is I don’t feel any blood. The bad news is that I found a nice goose egg.”

“Do you need me to call Henry?” Logan asked.

Tessa scanned Patsy. She was moving her head and coherent, but Tessa was no doctor. If she asked Patsy, she’d undoubtedly say she was fine.

“Henry is the doctor, right?” Patsy said. She didn’t wait for an answer. “You don’t have to drag him all the way over here. Bruce can drive me to the clinic when he gets here.”

Tessa looked up at Logan. “Not now. If we need him, he’s only a few minutes away.”

“My back and neck are fine.” Patsy demonstrated by turning her head and moving her shoulders.

Tessa sighed. “How did you get down here?”

“I was walking this morning—I walk three miles every day. Anyway, I saw this house. You know Bruce is looking for a fixer-upper.”

“Is he?” Tessa hadn’t known. The young deputy was recently engaged. His fiancée was a nurse who worked at the urgent care center.

“The location is nice. At first, I was only going to peek in the window.” Patsy swallowed. “But the front door was open, and I went inside. Obviously, that wasn’t the best idea. The floor seemed okay until I stepped on it. Then it just collapsed.”

“That smell didn’t keep you away?” Tessa pressed a knuckle to her nose.

“It wasn’t so bad until I went through the floor.”

“Probably a dead animal.” Tessa went to a narrow window high on the wall. Standing on a cinder block, she pushed open the window, creating a cross breeze for ventilation.

She walked a few feet away, taking care to step only between the piles of debris. “When I was a kid, a skunk crawled under our chicken coop and died. The smell was horrible.”

The odor grew stronger as she approached the north corner. She picked up a stick and moved aside some dead leaves. Flies rose in a swirling black cloud. The odor intensified, coating Tessa’s mouth and clogging her throat. She swallowed bile.

Probably a raccoon.

But the hairs on the back of her neck were waving danger flags.

She moved a few more leaves and startled.

“What is it?” Patsy asked.

“Nothing.”

“Bull. I spent most of my life married to a cop. You found a body, didn’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Tessa stared at a human hand. She moved a few more leaves. The hand was connected to a partially decomposed corpse.

2

Glad to be out of the basement, Logan waved down the fire truck. The crew chief stepped out of the engine, and Logan summarized the situation. They all went into the basement. Three firemen and Logan were able to lift the beam enough for Tessa to pull Patsy out from under it.

The fire crew left.

Bruce jogged down the stairs. “Mom!” He stopped next to her and dropped to one knee.

“I’m okay.” Patsy patted his hand.

Bruce wrinkled his nose. “What died down here?”

“Not what, but who.” Logan pointed to the corner.

“Seriously?” Bruce asked.

“Yes.” Logan nodded.

Bruce shook his head. “Shit. I thought Solitude was bad, but there’s just as much death here.” Bruce had moved to Widow’s Island from a small rural town in Oregon.

“Take care of your mother, Bruce,” Tessa said. “Call me when you’re done.”

“Thanks. I will.” Bruce scooped up his petite mother from the floor. “Let’s get you to Dr. Powers, Mom.” He carried her up the stairs, leaving Logan and Tessa alone with the remains.

Tessa headed for the stairs. “I need to secure the scene and call Henry. When he’s done treating Patsy, I’ll need him to view the remains.”

In addition to being the only doctor on the island, Henry also served as coroner. They were lucky to have an actual medical professional. In some remote areas, the mayor or a funeral director held the office.

Logan followed Tessa to her vehicle. Ever practical, Tessa had chosen cargo pants over tailored trousers for her uniform. Her blonde hair was tied back in a neat bun, and the flat scan of her blue eyes was all seasoned cop.

“How can I help?” he asked.

She handed him a roll of crime scene tape. “Could you mark off the scene with this?”

“Yes.” Logan had no police training, but he was willing to do the grunt work. “Where do you want the perimeter?”

“The