Curl Up and Dye - Liliana Hart Page 0,9

else we could hope to find,” Hank said to Coil. “Maybe we could wrap this up and take it back to the office.”

“You’re looking pretty piqued,” Coil said. “Must be some wedding jitters.”

“What?” Agatha asked, looking between Hank and Coil.

“He’s kidding,” Hank said. “I need food and drink or things are going to get ugly.”

“10-4, buddy,” Agatha said.

Hazel joined her sisters in Rodriguez’s SUV for the ride back to Rusty Gun, and Agatha hopped in the back of Hank’s truck and let him take the front seat for the ride back to the sheriff’s office.

“So this is a weird case,” Agatha said, broaching the topic. “Any ideas what in the world is going on?”

“Definitely weird,” Hank said. “Could be former military. Could be mercenaries. I’ll have to check the FBI and see if they’ve got any foreigners they’re keeping an eye on.

“I can agree that they were unfamiliar with the area, but how do you get military?” Agatha asked. “They just got schooled by a seventy-year-old woman.”

“Their similar dress suggests teamwork and anonymity,” Hank explained. “And they all were geared into aggressively approaching the target, or what they perceived as a threat. They probably underestimated Hazel whipping out a cannon, but it doesn’t discount the way they responded. I mean the guy got hit with a .44 and it didn’t drop him.”

“Maybe he was wearing a bulletproof vest,” Coil suggested.

“Possibly,” Hank said. “Good idea.”

“Who could mercenaries be working for in Bell County?” Agatha asked.

“It could be anyone from the government or a drug cartel,” Hank said.

“Maybe they were speaking Spanish and Hazel didn’t recognize it,” Agatha said.

“Possibly,” Hank agreed. “They’re definitely not locals, whoever they are.”

“You’re thinking cartels?” Coil asked.

“Not sure. It’s going to depend on who the corpse is and what’s inside of him.”

“Inside?” Agatha asked. “Why in the world would there be anything inside of him?”

“Why else would they steal the body?” Coil asked. “It’s not uncommon for the cartels to use bodies to transport drugs or cash. I sent James to the coroner’s office so he could observe the autopsy.”

“Maybe we should go there too,” Hank said. “I’ve got a feeling.”

“I thought you had hunger?” Agatha asked.

“I could eat a taco or two,” Hank said. “But the hair is standing up on the back of my neck.”

“Never a good sign,” Coil said, blowing out a breath. “To the coroner’s office we go.”

“Wait a sec,” Hank said. “Let’s think this backward. We’ve got a hearse and a dead body. Where are our bad guys going to find both of those things?”

“A funeral home,” Agatha said.

“Bingo,” Hank said.

“Sweet Dreams Funeral Home,” he and Coil said together.

“That funeral home has been around forever, and they’re the only one for miles,” Agatha said. “But there have been lots of rumors over the years of financial problems.”

“Funeral homes are good fronts for smuggling,” Coil said.

“Let’s pay them a visit,” Hank said. “See what you can find out about the funeral home from public records.”

Agatha was a champion at research, and he knew she’d have the information before he or Coil could even make the attempt.

“It says here that the Sweet Dreams Funeral Home is a hundred-year-old family owned business. Every one of the Hartley men were certified morticians except the current owner, Brad Hartley.”

“Maybe he’s squeamish about the dead,” Hank said.

“Nope,” Coil and Agatha said together.

“Brad’s a playboy,” Agatha said. “I was surprised as heck that he’d even been left the funeral home when his dad died. Brad’s never worked an honest day in his life.”

Coil blew out a breath. “I hate to say it, because Brad and I grew up together, but that’s pretty much the truth. He likes to party and do drugs and spend his parents’ money.”

“Which eventually runs out unless you figure out a way to replace it,” Hank said.

“I can’t see him being involved in smuggling,” Coil said. “He’s an idiot. No way he’s smart enough to pull off something like this.”

“People do all kinds of things when they’re desperate,” Hank said.

Chapter Four

The Sweet Dreams Funeral Home was an ugly brown brick two-story house on the outskirts of town. Agatha’s parents had both been prepared for burial there, and she hadn’t driven by the place since then. It hadn’t changed much other than the landscaping out front.

The front door was unlocked, and they walked into a plush lobby of dark grained wood panel and maroon carpeting. The air conditioner was on full blast, and it was cold enough to have her teeth chattering. Marble stands held floral