night, when my dad had walked in on us in the barn, his face had gotten really red, but he hadn’t shouted at either one of us. However, within days Owen had been gone, which seemed a lot more suspicious now than it had been then.
“Why is either one of you here?” I asked. “Dad, you were supposed to be mending fences and you—” I switched my gaze to Owen. “I’d think you would be asleep.”
“You’d think, wouldn’t you?” My gaze narrowed, and Owen held up his hands. “I was on the porch, and Deb flew by. When she skidded to a stop in front of your place I certainly wasn’t going to be able to sleep without finding out what was wrong.”
“How did you know it was my place?”
“I can see straight down this street from my porch, and this had been the vet clinic since your father was a pup.”
“Watch it,” my dad murmured.
“What is up with you two?” I demanded.
“Same thing that’s been up from the beginning,” Owen said, and my father’s hands clenched.
“Whoa!” I stepped between the two of them. “One of you want to expand on that?”
“No,” they said at the same time.
“I thought you wanted me to examine a crime scene?”
Jeremy still hugged the wall. Reggie still stared at him as if he were a side of beef, or at least smelled like one. It would probably be a good idea to get Jeremy out of here.
“That’s at Owen’s place. I can—”
“You can go with Ross.” Deb made an impatient “come here” gesture. Ross Quinleven, who had either just arrived, or been hovering out of sight around the corner, bolted forward.
Ross was of an age with my father. His own family farm had gone under while his dad owned it, leaving Ross to find other employment. He’d become a cop, and he seemed to enjoy it, though I’d never heard him speak more than a few words in my entire life.
Ross had always reminded me of a flamingo. He was tall, skinny, his hair a more unfortunate shade than my own—a faded deep pink rather than fire red. If he’d drawn himself up on one leg and stood quiet and still, I wouldn’t have been surprised.
“I’ll have someone take Dr. Reitman to Owen’s,” Deb continued.
“I can do it,” Owen said.
I lifted my eyebrows. “I don’t think so.”
He’d already tried to kill Jeremy once. Sending the two of them into the woods, toward a place where Owen had already started digging a grave, was not the best idea.
Owen lifted one hand, palm out. “I promise not to bury him in the forest.”
Jeremy rubbed his throat again.
“This shouldn’t take long, right?” I asked and glanced at Deb, who shook her head. “I can drive him myself in a few minutes.”
“You aren’t going out there without a cop along,” Deb said. “That’s a crime scene.”
Jeremy stiffened. “I know what to do with a crime scene. I don’t need an escort.”
“Fine,” Deb agreed. “Becca and I will be along directly.”
“He isn’t going to my house without me,” Owen insisted.
“Sheesh.” They were acting like three-year-olds. I held out my plastic-covered hands. My palms were starting to sweat. “Just get this over with.”
“Scrape her fingernails,” Deb ordered. “Then get started on the rest of the room.”
Ross led me away from the others, setting his box full of CSI tools on the hood of my Bronco. It resembled a tackle box, and maybe it was, but when he opened the lid I saw no evidence of lines, lures, or jigs. He removed a hooked chrome device that reminded me of something they used at the dentist’s office. I hated the dentist’s office. I swallowed and averted my gaze.
There were still people gathered behind the tape Billy had strung. Several waved, but my hands were occupied, so I nodded in return.
One woman sat on the bumper of a parked car and stared at me as if she knew me, though I didn’t know her. Long dark hair, flowing black skirt that brushed the ground, tie-dyed T-shirt. She had her arm in a sling. She seemed a little hippie, which is something we didn’t see a lot in Three Harbors.
I smiled. She didn’t smile back. She seemed pissed off. Maybe her arm really hurt. Or maybe the commotion had ruined her café breakfast. She’d probably come here to get away from crime in the big city, and yet, here it was.
“What is he scraping her fingernails for?” Owen asked.