Hidden Moon - By Lori Handeland Page 0,69

between my knees.

"Girl," she muttered with just enough force to be an insult.

"You're a girl," I managed.

"I don't faint at the sight of blood."

"I didn't faint."

"Close enough," she muttered, and the door opened behind us.

"Doc," she greeted him. "Thanks for coming."

I sat up, blinking as black spots threatened to converge in front of my eyes and make the whole world go away.

The medical examiner from Bradleyville, Dr. William Cavet, Doc Bill to everyone who knew him, had been a physician for over fifty years. He'd spent most of them as a GP, back when GP was what they were called. Soon after GPs became FPs and the health insurance system went to hell in a handbasket, he'd become the ME.

"You okay?" He shot me a quick glance from beneath bushy white eyebrows that reminded me of woolly caterpillars.

I was dizzy, as much from the horror as the conflict of emotions. I'd wanted Josh dead, dreamed of it, too, but now that he was, I wasn't sure what to feel.

"Fine." I swallowed thickly as Doc went straight to the tarp and threw it down.

"I've been to the scene." Doc wasted no time. One of the many things I liked about him. "Body was dragged to the edge of a ravine and tossed in."

"I'm going to have to detain your boyfriend," Grace muttered.

"That'll ruin the show."

"I can't let a murderer walk around just so the show can go on."

"Lake Bluff needs the money," I said.

"Do you ever think about anything else, Mayor?"

"That's what I was hired to think about, Sheriff."

"Children, could you put a sock in it?"

Grace and I scowled at each other but didn't answer.

Doc Bill snapped disposable plastic gloves onto his hands, then began to poke and prod Josh's still form. Soon those gloves were soaked in blood and I had to turn my head.

"There's no need to detain anyone."

"What?" Grace asked.

"Why?" I added.

"See this?" He pointed to Josh's throat, pulling the head back until the wound made a disgusting sucking sound. I bit my lip as the swirling black dots returned.

"What about it?" Grace bent over to get a better look.

"Jagged, more ripped than cleanly cut." He pulled off his gloves and covered Josh again with the tarp. "This man wasn't killed by a human but an animal. Canine most likely. A big one."

Grace and I exchanged glances. We'd been here before.

"Except animals don't usually toss their kills over a cliff," the doctor mused. "Although they might bury them to feed on later."

I made a choked sound, which both of them ignored.

"What does toss its kills into a ravine?" Grace asked.

"Man."

"So a canine killed him, then a man tossed him into a hole? Why?"

"An excellent question, Sheriff."
Chapter 28
The doctor appeared deep in thought, as if he might have an answer to that excellent question if he could only think about it long enough. Then he gave himself a little shake.

"If you'll excuse me," Doc Bill said, "I need to get down to business."

Since his business involved knives, saws, and the removal of various body parts and fluids, I made haste for the door.

Grace lagged behind. "You're sure he was killed by a canine, not a bear or a big cat?"

"I did some training in the recognition of various animal kills."

"That doesn't seem to be common training for a GP," Grace observed.

"At one time I considered moving west, taking a job at Yellowstone. But the wife didn't want to leave Georgia. Now she's gone and I'm too old."

"What brings you to the conclusion that this is a canine kill?" Grace asked.

"Cats use their claws to hold victims steady. Think of a domestic cat with a mouse."

"They play with them," I murmured from my position near the door. Oprah did it all the time. Drove me crazy.

"Exactly," Doc Bill agreed. "Which means a victim would not only have his throat torn but also exhibit scratches, serious ones if we're talking cougar and the like."

I glanced at Grace, suddenly understanding where she was headed with this line of questioning. Malachi's cougar, or even his grizzly, might have been used to kill Josh; then Malachi could have dumped the body in the ravine.

"And bears?" Grace pressed.

"Will swipe at their prey."

"I can see why you don't think this is a bear or cat kill, but what leaves the impression that it's canine?"

"The modus operandi of canines is to knock their victims to the ground and rip out their throats."

Lovely.

"I'm certain when I examine the body I'll find fur consistent with my theory. Has there