Page 2 of Death Raiser

Kang scowled harder and somehow the severe expression looked good on him.

I’d seen the detective a week ago. He didn’t miss me for a second, though he had sent flowers to my office—a beautiful bouquet of red roses. I’d have to ask him about the rose I’d found outside my apartment this morning, but now wasn’t the time.

“What about me?” Jacobs yelled out.

“I always miss you, Jacobs,” I shot over my shoulder at the other detective.

Kang rolled his eyes and let out a long, suffering breath.

If Kang reminded me of sultry nights filled with wicked promises, Jacobs was all sunshine and daisies. He had the boy next door charm and a wide endearing smile that could get a serial killer acquitted of murder charges. He’d been in the sun for too long recently and his usually fair skin had a notable red tinge to it. His blond hair had lightened to an almost white colour, and he looked like he should be wearing a Hawaiian shirt, board shorts and a straw hat, walking around a tropical resort with a drink in his hand and zinc paste on his nose.

Instead, he wore a T-shirt and fitted jeans.

“You asked my age because you were just checking?” Kang repeated my earlier comment and drew my attention away from his partner. “Just checking for what?” Kang still frowned as if trying to solve one of those Rubik's cubes.

I sighed. He’d never drop this, so I may as well come clean. “I had this random thought about how I can’t tell how old you are, and you could very well be fifty.”

A slow smile spread across Kang’s face, and he leaned toward me. “A random thought?”

“Yep. Totally.” I turned toward the body. “What do we have here?”

“What we have here is a classic, yet mediocre, deflection tactic, Morgan. And I’m not going to allow it,” Kang said, his deep voice rumbling. “Why were you thinking about my face?”

“Hard not to when you’re scowling at me.” He was on to me. I’d thought about his face more often than I’d like. Though I was thirty-one years old, something about this man made my heart flutter and rational thought flee my brain, making me feel and act like a preteen with my first crush.

If anyone managed to get a sneak peek into my brain, I’d die of mortification.

“As much as I adore watching you turn this particularly lovely shade of red, we have a job to do.” Kang chuckled and stepped forward to nod at the covered body. “Her name is Amy Steele. She was reported missing six months ago, and from preliminary inspection, it appears she’s been here for most of that time.”

Yikes. This would not be a pleasant body to view. “Scavengers?”

“Many.”

“Decomp?”

“Bad.”

I couldn’t smell anything. Small miracles. Though if she’d been out in the elements for six months, which included the summer months, there wouldn’t be much left on her bones, anyway.

“Who found her?” I asked. It made no difference for death raising, but curiosity happened to be one of my biggest vices.

“Dog walker.”

“I’m never getting a dog,” I muttered.

“Why not?” Kang’s eyebrows shot up and he waved at the crime scene. “It’s not like stumbling upon a dead body would scare you. It wouldn’t even catch you by surprise. You’re probably one of the best people to randomly stumble upon a body. I mean, other than a cop.”

“Uh…thanks?”

“Do you not like dogs?” Kang asked. “I thought you loved animals.”

“I do love animals, Kang.” I turned to glance at the covered body. I didn’t want Kang to see the hurt on my face. I might love all animals. Hell, I’d swim with piranhas if they wouldn’t pick my bones clean. And most animals loved me back—something about my death magic calmed them—but for some reason, dogs never seemed to like me.

“Any other insight the coroner was willing to give?” I asked.

A forensic pathologist would do an autopsy at a later date and the findings would be communicated in the official report issued by the B.C. Coroners Service, but coroners often gave initial findings so detectives could start their investigations.

Kang studied my face and frowned. Yeah, I probably hadn’t fooled him at all with my latest deflection attempt.

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