Page 7 of Amazing Grace

They led the police into the maze, with Grace making all the correct turns without hesitation. She stopped when she came to the corner where the pumpkin-headed monster stood guard.

“It’s right there, around the corner,” Grace said. Grace pointed her chin in that direction but made no move to followSheriff Maverick when she continued on and turned the corner, followed by Deputy Padgett, his hand resting on his sidearm.

There was a softly hissed swear, then the sudden squawking of a two-way radio as Sheriff Maverick called in the State Police for forensics and back-up to the scene.

The scene.

Her hay maze, her beautiful, well-thought out and planned hay maze had become “a scene.” As in a scene of a crime.

“Molly, you need to tell them,” Grace whispered. “Before they find out otherwise.”

Molly’s eyes widened, but she nodded. “I don’t want to go back there and see him again, though.”

“Tell us what?” Sheriff Maverick asked as she rounded the corner again. “No, I’ll tellyouwhat…let’s start with your name.” She took out a pen and a small pad of paper from her pocket, flipped the pad open, and prepared to write.

“Molly Sunshine.”

Maverick blinked. “Are you fucking with me?”

Molly shook her head. “No, seriously. My wallet is in my purse in the truck. It has my ID in it. It’s my name. When my dad’s people came over from Germany, their name was Sonnenschein, but it as changed on Ellis Island to Sunshine, and we never changed it back.”

Molly looked so frightened, Grace wanted to embrace her and hold her tight, tell her that everything was going to be okay. Except Grace didn’t know if everything would.

“What are you two doing out here, anyway?”

“We came to walk the maze. I own it,” Grace said.

Maverick gave Grace a sharp look, then turned back to Molly. “So what do you have to tell us, Molly?” Maverick asked.

“The body. It’s my ex-boyfriend. I haven’t seen or heard from him in a year, I swear. I don’t know why he’s here or why he’s…he’s…”

“Dead?” Maverick finished.

Molly began to sob. Now Grace did wrap her arms around Molly, holding her. “Seriously, Sheriff? Can’t you see she’s scared to death?”

“Where were you last night, Molly?”

Grace answered for her. “Serving at the Whitewater Tavern. She works there. Lots of people saw her there. She left with me about seven-thirty, and we had dinner at the Club Diner. Again, lots of witnesses. Then we went our separate ways.”

“And you are?” Maverick asked, pen poised over her pad.

“We’ve met before. I’m Grace Conroy. I build the maze here every year.”

Maverick nodded. “Oh, yes. I remember you now. I thought you looked familiar. You live and work in Denver. Come out here just for the Halloween season.”

“That’s right.” Grace nodded, lifting her chin a bit. It almost sounded like an accusation rather than a simply stated fact.

“Where wereyoulast night?”

“You mean before I had dinner with Molly? I was out here with a half dozen of my men building this maze. I can give you their names. We finished just before dark and left to get dinner at the Whitewater. I can guarantee you there was no dead body in my maze when we left.”

“And after you and Molly had dinner? You said you went your separate ways. Where did you go?”

“I went home, or at least to the room I rent from Zoe and Emily Callahan.” Grace gave Maverick the address. “They saw me come in. I spent the night in my room,” Grace said.

“And you, Molly?”

Molly had stopped crying, but she was still obviously shaken. “I went home to the apartment I share with two other girls, Samantha Silver and Jackie Cadwell.” She rattled off the address. “They both work in town. They saw me come in.”

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