Page 30 of Exposure of Murder

Jane claimed she didn’t own a gun, and Tanner owned several. Ethan made a mental note to have ballistics check them. The one thing he didn’t want was to have his constituency claim he was partial to family or friends.

“What else can you tell me?” Ethan inquired.

Ezra shifted through his notes. “The absence of pond debris and mud on the body indicates Thornton was already dead when dumped into the pond. The cooler water slowed the decomposition significantly.”

Ethan grimaced at the thought of someone being alive while they were drowned.

Well, as if there were any positive ways to die, Thornton was lucky. Ethan had read that death by drowning was unbearably painful, not counting the terror of being alive while being dumped into the water.

“The body had gone through a full cycle of rigor mortis and decomposition,” Ezra continued. “Based on his stomach content, he died two to four hours after eating, so he was most likely killed sometime a week ago in the late evening.”

“What did he eat?” asked Ethan. Perhaps if he dined in a restaurant, someone might have seen something.

Ezra scratched his brow. “Maybe a hamburger or some kind of meat dish and something with apple in it.”

“Apple pie? Apple pastry?”

“It was rather small chunks, so probably not a pie,” Ezra replied.

Great. How to track down where David ate a hamburger or a similar dish and something with small pieces of apple in it. The possibilities were endless.

Ethan let out a sigh.

His department had their work cut out for them.

The thought of the case becoming more personal and painful crossed his mind. However, it was his duty, an oath he took to serve and protect, and that was what he was going to do.

His first order of business was to question Vanessa Crumb.

Vanessa Crumb livedoutside the town’s limits in an older development.

The drive over was pleasant, considering the day was gray and cold. The tree-lined streets, which had showcased their vibrant colors just a few weeks ago, were now bare. The leaves had been raked up, bagged and taken away.

A few people were walking the sidewalks as Ethan pulled up to a cute 1950s bungalow that looked like it’d been recently renovated. Weathered brick steps led up to a small front porch with a dormer overhead.

Ethan parked in the driveway behind an older car and took a minute to gather his thoughts. Unfortunately, Maggie Thornton left town, and no one knew how to get ahold of her. Not that he was looking forward to contacting her. Maggie hated the town and everyone in it. So he was following up on other leads until he could speak to her.

Time to go. He blew out a deep breath, got out, put on his hat, and knocked on the door. A minute later, Vanessa answered, her eyes wide.

“Sheriff, what brings you here?” She frowned. “Everything’s okay at the store, isn’t it?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’d like to ask you a few questions,” he replied. “Can I come in?”

She opened the door wider to let him in. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted from the kitchen. A grandfather’s clock ticked steadily in the small foyer. A soft green paint covered the walls, extending into the living room.

Another woman was sitting in the small living room sipping coffee.

“This will just take a few minutes,” he said. “We can go into the kitchen, if you’d rather.”

Today Vanessa wore her chestnut hair down. Ethan usually saw it in a bun when she was working. Streaks of gray made her look older than her fifty years.

She had a black pair of slacks with a top of different shades of purple, which was unsettling. He was more familiar with her in her baker outfit.

“No, come on in. Let me introduce you to Jane Goodwin,” she said, pointing at Jane. “She’s your neighbor.”

If Ethan had thought about how his visit would go, seeing Jane sitting in Vanessa’s living room, sipping coffee and munching on cookies, would have been so far out there, he couldn’t have imagined it.

Jane looked up at him, gave him a finger wave, and smirked.

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