Page 44 of Rebels and Roses

“Good idea,” Fiona replied, tapping at the screen. “Cross your fingers it still has battery left.”

Within seconds they could hear a ringtone coming from somewhere to their right. They followed the sound as it got louder until they were standing in front of a cluster of bushes that were almost as tall as Fiona.

Cooper pushed through them into a clearing, stopping abruptly when he saw what he hadn’t expected.

Tom. Sprawled out on the ground. Motionless and pale as a ghost.

Kneeling, Cooper placed his fingers on Tom’s neck just where the pulse should be. Nothing. The body was cold even though it was a warm summer day.

Tom Kemp was dead.

11

Finn had taped off the area around Tom’s body which was currently covered in a sheet until the coroner arrived. The place was swarming with police, EMTs, and the forensic team, their blue lights flashing and drawing a crowd that was kept behind barricades.

Cooper could feel the stares of the onlookers as he stood helplessly waiting to give his statement to Finn. The sheriff was currently speaking with Fiona, comforting the crying woman as she told her story. The deputies had separated him from his ex when they’d arrived. It was standard protocol, but Fiona had been upset and vocal about it, insisting that she needed to stay with Cooper. Finn, who had a deft touch with people, assured her that as soon as they gave their statements, they wouldn’t be kept apart any longer.

For his part, Cooper was glad for the space. Seeing a dead body wasn’t a daily occurrence for him, and he needed some alone time to process it all.

While waiting for Finn to get there, Cooper noticed that Tom’s body appeared to be untouched. No bruising that he could see and no blood.

Was it possible at thirty years old that Tom Kemp had died of a heart attack or a stroke? It was a possibility, of course. Perhaps the younger man had health issues that didn’t show on the outside. Cooper’s first thoughts had gone in a different direction.

Drugs.

If Tom had a drug problem, it was plausible that might be how he died. Addiction was cruel and heartless.

“I need to get your statement, too,” Finn said when he was done with Fiona.

“I doubt my story is going to be much different than Fiona’s.”

“To be honest, I didn’t get a great deal of information from her. She did tell me to go fuck myself when I asked about Tom’s life and friends.”

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Cooper sighed, rubbing the back of his neck where a pain had made itself known this morning. “She’s upset. She and her brother were quite close.”

“Can you start at the beginning here?” Finn asked. “I can’t seem to get a straight answer as to why Fiona Kemp was even in Winslow Heights in the first place.”

Cooper recounted the story from when Fiona showed up to finding the body this morning.

“They were supposed to fly out today?”

“That’s what Fiona said. She said that she was taking him to a rehab in Miami. That’s where she lives.”

“And you tracked his phone here?”

“Technically, we tracked her phone. He’d taken it.”

“And the last time you saw Tom alive was at Tate’s last night?”

“Yes, he left with a girl. Amanda, I think. I’ve seen her before at Tate’s and the bookstore.”

“I’m going to need to talk to her then. Your ex-wife said she was going to notify her parents. When the coroner gets here,we’ll hopefully get a better idea of how long he’s been dead and how it might have happened.”

“Do you think it’s drugs?”

“I try not to jump to any conclusions,” Finn said. “That’s certainly a possibility. He’s been in rehab several times before from what his sister said. I’m not leaning toward foul play at this point. He didn’t really know anyone here in town. I can’t rule that out, however, as he said that he was being watched and followed. I need to take his claims seriously at this point.”

“I still can’t think why anyone would want him dead.”

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