Page 15 of Gem Warfare

“We’re not lawyers,” replied Solomon. “We can’t represent you in any legal matters, but we can help you find out what happened and also make sure any evidence exonerating you is looked at. Fortunately, we have a good relationship with Lieutenant Graves.” Solomon nodded in Garrett’s direction.

“He’s my son,” said Mom.

“A son for a police lieutenant and a daughter for a PI. That’s impressive,” said Pete.

“And another son who is also a detective, and another who just joined the FBI, and my other daughter is at the top of her field. She owns her own business now.”

“That’s a lot of children,” said Carrie, quickly adding, “I mean, those are amazing achievements.”

“I don’t recommend more than two,” said Mom with a decisive nod. “One child for each hand.”

“If I count your two hands, and Dad’s two hands, that leaves one of us over. Which of us would you give up?” I asked, my attention briefly distracted from Garrett’s poking in the dirt.

“It depends on the day,” said Mom but before I could ask abouttodayshe nudged me. “Garrett’s coming over.”

“I’d like a word with the homeowners,” he said, addressing all of us and then the couple. “You’re Mr. and Mrs. Dugan? You called in the discovery? Can you step over here for a moment?”

“Those poor people,” said Mom when the trio had moved away, just out of earshot. Then she smacked my arm.

“Ow! What was that for?” I rubbed my arm.

“I thought you’d be more helpful. You didn’t even examine the body!”

“We can’t do that. The police are here!”

“We’d be contaminating the scene,” added Solomon. “That would be unwise to do.”

“Oh, well, all right then, but I thought you’d be more reassuring,” huffed Mom.

“I can’t say how reassuring I would be examining a skeleton. I don’t know how to examine one for starters! I think we’re making it obvious we don’t think the Dugans are murderers,” I said. “They seem relieved by that. Plus, we all know Garrett. He’s hardly going to railroad them into confessing a murder they didn’t commit. He’ll want to get to the truth.”

“We do have to consider they might have something to do with it,” said Solomon. He shrugged as Mom and I both turned, open-mouthed. “I agree it’s unlikely but the Dugans will need to be ruled out. I’ve seen very convincing suspects before who have sworn on their mother’s grave it wasn’t them and later proved it was.”

“But they didn’t buy the house until years after the death according to Carrie,” I pointed out.

“That may be so but it doesn’t mean they don’t have an existing connection to the house or the body,” said Solomon.

“Let’s say theydiddo it,” I said, softening my voice so no one around us could possibly hear. “Why wouldn’t they just stuff the body under the new foundation and never let it be found? Why call it in?”

“We have to stop calling it…it,” said Mom.

“We don’t know if it’s a man or a woman. So it’s an it,” I said. “Although we could call it Roger, if you like?”

“Why Roger?”

“Why not Roger?” I countered.

Solomon cleared his throat, pulling attention back to him.“They might want to get rid of it. Not everyone wants to live in a home where they know a corpse is buried. Even murderers get the heebie-jeebies. Plus, let’s say it…”

“Roger,” said Mom.

“Let’s sayitwas hidden under the foundation. They can’t be certain one day something doesn’t happen that ends up in the body being revealed and then it’s easily proven that they did the renovations and had the means to put it there or knew about it. Now a surprise discovery during the renovations could be blamed on countless other people, especially with the house lying empty for a period.”

“He has a point,” I said. “Although they did volunteer the security footage to prove it didn’t happen under their ownership.”

“Could have been tampered with,” said Solomon, “But at present, I assume not. They’re candidness works in their favor.”

“I still can’t work out that even if they did do it, why come back here at all? Surely most murderers like to put some distance between them and their victims,” I said, pondering out loud.

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