Page 14 of More Than Meets the Eye

I’ve heard that a lot today.

I stopped by the side of Uncle Mike’s truck to talk to Ruby. “No town hall proposals, okay, Ruby?”

“Hover pug?”

“No, Shelley. No hover pugs. I appreciate both of you and your ideas, and I’ll keep them I mind, but I think I want to do something more personal.”

“Don’t forget to get down on one knee,” Mike advised dryly. “Or you’ll never hear the end of it.”

They were happily bickering when they drove off.

I waited for Tess by her car. “Catch a ride? I can get my truck in the morning.”

“Sure.” She stretched and then handed me the keys to her new Mustang, a gift from her banshee grandmother. “Or you could drive. I’m pretty tired.”

Banshees had good taste in cars. Who knew?

We talked a little about not much on the way home, and I was content just to be with Tess. Despite the disco ball, Joe Bob and his attempted robbery, Horatio the snarling magic mirror dude, and Mike nearly giving me a heart attack, it had been a pretty good day. I’m pretty sure I was even smiling when the garage door opened.

Until we saw the dead body.

5

Tess

“Not again,” I said, and then I put my head in my hands and sighed.

Even a little over one short year ago, I would have shouted, cried, or yelled. I’d have been shocked to come home and find a dead body.

But, like I said, that was more than a year ago. Now, to my instant shame, I caught myself wondering how long all the police stuff would take and how long it would be until I could go to bed. It had been a really long day.

That was a person.Isa person, I reminded myself, and my usual compassion and sympathy, emotions that life had battered lately, returned in a flood of sorrow.

Jack was already on the phone with Susan. We never needed to call 911; we had all the members of the sheriff’s office on speed dial. He spoke briefly and then ended the call.

“Susan and Lizzie are on their way out. It’s Andy’s day off.”

“I bet they draw straws to see who has to respond to phone calls from us.” Then I raised my head and gathered my gumption, as Aunt Ruby would say. “Should we go out and look? In case it’s anybody we know?”

Jack shook his head. “Nope. We don’t want to contaminate the crime scene. In fact, I’m going to back up out of the way, so they can get in there easier.”

Since my little house wasn’t far outside of town, we could already hear the sirens. Sheriff Susan and our new Dead End deputy, Lizzie Underhill, were almost here. Susan was a great sheriff. She’d had to fight to keep her job when Dead End’s former sheriff, a scumbag murderer, had been in the office. Now that she was in charge, life in Dead End was a lot better. Criminals probably avoided our town, since she wouldn’t let them get away with anything.

If they knew that.

How would they know that?

“Maybe there’s a criminals’ texting tree the way we have one for the town.”

Jack gave me an odd look. “Tess? Do you want to go inside and make some coffee? I know you’re exhausted, and I can stay out here and deal with this. I bet they’d appreciate the caffeine.”

I knew he was coddling me, but I was too tired to be offended by it. “Sure.”

Suddenly, I realized what was itching at my mind. “Lou! What if they went inside and catnapped Lou?”

Before Jack could answer, I slammed the truck door open and headed for my house. The door was still locked and didn’t look damaged or like anybody had tried to force it open.

“Tess.” Jack was behind me. “She’s fine. I heard her when we rolled down the windows. And there’s nobody else … alive … on the property.”

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