Page 6 of Immortal By Morning
“Yes,” he agreed. “Obviously the head was not removed from the body. Although I suppose they still could have cut off the hands.”
Roberts frowned. “I would like to keep going to find out, but we are going to catch hell for disturbing the scene as it is.”
“We could claim the dog did this,” Crispin said with amusement. “Or put the dirt back.”
Knowing he was joking, Roberts didn’t comment as he straightened.
Crispin stood then as well and asked Peters, “You said the dog uncovered more bones?”
“Over there.” Peters pointed to the corner ten feet away along the wall.
Nodding, Crispin crossed to that area with Roberts. They both paused to peer at the bones in the dirt. Hands. One was on show from the distal phalanges at the tips of the fingers, past the wrist bones to the ends of the ulna and radius of the forearm. The other only had the finger bones and some of the metacarpals on display. One of the distal phalanges had been moved a little away from the others, but that had probably happened from the dog digging.
“So, if the hands were cut off there are still at least two bodies, but more likely it is three at this point,” Roberts commented finally.
“Three?” Peters asked with confusion. “I mean, if those hands don’t belong to the skull, that’s only two bodies.”
“I am guessing you did not get a good look at the hands?” Crispin asked.
“I... well, no. The dog was determined to go back to her digging, and Miss Newman was having trouble controlling her. It took both of us to get her away from the bones,” he explained. “Then we waited in front of the house for you to arrive.”
Crispin wasn’t at all surprised at that news. He’d suspected it had been something along those lines, because anyone who had gotten a good look at the bones on display would have realized—
“They are both right hands,” his partner told Peters. “Two right hands here belonging to two different bodies, and if the first skeleton still has its hands attached, that means three bodies.”
“Damn,” Peters breathed with wonder. “That means this was a multiple murder. These may even be the victims of a serial killer.”
Three
Abril was beginning to get more than a little annoyed. She was freezing her butt off out here while the men stood around talking. She knew Officer Peters had to give them his report, but how long could that take? It wasn’t like she’d had a lot to tell him that he would have to pass on.
The house wasn’t hers. She was house-sitting and the dog had dug up the bones after the digging had ended abruptly when the excavator had crapped out. There! She’d said it all in two sentences. Well, she supposed she’d left out a couple of bits, but seriously! She was cold! Her jeans were soaked from the mud she’d fallen into, leaving her legs feeling like two blocks of ice, and while the mud on her hands had dried and started to flake off, her fingers were actually beginning to feel hot and tingly. Wasn’t that a sign of frostbite or something?
“Miss Newman?”
Abril swung around with relief at that call, and urged Lilith to move back toward the men when the taller, good-looking one waved her over. She grimaced inwardly at the thought. Really, both men were good-looking. One was dark haired, and well-built with dark eyes, a strong jaw, and full lips. The other also had dark hair, but was a couple of inches taller, a couple inches wider, and had the most beautiful silver-blue eyes Abril had ever seen. He also had longish stubble on his face. She had always preferred the tall, dark, and handsome type, but usually preferred clean-shaven too. However, that stubble was really attractive on this man... She found him sexy as hell.
And that was probably a really inappropriate thought to have at a murder scene, she acknowledged, her gaze sliding to the open hole. She had no idea what had happened to the people Lilith had uncovered, but it seemed pretty obvious they hadn’t died of natural causes. Otherwise, they’d have been buried in a cemetery rather than in what used to be a garden along the side of the house.
She peered around what she could see of the street as she crossed the yard. Considering the distance between the houses, and the trees and bushes filling the yards, she suspected it wouldn’t have been hard to bury the bodies without being seen. Especially since there were no streetlights on the crescent and it was black as pitch at night.
“We have some questions for you, Miss Newman. But we can go inside to ask them if you like. You are obviously cold. You are shivering,” the shorter detective, Roberts, said as she reached the men coming out of the hole.
“Inside would be good,” Abril agreed, grateful at the thought of soon being warm again.
“Peters, keep an eye on the site until forensics gets here. Make sure no animals or anything else disturb the bones,” Detective Delacort ordered and Abril couldn’t help noticing that he had a really deep, sexy voice even before he added, “Once the team does get here, come inside. We might need your help with canvassing the crescent.”
“Yes, sir,” Peters said solemnly.
Abril actually felt bad for the guy. He’d been out here quite a while with her already while he’d taken down the information and then had waited for the detectives. He was obviously feeling the cold. His fingers, ears, and nose were all red from it.
“I’ll make coffee and bring you one,” she offered. “How do you take it?”
Peters hesitated, and then shook his head. “That’s okay, miss. I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble,” she assured him. “How do you take it?”
“One cream, and one sugar,” he said finally and offered her a grateful smile.
