A Dead End (A Saints & Strangers Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Keeley Bates Page A

doubt they’ll find any, though. Ernie’s stuff was moved out by the bank ages ago and I tore up the carpet that had been put down to conceal the floorboards.”
    “Somebody went to a lot of trouble to hide the body,” Francie said.
    “And they would’ve gotten away with it, too, if I hadn’t decided to renovate.”
    “So where’s Ernie’s stuff now?” Charlotte asked.
    “In a storage unit,” Kit replied. “The police are investigating there, too.”
    Francie rubbed her hands together excitedly. “This is so exciting. A real crime in Westdale.”
    “My father wants to know why the paper hasn’t reported it,” Charlotte said. “He’s so ill most of the time, all he does is read. I think he was hoping to read about something more salacious than the Pilgrim Society tea party.”
    Kit’s brow wrinkled. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll need to ask Crispin. It does seem odd.”
    In fact, everything about this murder seemed odd. Kit hoped the police figured it out soon because she wouldn’t be able to fully embrace her new life until she was back in her new home.

Chapter Four
    After her chat with the girls in Butter Beans, Kit decided to swing by the house and check on police progress. She figured her presence might remind them that someone actually lived in the house besides a skeleton. She opened the front door and stepped into the middle of a heated argument between Chief Riley and Romeo.
    “Who loses a body?” Romeo demanded, standing perilously close to Chief Riley. The chief was wider but Romeo had the height advantage.
    “Technically, it was no longer a body,” Chief Riley said. “And I don’t know what the hell happened. My boys told me they delivered the remains to West Chester.”
    “To the M.E.’s office or to a random guy in the parking lot?” Romeo shot back. “Or do they not know the difference?”
    “They’re good cops,” Chief Riley insisted. “The bones will turn up.” Chief Riley’s voice shot up an octave. His face was beet red and Kit worried that he’d suffer cardiac arrest in her house. The last thing she needed was another dead man in her living room.
    “Now how are we going to establish cause of death?” Romeo muttered.
    “Gentlemen, I can see there’s an issue,” Kit said, placing herself between them. “How about we take a second to breathe?”
    “Westdale cops are a joke,” Romeo continued. “How hard is it to transport something from Point A to Point B? We would’ve been better off calling the UPS guy to take care of it.”
    Chief Riley puffed out his chest. “I’ll be on the phone with Sheriff Jackson in two minutes if you keep this up.”
    “Good. She’ll tan your hide for me.” Romeo took a step back and raked his hands through his thick hair. “I shouldn’t have agreed to let your guys take care of it. I had the forensics team on site.”
    Chief Riley’s shoulder relaxed and he adopted a calmer tone. “It was a big deal to them. County handles all the big cases. They just wanted to feel like a part of the action for a change.”
    Romeo pointed a finger at the chief. “You need to fix this and fast. I don’t want to be the whipping boy for Westdale’s screw-ups.”
    “I’ll do my best,” he promised before high-tailing it off the premises.
    “Well, that was awkward timing,” Kit said. “I take it there was a bit of a snafu with Mr. Ludwig’s remains.”
    Romeo paced the living room floor. “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Numbnut say they delivered the remains but the M.E.’s office doesn’t have them.”
    Kit thought Jamison and Harley were nice enough guys, but she wasn’t about to vouch for their competence. “They’re still learning,” she said.
    “I’d rather they learn about how to write a parking ticket and stay out of my murder investigation.”
    Kit resisted the urge to wrap a comforting arm around his broad shoulders. “The chief is right, Romeo. This is a murder in affluent Westdale, their turf. People like to flex their