Grapes of Death by Joni Folger

stood and did a quick search of the area.
    â€œThere’s a good deal of blood over here,” he said, pointing at the ground along the bank. “But I don’t see anything that would do that kind of damage to the back of his head. And if he did just accidentally fall here, it’s a good twenty feet to the riverbank. How did he get into the water?”
    â€œLike I was just saying to El, maybe it didn’t happen here.”
    Elise watched as Jackson continued to scan the ground like a bird dog on the scent. He took several more photos and then hunched down next to the large patch of blood he’d found. She could almost hear what he was thinking, because she was thinking the same thing. What he said next came as no surprise.
    â€œWhatever occurred, it took place right here. This is way too much blood to have happened when the crew pulled him out of the water. And I’ve gotta say, this is looking less and less like an accident to me.”
    Ross shook his head. “Now hold on, Jax. Don’t get ahead of the facts here. You don’t know anything for sure yet.”
    â€œYou’re right, buddy,” Jackson said as he stood. Pulling his cell phone out of his shirt pocket, he punched in a number and put the phone to his ear. “But he hasn’t got a scrap of ID on him—not one single thing in his pockets. Where’s his wallet, Ross?”
    â€œRobbery? Way out here?” Ross wondered aloud. “That seems a little far-fetched, don’t you think? What could Uncle Edmond have had on him that was worth killing him over?”
    â€œI don’t know. But no matter how implausible it all seems , in my opinion this is a suspicious death. Since we don’t have a coroner in Bastrop County, he’ll have to be sent into Austin. Hopefully, the Travis County ME will be able to tell me more once an autopsy is completed.”

    In the two hours that followed that statement, Elise saw Jackson cover a lot of ground. He called in with his report, arranged for transportation of Edmond’s body, and interviewed everyone who was present when his body was found. Elise’s mind was working overtime during the entire process.
    As her uncle’s body was loaded up and driven away, she could only hope the medical examiner in Austin would conclude that this had simply been a tragic accident and nothing more. But her instincts and everything she’d seen so far were telling her that Jackson was right, and that would not be the case. Too many things just weren’t adding up, no matter how Ross tried to spin it or explain them away.
    Carlos asked if the crew could finish the work they’d started before finding Edmond’s body, but Elise thought the other workers weren’t quite as interested in completing the task as he was.
    In any case, Jackson nixed the idea immediately. “I’m sorry, but that’s going to have to wait, Carlos. This may or may not be a crime scene, but Edmond’s death is certainly suspicious. I’m cordoning off the area until we hear one way or the other from the medical examiner. This scene is now off-limits and we’ll be doing a more thorough examination of the site as soon as possible.”
    As Ross helped Jackson put up the bright yellow tape around the entire area, the crew packed up their tools and drove away.
    When Elise climbed back into the cruiser with Jackson and Ross, she gave one last look to the spot that would forever be burned into her memory as the place they’d found her uncle’s dead body. She had a horrible feeling that though Edmond’s ordeal might be over, theirs was just beginning—and would get far worse before it was finished.
    The three of them rode back to the ranch house surrounded by the incongruity of bright sunshine and uncomfortable silence. Elise, for one, was really glad that the drive was short. They dropped Ross at his cottage and continued down to the main ranch