Prairie Gothic by J.M. Hayes Page A

called, says he’s got your autopsy results. Said he wouldn’t give them over the phone and you should come by and talk to him when you got time.”
    â€œI’ll do that. Tell our supervisors to go on about their business. I don’t want any volunteers getting in the way. Five-oh-one out.”
    Mrs. Kraus smiled pleasantly at the crowd on the other side of the counter, set down her radio, reached into her desk drawer and extracted her Glock. She put it on top of her desk.
    â€œYou all heard what the sheriff said. Get on out of here and keep out of the way. I’ve been authorized to use this.”
    Bontrager sputtered, pounded his fist on the counter a couple of times, then spun on his heel and stomped out, followed by an angry retinue.
    â€œMrs. Kraus,” a tiny voice whispered.
    She remembered the phone. “What can I do for you?” she inquired.
    â€œMrs. Kraus,” the phone told her. “This is Mad Dog. I got a problem. Englishman isn’t there?”
    â€œYou got a problem all right, and no, he’s not.”
    â€œI tried his cellular but it reads out of service. Can you get in touch with him?”
    â€œCourse I can, if it’s important.”
    â€œI think this qualifies. I found a body.”
    â€œMad Dog, the whole damn town knows about the body you found, and just where you found it.”
    â€œNo ma’am. I mean another. Maybe more.”
    ***
    â€œEnglishman, I told you before. I won’t give you a list of our school’s sluts.” Judy had exactly that list in front of her and was checking them off against today’s attendance. No way she would admit that to Englishman, though.
    â€œThe car’s not at the house,” he said. “You drove to work this morning, right?”
    â€œYou having trouble with the Chevy? You can have the station wagon if you want. I can walk, or get a ride home if the weather gets worse. You need me to come pick you up?”
    â€œSo you drove?”
    â€œDidn’t I just say that?”
    Only three of the girls had been missing from school this morning. She thought she would start with phone calls. A little cautious inquiry to eliminate suspects and she could tell Englishman to leave them alone. If she happened on something troubling, maybe she would point him, discreetly, in the right direction.
    â€œNo, you didn’t tell me. And you still haven’t. Is the station wagon at the school?”
    â€œYes, of course. I was late. I was lazy. It was cold and windy, and I wanted to be able to run home if the girls needed me. But you can have it if you want it.”
    â€œYou’re sure it’s there? You’re sure nobody’s borrowed it?”
    Judy shoved aside her list. This was turning into one of those conversations that felt like they were speaking alien languages at each other. They had so many of those she sometimes wondered if this second try at marriage had been a mistake. And she still wanted to live somewhere other than Englishman’s beloved Plains.
    â€œWho would borrow it?”
    â€œCan you see it from your window?”
    â€œSure. You know where my parking space is.”
    â€œNo, I mean can you see it from your window right now?”
    â€œEnglishman, what are you doing to me? Is this some kind of test-your-wife’s-patience exercise from the morning paper?” There was no morning paper in Benteen County, but they subscribed to a rural edition of
The Wichita Eagle
.
    â€œHumor me, Judy. Just look.”
    Judy leaned back in her chair and rubbed at the condensation that frosted her window. A fine hail of snow crystals peppered it from the other side. The Taurus huddled in a forlorn row of vehicles behind the school. It seemed to peer at her with an accusing look, wondering why it had to give up its warm space in the garage to save her three blocks of exercise she probably needed anyway.
    â€œOK,” Judy told the phone.
    â€œOK,