Rant of Ravens by Christine Goff Page A

term.”
    “—when I snagged my socks on a log, bent down, and touched the body. I screamed for Lark, and everyone started showing up. Once Eric arrived, he took charge and had me call 911.”
    “Did everyone seem surprised that you’d found a body?”
    “Of course!”
    “No one acted strangely?”
    Rachel considered how to answer the question. Aunt Miriam had been horrified, Charles had done what men do: he’d taken charge of Miriam.
    Harry had checked the victim’s pulse, taken initial control, and passed the reins off to Eric when he’d arrived with Forest, who had asked the obvious question: Why would someone want to kill Bursau?
    Gertie seemed more upset over the fact it was Bursau who died than over the fact someone was murdered.
    And Dorothy’d been horrified that Cecilia’s main concern was the restriction on birding The Thicket.
    “Everyone was upset,” Rachel finally said.
    Garcia nodded. “What about the vibes among the group? Any tensions? Any trouble?”
    “Such as?” Rachel shifted in her chair. She gazed at the moon perched high in the sky above the silhouette of the Raptor House. She knew he was asking about the confrontation between Gertie and Aunt Miriam. She wondered just how much the others had told him.
    Garcia leaned forward. “I say we put all the cards on the table. I know that Gertie said Miriam was one of the last people to see this guy alive.” He paused. “I also know that your aunt and the victim had a meeting in the barn on Monday afternoon.”
    Rachel dropped her gaze to her hands. It was common knowledge that the reporter had been out to see Miriam. The question was, how much had Aunt Miriam told the sheriff about their discussion?
    “Gertie told us that Bursau checked out of his motel after his visit to the Raptor House on Monday,” Rachel said. “This is Thursday. Has the man been dead for three days?”
    The sheriff’s eyes narrowed. “I’m asking the questions.”
    She had struck a nerve. It suddenly occurred to Rachel that maybe she, and/or Aunt Miriam, needed a lawyer.
    “Now I’ll repeat the question. What happened during the meeting in the barn? Lark says you arrived here on Monday afternoon, about quarter past four. You talked with her for a few minutes, then went outside to find your aunt. Shortly after that, Lark witnessed the victim stomp out of the barn, get in his car, and drive away.”
    Rachel wet her lips. Should she tell him about the warning or not? Not . “Bursau was on his way out when I arrived. My aunt introduced us. Then he left.”
    “They weren’t arguing?” Garcia asked, stroking his mustache. He knitted his brow until it looked like he had one dark eyebrow slashing the width of his forehead. “The guy wasn’t angry about something?”
    Aware that she was a horrible liar, Rachel glanced away. “I don’t know.”
    “Rachel, you’re only making it worse. I’m not sure what you’re covering up or who you’re protecting, but my gut says you’re hiding something.” He sat back and massaged his neck, pinching the skin into tiny rolls of fat. “I’ve known your aunt a long time. I think she’s hiding something, too.”
    “To what purpose?”
    “Somebody contacted that man and lured him to his death. I don’t want to believe it was Miriam, but I have to get at the truth. A man is dead.”
    Either Garcia wanted her to know that the man had been dead since Monday, or he had inadvertently let it slip. Either way, Gertie’d been on to something. “The truth is, Sheriff, I came in on the tail end of the discussion. I’m really not sure what the reporter wanted to know.”
    Rachel read disbelief in his eyes, but Garcia dropped the subject. “Okay, then let’s get back to you,” he said. “What brought you here for the summer?”
    Rachel tensed. “I don’t see how that’s relevant.”
    “Humor me.”
    Why not? Especially if it steered the conversation away from Aunt Miriam. “I’ve been having some trouble with my