help is telling the truth the last bags of trash they’d taken out was somewhere around two-thirty p.m. But our vic was there long enough to get gnawed on. Most vermin don’t come out until dark, which was about seven last night. And our vic was found shortly after midnight.”
Terri’s brows rose as she listened. “Right, but we’re working on body dump time, not TOD.”
“Shit. I need more coffee.” Jon looked at his watch. It was late. He put the lid on the last box. “We’re done here. Let’s head to the lab first thing in the morning and talk about an action plan on the way.” He downloaded the crime scene photos onto his computer and opened a murder book for Mt. Ouisco’s first Jane Doe.
Chapter Ten
“Knock it off, Dammit!” A rumbling growl grew out from low in the dog’s throat, forcing Terri to take a step back in the entry to Jon’s house. Jon was embarrassed by the dog’s behavior as he manhandled the beast back to his bed in the corner. “Sorry, he doesn’t care for strangers.”
“Are you sure, because it seems to me like he prefers them raw.” She was halfway out the door and looked ready to slam behind her if need be.
“He’s never hurt anyone. He’s just got poor manners.” Jon had seen to the needs of the big pet before Terri picked him up on the way to Madison.
“He’ll probably be lonely until you get this case solved.”
Jon realized she was right, but aside from Dammit’s needs, Jon didn’t mind clocking the extra hours. It beat sitting around wallowing in self-pity, second-guessing his life choices. When he moved here, he’d envisioned living out a bachelor’s life with a nursing-home ending, happy to hang with a bunch of wrinkled incontinent old cops in rocking chairs gumming their way through ancient case histories—it didn’t seem too bad. Except maybe the bachelor part.
They got into her car. “Guess he’ll be in the same boat as Carrie Ann then.”
“I’m not worried about her; she’s got her hands full down at the market. It’s probably a good thing that neither of us are needy people.” She started the engine. “Dogs are born needy.”
The narrow, tree-lined streets quickly turned into a two-lane highway, heading north. Jon remained silent and took in the freshly plowed and planted fields as the smell of newly turned earth wafted through the window. He could not deny the beauty of rural living and the sense of peace it brought. He didn’t miss Milwaukee’s exhaust fumes and bumper-to-bumper traffic. Nor did he miss the crime rate that had recently exceeded that of Denver, Los Angeles and even New York City. Drugs, rape, gang violence, murder—the stuff that cop burnout was made of. He may not like the fact that he was dealing with a murder within weeks of moving here, but it was nothing compared to the shit his old job had shoveled him on a daily basis.
As Jon thought about his view of the job, his thoughts turned to Wachowski. “Do you think the chief regrets hiring Wacko?”
“Oh I’m sure of it.”
“How are they related?”
“Something like his wife’s second cousin twice removed kind of thing. I think the fact that Ben was orphaned and was raised by a cop who beat people for unpaid parking tickets made him the family’s pet project.”
“Probably too little, too late.”
“Oh yeah.” Terri changed the subject. “So I was thinking about the Lassiter woman.”
“You mean the blonde with no common sense and a questionable choice for a second income?” The mere mention of Randi seemed to annoy Jon.
Terri’s brows rose. “So you still doubt her story?”
“I’m not saying that. It’s too weird to make up. Has to be true. But I think it speaks volumes for the smarts the woman must lack.” He shook his head and smiled. “Though I must confess that pink uniform was a sight to behold.”
“Perv. You realize that’s not part of her PI wardrobe, right?”
“Yeah, but there’s part of me that thinks maybe it should
Terri’s brows rose as she listened. “Right, but we’re working on body dump time, not TOD.”
“Shit. I need more coffee.” Jon looked at his watch. It was late. He put the lid on the last box. “We’re done here. Let’s head to the lab first thing in the morning and talk about an action plan on the way.” He downloaded the crime scene photos onto his computer and opened a murder book for Mt. Ouisco’s first Jane Doe.
Chapter Ten
“Knock it off, Dammit!” A rumbling growl grew out from low in the dog’s throat, forcing Terri to take a step back in the entry to Jon’s house. Jon was embarrassed by the dog’s behavior as he manhandled the beast back to his bed in the corner. “Sorry, he doesn’t care for strangers.”
“Are you sure, because it seems to me like he prefers them raw.” She was halfway out the door and looked ready to slam behind her if need be.
“He’s never hurt anyone. He’s just got poor manners.” Jon had seen to the needs of the big pet before Terri picked him up on the way to Madison.
“He’ll probably be lonely until you get this case solved.”
Jon realized she was right, but aside from Dammit’s needs, Jon didn’t mind clocking the extra hours. It beat sitting around wallowing in self-pity, second-guessing his life choices. When he moved here, he’d envisioned living out a bachelor’s life with a nursing-home ending, happy to hang with a bunch of wrinkled incontinent old cops in rocking chairs gumming their way through ancient case histories—it didn’t seem too bad. Except maybe the bachelor part.
They got into her car. “Guess he’ll be in the same boat as Carrie Ann then.”
“I’m not worried about her; she’s got her hands full down at the market. It’s probably a good thing that neither of us are needy people.” She started the engine. “Dogs are born needy.”
The narrow, tree-lined streets quickly turned into a two-lane highway, heading north. Jon remained silent and took in the freshly plowed and planted fields as the smell of newly turned earth wafted through the window. He could not deny the beauty of rural living and the sense of peace it brought. He didn’t miss Milwaukee’s exhaust fumes and bumper-to-bumper traffic. Nor did he miss the crime rate that had recently exceeded that of Denver, Los Angeles and even New York City. Drugs, rape, gang violence, murder—the stuff that cop burnout was made of. He may not like the fact that he was dealing with a murder within weeks of moving here, but it was nothing compared to the shit his old job had shoveled him on a daily basis.
As Jon thought about his view of the job, his thoughts turned to Wachowski. “Do you think the chief regrets hiring Wacko?”
“Oh I’m sure of it.”
“How are they related?”
“Something like his wife’s second cousin twice removed kind of thing. I think the fact that Ben was orphaned and was raised by a cop who beat people for unpaid parking tickets made him the family’s pet project.”
“Probably too little, too late.”
“Oh yeah.” Terri changed the subject. “So I was thinking about the Lassiter woman.”
“You mean the blonde with no common sense and a questionable choice for a second income?” The mere mention of Randi seemed to annoy Jon.
Terri’s brows rose. “So you still doubt her story?”
“I’m not saying that. It’s too weird to make up. Has to be true. But I think it speaks volumes for the smarts the woman must lack.” He shook his head and smiled. “Though I must confess that pink uniform was a sight to behold.”
“Perv. You realize that’s not part of her PI wardrobe, right?”
“Yeah, but there’s part of me that thinks maybe it should
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