Free Dead Hot Mama by Victoria Houston

fishes uses the same type of lantern and minnow bucket … although … y’know, I just thought of something …” Ray bent down to pick up the bucket. He tipped it forward and back, pulled out the liner, and peered inside.
    “The purpose of the bucket is to carry minnows, right? But this was empty. No minnows tossed out or spilled on the snow, none down by the trail—”
    “Most people dump their minnows near where they’re fishing,” said Osborne. “You don’t haul them all the way back to your car.”
    “Most people I know don’t dump any minnows,” said Ray. “They’re good for a long time. Even so, I don’t see any trace of water in this bucket, not even a residue of water that might have frozen at the bottom. Look! There’s a label stuck inside here—this hasn’t even been used. Now why would anyone haul an empty minnow bucket out and back?”
    No one said anything.
    “If you ask me,” said Ray, “I think it is quite likely the party in question may have pulled poor Eileen onto the ice in the sled, using the fishing gear as a front.” He raised his palms as if to fend off an attack. “Just a theory, Bruce.”
    “I better get out on the lake,” said Bruce, looking out the window as he got to his feet. “It’s light, finally. All I get is eight hours and thirty minutes, too, so I better hustle.”
    “Less if the snow hits,” said Lew.
    “I’ll take care of the situation at the Kobernots’, then I’ll check this other out.”
    “Before you go, Bruce, anything Doc needs to know as he heads over to do the dental exams?”
    “Not that I can think of. Your man, Pecore, is the one to establish cause of death. You have two in the hospital morgue, Dr. Osborne, and if the coroner is on the spot when I get to the Kobernots’, we should have the girl sent in shortly.
    “Chief,” said Bruce, “I was hoping Ray might have a chance to stop by the site where the snowmobilers were found. He knows these lakes so well, he might see something I missed.” He pulled on his jacket, then reached down for his briefcase.
    “Ray, still no sign of their sleds,” said Lew. “Be nice to know which direction they were coming from before going through the ice.”
    “Happy to do it, Chief,” said Ray. “That’s not far from Thunder Bay Bar, and I’ll be starting there.” Lew nodded.
    “Other than that, the only significant finding I’ve got that’s changed since last night is this.” Bruce set his briefcase on the chair, clicked it open partway, and pulled out an object in a Ziploc bag, which he set on Lew’s desk. “A Palm Pilot—we found it on one of the snowmobilers. It’s double bagged because they had it in plastic, too.”
    Lew reached for the plastic bag, “I’ll take this.”
    “No,” Bruce put his hand on it, “I’m sending it down to Wausau, we’ve got a good tech guy—”
    “Don’t worry about it—I’ve got an excellent tech myself,” said Lew, placing both hands on the package. She was not going to give it up.
    “Okay, Chief, whatever you say. It’s your case, I’m just here to help out,” said Bruce, more than a little disgruntled.
    “That’s right, you are,” said Lew.
    After Bruce and Ray had left Lew’s office, Osborne checked his watch and walked over to refill his coffee cup halfway. “Lew, I’m curious, who’s this tech expert of yours?”
    “I don’t want Wausau getting their grimy hands on this.”
    “That’s not what I asked you,” said Osborne, chuckling. “Well?”
    Lew pulled open a desk drawer and pulled out a small red leather address book. She flipped a few pages, then picked up the phone. “Marlene, get me Gina Palmer at this number, would you please?” She read the number from the address book over the phone.
    “Gina? She’s in Chicago,” said Osborne.” They’re getting the brunt of the storm this morning.”
    “Then she’ll be happy to leave, won’t she? Especially when hears she better check out that property she bought on