Free 045147211X by Denise Swanson Page B

“He’s on the way. In fact, you’d better go let him in the front door. I’ll stay with the body.”
    Skye cringed. Simon Reid, her ex-boyfriend, was the county coroner, not to mention the owner of both the local funeral home and the bowling alley. She hadn’t seen him since her wedding reception, where he’d told her that even if her feelings for him had changed, he would always love her. She wondered if things between them would be awkward.
    She didn’t have long to worry about it because the hearse was just pulling in behind the squad car when Skye returned to the entrance. Simon exited the driver’s side, carrying a black satchel. He walked to the rear ofthe vehicle and took a collapsible stretcher from the back.
    As he wheeled the contraption up the sidewalk, Skye noticed that not a strand of his short auburn hair was out of place. His cheeks were freshly shaven and his black wing-tip shoes were so perfectly polished he could use them to check if his tie was straight.
    Instantly, she was aware of her own rumpled appearance. She hitched up the drooping sweatpants and tugged the navy sweatshirt down. If anyone would notice her baby bump, it would be her ex-boyfriend.
    Holding the door open, she said, “Hi, Simon. Sorry to get you out so early. The body is in the pool area. Follow me.”
    “Hello, Skye. No problem about the time.” Simon smiled. “You know I’m an early riser. When we were dating, you liked to sleep until noon. I wonder what changed your habits.” He lifted an auburn brow, then followed her down the hallway and asked, “Has the deceased been identified?”
    “Yes. By me. Her name is Blair Hucksford.” Skye led Simon through the locker room and out to the edge of the pool. “She’s the junior and senior science teacher here, as well as the girls’ volleyball coach. I found her at the bottom of the pool. She must have been swimming alone and drowned.”
    “That isn’t a very safe practice.” Simon and Wally exchanged businesslike nods. “I warned you about that when we were dating.”
    Skye opened her mouth to snap at Simon, but Wally shook his head and murmured, “You don’t have to worry about Reid’s opinion anymore.”
    “Right.” Skye smiled at her husband and stared impassively at Simon.
    Wally nodded his approval, then turned and said something to Simon that she couldn’t hear. The two men exchanged spots, and Simon set his satchel on the ground. He took out an elaborate camera and began tophotograph Blair from various angles. He then turned her over and repeated the process. Finally, he made a small incision below the ribs on the right side of the body and inserted a thermometer deeply into the cut.
    Rising, he stuck a different thermometer in the pool water and waited until it registered. Then he took his phone from the inner pocket of his suit jacket, brought up the calculator, and did a quick computation.
    Finally, he looked at Wally and said, “Taking into consideration the temperature of the water and that the temperature of a dead body decreases at about one-and-a half degrees per hour, Ms. Hucksford’s liver temperature indicates she died somewhere between eleven p.m. and midnight.”
    “I wonder what she was doing swimming alone so late at night,” Skye said.
    “She wasn’t alone.” Wally pointed to two marks on Blair’s neck. “See those punctures? I noticed them when you went to let Reid inside.”
    “Don’t tell me you think she was killed by a vampire.” Skye rolled her eyes. They’d had some odd deaths in Scumble River—one by chocolate, another in a mud bath, and a third involving a steamroller—but she refused to believe that this one implicated Count Dracula.
    “No.” Wally shoved his hands in his pockets. “Those are wounds caused by certain types of Tasers and stun guns. When the trigger is pressed, two darts shoot out and attach to the target. At that point, the person’s immobilized and loses muscle control.”
    “So you’re saying