Free The Crafty Teddy by John J. Lamb Page B

floorboards as Tina moved from room to room. By the time I returned to the foyer, Tina was coming downstairs, taking the steps two at a time.
    “Nothing suspicious upstairs.”
    “The kitchen was clear too,” I said.
    “That’s a relief. Oh, and before we get too busy and I forget to mention it, did you know that your wife is the most stubborn person in North America?”
    “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
    “Uh- huh . I explained that this was potentially an official homicide investigation and that she couldn’t come with me.”
    Ash smiled serenely. “And I told her that I’m your investigative assistant and that we do everything together.”
    “True, and I am glad you’re here, but our partnership might not be much fun this time, honey. This is a messy one.”
    The smile faded a little and Ash shot a nervous glance down the main hallway. “Not that I don’t think I can’t handle it, but just how messy are we talking here?”
    “The guy’s been smashed like a bug and there’s quite a bit of blood.”
    “I’ll be okay.”
    “I know, but if you do start feeling…queasy…”
    “Don’t worry, I’ll leave.”
    I said to Tina: “Before I show you the body, there’s something else I think I should mention. Maybe I’m overly-suspicious, but Mr. Gage told me that he was mowing his lawn just before rushing over here and there’s not so much as a blade of grass on him.”
    “Interesting.”
    “I thought so, but it might not mean anything.”
    “And he says Merrit called him—what, almost an hour ago now?”
    “Yeah, which would have been right about the time the Yakuza were here.”
    “If this turns out to be a murder, we’ll need to get a copy of that message and check the time it was received on his answering machine.” Tina grimaced. “In the meantime, I guess we’d better get started.”
    I led Ash and Tina to the dining room doorway and heard both women inhale sharply. There was a new song playing on the museum’s audio system: “The Camptown Races,” which added a surreal touch to the scene. Ash looked a little green around the gills, but she didn’t turn away, which meant that she was well on her way to handling her first gruesome homicide scene better than I did, twenty-six years ago. I’d lost my breakfast.
    Pointing with my cane, I said, “We can’t see his face, but it’s safe to assume he’s sustained major blunt force trauma. I suspect that’s where most of the blood came from, although there’s the possibility he also got cut by the broken glass.”
    “Probably abdominal injuries too,” said Tina.
    “Yeah, that cupboard’s made from real wood, so it’s damn heavy.”
    I heard Ash swallowing and saw that her face had grown paler. Touching her hand, I said, “Honey, why don’t you move back a little bit and get the camera out.”
    I could tell she was prepared to rebuff the offer, but she surprised me. “All right. Thanks. It’s a little much.”
    “No, it’s freaking awful and you’re reacting like any normal person would.”
    Ash backed away and I heard her put the camera case down on the floor.
    Tina shook her head in puzzlement. “I don’t understand how this could have happened. What was he doing?”
    “And I’ve got another question,” said Ash.
    I turned from the body and saw that Ash was near the fireplace mantle. “What’s that?”
    “Why are these antique teddy bears in the wrong spots?”

Seven
    “Haven’t they always been up there on the mantle?” I asked.
    “Yes, but the placards show that the Michtom teddy is where the Bruin bear should be and vice versa.” Ash stood on her tiptoes and squinted at the bears. “And it looks as if they were switched recently. You can still see the marks in the dust.”
    “I hate to admit it, but I stopped for a second to look at them on the way in and never noticed that.”
    “So, is the fact the bears have been moved important?” asked Tina.
    “Too soon to say. Probably not, even though they are