Free 11 Hanging by a Hair by Nancy J. Cohen Page A

chasing a squirrel.”
    “Possibly.” Dalton hunched over his meal while the dogs sniffed at their feet, hoping for handouts or crumbs.
    Spooks seemed his usual lively self, to everyone’s relief. Brianna lavished extra attention on him, handing him a piece of meat under the table. To be fair, Marla gave a morsel to Lucky.
    She ate in silence for a few minutes but then more questions surfaced. “If Spooks did disturb someone back there, what were they doing?”
    Dalton’s eyebrows lifted. “Looking for something, maybe? At any rate, you should be telling Detective Minnetti about this, not me.”
    “Oh yeah, how’s that going?”
    “About as well as you can expect.”
    She examined his face. “That bad, huh? She isn’t keeping you in the loop?”
    His glance skittered away. “My other buddies keep me informed.”
    “You’d think she would have the courtesy to confer with you.”
    “Why should she?” His gaze swung back. “Kat doesn’t know me well. During her first week on the job, her new partner is removed from a murder case. She’s smart to be cautious.”
    Marla put her fork down. “She has issues, if you ask me. How much were you told about her background?”
    “Nothing personal, just that her credentials were impeccable.”
    “Did she request a transfer or was she given one? You should find out more about her. Once this case clears, you’ll be partners again. You need to be with someone you can trust.”
    He grimaced. “I know. The chief seems to think highly of her, though.”
    Brianna drank a sip of water. “Dad, did you hear anything else about Mr. Krabber?”
    “Preliminary tox screens suggest he may have had meds in his system.”
    Marla sat up straight. “Really? When were you going to share this news?”
    “When we have something more definitive.”
    “What about the autopsy results?”
    “Not in yet, but it shouldn’t be long. We don’t have a huge backload right now.”
    “That means the body will be released. I wonder if the nephew will hold a memorial service.”
    Dalton gave her an oblique glance. “We’ll probably remove the crime scene tape tomorrow. Keep a lookout for his car in the driveway. You might want to pay the guy a condolence call.”
    Marla stared at him. “Are you suggesting I pump the man for information?”
    “You never know what might come to light during a friendly conversation.”
    Brianna shoved her chair back. “Marla, if someone was in Mr. Krabber’s backyard yesterday, it’s possible that person wasn’t searching for something but was looking for a way inside the house.”
    Marla’s attention veered to the teen, who’d fixed her hair in a bun in preparation for dance class. “For what reason?”
    “To erase evidence. Or to retrieve an item left behind the night of the murder.”
    She’d make a great teen detective, Marla thought with a swell of pride. “Those are valid theories, but we have no proof that anyone was actually in the yard.”
    Dalton rose from the table and took their empty plates to the sink. “Even if this person got inside, our team had already scoured the place.”
    “They could have missed a minor detail,” Brie insisted.
    “So is it definitely a homicide now?” Marla asked. “Because if Alan ingested drugs, how could he hang himself? Didn’t you say a desk chair was by the rail? How would he climb up on it, let alone fasten a noose around his neck, if he was groggy?”
    “I didn’t say what kind of meds might be in his blood. And what does it matter? Suicide victims find a way to accomplish the task. Unfortunately, they often give no indication about their intent.”
    “True, but aren’t there warning signs?”
    “Sure. They may put their affairs in order, make provisions for their pets, give away articles of value, and even mention death. Hints can be there if you’re looking for them, but not always.”
    “You believe Alan Krabber killed himself like you believe I have two heads.” Wishing they had more