Free Forever Man by Brian Matthews Page A

town. That alone means he gets a closer look.”
    There was a commotion, some raised voices. And then Detective Sten Billick came storming out from behind a copse of alders. He was dragging Stanley Morris by the arm.
    Red faced, Stanley yelled, “Get your fucking hand off me, you fuck!”
    Sten kept his rock-like grip on Stanley’s arm, half-dragging him along the trail until they’d reached Izzy and Gene. Then Sten released Izzy’s husband, but not until after he’d given the pharmacist a shove that almost sent him tumbling to the ground.
    Izzy rushed forward and caught Stanley before he fell.
    “Give it back!” Stanley shouted as he struggled to get around her and charge at Sten. “Give it back, asshole!”
    Izzy got both hands on her husband’s chest. Gene stepped up and grabbed one of Stanley’s arms. Denny had come to stand near them, his face pulled into a curious frown. Bob Talbert was hurrying up the trail, drawn by the noise.
    “ Give it back! ” Stanley shouted, spittle flying from his lips.
    “Stanley!” she shouted back. “Stop it! That’s enough!”
    Her husband let out a hiccupping cough, which evolved into a rattling breath. “He stole it from me.” He was pointing at Sten. “Make him give it back.”
    She kept a restraining hand on Stanley’s chest and turned to face Sten. “What’s he talking about?”
    Sten reached under his jacket and removed a gun from his waistband, a nickel-plated .38 Smith & Wesson with sandalwood grips.
    “He was carrying this,” Sten said, lifting the revolver. “I noticed the bulge in his jacket pocket.”
    Izzy stared at the gun, not sure if she should believe what she was seeing. But there was no denying it.
    Turning back to her husband, she said, “You took one of my guns?”
    Stanley glared at Sten, then shifted his attention to her. “After what happened, do you think I’d set foot in these woods unarmed?”
    “We have kids out here,” she said, stunned at his lack of forethought. “What if you had mistaken one for an animal and opened fire?”
    Stanley’s mouth twisted, his face turning scarlet. “I know the difference between a bear and a person. I’m not an idiot.”
    Izzy gaped at him. He’d been a hunter for years, knew damn well how many people were killed in shooting accidents.
    Before she could tell him exactly that, Katie Bethel called out her name.
    “Chief Morris! Over here! I think I found something.”
    The girl stood near the tree where Natalie’s blood had been found.
    “We’ll deal with this later,” Izzy told Stanley and Sten.
    Sten placed the gun in his pocket. “You’ll get this back, Dr. Morris. After the search is finished.”
    Stanley looked like he was going to protest again. He opened his mouth.
    Before he could speak, Izzy said, “You heard him. After the search.”
    Fury smoldered in her husband’s eyes. She’d essentially pulled rank on him, and he hated it. She tensed, ready for another verbal assault. But then, with a final, resentful glare, Stanley shut his mouth. Rubbing absently at his chest, he mumbled, “Sure. Whatever.”
    Izzy let out a sigh, and Gene let go of his friend’s arm. Stanley pushed past them and started walking toward Katie Bethel. Izzy hurried after him, followed by the others.
    “Whatever it is,” Izzy called out, “don’t touch it.”
    Katie nodded, pointing to something on the ground. Izzy crouched down. There, nestled among the leaves and twigs, was a piece of dark plastic a little larger than the tip of her thumb. Roughly triangular, it looked thicker at the base, and there were corrugated marks like crosshatches along the wider bottom. Izzy could see swirls of light brown within the black plastic; it looked like creamer being stirred into coffee.
    “Bob, get some pictures of this,” Izzy said to Sgt. Talbert, her heart racing.
    Bob Talbert set down an orange evidence marker and then snapped several photos from various angles. After he was finished, Izzy donned a pair of