Free Skeleton's Key (Delta Crossroads Trilogy, Book 2) by Stacy Green

think it’s got anything to do with it. Looks too…fresh. Raccoon must have smelled the remains after we started digging up the bones. You can imagine the rest. It’s running around down there with a finger, by the way.”
    “You’ll need to take care of that.” Turning her attention to Dani, Gina laid a heavy black case on the table. “Captain Regina Barnes. You must be Dani.”
    Dani extended a shaking hand. “I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but under the circumstances, it really sucks.”
    “Not a very welcoming start to Roselea, is it?” Gina asked.
    “Not at all. But I guess it can only get better from here, right?”
    Gina sighed. “God I hope so.”
    Heavy shoes smacked against the foyer’s marble floors. Another investigator with hard-soled boots and stomping feet banging around on the French marble. It had survived for centuries only to be beaten down now. Tears brewed in her eyes, but she didn’t have the energy to get up.
    “Jesus, Landers.” Cage strode into the foyer. He stopped at the door, long fingers on his hips, the muscles in his arms tense. Sweat stained the back of his t-shirt, and his hair stuck to the back of his neck in wet curls. “Don’t stomp across these floors like that. And make sure ya’ll carry those shovels and anything else heavy. Don’t even think about dragging anything.”
    “Foster, we got a body to worry about,” a man’s voice boomed in response. “I don’t care about–”
    “You’re going to care.” Cage pointed a finger at the unseen voice. “You wouldn’t go into someone else’s home like a herd of damned elephants. You ain’t going to come in here like it, either.”
    “Place is old.” The voice’s owner–Landers–appeared. He looked exactly like he sounded: short and squat with a bulldog-like face. His meaty hand clenched a shovel.
    If he tried to drag that across the marble, Dani would beat him with the nearest heavy object.
    “Which is why you’ll be extra careful.” Cage squared his shoulders. “Show her some respect.”
    Lander’s donut-belly jiggled. “Who? The house or the Yankee? Where is she, anyway?”
    A muscle in Cage’s jaw twitched. He turned his head towards Dani, still sitting in the middle of the tattered couch. Their gazes locked, and the humidity in the room swelled to bursting.
    She needed to install ceiling fans, pronto.
    “Sid Landers, meet Dani Evans, new owner of Ironwood.” Cage pointed at Dani.
    She sucked in a deep breath and hauled herself to her feet.
    Lander’s eyes slid over her as she approached, taking in her red, sweaty appearance with a raised eyebrow. “Ma’am.”
    “It’s Dani. Or the Yankee, if you prefer.”
    Cage’s soft laugh made her feel a little less like her world was imploding. She took in Lander’s shovel. “I realize you’ve got to do your job, Mr. Landers–”
    “It’s investigator.”
    “Investigator Landers. But this is my house, and I’m planning on saving her. So please be careful with your equipment.” Her tone left no room for argument.
    The investigator’s jowls wobbled, his eyes narrowed. “Yes ma’am.”
    She stepped aside, and Landers stalked past, muttering a barely disguised “damned Yankee” under his breath.
    Cage shook his head. “He’s an ass, but he’s good at his job.”
    “Thanks for watching out for the house,” Dani said. “I know it seems ridiculous considering what’s down…” She glanced toward the kitchen, “but I don’t want any more damage done to this place than absolutely necessary. And if they’re digging downstairs, the foundation has to be watched.”
    “I’ll take care of it,” Cage said.
    “Thank you.” Emotion suddenly overwhelmed her. Her eyes grew wet again, and her lips trembled. “I just…I’m not sure what to do.”
    He looked down, shuffling his feet. “This is a crime scene now.”
    Understanding dawned on her. “I can’t be here.” She threw up her hands. “Where am I going to go? How can I make sure