Free Always Kiss the Corpse by Sandy Frances Duncan Page B

filled with affect since he got her mood from whatever she said. “Maybe morticianing takes away your affect.”
    Kyra raised one eyebrow. “Or maybe you become a mortician because you have none in the first place.”
    Noel took out his notebook. “Anyway, I got a list of those who signed the guest book.”
    â€œGood.”
    â€œA doctor, Stockman Jones. Two women who, as Claude conveyed, seem to be a unit. Brady Adam and—”
    â€œI just met her.”
    â€œYou did? How?”
    â€œShe’s the sheriff’s receptionist. Very pretty.”
    â€œShe seems to be with a certain Ursula Bunche.”
    â€œThat simplifies things. She officially identified Sandro. She works at the hospital.” Ursula Bunche. Kyra suddenly giggled. “This is too silly.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œIf Ursula and Brady are lesbians, if they get married, if Brady takes Ursula’s last name—”
    â€œWhat?” He glanced at his list. He laughed. “Oh god.”
    â€œOkay, who else?”
    A man, Rudy Longelli. A woman with green hair, Cora Lipton-Norton.” He closed his notebook. “A few others, but they didn’t sign in.” He finished his latte. “Talk to Brady Adam?”
    â€œI’m not ready to meet up with Vanderhoek again.”
    Noel grinned. “Didn’t hit it off?”
    â€œI hate pandering for information.” She described her interview. “He made my skin crawl.” She got up, leaving half her latte. “Plenty of affect there, the sheriff of Island County.”

FIVE
    Kyra pulled off North Main into the Whidbey General Hospital’s lot and parked. They followed the sidewalk through emerald lawn to the front door. It opened automatically.
    Noel flinched.
    Kyra quirked an eyebrow.
    â€œThe smell. Those trips to the hospital with Brendan.”
    â€œYeah.” Kyra touched his arm. “Hushed and busy. Some kind of disinfectant.”
    Funeral home, thought Noel. Now hospital. Order reversed.
    At the information desk Kyra asked for Ursula Bunche.
    The receptionist tapped on her computer keyboard, glanced up at the screen. “X-ray. Down that corridor to the right.”
    They walked along the hall to another receptionist. Bunche was on her break, maybe the cafeteria, should be back any minute. They sat on a brown plastic sofa.
    â€œWe should check out the morgue while we’re here,” Noel said.
    â€œWhy? We wouldn’t recognize Sandro. Better to talk to the woman who ID’d him.”
    â€œThat too. But let’s be thorough.”
    Three uniformed women appeared in the hall. Kyra stood and said to a petite, blonde, competent-looking woman in a white pantsuit, “Ursula Bunche?”
    â€œYes?” The other uniforms continued down the hall.
    Kyra let Noel patter their explanation and hand Bunche a Triple-I card.
    â€œPoor Sandro.” Ursula glanced at the card and stuck it in her pocket. “Look, my break’s over but I’m off at three. Can you come back?”
    Noel held out his notebook. “Can you just tell us who these people are and where we might find them?”
    She looked. “Rudy, he’s on Sandro’s bowling team. He’s a plumber. Alice at the liquor store’s his wife. She’ll know where he’s working. Brady works for the sheriff.”
    â€œYes, I’ve just met her,” Kyra smiled.
    Ursula squinted at Kyra but didn’t respond. “Cora, I think she’s a student Sandro was friendly with at the college. She was at the viewing, green crewcut. Sorry, they’re waiting for me in X-ray.”
    â€œThanks. See you at three. The front door?”
    A nod from Bunche. Kyra said, “Liquor store to find Rudy.” Alice, plump and motherly, said he was plumbing some new condos in Oak Harbor. Out by the Golf Club, Swanton and Monticello area.
    Twenty minutes of highway north, fifteen minutes of wrong turns and they drew