Free Full Bloom by Janet Evanovich [~amp]#38; Charlotte Hughes

undressed, his underwear was on backward. Do you think I’m just being one of those suspicious wives?’”
    Jamie laughed until her sides hurt as Destiny continued to read several more. Annie was happy to see her friend looking more relaxed, and the private smiles Jamie and Max shared when they thought nobody was looking would have made most women envious.
    Danny finished his lunch and carried his dishes to the sink, where he rinsed them. Wes entered the kitchen, a camera hanging from his neck. All eyes turned to him, and the chatter stopped. “You must be the other new guest,” Lovelle said, and introduced herself. She had met Destiny earlier.
    “Nice to meet you,” he said politely.
    Max stood and made introductions as well. If Wes recognized Jamie, he didn’t say anything. “Nice camera,” Max said. “Are you a photographer?”
    Wes nodded. “I’ve been able to get some great shots this morning. Beaumont is a beautiful town.”
    “It grows on you fast,” Max said.
    “Wes, would you care for a sandwich?” Annie asked, wishing just once she could round up everybody at the same time for meals. Seemed like she was always offering somebody something to eat; felt like she was working at the Huddle House.
    “I grabbed something earlier,” he said. “Nice to meet you,” he told Max and Jamie as he headed upstairs, stepping aside for Theenie, who was on her way down.
    “Good grief!” Lovelle said when Wes was out of hearing distance. “Where did you find him ?”
    “He sort of found us,” Annie said.
    “Annie almost killed him,” Theenie said. “Then Doc almost killed him.”
    “Perhaps I should explain,” Annie said. She had opened her mouth to do just that when she heard a man’s voice out back shouting her name. He sounded frantic. “What in the world!” She threw open the back door and found Doc’s gardener racing across the backyard, calling out to her loudly.
    Footsteps sounded on the stairs and Wes hurried into the kitchen. “What’s going on? Is somebody hurt?”
    Annie was already on the back porch, the others behind her. The gardener stopped at the back stairs, staggered once, grabbed the porch rail. His face was ashen. He tried to speak.
    Annie hurried down and touched his arm. “What’s wrong?” she said. “Are you injured?” She looked for blood, didn’t see any.
    “It’s terrible,” the man managed. “Worst thing I ever seen.”
    “What is it?” she demanded.
    “Back yonder. Behind the, um, that carriage house.”
    Wes pushed through the group and cleared the back steps in one jump. He was the first to arrive at the gaping hole, with Max and Danny right behind him. Wes knelt beside it, and his eyes froze at what he saw. “Holy shit!”
    Max joined him. “Holy shit is right.”
    Wes looked at Danny. “Keep the women back.”
    Danny turned. “Don’t come any closer, okay?” he told them.
    Theenie and Lovelle came to an abrupt halt, but the others rushed forward.
    “What is it?” Annie said.
    Jamie blinked several times, trying to make sense of what she was looking at. “Bones?” she asked.
    “It’s a skeleton,” Max said.
    Annie gave an eye roll. “Oh, Jeez, it’s my grandmother’s dog. She had Erdle bury him somewhere back here after he died. I’d forgotten about it.”
    Wes shook his head. “Sorry, Annie, but this is no dog. It’s a human skeleton.”
    “Oh, I can’t see this,” Theenie said, backing away. She turned and hurried toward the house. Lovelle followed.
    Annie stared back at Wes in disbelief. “That’s ridiculous!”
    “He’s right, Annie,” Max said.
    “It looks human to me, too,” Jamie said, and Destiny agreed.
    Annie stepped closer and looked. “Oh, shit, I have a dead person in my backyard! Oh, shit. Oh, shit.”
    “There’s some kind of cloth there,” Max said.
    Wes nodded and glanced over his shoulder. “Look, this is obviously a crime scene, and I’d rather not jeopardize any trace evidence.” He didn’t see the