Free Scraps & Chum by Ryan C. Thomas

talk to you? ”
    “ Yeah. Said some kids — ”
    “ Kids? ”
    “ Yeah, kids, twelve and thirteen…that still count as kids these days? ”
    “ Shit, I hope so. Mandy ’ s only ten. I ain ’ t ready for a grandkid just yet. Can those rats get out of there? ”
    “ Well, they haven ’ t yet. Not that they aren ’ t giving it the old college try. ”
    “ Someone made this. Put the rats in there. You think? ”
    “ It ’ s a likely theory. ” Ted nodded, picked something out of his teeth. “ Filled it with rats and dropped this woman in it. Let them eat her to death. ”
    “ Homicide. Trying to cover something up? ”
    “ Hell of a lot of trouble to go to to get rid of a corpse. ”
    George hated his next thought, but voiced it anyway. “ Did it while she was alive? Torture? ”
    “ The world is insane. ”
    “ The world is insane. Wait, what about the kids? ”
    Ted was done picking his teeth, wiped his hands on his blazer. “ Kids were out here lighting off firecrackers. Found this pit covered with some tree trunks. Those right there. ” A series of felled logs ringed the makeshift grave . Orange cones were ringed around them, denoting they were somehow evidence. “ Heard some squeaking noises coming from under them. Figured it was an animal and slid it over to look. Saw the rats. Saw the— ”
    “ Saw the corpse and ran. Okay, I can figure it out. Where are they now, the kids? ”
    “ Sitting in on one of the squad cars waiting for their parents to come down so they can make a statement. ”
    “ Great. I l ove when parents get involved. Just e nd up confusing their own kids. ”
    “ I dunno, my brother ’ s kid eats cat food. Wouldn ’ t want him as a character witness at my trial. Picks his nose all the time too — ”
    “ Did they see anyone else hanging around? People not from the neighborhood? ”
    “ Not that I know of. Perp could have come from anywhere. The park technically stops about a mile that way, but the woods continue down to the river where the lye factory is. So the guy could have parked at the factory and hoofed it through the woods all the way up here.  We ’ re checking the employee list but I ’ m not holding out for a hero. ”
    “ They say anything off the record? ”
    Ted shook his head no. “ Just what I told you. The trees, the squeaks, the leftovers as you see them. ”
    “ They recognize her? ”
    “ Can anybody recognize that? ”
    “ Okay, I ’ ll go talk to them. I can ’ t look at this thing anymore. ”
    Ted threw up a palm. “ Hang on. ”
    “ What? ”
    “ Check this out first. ” Ted motioned to a patch of dirt at the edge of the clearing. A set of tracks wound out of the foliage and lead to the pit. “ Kids said they didn ’ t do it. ”
    George had seen this type of track before. Most homicide detectives had at one point in their career. “ Looks like a drag pattern.  Couple of footprints here. Guy must have whacked her somewhere else, dragged the body out here. ”
    “ Knocked her out anyway. There ’ s no bullet hole on her I can see. And I ’ m not getting down in that pit to look further . ”
    “ So we know he came from that direction, ” George said, pointing into the belly of the woods. “ That near the lye factory? ”
    “ Near the river anyway. But that ’ s not what I ’ m looking at. See there ’ s this drag mark here, and then there ’ s this skinnier one that runs between the foot prints. Could be another — ”
    “ Some fucking prints. What ’ re those marks there? ”
    “ I ’ m thinking telephone pole guy. ’ s ’ why I don ’ t think he ’ s a factory worker. You know the guys got those spikes on their boots? ”
    “ Yeah. Climb the poles with ’ em. Gotcha. So a cable or telephone guy. Maybe parked at the factory after closing. Kept the boot climbers on for traction. Let ’ s check and see if any service was done in the area recently. ”
    “ I already put the word out on that, too. But this thin