Free Under the Aspens (The Aspen Series) by Elizabeth Sherry

pictures she hadn’t hung yet.  She thought they would be safe there, since her kitchen had already been searched by Sam Bellows, and he didn’t find anything.
    She’ll tell Glen about the pictures when he woke up. 
    Glen awakened to his phone ringing on the night stand.  He reached over to pick it up so not to wake Sher, but he noticed she had already left the bed.
    “Hello, David,” he saw the caller ID before he answered.
    “You and Sher need to get down to her ex husband’s office, now,” David said unhappily.
    “We’re going down there this morning to see what we can find out regarding William’s whereabouts,” Glen said.  He should’ve known what came next, but his mind didn’t piece it together fast enough.
    “We know his whereabouts. He’s here with a bullet hole in his chest,” David said.
    That got Glen up in a hurry, “Be there in forty five minutes.”
    Hanging up his phone, he wondered how much more bad news could Sher handle.
    He pulled on his jeans, when she entered the room, “Get dressed.  David just called.  We’re needed down at William’s office.”
    “What’s wrong?  What’s happening?”She almost spilled the coffee she brought to him.
    “William’s been shot.  That’s all I know.  We need to hurry,” Glen said.
    She shook as she pulled on some jeans and a sweatshirt, and grabbed a pair of socks and tennis shoes.
    They made the drive in thirty minutes.  Pulling up to the office they saw three patrol cars, the coroner’s van, and a dark sedan parked in the lot.
    Two men talked to an officer by one of the patrol cars.
    “That’s him.  That’s one of the men in the pictures.  Actually, he’s in all three pictures.  The other man is in only one,” Sher blurted out.
    “What are you talking about? Sher, do you know these men?” Now Glen was really worried.
    “This morning I found three pictures stuck behind the glass of the family picture we took from Brad’s. Those men are in the pictures, but I can’t remember where I’ve seen the one guy, the older one with the grey hair,” She said, with a puzzled look on her face.
    “Don’t say anything.  If those are the pictures someone’s looking for, we can’t let on that we have them.  Act natural and don’t give anything away. Ok?”
    “OK.” But as she said the words, she fought the urge to confront the men about her brother.
    As they got out of the jeep, David met them, “I’m sorry to have to do this, but I need you to identify the body”.
    Body?  Glen said William was shot, but didn’t say he was dead.  She knew someday the possibility of William ending up in big trouble was a likely hood, but to be killed?
    “What happened, David?”
    “Apparently, those two came to meet with William, and found him shot.  They say he was dead when they found him.”
    “I want to talk to them, David,” Glen demanded.
    “Go for it.  I’ll take Sher to the van so she can identify the body.”
    Glen didn’t want Sher to have to see William like that alone, so he said, “I’ll take Sher, then we’ll both hear what those two have to say.”
    As the coroner turned back the sheet so Sher could see William’s face, Glen noticed when the color left her face.  She started shaking uncontrollably, “That’s him.  That’s William, my ex husband.”
    The coroner pulled the sheet back up and then rolled the gurney into the van.
    Glen hugged Sher for a few moments, until her shaking got more controlled, “Are you up to our questioning of those two over there?”
    “Let’s get this over with.  I want to know who they are, and what’s going o,” She answered.
    When they walked over to the patrol car, Sher noticed Officer David was there now, with the two men. They looked very unhappy, all of them.
    “Sher, Glen, this is Mr. Bellows, and Mr. Robert Gilliam, “David said with a note of disgust.
    The older man stuck his hand out, which both Glen and Sher ignored.  They saw this didn’t set well with Mr.