Free South River Incident by Ann Mullen Page B

wearing my watch?  Most importantly, how did she turn up dead in our
backyard? The situation reminded me of that old saying about being in the right
place at the wrong time or the wrong place at the right time. It didn’t matter
because I was right in the middle.
    “The medical examiner has
confirmed her identity,” Sheriff Hudson continued, overlooking my rudeness.
“She was the wife of Roy Keen, an ex-deputy from our department. He called us
to report that his wife had been kidnapped and he had paid the ransom, but she
was never released.”
    “The whole thing sounds a
little fishy to me. Didn’t he notify the police before he paid the ransom?”
Billy asked. “What kind of idiot is he?”
    “I’m afraid not,” Deputy
Hoyle spoke for the first time. “If he had, we might have been able to help.
The FBI would have been called in on the case and the outcome might have been
different. We didn’t know until it was too late. By the time we were called in,
the deed had been done.”
    Deputy Hoyle was another
typical Greene County Deputy, he resembled a Marine. He had a muscular frame
enhanced by a head full of short, brown hair and a powerful face. When he
smiled, I could see the muscles in his jaw flex. If his strength could be
measured by the tightness in his form, he was a strong man. The thought of
being gripped in a headlock by one of those arms, especially if he was mad,
made my neck hurt.
    “All this sounds a little
fishy to me, too,” I said. “I have a feeling you don’t suspect any of us
because I don’t see an arrest warrant. You know the watch found on the victim
is mine, yet you haven’t carted me off to jail. What gives? Does the trail lead
back to someone else or are you just waiting until you think you can place me
at the scene of the crime?”
    My mind was going a mile a
minute. If the sheriff thought I was involved based on the evidence he had, I
would be in handcuffs. Then I thought about the journal I’d been keeping since
I went to work for Billy. Considering all the crap Billy and I seem to get
into, it didn’t take me long to figure out it would be in our best interest to
keep a record of our activities. Someday it might come in handy. I think today
was that day.
    “Give me a time of death,
and I’m sure I can account for my whereabouts. I keep a journal.”
    All eyes fell upon me. I’m
sure this was news to Mom and Claire, but the look on Billy’s face was
priceless. He was stunned. I told him a while back that I had never been one to
keep track of anything, let alone write stuff down. To me, paperwork was a
waste of time. I did it because I was required to do it at work. However,
working with Billy had given me a whole new perspective. Paperwork was
essential, and having it in writing was the only way to go. Your word is no
longer worth the time it takes for you to give it.
    “The time of death hasn’t
been established,” Sheriff Hudson said. “The M.E. stated that she was dead
before she was dumped in the woods. How long she was out there, we don’t know.
We can only guess. She was last seen alive on November 8th by one of her
girlfriends. The rest is still being investigated.”
    “In other words, I’m not
cleared yet?”
    “You are not a suspect.
Your story concerning the watch checks out.”
    Sheriff Hudson seemed
sincere, but I still could not bring myself to trust what has been laid out in
front of me when it involves the police. Billy planted that seed when we first
met.
    “Well, then,” I stood up.
“You’ll excuse me while I go about living my life. It was nice to meet you
Deputy Hoyle.” I smiled at him. “I’m sure I’ll see you again. If you don’t
mind, Billy and I have some things to do.” I looked at Billy.
    “I’m right behind you,” he
replied, getting up from the table.  He made a flowing gesture with his arm.
“Lead the way.”
    I looked over at Mom and
said, “I have some packing to do if I’m going to be ready to move