Gordon Jones couldn’t believe his eyes. He stared at the figure on the ground. It was Mindy Davidson. At first he wanted to approach the police and tell them who he was and that he could identify the body, but he didn’t know how he’d explain the knowledge to Tammy. They’d already had one fight this morning. He wasn’t ready for another.
She’d had the idea today to leave Carolina Beach and come to South Port. He’d wanted to stay at the motel, swim in the pool, drink beer, and just be lazy at least one day of their short vacation. She’d dragged him to every open shop on the beach after they’d arrived last night, and then this morning she’d demanded they come to South Port because some woman at the pool had told her the town had great antique shops that didn’t charge you three times what an item was worth. The fact that they had only been at the pool for thirty minutes hadn’t mattered to Tammy. She’d dragged him back upstairs, where they’d changed clothes before heading to South Port.
Gordon had been sitting on a bench in front of one of the antique shops when the excitement started. He’d overheard a passerby say something about a body in the old burying ground. Intrigued, he’d asked directions, then gone into the store and told Tammy he wanted to check it out. She didn’t question him, but nodded and said she’d go back to the car when she finished shopping.
Gordon knew he had plenty of time because Tammy was addicted to shopping. The only way to rush her was to close a store.
Trying not to show he recognized the dead woman lying on the grave, he moved along with a group of civilians shifting positions to see if they could get a better view or hear what the police said. He wondered why in the world a person like Mindy would choose to come to this little coastal town. It was a beautiful place filled with history, but she’d fit in much better with the more lively Carolina beach crowd. This town was too peaceful for her. If there was anything he was sure about Mindy Davidson, it was that she was a party girl—the wilder the better. She wasn’t the pristine person her corpse advertised her to be.
A police officer came over and urged the crowd to move back. “We’re going to put up some crime scene tape,” he said. “Please stay behind it. We don’t want anyone messing up any clues.”
Gordon frowned. What clues? As far as you’re concerned, you have a Jane Doe on your hands. She could have just laid down and died there, from what I can see. There’s no blood, no torn clothes, and no evidence lying around. He said none of these things aloud.
The more he looked at Mindy’s body, the more he kept asking himself what the hell she was doing here.
An officer eyed Gordon, and he backed away. As he did, he bumped into a man with a camera.
“Excuse me,” Gordon said. “Are you a reporter?”
“No. A friend of mine found the body and called me to bring the camera. I want to get it on film. They may cover it up before the television station sends someone out here. They’d probably pay a lot for a video of this.”
“You may be right.” Gordon started to ask the man for his name and address, but decided against it. He’d already made his decision. He wasn’t going to let anyone know he was a detective. He’d slip off by himself and call Nick Quimbley. Nick could handle it from there.
This was one case Gordon Jones didn’t want. Thank goodness he’d turned everything about it over to Nick before he left. He moved away from the graveyard and walked briskly back toward the antique store. When he was sure he was alone, he took out his cell phone and dialed Nick’s cell. When it continued to ring and didn’t go to voice mail, he called the office.
“Quimbley Detective Agency,” Michelle, their office helper, said.
Gordon didn’t try to disguise his voice because he knew she’d recognized it. “Is Nick there, Michelle?”
“No. He and Bernie went to check something out. Is there anything I can help you with, Gordon?” She sounded as if she had a cold.
He hesitated, then said, “No. I just want to talk with Nick. When do you expect him back?”
“I’m not sure. Can I give him a message?”
“Just ask him to call me on my cell whenever he gets in.”
“Will do.”
Gordon ended the call and walked a little faster. He needed to collect Tammy and head out of town. Though he knew it would be hard to get her to leave South Port, he thought he could persuade her by telling her they would stop at the mall in Wilmington.
His ploy worked, and the two of them spent most of the afternoon at the mall. He had his phone handy but didn’t hear from Nick. Tammy kept him so busy looking at first one thing, and then another that he was almost able to put thoughts of Mindy Davidson out of his mind.
They got back to the motel room at close to six o’clock and Gordon thought of calling Nick again, but figured his boss would call when he had the opportunity. He settled back on the bed to watch television while he waited for Tammy to dress for dinner. The early news was on.
The announcer said, “At approximately eight-thirty this morning, a jogger found the body of an unidentified woman in the Old Smithfield Burying Ground in South Port. The deceased looked to be in her mid-to-late twenties. There were no apparent marks on the body, and it appeared she had been carefully arranged on the top of a grave. At this point, the police have not released the cause of death or announced if there are any further developments. We switch you now to Eve Clanton, who is standing by in South Port. Are you there, Eve?”
A pretty African American woman appeared on the screen. She adjusted her earplug. “I’m here, Ron, and I have with me Mr. Ross Taylor, the gentleman who found the body in the graveyard this morning.” She turned to her guest. “Tell me about finding the woman’s body, Mr. Taylor.”
“I don’t have much to say. I was jogging, and stopped to catch my breath. That’s when I found her. I walked over to the body and saw she was dead, then ran to the police station and told them about it.”
“Did you recognize the woman, Mr. Taylor?”
“No. I’d never seen her before.
“You told me earlier that you’re an artist.”
“I’m an illustrator.”
“As an illustrator, you must be very observant. What can you tell us about the scene?”
“I was too shocked to notice very much. She was a pretty young woman, beautifully dressed. She even had on shoes and stockings.”
“Is there anything else you might be able to tell us?”
“I don’t know anything else to say. It’s just a shame she died so young.”
“That’s true.” She smiled at him. “Thank you for talking with us, Mr. Taylor.”
The announcer back at the station said, “Eve, do you or Mr. Taylor know if there have been any new developments in the case?”
“None that the police are giving out. We did learn that the body was brought into the graveyard, but the police haven’t said how the woman died or if they’ve been able to learn her identity. They did say she appears to be in her mid-twenties, but they’re not positive.”
“Have any of the local people you’ve talked with been able to identify her?”
“Not so far. I interviewed several people near the cemetery, but none of them recalled having seen her before.”
“Mr. Taylor, has anyone you talked with been able to identify the woman?” Ron asked.
He shook his head. “Nobody that I’ve talked with knew her. She’s a stranger to all of us.”
“Thank you, Mr. Taylor. Eve, is there anything else you can tell us?”
“Not at this time, Ron. I’ve seen some officers in plain clothes going in and out of the police station and have heard a rumor that they’ve called in the SBI. But as of yet, that’s still unconfirmed.”
“Thank you for that report, Eve.”
The anchor at the station reappeared on the screen. “Eve will bring us another live report at the eleven o’clock news hour, unless we receive breaking news about the case. If that happens, we’ll bring it to you immediately. Turning to the other top stories of the day, at the capital…”
Gordon stood and turned off the television. He felt guilty for not telling the police who the dead woman was right away, but knew it was too late for him to do anything about it now.
He decided to call Nick again. Maybe Michelle had forgotten to give him the message and Nick would need the information to get the word out about Mindy.
These thoughts brought a chuckle to Gordon’s lips. As a good citizen, he always urged the general public to get involved when they needed information. And here he was, sworn to uphold the law, and he hadn’t become involved himself.
Because I have too much to lose this time. The best I can do is to get a message to Nick, but I can’t call him from this room. I’ve got to go where Tammy won’t hear me.
“Tammy,” he called out. “I’m going to get some ice.”
“Okay. I’ll be ready soon.”
He didn’t answer because he’d already gone out the door.