Chapter Fourteen

Sheriff Karen Burke answered her cell phone with a sharp “Hello.” She listened to Nate’s explanation.

“Okay. I’ll call the water rescue team and escort them to the site. Since we don’t know what we’ve got on our hands, I might be there for hours. If these are really remains and not someone’s idea of a joke, we can have the mortuary take the body to the State Capital. Don’t let anyone mess with the skeleton. And stay there until I arrive.”

“What about these people from the hayride?”

“Oh crap. I forgot. Get Jack to help keep them out of trouble. I won’t wait for water rescue. I’ll be there ASAP.”

****

Nate turned to Emily and repeated what Karen said. She nodded and found Jack organizing the people for a tour of the maple syrup cooking site. A crime scene wasn’t the best place for them.

Leaning against a tree, Emily stroked the blue paperweight. She had no doubt they had found the remains of Bertha’s fiancé. Maybe she was being foolish. Many people had disappeared into the forest over the years. Hikers were lost every year on the Appalachian Trail.

Her husband put his arm around the still shaking woman who’d found the body. Another woman found a thermos of hot tea and poured her a cup. Liz wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.

Nate was pale. Dealing with death was a shock to him, to most anyone. Emily’s first time still gave her nightmares. Now it was part of the job. He leaned against the tree beside her and held the cast on his broken arm tightly. She got him a bottle of water and urged him to sit on a log.

“Do you think it’s him?” he asked quietly.

“I’m not going to guess. They’ll have the State Police do whatever they do.”

“I can’t picture anything except those crime stories on television. I don’t know how accurate they are.” He sighed and rubbed his temples.

“He’d have been there all these years.”

“She searched for him.”

“And couldn’t stay without him.”

Chief Burke arrived minutes before heavy engines announced the arrival of the water rescue unit. This time the divers weren’t laughing, and looked grim while they prepared their equipment. A state police department diver joined them to check the existing scene and take photographs. No one ventured a guess if this was recent or old, an accident or a murder.

Emily shivered. She’d hoped to leave this type of problem behind for a few days. She stared at the milling crowd.

Two deputies kept an eye on the crew, while Karen offered help where needed. After a few minutes she approached Nate.

“I want you to take these people away. There’s too much confusion and the kids don’t need to see them remove the body,” she ordered. “This is one of those times I wish it was an early Halloween joke.”

Nate nodded and straightened.

Emily put her hand on his shoulder. “He should stay here. If I’d realized how rough the road would be, Liz wouldn’t have organized it today. His arm is hurting him.”

Karen’s gaze shifted from Emily’s hand to her face. “We can drive him back in a cruiser.” She called one of her deputies on the radio.

Both resumed seats on the log. “Are you going to postpone the opening?” Emily asked.

Nate stared at her for a long moment. “Why?”

She threw her hands into the air. “I don’t know. ’Cause maybe it was her lover. Or someone.” Tears filled her eyes. He patted her arm. She sniffed loudly. “I’m being silly. I hate not knowing.”

He rubbed her back. “We won’t know for a long time. You’re right about tv shows. They know right away, we might not for months.”

“If it is him, will you bury him here?”

“If he has no family, we will. Bertha loved him until the day she died.”

Emily’s tension drained. Nate would do the right thing. So would she. She needed to see what was happening. Check on any details the police found. She bit her lip, wiped her damp cheeks dry, and stepped away from Nate.

He held her hand. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. This was a shock. Too much like what happens in the city.” She managed a crooked smile and tugged him toward the quarry’s edge. “I want to know what’s going on.”

“I need to tell Jack to get these people out of here,” Nate muttered. He spotted Jack and Liz near the wagon keeping the kids corralled and away from the police. “I’ll find you after.”

Emily eased through the talking, circling officers unnoticed. The civilians quickly returned to the wagon. Parents counted children, and Jack went over the horses’ harnesses before climbing onto the bench. Liz talked to Sara and John, her hands on their shoulders.

The divers ignored her approach. Several of them lowered a stretcher to the water and the ones below moved the bagged remains onto it. The photographer snapped pictures while they worked to keep a detailed record. She leaned forward and frowned. Where the body lay the water had been lowered to a couple feet. She wondered if the level had been low when the victim died. She could research when the pond went dry.

Forensics would reveal the facts. She rubbed her temple. Taking a few pictures might help her later. Her cell phone was clear enough. She kept out of the way and no one noticed her recording everything. After being lifted to the grass, the stretcher waited for the local funeral home to transport the body to Rutland.

Tomorrow she could use her credentials to get information. If she wanted to know more. When a small item dropped to the ground, she pointed it out to the deputy. He lifted a set of dog tags. They dangled in the light and she took a quick shot before he bagged them.

The need to know built like a volcano waiting to explode. The information on the small items could solve her mystery.

Nate joined her, avoiding the divers and police. “Karen is sending the deputies back. We should leave.”

“I’m ready,” she muttered. “More than ready.”

Emily helped Nate into the cruiser’s front seat. He groaned when he straightened. She scrambled into the back. It felt strange to be on the inside of the wire. The sheriff must have given the deputy orders to drive slowly. He barely crept along the road.

Running the discovery through her mind didn’t make it any clearer. She didn’t have more time to search for important papers. Taking the letters she’d found felt wrong, but Nate had given her permission. Returning them after she’d read them would ease her conscience. She hoped.

The cruiser stopped behind the inn. Jack had tied the horses close to the tall grass to let them graze. The wagon and harnesses were outside the barn door.

Emily couldn’t believe there were people lingering on the deck and in the gazebo. Liz passed pitchers of iced tea and lemonade. Jared worked a temporary bar, charging those who wanted hard liquor. A couple of teens splashed in the pond. Jenny screamed and ducked her closest friend. The dogs barked, chased balls, and demanded petting from everyone. Sara sat in the solarium with Hercules on her lap, and John followed Jack like a shadow.

Everyone from the hayride remained, along with neighbors. She wondered if Nate realized his place had become a neighborhood gathering place.

Nate straightened. “We need food,” he stated.

Grabbing his good arm, Liz pulled him to a halt. “No, we don’t. If you bring out food they’ll never go home and you need to rest. I think they were waiting for you to get home to hear any news.”

“Then they’ll be disappointed,” he replied, then hesitated. “Are you sure about the food? It doesn’t feel right.”

“I’m sure. Get over there and tell them to go home. No news.”