With his arms crossed in front of his chest and his shoulders squared, Deputy Hickman looked like a brigadier general about to launch a military campaign.
I winced and looked behind me at the bushy woods. “To be honest, I didn’t really think there would be a dead body but I had to find out for myself.”
Grizzly Gary didn’t move a muscle. “You’ve lost me. Perhaps you should begin with the simple five Ws. As a screenwriter, I’m sure you’re familiar with them.”
I sighed. “Fine. Here goes. Who—Eli Speltmore, the son of our wine trail president, and his little buddy Stuart. What—They thought they saw a dead body in the woods. When—Earlier today. Where—I already said. The woods across from Lake View Winery. Why—The boys are only eleven or twelve and shouldn’t have been there so they were too scared to tell their parents. Oh, and How. The five Ws also include an H.”
“All right. An H. How did you come about to assist Eli Speltmore? He’s not exactly in your circle of friends and acquaintances.”
I gave Deputy Hickman the complete history about Eli and his tagging. Then I filled in the blanks about the body. “So you see,” I said, “I couldn’t very well call your office and tell you there was a dead body somewhere in the woods without actually having seen it for myself. And I wasn’t going to go alone.”
The deputy looked at Theo before turning to face his assistant. “Get this all down, Clarence.”
“The body is fairly deep in those woods. Theo and I used the center footpath but all the footpaths merge so it really doesn’t matter. It’s a male. Forties or fifties. Maybe a hit-and-run. The bruising would support that. And Theo thinks the body might have been dragged from the road because—”
“Enough, Miss Ellington. I’ve summoned a forensic team and they should be here any minute. They will make a preliminary determination. Now, will you please show us the way?”
I motioned for Theo to go first and followed right behind. Deputy Hickman was on my heels and that poor assistant deputy was, well, pulling up the rear. And not figuratively.
The activity from the flies seemed to have intensified in the past half hour, making it easier to spot the body this time.
“That’s it,” I said. “With the flies swarming around. That means the body hasn’t been here all that long. I mean, it’s not as if the flies had time to lay their eggs and have their larvae start eating the flesh.”
“Did you want me to get that down on paper as well, Deputy Hickman?” the younger deputy asked.
“No!” With that he took a step closer to me. “Please reserve your speculation for your screenplays. Time of death will be determined by the coroner. Now, I suggest you and Mr. Buchman wait over there by that mound of rocks until the forensic team arrives. And whatever you do, Miss Ellington, do not share this information with anyone. Understood?”
“Uh, I already told Catherine Trobert since this is her property.”
“Dear God, no! Not Mrs. Trobert. She’s probably on the phone now calling all of the other women in that winery klatch of yours.”
Deputy Hickman then leaned over the body and began to hum. Theo and I didn’t say a word as we waited for the forensic crew to arrive. It was only a few minutes but it seemed like an eternity.
A series of crunching noises and shuffling followed by someone shouting, “You over there, Gary?” left no doubt the lab guys had made their way into the woods.
Then Deputy Hickman’s voice, “Ten yards ahead and watch out for the thorny bushes.”
I caught the movement in the woods before I actually saw two men approach, but the second I did, I gulped. One of them was Eugene, a lab tech I apparently unnerved during a prior investigation. I gave him a slight wave and he recoiled. If I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn his pale complexion turned even whiter.
Eugene’s response didn’t escape Grizzly Gary, who motioned him closer. “Miss Ellington discovered the body. You and Treyton can get started. By the way, when’s the coroner getting here?”
“He’s on his way now,” Treyton replied, running a hand through his wavy auburn hair. With his stocky build and broad shoulders, the tech looked more like a bodybuilder than a forensic lab technician.
Theo and I stood off to the side while the men approached the body. They were two or three feet away when I called out, “You may want to get a forensic entomologist over here to determine the exact time of death.”
I had barely finished my sentence when I heard, “Miss Ellington, please! Do not interfere with a criminal investigation. Our forensic team, in conjunction with the coroner, are capable enough to make a preliminary determination. In fact, I see no reason whatsoever for you or Mr. Buchman to remain on scene. You’re free to go about your business. If I need to contact either of you, I will.”
“Good idea,” Theo said. “Come on, Norrie.”
Still fixated on the body, I stood perfectly still as Treyton took a few cell phone photos of the body.
“Okay, guess we can go.”
Just then, he and Eugene rolled the man on his side and I got a good look at the entire corpse. “Check out the polo shirt,” I whispered to Theo. “It’s got the Lake View Winery logo on it. You don’t suppose it’s someone who works there?”
“Your chitchat will disturb the forensic team,” Deputy Hickman announced as he moved closer to inspect the body. “You need to leave this area immediately.”
“We’re on our way,” I said.
Theo and I were about twenty yards away and nearing the end of the footpath when I thought of something. “Hold on, I’ve got to go back. It’s important.”
“Don’t push your luck, Norrie. We don’t need to ask for trouble. They’ve got it under control.”
“I’m thinking of Eli. That kid’s going to be totally freaked out if the sheriff’s office sends a deputy over there. And believe me, they will. Then Henry Speltmore will pitch a fit because I didn’t inform him of his son’s escapade. That’s all I need. Aggravation from the wine trail.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Plead with Grizzly Gary to leave the kid alone. I mean, what’s Eli going to tell him that he doesn’t already know? Besides, those boys didn’t get close enough to see the body, they saw the protruding leg from a distance and bolted out of there. Come on. This should only take a second.”
I didn’t wait for Theo’s response. I turned and tromped back to where the four men were standing and planted myself directly in front of Deputy Hickman. “Um, there’s no reason for you to pay a visit to Eli Speltmore. Or his friend Stuart, for that matter. They’re little kids and they’ll be up to their eyeballs in trouble with their parents if their parents find out they were in the woods over here. Can you leave well enough alone?”
It was the first time I’d seen anyone rub their chin and shake their head simultaneously but Deputy Hickman did. “No, I most certainly cannot. To begin with, it’s protocol. Something that cannot be ignored or dismissed, for that matter.”
“That’s it? Protocol?”
“That, and the fact Eli Speltmore and his friend are the only ones who can corroborate your story.”
“What? You don’t think I had anything to do with this?”
“I don’t think anything at the moment, Miss Ellington. I’m merely fact-finding. That’s what our office does in criminal investigations. Now, if you don’t mind, I believe that’s the coroner approaching.”
Sure enough, a large man with a buzz cut and official county jacket headed toward us.
“Uh, guess I’ll be on my way.”
“That, Miss Ellington, is the first good guess you’ve made today.”
Tempted as I was to offer up a retort, I bit my tongue and hurried back to where Theo stood.
“Forget it. Poor Eli’s going to be toast before the day’s out. I’m not sure if he’d be better off having me call over there or wait and see.”
Theo scrunched his nose and sighed. “It’s been my experience that whoever gets there first wins.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. The first person to report something always gets the sympathetic ear. The next one winds up on the defensive. Call them.”
“You’re probably right. Meanwhile, I’ve got another call to make—Catherine. I want to find out if any of her employees haven’t shown up for work. That man could be on her staff.”
“She’s right across the road.”
“I know, but I’d rather not get caught up in anything over there.”
“Yeah, come to think of it.”
I waited until Theo and I got in the car and then phoned Catherine. It took a good two or three minutes before someone got her on the line, and when she finally spoke, she sounded flustered and frantic. And loud. So loud Theo heard her. “Please tell me you were mistaken and it was only a branch. A big gnarly branch.”
“Uh, it was more of a thin, dark-haired man,” I said.
“Oh my God! I already called Steven and he said not to overreact. I’m calling him right back. Tell me, Norrie, was the man shot? Knifed? What? I need to tell Steven.”
“Maybe don’t tell him anything yet. Deputy Hickman or one of the assistant deputies plans on seeing you. I wanted to give you the heads-up.”
“I don’t know what I can tell them. I haven’t been in that wooded area in years.”
“Uh, you said there was a fender bender the other day. What other day?”
“Oh, goodness. There’s a dead man across the road from me. I can’t be concerned about a silly old fender bender.”
“The body looked as if it had been hit by a car and dragged into the woods. Keep that to yourself. I’m in enough you-know-what with Deputy Hickman. Tell me, when was that accident?”
“The day before yesterday. In the afternoon.”
Holy smokes! Maybe it’s not a fender bender after all. The blowfly lays its eggs two days after death. Too soon for maggots.
“Catherine, did all of your employees show up for work today?”
“You don’t think— Oh, dear. I can safely say all of the tasting room employees are here and I spoke with my winemaker and my vineyard manager this morning. Of course, I have no idea if any of their staff didn’t show up. What makes you think it could be one of our employees?”
“The deceased was wearing a blue polo shirt with the Lake View Winery logo on it. Hard to miss. Then again, all of our wineries sell products with our logos.”
“Don’t try to cheer me up. I’m calling my winemaker and my vineyard manager. And Steven. I don’t care how busy he is in Maine. His mother is sitting across the road from a rotting corpse.”