Part 13 (1/2)
It bothered her that she'd looked.
CHAPTER.
19.
There were three police cars out front. In the Bakerhaven police force, that const.i.tuted a quorum.
Officer Sam Brogan was stringing up crime scene ribbon with studied indifference. The cranky officer stroked his mustache, popped his gum.
”What have we got here, Sam?”
”We've got a murder in the middle of the night. Some people have no consideration.”
”Don't take it personally.”
”Oh, no? Were you happy getting the phone call?”
”Where's Dan?”
”Upstairs with the chief. We're still waiting on the doc.”
The flas.h.i.+ng lights of an ambulance came up the road. That wouldn't be the medical examiner, just an EMS team. They'd have to wait on the doctor as well.
Cora ducked under the crime scene ribbon.
”Sure, sure, just barge right in like I wasn't here,” Sam said.
”The chief called me.”
”Just bustin' your chops. Go on up.”
”Where is it?”
”In the bedroom.”
Cora went upstairs, looked in.
Randolph was in bed. It didn't take a medical examiner to tell he wasn't sleeping. He was lying diagonally with his feet on the pillow and his head at the foot of the bed. His eyes were wide open, staring. Blood drained from a wound in his temple.
Dan Finley was snapping pictures of the body from every conceivable angle. He waved hi and went on with his work.
Chief Harper came in from the bathroom. He'd just splashed water on his face, was wiping it with a towel. He grinned. ”Well, you didn't waste any time.”
”You called me.”
”I didn't ask you to come here.”
”You thought I wouldn't?”
”I knew you would. That's why I didn't ask you.”
”Huh?”
”If I asked you down here, you'd figure I had a puzzle I wanted you to solve, and you wouldn't want to do it. If I didn't ask you down here, you'd figure I didn't, and you'd want to. So I didn't and you did. You even beat the doc.”
”It's three in the morning. I'm not sure what you just said. What have we got here?”
”Like I said on the phone. Gunshot wound to the head.”
”And you know it wasn't self-inflicted because...?”
”No gun. Kind of a dead giveaway. Suicides rarely dispose of the gun.”
”You're making jokes, Chief?”
”Just antic.i.p.ating yours. Someone shot him. I have no idea why. Or who. Or when. The only thing I know is where. Unless you think the body was dumped here.”
Cora peered at the body. ”From the amount of blood on the bed I would say you could rule that out. So you have no idea when.”
”The body's cold. The beginning of rigor. The medical examiner can pin it down, but he's been dead a while.”
”How's the body get found at three in the morning?”
”Actually, it was found at two. Neighbor got up to go to the bathroom. Saw the lights were on and the car in the driveway. David Harstein. Nosy old coot. Has a reputation for b.u.t.ting into other people's business. Knew Randolph wouldn't be up at that hour. Figured something was wrong.”
”And?”
”Called the cops.”
”And?”
Harper made a face. ”Sam was on duty. By the time he got through bawling David out for waking him up on a d.a.m.n fool errand-”
”Sam wasn't asleep,” Dan put in. ”He was wide awake, ever vigilant.”
”Right. Anyway, Sam took a ride over, found the front door open, went in.”
”The neighbor a suspect?”
”I can't imagine. I suppose stranger things have happened.”
”Why the h.e.l.l would anyone want to kill the banker?”
”He testified against you yesterday, didn't he.”