and along came SPIDER ( A Martina Spalding Thriller ) (Spider Series Book 1) by J.R. WRIGHT Page A

bringing
witnesses,” Dunbar said, with half a smile on his face.  “Turn around, ladies.”
    “May I remind you, we
are both nurses, Lieutenant,” Marti said.  “I don’t believe there’s much in the
way of naked bodies we haven’t seen a good number of times.  Who are we about
to view, by the way?”
    “I’m hoping you’ll tell
me that, Miss Spalding.  Open it up, Harley.”
    Harley marched to a
cooler door, one of many along the wall, and swung it open wide.  Then with
both feet planted firmly, he tugged at the heavy tray until it began moving,
then eased up as it rolled more freely out into the room.
    “Okay, ladies, you can
move up.”
    Gloria took one glance
from afar, then abruptly turned away.  She was a nurse alright, but was never
comfortable around dead people.  That’s why she had snapped up the receptionist
job at Spencer House when it was offered to her a few years ago.  Marti,
however, boldly walked up to the bloated body and studied it close up.  She
wanted to be sure this was the man who had knifed Parker McLean, as it, at
first glance, appeared to be.  Other than a wash up, it was certain to her
nothing had been done to the body.  Not only were the eyes open, the mouth
gaped as well.  The huge man was in his late forties, partially bald, light
brown hair, about six feet.  Everything added up, but there was still one thing
she wanted to confirm.  She turned to Detective Dunbar and saw him glued to her
face, looking for any signs of recognition, no doubt.
    “Is this the man that
put a shiv in your friend, Miss Spalding?”
    “What killed him?”
Marti asked.
    “Three small caliber
bullets to the back of the head.  They’re not visible from here.  Most likely a
twenty-two was used.  They’re in him yet.  I wanted you to see the body before
we did the autopsy,” Dunbar said, stepping forward for a better look himself. 
“Some of that bloating is from the river.”
    “He was in the river?” 
That sounded familiar to her.  Raym Koffee’s first wife’s body was fished from
the river, she knew.  Susannah.  She had also been killed by a gunshot to the
head, according to the newspaper articles.
    “Yep.  He was spotted
by a fisherman at daybreak.  Apparently, he was dumped off a bridge into
shallow water.”
    “How many people would
it take to hoist a man of his size over a bridge railing, Mister Dunbar?” Marti
asked as she nodded toward the corpse.
    “Two, maybe three.” 
Dunbar looked at her strangely.  “Are you suggesting it didn’t happen that
way?  Miss Spalding, do you know something you’re not telling me?”
    “My thoughts were, he
was either marched to the railing and shot there… or maybe he was shot in a
small boat and pushed overboard.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    “Because I think one
man did this.  And he’s not a big man, either.”
    “Okay, Miss Spalding.” 
Dunbar’s voice became gruff.  “Either you’re some kind of kook… or you think
you know something.  Which is it?”
    “At this point,
neither… for sure.”
    “Will you at least tell
me this is the man that knifed your friend?”
    “I’m not completely
sure of that, either.  I can’t see from here — the legs are tight
together.  But if Harley, there, can confirm bruising in the groin area, or
perhaps a swelling of the testicles, then most likely this is him.”
    “Like blue coconuts,”
Harley said from the where he worked at cleaning the sink.  “I was wondering
what may have caused that.”
    “Miss Spalding here put
one of her cow pie kickers into our perpetrator’s jewel chest, Mister Harley. 
That’s what happened.”  Dunbar chuckled.  “Now, what we need to find out is who
killed him.  And I have a notion Miss Spalding is going to help us out with
that, as well.  Am I right?”  He glared at Martina.
    “You may start by
looking for a late model Lincoln Continental, dark blue or black.”  Marti
tossed that out, hoping not to have to get