Die Like an Eagle by Donna Andrews Page A

like chain of custody.”
    â€œSo I’ll make my call once you’re parked in front of the house,” the chief said. “And you can be there waiting to keep an eye on them.”
    â€œMight help if you could send Vern along, too,” Horace said. “He’s better at handling those Clay County deputies.” Probably because, in spite of the longstanding tension between inhabitants of the two counties, Vern, like his counterparts in our neighboring jurisdiction, was a good old boy who’d grown up hunting the local woods while Horace, like me, was not originally from around here.
    â€œGood idea,” the chief said.
    Horace waited while the chief called Vern to issue his instructions, then nodded to us and left the trailer.
    â€œI should go, too,” Dad said. “I’m going to see how soon I can arrange the autopsy.”
    He slid out of his end of the banquette, nodded farewell to us, and dashed out of the trailer with a look of happy concentration on his face.
    â€œYou know one thing I like about your dad as a medical examiner?” the chief said. “He’s stopped asking me if I want to watch the autopsy. He’d love it if I did, and he’s quick to call me in if there’s something I really need to see, but he doesn’t badger me about watching. Unlike his predecessor, who seemed to think I was falling down on the job if I wasn’t right there looking over his shoulder every second. Definitely an improvement.”
    He didn’t have to mention the fact that, unlike Dr. Smoot, his predecessor, Dad was not obsessed with vampires and didn’t show up at crime scenes wearing a black velvet cape with a red satin lining and sporting fake fangs. But I knew that was another big factor in his approval of Dad.
    â€œHe hasn’t stopped asking me to the autopsies,” I said. “But that’s because he still hasn’t entirely given up hope that I’ll suddenly change my mind and apply to med school so I can follow in his footsteps.”
    The chief chuckled at that.
    â€œAnd speaking of following in his footsteps, I’m going to see if he can give me a ride.” I slid out of the banquette, stood up, slung my tote over my shoulder, and turned for the door. “If he’s going to the hospital he’ll have to pass by the town square. The still completely unrenovated town square.”
    â€œI can arrange a ride if your father leaves you behind.” The chief closed his notebook and folded his hands on top of it. “Just one more thing—are you at all exaggerating your difficulties in contacting Mr. Brown?”
    â€œNo,” I said. “Randall put me in charge of managing the contract with him about six weeks ago, and last night, when he crashed our party, was the first time I ever saw him or spoke to him.”
    â€œA pity,” the chief said.
    â€œYeah, I’m starting to get a little anxious about whether the town square is going to be usable for the Memorial Day festivities,” I said.
    â€œActually, I meant a pity because I would have liked to have heard your opinions on Mr. Brown and his business practices. In fact, I still would, if you manage to see enough of him to form opinions.”
    â€œWhat exactly do you suspect him of?” I asked.
    The chief pursed his lips and frowned slightly. I could see he was torn. On the one hand, I was a civilian, and he strongly disapproved of amateur interference in his police work. On the other hand, as a member of the town and county government, I wasn’t just any civilian, and I hoped he knew from past experience that I wasn’t like those annoying amateur detectives in the mystery books Dad was so fond of reading. If I found evidence I’d bring it to him, not hide it and try to conduct my own investigation.
    â€œWe’ve received complaints about him,” the chief said finally. “Anonymous complaints, which makes it blasted