Goody Goody Gunshots by SAMMI CARTER Page A

down the hill I’d just climbed.
    Even from a distance, I could see something mounded there, and another warning bell went off in the back of my head. I told myself not to jump to conclusions, but I had the sick feeling that either Max had discovered a hundred-pound bag of kibble, or there was something in that hedge I didn’t want to see.
    My breath was coming easier now, so I tried calling him again. “Max? Come here, boy.” I kept my voice light, hoping I could lure him away, but he didn’t even lift his head.
    “Max! Come.”
    He burrowed a little deeper into the hedge, still not interested in anything I had to say.
    “Max!”
    “Abby?” A man’s voice came out of the darkness behind me.
    My heart shot into my throat, and I whipped around on the balls of my feet, prepared to kick the living shit out of whoever it was. Marshall Ames materialized out of the shadows, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
    I’d known Marshall since we were kids in school. We hadn’t been friends as kids—he’d been part of one group; I’d been part of another—but we’d become a little better acquainted since I’d returned to Paradise, and he was a familiar, friendly face when I needed one most.
    He strode toward me, lamplight gleaming off his blond hair and reflecting off the lenses of his glasses. “Is everything okay?”
    I shook my head uncertainly. “I’m not sure.”
    “Looks like Max has found something to interest him. Want me to get him for you?” He started forward without waiting for an answer.
    I let him take a couple of steps, then reached out and snagged his arm. “No, wait. Don’t—”
    “Hey, it’s okay. Max likes me, don’t you boy?”
    “It’s not that,” I said, suddenly aware that a couple of people had paused in the act of getting into their cars to watch us. I dropped my voice and moved closer so they couldn’t overhear. “I think there may be something wrong.”
    “What do you mean, wrong?”
    “I mean—” I cut myself off. I had nothing but gut instinct to go on, and not even much of that. And what if my gut instinct was wrong? I’d look like a fool. I shook my head and backed a step away. “I mean he looks pretty intense. Maybe you should let me go up there.”
    Marshall grinned and shook his head. “What are you talking about? He’s fine, Abby. Look, he’s even wagging his tail. Just stay there, and I’ll bring him back to you, okay?”
    I nodded and bit back the rest of my protests. Even if my instincts were right, there was no law that said I had to find the body. Marshall was a big boy. He’d survive the shock.
    He crossed what remained of the parking lot and reached for Max’s collar. Max looked up at him, his little dog face beaming with pride. Even as Marshall hunkered down beside him, I told myself that I was wrong. Marshall prodded the mound gently, and I told myself that my imagination was working overtime.
    But in the next instant Marshall jerked backward, one hand over his mouth. He shot to his feet and tugged Max insistently away from the pile of rags in the hedge. I had to admire his composure. He didn’t say a word until he’d closed the distance between us. Then, in a very low voice only I could hear, he said exactly what I’d been expecting.
    “We need to call the police, Abby. There’s a dead body over there.”

Chapter 14
    It took the police a couple of hours to clear the scene and transport the body to the closest hospital. I phoned Karen to let her know that I wouldn’t be back for a while, and why. She asked a million questions, none of which I had answers to. When she finally gave up asking, I hung out with Marshall and waited for the police to take our statements.
    A small crowd of curious onlookers gathered along the sidewalk, and several inquisitive drivers pulled into the parking lot, hoping to figure out what the police were doing there. Red and blue lights bounced off the brick walls of the drugstore, casting eerie shadows all around us.