Krewe of Hunters 2 Heart of Evil by Heather Graham Page B

his eyes filled with worry.
    â€œAshley? Ashley, why are you standing here like this? What the hell has happened?”
    She stared back at him, suddenly more assured, and she was even angry again, furious. Someone had killed Charles Osgood. He could be petulant; he could be whiney; but he was a good man who, to the best of her knowledge, had never hurt anyone.
    She felt all sense of trembling and shaking fade away completely. Yes, Jake had done that for her.
    â€œCharles Osgood is dead. I just found him in the cemetery,” Ashley said. “The police are on their way.”
    As she spoke, she saw that people were beginning to emerge from the far stables, where the rental rooms were.
    â€œCliff, I’m going to get my grandfather. Please make sure no one wanders into the cemetery,” she said.
    She turned toward the house, noticing Beth and her grandfather had come out to the riverside porch together and looked as confused as anyone else. She broke into a run, crossing the distance from the graveyard to the steps.
    â€œAshley!”
    Frazier reached out, and she ran straight into hisarms. “I’m all right, Grampa, I’m all right. But I found Charles Osgood. He’s…dead.”
    Frazier drew away from her, staring into her eyes. Beth let out a soft gasp but said nothing.
    Ashley continued, “I thought I heard something in the cemetery.”
    â€œYou heard something in a cemetery—and you hurried into it to find out what was going on? Lord, girl!” Beth said.
    â€œI’ve lived my whole life with the family cemetery in full view from my window, Beth,” Ashley reminded her. “And Jake’s here,” she added quickly.
    â€œJake’s here?” Frazier said, and it seemed to make everything better.
    â€œYes, yes, Jake’s here,” she said, nodding. It might be best to let them think that Jake had been in the cemetery with her from the beginning.
    Two police cars pulled into the front. The driver of the first seemed to hesitate a minute, but then he pulled straight on down by the side of the house, slowly passing the onlookers who had gathered outside. The second car came to a halt by the first. Ashley quickly ran down the steps from the porch to meet the officer who exited the first car. It was Drew Montague, who had been on call when she had reported Charles Osgood as missing.
    â€œWell, Ashley, what’s going on?” Drew Montague asked her. Behind him a uniformed man got out of the car.
    â€œI found Charles Osgood. He’s in the cemetery.Someone bayoneted him and hung him on the family tomb,” she said. She spoke to Drew but kept glancing at the other man who had approached them.
    â€œI’m Detective Mack Colby, Miss Donegal, with the parish sheriff’s office,” he explained. He was so pleasantly nondescript, she wondered whether that was part of his act. “Can you take me to the body and explain, please, how you happened to discover it?”
    â€œI woke up after I’d gone to bed. I thought I saw lights out there, and I went to investigate,” she said.
    â€œYou ran into a cemetery in the middle of the night when you thought that someone might be out there?” Mack asked politely. He and Drew exchanged a glance. There was suspicion in his tone, despite the even level.
    She let out an exasperated sigh. “I have lived here forever. My dead ancestors are in that cemetery. I’m not afraid of it!” she said. “The worst we’ve ever found before has been potheads and frat boys. I am not afraid of my own property,” she said indignantly.
    â€œLooks like you should be,” Drew Montague murmured.
    â€œMontague,” Mack Colby said, “can you keep people away from the gates? The forensic crew will be here shortly. Miss Donegal, please take me to the body. Did you touch him? Are you quite certain he’s dead?”
    â€œHe’s dead. And, no, I didn’t touch