whoosh as the wind picked up and blew snow against the parked cars, nothing else was happening out here in the parking lot.
“Appendectomy,” Doc said, returning his phone to his pocket. “I’ve got to go. Do you want me to send my paramedics for the body?”
“Yes,” Mike said. “We’ll preserve the crime scene until they get here.”
“I’ll send them just as soon as I get back to the hospital. I don’t want her to freeze before the autopsy.”
Hannah shuddered and it wasn’t from the cold. Even though she knew that Brandi was dead, she’d prefer not to think about her freezing.
“Thanks, Doc,” Mike reached out to clap him on the shoulder. “You’re not parked back here, are you?”
“I double-parked in front. I figured that if I had to get out, it would be a medical emergency. And it is. Gonna give me a ticket?”
“No way,” Mike said, deferring to the Winnetka County coroner. “You’ve got a county exempt placard on your dash. That entitles you to park wherever you want.”
“But I don’t park illegally unless I really need to. That would be misusing the power of the office. I take it you want me to keep mum about what happened out here?”
“That would be best until I get it sorted out. Do you want me to come with you to make sure your car starts? Hannah can stay here with the body.”
Hannah bit her tongue so she wouldn’t say anything. There was no way she wanted to stay here with the body, but it was pretty clear she didn’t get a vote.
“No, that’s all right. My truck can get through just about anything, and I’ve got my cell phone if I run into trouble. Earl Flensburg’s on call with his tow truck, and he’ll come right out to get me.”
Hannah waited until Doc Knight had left, and then she turned to Mike. “Would you really have made me stay out here with . . . .with her? All by myself?”
“Why not?” Mike asked, clearly puzzled. “You were out here with her before. And you were by yourself.”
“I know, but I didn’t know she was dead then. It’s different when you know they’re dead.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Mike said, but he put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. “Sorry, Hannah. Sometimes I forget you’re not one of the guys.”
The arm around the shoulders was nice, and the squeeze was nice. But forgetting she was a woman wasn’t nice at all. Still, two out of three wasn’t that horrible, and Hannah snuggled a little closer. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“You bet. Could you go back inside and tell Rick Murphy to come out here?”
“Sure.” Hannah shoved her hands in Edna’s parka pockets. The wind was starting to blow harder and her fingers felt numb. “Anything else?”
“Find Lonnie and put him in charge of securing the perimeter, one guard for every outside door. No one leaves, not without running it past me.”
“Got it,” Hannah said, resisting the urge to salute.
“Actually . . .nobody should leave anyway.”
“Why not?”
“The wind’s picking up. This could turn into a real blizzard and it’s just not safe. Some of these folks have a long ways to go on country roads.”
“You’re right,” Hannah said. Strong winds whipping up snow from flat stretches of landscape could make the roads impassible in the space of a few minutes. The snow could swirl so fiercely, a driver could lose sight of the road. Sense of direction was the next thing to go, and that was when people ended up in the ditch. “I’ll tell Lonnie not to let anyone leave. Anything else?”
“I want only the essential people to know that Brandi’s dead. If the killer doesn’t know that her body’s been found, he may do or say something to give himself away.”
“You mean . . .you really think the killer’s still here, sitting around waiting for dessert?!”
“I’m almost positive he is.”
“But how do you know he wasn’t parked in front? He could have waltzed back inside, made some
“Appendectomy,” Doc said, returning his phone to his pocket. “I’ve got to go. Do you want me to send my paramedics for the body?”
“Yes,” Mike said. “We’ll preserve the crime scene until they get here.”
“I’ll send them just as soon as I get back to the hospital. I don’t want her to freeze before the autopsy.”
Hannah shuddered and it wasn’t from the cold. Even though she knew that Brandi was dead, she’d prefer not to think about her freezing.
“Thanks, Doc,” Mike reached out to clap him on the shoulder. “You’re not parked back here, are you?”
“I double-parked in front. I figured that if I had to get out, it would be a medical emergency. And it is. Gonna give me a ticket?”
“No way,” Mike said, deferring to the Winnetka County coroner. “You’ve got a county exempt placard on your dash. That entitles you to park wherever you want.”
“But I don’t park illegally unless I really need to. That would be misusing the power of the office. I take it you want me to keep mum about what happened out here?”
“That would be best until I get it sorted out. Do you want me to come with you to make sure your car starts? Hannah can stay here with the body.”
Hannah bit her tongue so she wouldn’t say anything. There was no way she wanted to stay here with the body, but it was pretty clear she didn’t get a vote.
“No, that’s all right. My truck can get through just about anything, and I’ve got my cell phone if I run into trouble. Earl Flensburg’s on call with his tow truck, and he’ll come right out to get me.”
Hannah waited until Doc Knight had left, and then she turned to Mike. “Would you really have made me stay out here with . . . .with her? All by myself?”
“Why not?” Mike asked, clearly puzzled. “You were out here with her before. And you were by yourself.”
“I know, but I didn’t know she was dead then. It’s different when you know they’re dead.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Mike said, but he put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. “Sorry, Hannah. Sometimes I forget you’re not one of the guys.”
The arm around the shoulders was nice, and the squeeze was nice. But forgetting she was a woman wasn’t nice at all. Still, two out of three wasn’t that horrible, and Hannah snuggled a little closer. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“You bet. Could you go back inside and tell Rick Murphy to come out here?”
“Sure.” Hannah shoved her hands in Edna’s parka pockets. The wind was starting to blow harder and her fingers felt numb. “Anything else?”
“Find Lonnie and put him in charge of securing the perimeter, one guard for every outside door. No one leaves, not without running it past me.”
“Got it,” Hannah said, resisting the urge to salute.
“Actually . . .nobody should leave anyway.”
“Why not?”
“The wind’s picking up. This could turn into a real blizzard and it’s just not safe. Some of these folks have a long ways to go on country roads.”
“You’re right,” Hannah said. Strong winds whipping up snow from flat stretches of landscape could make the roads impassible in the space of a few minutes. The snow could swirl so fiercely, a driver could lose sight of the road. Sense of direction was the next thing to go, and that was when people ended up in the ditch. “I’ll tell Lonnie not to let anyone leave. Anything else?”
“I want only the essential people to know that Brandi’s dead. If the killer doesn’t know that her body’s been found, he may do or say something to give himself away.”
“You mean . . .you really think the killer’s still here, sitting around waiting for dessert?!”
“I’m almost positive he is.”
“But how do you know he wasn’t parked in front? He could have waltzed back inside, made some
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