rented.
“May I ask why you moved out?” Lin smiled sweetly.
For a few seconds, the man looked like he wouldn’t answer, but then he said, “It didn’t suit my needs.”
Lin wondered what that meant and what needs of Jonas’s the house didn’t meet. She decided that if she inquired about it then their meeting would probably come to an end so she kept the question to herself.
“You have a lot of questions about the farmhouse.” Jonas’s tone was almost accusatory.
A flash of annoyance shot through Lin’s chest. She straightened in her seat, her expression serious. “I found a human bone in that yard. I held someone’s bone in my hand. I think it only natural to have some curiosity and some questions about how it got there. Whose bone is it? Was foul play involved? Where are the rest of the person’s bones?” Lin swallowed. “I think anyone who found a piece of a human being would wonder such things. Any compassionate person, anyway.”
“Yes, well….” Jonas pushed some things around his desk top.
“While you were renting the farmhouse, did you ever see anything suspicious in the backyard? Someone trespassing? Anything that seemed odd?”
Jonas leveled his eyes at Lin and he blinked several times, his lids slow and heavy. “Why don’t you ask the neighbor? Why don’t you ask Lloyd Sawyer what he was doing in the yard one night?”
“Lloyd was in the yard?” Lin asked, and then remembered that Olive had told her that Lloyd went over to the farmhouse one night when he thought someone was prowling around back there. “Did Lloyd suspect someone was trespassing?”
“You’ll have to ask him.” Jonas checked his watch. He stood up. “I’m expecting another client now.”
Lin got up from her chair. As she was walking to the door, she stopped and turned back. She wanted to see Jonas’s reaction to her final question. “Olive mentioned that she thought she saw you one night behind the farmhouse. One night after you’d moved out.”
“It may be that Olive has some trouble with her vision.” Jonas’s face hardened. “It had to be someone else, because it wasn’t me. Perhaps her husband paid another visit to the rear yard after I moved out.”
“Maybe so.” Lin gave a quick nod and a forced smile. “Thank you for your time.”
Lin showed herself out and hurried down the staircase to the first floor. Outside on the sidewalk, in the fresh air with people bustling around, she breathed a sigh of relief to be away from that man.
16
“ W hat did the police say when you reported what we saw at the cemetery?” Viv carried a plate with sliced mozzarella, crackers, olives, and cherry tomatoes to the deck.
“They wrote down my concerns and thanked me. That was it.” Lin had stopped at the police station to talk to them about seeing the man enter the mausoleum and finding the broken lock which then had been replaced the next morning. She placed small plates for the appetizers onto the deck table.
“They weren’t suspicious about why we were at the cemetery so late at night?”
“The officer didn’t bring that up.” Lin slipped napkins under the plates. “They must hear all kinds of nutty stories.”
“You think the officer was doubtful about what we saw?”
“He probably wonders how in the world the lock could have been replaced so fast.” Lin heard her front door open and Jeff call hello. “Which is what I wonder, too.”
“At least you reported it.” Viv scratched Queenie’s cheek. The cat sat in one of Lin’s deck chairs enjoying the sun. “Maybe the investigating officer will take it seriously.”
Jeff came out to the deck carrying a bottle of homemade sangria and a six-pack of craft beer. He kissed Lin and greeted Viv, Nicky, and Queenie. Lin brought out glasses and they sampled the tasty sangria.
“Where’s John?” Viv looked worried. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, John burst into the house and practically raced to the deck to join the others. He
“May I ask why you moved out?” Lin smiled sweetly.
For a few seconds, the man looked like he wouldn’t answer, but then he said, “It didn’t suit my needs.”
Lin wondered what that meant and what needs of Jonas’s the house didn’t meet. She decided that if she inquired about it then their meeting would probably come to an end so she kept the question to herself.
“You have a lot of questions about the farmhouse.” Jonas’s tone was almost accusatory.
A flash of annoyance shot through Lin’s chest. She straightened in her seat, her expression serious. “I found a human bone in that yard. I held someone’s bone in my hand. I think it only natural to have some curiosity and some questions about how it got there. Whose bone is it? Was foul play involved? Where are the rest of the person’s bones?” Lin swallowed. “I think anyone who found a piece of a human being would wonder such things. Any compassionate person, anyway.”
“Yes, well….” Jonas pushed some things around his desk top.
“While you were renting the farmhouse, did you ever see anything suspicious in the backyard? Someone trespassing? Anything that seemed odd?”
Jonas leveled his eyes at Lin and he blinked several times, his lids slow and heavy. “Why don’t you ask the neighbor? Why don’t you ask Lloyd Sawyer what he was doing in the yard one night?”
“Lloyd was in the yard?” Lin asked, and then remembered that Olive had told her that Lloyd went over to the farmhouse one night when he thought someone was prowling around back there. “Did Lloyd suspect someone was trespassing?”
“You’ll have to ask him.” Jonas checked his watch. He stood up. “I’m expecting another client now.”
Lin got up from her chair. As she was walking to the door, she stopped and turned back. She wanted to see Jonas’s reaction to her final question. “Olive mentioned that she thought she saw you one night behind the farmhouse. One night after you’d moved out.”
“It may be that Olive has some trouble with her vision.” Jonas’s face hardened. “It had to be someone else, because it wasn’t me. Perhaps her husband paid another visit to the rear yard after I moved out.”
“Maybe so.” Lin gave a quick nod and a forced smile. “Thank you for your time.”
Lin showed herself out and hurried down the staircase to the first floor. Outside on the sidewalk, in the fresh air with people bustling around, she breathed a sigh of relief to be away from that man.
16
“ W hat did the police say when you reported what we saw at the cemetery?” Viv carried a plate with sliced mozzarella, crackers, olives, and cherry tomatoes to the deck.
“They wrote down my concerns and thanked me. That was it.” Lin had stopped at the police station to talk to them about seeing the man enter the mausoleum and finding the broken lock which then had been replaced the next morning. She placed small plates for the appetizers onto the deck table.
“They weren’t suspicious about why we were at the cemetery so late at night?”
“The officer didn’t bring that up.” Lin slipped napkins under the plates. “They must hear all kinds of nutty stories.”
“You think the officer was doubtful about what we saw?”
“He probably wonders how in the world the lock could have been replaced so fast.” Lin heard her front door open and Jeff call hello. “Which is what I wonder, too.”
“At least you reported it.” Viv scratched Queenie’s cheek. The cat sat in one of Lin’s deck chairs enjoying the sun. “Maybe the investigating officer will take it seriously.”
Jeff came out to the deck carrying a bottle of homemade sangria and a six-pack of craft beer. He kissed Lin and greeted Viv, Nicky, and Queenie. Lin brought out glasses and they sampled the tasty sangria.
“Where’s John?” Viv looked worried. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, John burst into the house and practically raced to the deck to join the others. He
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