scene.”
“You heard her,” Harry said. “Let’s split up and watch the perimeter until the cops show up. Cin, we’re in Palm Beach, which means the Ken dolls. I’m going to call Buslowski. It’s his county.”
“Good thinking. They’re going to fight for jurisdiction, but we need the best on this. That means Buslowski.” I staggered in the direction of the house and tried to turn around any of the curious partygoers. I felt the steadying hands of Sidney behind me. Having him there gave me the confidence to handle the people who arrived. “Sorry, folks, but we need you to go back to the house. No, you can’t leave.” I picked up my radio. “Tom, get someone on the front door or hide the valet keys. Until the police release this scene, no one leaves.”
“Gotcha. How bad?”
“As bad as it gets.”
Sidney rubbed my back. I turned and looked up at him. “I’m going to be here awhile.”
“Wherever you goeth, so shall I,” he said. He put his cell phone light on and shown it towards my feet. “Cin, where are your shoes?”
I had the sinking feeling that this was a portent that things were going to get worse from here. “I think I ran out of them. Don’t bother looking for them. I have another pair in the trunk of the car, not that it’s going to do me any good now.” I wanted to ask where his jacket was. When did he take it off?
My radio buzzed. “Palm Beach police have arrived,” Tom said.
“Send them down,” I said.
“Sheriff’s Department cruiser pulling in,” Tom reported.
“Um, send them down too. We need lights down here.”
“Susan’s got some on the patio.”
“On second thought, wait until the police request them,” I said, thinking about trying to ease Harry and me out of this investigation.
“Cin, she looked like she did that to herself,” Sidney said.
“We need to have an expert tell us. I talked to her forty minutes ago, and she was resolved to get her husband back.”
“Did she threaten you?” he asked, rolling up his sleeves.
“Oh, yes, that makes me a suspect. Do me a favor and stick with me when Buslowski arrives?”
“You don’t have to ask that,” Sidney said. “But why?”
“He’s going to kill me,” I informed him.
“I take it you’ve worked with him before?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m certain my death is imminent.” I stopped talking as two flashlight-bearing men came running down from the house.
It was the Ken dolls. I did my best to explain the situation to Ken and Ken. These handsome Palm Beach cops weren’t exactly inept, but they were hired more for their looks than their experience.
From the patio, a slower, more deliberate light-carrying figure descended, barking orders as he approached. Buslowski had arrived.
Harry walked over and got between me and the investigator. He updated Buslowski on what happened from hearing the screams to his arrival. He nodded, and as he walked by me, he grabbed my arm hard. “Come on,” he growled.
Sidney made a move to come to my aid, but Buslowski shut him down. “You, sir, go up and wait with the others. Thank you, I appreciate your cooperation.”
“Ow, let go,” I said, trying to twist away.
“I hear you’ve been running this like a crime scene.”
“Yes,” I admitted.
“Good. Now, Harry said you were the first one here.”
“No, I was the second one. Mandy Broadhurst found her mother… Um, no. I found Mandy bending over her mother, screaming. I only assumed that she found her.”
“That’s better. What did you do next?”
I told him every little detail. He walked around the crime scene and talked to the patrolmen. I think he was leaving the jurisdiction bartering to his superior. He would collect evidence and run the scene until he was told not to. He still had ahold of my arm.
“Let go, and I promise not to run away,” I said.
“No, I’m holding onto you, so you don’t
“You heard her,” Harry said. “Let’s split up and watch the perimeter until the cops show up. Cin, we’re in Palm Beach, which means the Ken dolls. I’m going to call Buslowski. It’s his county.”
“Good thinking. They’re going to fight for jurisdiction, but we need the best on this. That means Buslowski.” I staggered in the direction of the house and tried to turn around any of the curious partygoers. I felt the steadying hands of Sidney behind me. Having him there gave me the confidence to handle the people who arrived. “Sorry, folks, but we need you to go back to the house. No, you can’t leave.” I picked up my radio. “Tom, get someone on the front door or hide the valet keys. Until the police release this scene, no one leaves.”
“Gotcha. How bad?”
“As bad as it gets.”
Sidney rubbed my back. I turned and looked up at him. “I’m going to be here awhile.”
“Wherever you goeth, so shall I,” he said. He put his cell phone light on and shown it towards my feet. “Cin, where are your shoes?”
I had the sinking feeling that this was a portent that things were going to get worse from here. “I think I ran out of them. Don’t bother looking for them. I have another pair in the trunk of the car, not that it’s going to do me any good now.” I wanted to ask where his jacket was. When did he take it off?
My radio buzzed. “Palm Beach police have arrived,” Tom said.
“Send them down,” I said.
“Sheriff’s Department cruiser pulling in,” Tom reported.
“Um, send them down too. We need lights down here.”
“Susan’s got some on the patio.”
“On second thought, wait until the police request them,” I said, thinking about trying to ease Harry and me out of this investigation.
“Cin, she looked like she did that to herself,” Sidney said.
“We need to have an expert tell us. I talked to her forty minutes ago, and she was resolved to get her husband back.”
“Did she threaten you?” he asked, rolling up his sleeves.
“Oh, yes, that makes me a suspect. Do me a favor and stick with me when Buslowski arrives?”
“You don’t have to ask that,” Sidney said. “But why?”
“He’s going to kill me,” I informed him.
“I take it you’ve worked with him before?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m certain my death is imminent.” I stopped talking as two flashlight-bearing men came running down from the house.
It was the Ken dolls. I did my best to explain the situation to Ken and Ken. These handsome Palm Beach cops weren’t exactly inept, but they were hired more for their looks than their experience.
From the patio, a slower, more deliberate light-carrying figure descended, barking orders as he approached. Buslowski had arrived.
Harry walked over and got between me and the investigator. He updated Buslowski on what happened from hearing the screams to his arrival. He nodded, and as he walked by me, he grabbed my arm hard. “Come on,” he growled.
Sidney made a move to come to my aid, but Buslowski shut him down. “You, sir, go up and wait with the others. Thank you, I appreciate your cooperation.”
“Ow, let go,” I said, trying to twist away.
“I hear you’ve been running this like a crime scene.”
“Yes,” I admitted.
“Good. Now, Harry said you were the first one here.”
“No, I was the second one. Mandy Broadhurst found her mother… Um, no. I found Mandy bending over her mother, screaming. I only assumed that she found her.”
“That’s better. What did you do next?”
I told him every little detail. He walked around the crime scene and talked to the patrolmen. I think he was leaving the jurisdiction bartering to his superior. He would collect evidence and run the scene until he was told not to. He still had ahold of my arm.
“Let go, and I promise not to run away,” I said.
“No, I’m holding onto you, so you don’t
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