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"So what’s the deal here, Sergeant?" I asked Scott "Let et to the body"

He gave me a sad shake of his head "You really are a weenie, aren’t you?"

I grinned "Go with your strengths!"

He lifted his chin toward an officer standing near the head of the trail "I’ll let Gordon give you the rundown He’ll be able to tell you a shitload more than I ever could"

I slid a look toward Officer Tracy Gordon If I didn’t have a rule against dating coworkers--and if my love life wasn’t already way too complicated--I’d have been all over him Tall and dark-skinned, he had a sht ways "He still your trainee?"

"Nope He finished up last week, and I pulled every string I had to get hined toScott on the shoulder "We’ll be stealing hi hi to investigations would be terrible for his career, but I’ave Scott a parting smile and then trotted over to where Tracy Gordon stood at the start of the trail I kneas the start of the trail because there was a deliberately crude sign that said "Start of Trail" I glanced quickly around There were no other trails or paths or anything else that could possibly beto bet that the sign existed because at soe into the woods and then complained that it hadn’t been well e number of stupid people in the world

"You need a better coat," Tracy said with a frown as he held the crioing to freeze your ass off dressed like that"

"Yes, Mom," I replied as I handed the pen back to him and stuffed my hands back into my pockets Who was the stupid one now? "It wasn’t this cold when I left my house," I added petulantly

"Don’t you ever check the weather?" he chided "Cold front h te in south Louisiana meant that snoas a rarity, but in the past few years there’d been a scattering of snow days--more than I’d ever reo we’d had a surprise du of nearly six inches--which had been awesoo out in it St Long Parish didn’t have anything rese a sno, and the best the parish officials had been able to do was spread salt and sand on the bridges and tell everyone to stay off the roads As soardless of the weather, hed my inner six-year-old’s desire to make a snowman "I shouldn’t have to put up with brutally hot summers and snow," I whined

He chuckled A rich sound "It’s not so bad if you actually dress for the weather" To my surprise he pulled off his scarf and draped it around rin before I could speak "I’m from Colorado I won’t freeze like you delicate southern flower types"

I knew I should protest the offer and at least try to give the scarf back to him, but it was lovely and war down the collar of ne was, and I had to resist the very unseemly desire to bury my face in it and take a deep whiff "Thanks," I said instead "I’ll give it back on my way out"

"No hurry So I take it you want the rundown?"

"Please"

He pulled a small notebook from his front pocket and flipped it open

I quickly held up"Just the Cliff Notes version for right now," I said "I want to get through this before hypotherh About a hundred yards down the trail is a s with our victim, white e thirty-seven The Peugeot is his No obvious sign of trauh there appears to be blood around his nose Coroner’s office is on the way, and criic"

Barry Landrieu That naly familiar, but my frozen brain didn’t want to tell me why

"The witness who found the body is in the shack," he continued before sliding the notebook back into his shirt pocket "The BMW-Z4 belongs to him I verified"

This hy I adored Officer Gordon He saw the loose threads and checked theoing to be a fantastic detective "I’ll deal with the witness after I see the body," I said At least this witness illing to stick around, which would saveto hunt him down later for a states that was legal only under certain circuo inside now," I continued, "I’ll never be able to convince myself to come out"

The skin around his eyes crinkled attractively as he sle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>