“Don’t know.” Pierce slammed the car door shut and picked his way around an unruly stack of tires and over the patchy, unmown grass to the area where several officers had collected.
A bit stung by his harsh tone, Nikki eyed the scene through the windshield but couldn’t hear the conversation he was having with the other cops. She was trying to tamp down her irritation and keep her emotions under rein. Pierce wasn’t being high-handed, she told herself. He was doing his job. But yeah, he could whittle down his authoritative attitude by more than a few notches.
She’d never been one to take orders. He knew that. But he also knew that the last time she’d disobeyed him, the consequences had been traumatic. Deadly. She bit her lip. But the worddisobeyedstuck in her craw. He was a partner, her husband …
And a homicide detective who’d lost his partner.
Because of you, that nasty voice in her head reminded her.
There was a lot of emotional baggage involved in that particular incident. A lot. She counted herself lucky that she was still married.
She absently rubbed her abdomen and watched as the emergency vehicles drove away. No need for the EMTs to stick around, nor the fire department. Billy Huber was obviously dead. And had been for a while, she guessed, noting the dried blood on his body and the tiller’s blade.
She scanned the area, turned on the AC, and lowered the passenger door window, letting in a warm breeze that brought with it the scent of pine and earth and something she couldn’t quite name.
Death.
That was it.
This whole place appeared as if it were dying.
From the looks of it, Billy Huber had toppled from the ladder, stripping off a gutter that lay near him. And he’d had the bad luck to fall onto the blades. Except that the police were suspicious that a crime had been committed.
She wondered about it, as she stared at the blood crusted in the victim’s matted hair. Had someone intentionally knocked Billy off the ladder, then rammed his head into the sharp, spiky disks that reminded her of ninja stars? But who would do this to him? And why? Was it really murder? Or just an awful accident? She squinted at the dead body while vaguely aware of the still-barking dog.
It was hard to see, but it looked as if he’d somehow injured his neck, too. Wasn’t that blood at the base of his throat? Some kind of cut?
If only she could get a better view …
Over the barking, she heard one burly deputy ask Pierce, “Possibly an accident? You think he fell and hit his head?”
Pierce wasn’t convinced. “If so, he was pretty unlucky.”
“Was he? If ya ask me, ya fall off a ladder into this mess of a yard, and nine times outta ten yer gonna hit somethin’. Take a look around. Have you ever seen so much shit scattered in a yard? Mother of God, this place is a pigsty. So much goddamned crap. You’d think my ex lived here!”
A woman cop nearby said, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” She was tall and lean, athletic, her brown hair brushing her shoulders, her face pale in the harsh light. Nikki thought she recognized her, had met her at some of the station functions—maybe last year’s Christmas party. Her name was Liz something … what was it? Martin? No. Maddox. Liz Maddox. Yeah, that was it.
“If you say so.” The big man was clearly skeptical.
“I’ve seen your desk, Swanson,” she replied with a huff. “You got no call to judge.”
Oh, right, Ron Swanson. He was a deputy, Nikki thought. She’d heard his name before, but had never met him. She made a mental note and wished to high heaven she could hear more. If she could just take a peek around …
“Goddamn! Can someone shut that fuckin’ mutt up!” It was Swanson again, and he was glaring at the porch, where the dog continued its incessant barking.
She could help with the shepherd. She was good with dogs.
No!
She’d promised Pierce.
She fought a mental battle, but her fingers strayed to the door handle.
She wouldn’t be hindering but helping, she reasoned.
“I swear if that damned cur don’t stop that infernal racket,” Swanson declared, “I’ll take care of him myself!”
“I’ll call animal control.” Maddox was reaching for her cell phone, and Nikki clicked open the Jeep’s door to step outside as Pierce, ignoring the bickering and racket, crouched down for a better look at the body.