A Bone to Pick by Melinda Leigh EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Author: Melinda Leigh
- Language: English
- Genre: Cozy Mystery
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
“Where did the screams come from, ma’am?” Deputy Tessa Black stood
under the porch overhang. The night wind whipped dead leaves around her
boots.
“Over there.” In the open doorway, Mrs. Driver lifted one hand from
her walker and pointed behind Tessa.
Tessa glanced over her shoulder. On the other side of a quarter-acre
field, the thick forest of the state park abutted Mrs. Driver’s property. Lights
shining from the house couldn’t penetrate the darkness. Everything beyond
the tree line was inky black. Tessa cocked her head and listened intently, but
all she heard was the wind rustling through branches.
“What time did you hear them?” Tessa asked.
“Twenty minutes ago.” Mrs. Driver’s eyes narrowed with reproach. “I
called you immediately.”
The What took you so long? was implied.
Tessa had been on call, not on duty, when the complaint had come in.
She’d been on the road in less than three minutes. But navigating tight
switchbacks in the dark had taken time. Slow emergency response time was a
part of life that every resident of Widow’s Island well knew. But that fact
never stopped anyone from complaining.
An owl screeched, the high-pitched sound startling Tessa.
She blew out a breath. “Could you have heard an animal?”
Mrs. Driver lifted an indignant chin. Despite standing barely five feet
tall, including her fluffy white curls, the old woman managed to look down
her nose. “I’ve lived on this island all my life. I know what I heard. It was no
animal. It was a person screaming.” She pursed her lips, concentrating. “A
man, I think.” She nodded. “Yes. I’m almost certain it was a man.”
Could she have heard teenagers?
The state park beach, a popular hangout spot, was close by.
“Have you seen or heard anything else tonight?” Tessa asked.
“Motorcycles or quads?”
“No.” With a shudder, Mrs. Driver lowered her hand and clutched the
edges of her blue robe together. “But I heard more than a single yell. The
screaming went on for a full minute or two. It sounded so . . . terrible.” She
paused, her lips puckering with wrinkles as she pressed them together.
“Bloodcurdling.”
Goose bumps lifted on Tessa’s arms. “I’ll check it out. Be sure to lock
your door, ma’am.”
“Yes. I will. Thank you,” Mrs. Driver said solemnly. Then she shuffled
her walker backward and closed the door.
Tessa turned away from the house. As she stepped off the porch, she
heard the dead bolt slide home with a metallic scrape. She walked to her
county-issued SUV in the driveway. Across the street, a spotlight shone on
the wooden arch that marked the entrance to Bishop State Park. Beyond it,
the forest was murky and black. Tessa had no desire to traipse through it
alone in the dark.
Three deputies lived on Widow’s Island, including Tessa. Veteran
deputy Kurt Olson was off the island tonight. His daughter had had a baby
earlier in the day at the mainland hospital. Bruce Taylor, a new hire from
Oregon, was on duty, but he had been tied up with a vehicle accident when
Mrs. Driver’s call had come in. There would be no backup for Tessa from the
sheriff’s department.
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