Page 4 of Vanish From Sight
For now, kindly enjoy.
Noah closed the paper.
“Well. Will you be accepting the offer?”
“It’s hard not to be impressed by the extravagance of it all. I certainly don’t wish to stay with my aunt any longer than I need to.” He looked around. In the years he’d grown up in High Peaks, he wanted to live in a home like this, but he couldn’t have imagined it would be possible. Close to accepting, he felt a nagging feeling in his gut. Who was this anonymous benefactor? What did they really want from him in return? No one but no one gave away something like this without wanting a little something back. He wanted to run it by Kerri. If anyone might know who was behind the offer, it would be her. She had her finger on the pulse of those who were buying and selling.
Noah turned toward Suzanne. “I will need some time to think about it.”
Suzanne smiled sympathetically and said, “Of course. Take all the time you need. But if I might offer a suggestion.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’ve been working in this business for close to twenty-three years. Our company deals with a lot of high-end clients. People with deep pockets and even deeper ties to the community. They are successful because they know their worth and can leave properties on the market for years until the right buyer comes along. This is a rarity. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“That’s what concerns me,” Noah replied.
He thanked the realtor for her time and headed back to his black Ford Bronco.
As he climbed in, his phone chimed. The caller ID came up for Savannah Legacy.
The steady throbof emergency lights from High Peaks Police Department cruisers and an EMT van illuminated the night. Noah swerved into the lot of the marina just as several uniformed officers were hauling a body bag out of a boat.
They had cordoned off the area with yellow tape that was flapping in a gentle breeze. Curious onlookers, illuminated by the flashing blue and red lights, strained to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside. They whispered among themselves, speculating.
High Peaks Marina was normally a bustling hub of activity during the day, with boats bobbing up and down in the water, and tourists laughing and chatting across the docks as they prepared to take one of the tours in the famous enclosed pontoon boats. But now, it looked very different in the darkness, it was eerie and foreboding.
Police officers paced, some talking on radios, a few taking down statements and the rest conferring with each other in a hushed tone. As Noah worked his way through the crowd, he caught the eye of his older brother Ray.
“Looks like we might be working this one together,” he said, lifting the yellow crime-scene tape so Noah could duck under.
“This isn’t going to be good for business,” Noah muttered. “Is it a drowning?”
“Not exactly.”
Ray fell in step as they made their way over to the ambulance. EMTs were loading the body to be taken to the medical examiner. Ray asked for a minute or two. The crew walked a short distance away as Noah climbed into the back of theambulance. Ray unzipped the black body bag just enough to see the victim’s face.
“Unknown female. Married by the looks of the wedding band on the finger.” Ray unzipped the bag a little more to reveal rope tied around the victim’s waist and legs.
“That’s a lot of rope,” Noah muttered.
Noah snapped on some blue latex gloves, then moved some of the soggy hair out of her face. She was middle-aged, no more than forty-five, if that. Her once vibrant brunette hair clung to her face, a tangled mess, her skin was a ghoulish shade of blue.
Having seen numerous floaters, he estimated from the state of the decomposition and bloating of the body that she’d been in the water for longer than a few days. Of course, other factors came into play such as water temperature, body weight, size, and if there were any injuries. The bloating occurred due an accumulation of gases from bacteria that originated as the body’s tissue broke down. The gases would then cause swelling and the body would eventually rise to the surface.
As Noah scanned, a bullet wound in her chest caught his attention. He rolled her and noted that it had gone straight through. A clean shot.
“Someone shot her,” Ray muttered. “Then dumped the body.”
“Maybe. Or she offed herself in the hope someone wouldn’t find her,” Noah replied, glancing out across the lake. Both were possible theories that would need to be explored by forensics techs, who would check to see if there was any water in the lungs. That would allow them to see if she was dead or alive when she went in.
“Whereabouts was she found?” he asked.
“Near Pulpit Rock.” Ray lifted a piece of colorful rope. “We figure this had some kind of weight attached to it. We have divers out in the lake right now to see what else they can findbut with night and the depth, they’ll probably have to go back out in the morning.”
Noah took hold of the rope, noting the end. “Looks clean.”
“Yeah, like it was cut or the weight came loose,” Ray said. “Which would explain the body rising.”
