Page 39 of In the Nick of Time
The coffin setup was something Doug hadn’t come across before. Not that he’d worked many, or any, violent crime scenes—he’d made them. Was it a violent scene when the murder happened somewhere else?
He blinked. Crap, Nick’s way of thinking was beyond rubbing off on him and now starting to make sense in a way.
“Are we just going to stand here in this god-awful wind? Or is there a plan? There’s no plan, is there? You’re just out here Columbo-ing it, aren’t you? You think”—Nick deepened his voice—“I’m going to look at the scene and know immediately that thiswas perpetrated by a very angry man with authority issues and a small?—”
“Just quiet for a moment. Besides, it’s Sherlock Holmes who can tell stuff like that. Columbo was more of a ‘trick person into confessing after bumbling around with that cigar’ guy, wasn’t he?”
“I don’t know. Both were before my time.”
There was silence. Not complete silence because the wind Nick had pointed out was still doing its thing. Tumbleweeds scraped across the parking lot. A semi roared past, followed by a dusty sedan. Doug noted a few cinder block structures in the distance and a couple of derelict RVs.
A great place for a murder.
Doug risked a look at Nick. His partner had a stupid smile on his face. Doug rewound what Nick had said, nodding and adding his own stupid smile to the mix.
“Yes, Nick, both detectives were before your time. And mine too, even though you seem to think otherwise.”
“I’d like to point out that I was being quiet, and you still haven’t answered my question about what we are doing out here.”
“Let’s take a walk and see what’s around.”
Doug started toward the derelict buildings, knowing that Nick would follow behind him. He wanted to make sure there was no one here or, at least, no one who cared anything about what he and Nick were doing.
They circled the lot, even venturing behind the structures. Doug wasn’t used to all the emptiness. The desert was literally right there. A vast nothing.
Logically, Doug knew it wasn’t empty. He’d watched plenty of Nat Geo, but to a guy who was used to the city, it felt empty. Maybe Nick had a point about retiring to the middle of nowhere.
“Wow,” said Nick, “there’s a lot of nothing out there.”
“Agreed.”
Doug stopped at one end of the tiny shopping center, where crime scene tape fluttered in the wind. This spot would be hard to see from the road. He wondered who had called in the incident.
“What happened here?”
“Agent Schoenhut was found here.”
“Um, no longer alive, I take it?”
“No longer alive.”
“Did you know them?”
Doug nodded. “Yes. He was displayed in an open coffin, his hands crossed over his chest. Apparently, it looked like he’d gone to sleep. He was a mentee of mine. Wizard didn’t say much else.”
“Do you think Wizard knew more than he was telling you? And, seriously, why a coffin here?” Nick’s head moved again as he looked around the area, and, like Doug, found nothing. As almost an afterthought, he added, “As the newest Doug Swanson trainee, should I be worried?”
“As far as Wizard goes, anything is possible. I haven’t talked to April yet, although I’m sure she’s already trying to verify his information. Should you be worried?” Doug wasn’t surprised Nick had made the same connection he had. Someone was targeting people he’d worked with. Or was it coincidence?
Doug hated the word coincidence.
“No reason to worry as long as you stick with me.”
“What did Schoenhut do?”
“I don’t know if it matters, but Mel was slightly magnetic. I think whoever is behind this is getting some kind of sick thrill killing SPAM agents.”
A shiver ran down his spine. SPAM agents he was associated with. Nick was right to be concerned. He tried not to think of the missing Agent Carroll as anything other than alive.
