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The ex-Army ranger, all business, passed Beckett and Birk on his way to the porch and noticed Brogan and Lucien talking to Kinsey. “What’s going on here? Brent called and said we have a 10-54. Whose dead? I thought this house was vacant?”
Kinsey swung the door wider so Colt could enter a narrow living space. She pointed to the ceiling. “Upstairs. Brent and Logan are upstairs.”
Through the open doorway, Brogan watched Colt take the stairs two at a time before turning back to the others. “I don’t believe this. Who was this woman? Who keeps a dead body stored in a blanket box?”
Kinsey stepped outside to inhale fresh air. The crisp evening air offered a chance to reset, recoup, and regain her thought process. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m just as surprised as anyone else. The woman seemed like a typical retired lady who needed my help to get her affairs in order. There was nothing special about making out her will. What gets me is that she had to know, at some point, that someone would open that cedar chest.”
“Maybe she didn’t care,” Birk provided. “Or maybe she thought Cord and Keegan would sell off the furniture to a reseller, and no one would be the wiser.”
Kelly shook her head. “I’m with Kinsey on this. This woman had to know that somebody would eventually open that thing and find the body. Was it covered up, at least?”
Kinsey nodded. “There was a green flowered bedspread on top that looked right out of theBrady Bunch, very retro, 1969 style. I only saw the dead guy for less than thirty seconds. He was wrapped in what looked like cellophane, some sort of thin see-through plastic tarp.”
Eastlyn pulled up in yet another squad car and tried to shoo the neighbors back inside their homes. “There’s nothing to see here. Go back to your own property. We’ll probably talk to you during the door-to-door. Until then, get out of the street. You’re making it difficult for anyone to reach the scene.”
When Eastlyn reached the porch, she carried a roll of yellow police tape and began to use it to cordon off the property. “I want all of you to step out to the curb. If we need you, we’ll come and get you.”
Brogan pointed to Cord and Keegan, who had parked down the street and walked up to 720 Beacon. “What’s going on? Brent called and told us to get over here.”
“We were in the middle of dinner,” Keegan offered.
“We had just finished when Kinsey called us,” Brogan supplied. “Who wants to be the one to tell them?”
Kinsey cleared her throat and explained why they were standing in the street instead of inside the house.
Cord took the news by rocking back on his heels. “A body? You’re sure? Maybe it could’ve been a mannequin or something. Didn’t Vera like to sew?”
“It wasn’t a mannequin,” Kinsey corrected before anyone else could say anything. “You can’t mistake the smell of decomposition. I saw what I saw. Mummified remains of a dead body. Male.”
“But Vera was such a sweet lady,” Keegan said, her voice edging toward disbelief. “She used to visit the rescue center at least twice a week. Why would she keep a body in a box? Maybe it was a former husband or a lover?”
“Or someone she truly hated,” Brogan suggested. “This is the same woman who went to the cemetery every week during the last months of her life to visit Gidget’s grave and leave fresh flowers. Why would she not show the same courtesy to a husband or a lover? She could’ve at least buried him.”
“Wait a sec,” Kelly noted, glancing toward Brogan. “You told me this woman never married.”
Brogan looked at Kinsey for verification.
“That’s what Ms. Lockhart told me,” Kinsey defended. “Who knows if any of what she told me is true?” When Brent stepped outside with Logan and Colt in tow, she nudged Brogan. “Here we go. Maybe Brent will tell us more.”
Brent headed straight to where everyone waited. Even the neighbors hadn’t budged an inch. “We have a situation inside Vera Lockhart’s house—no need to hold back. Logan and Kinsey discovered a body upstairs. I’ve called the County medical examiner and a forensic team. Nothing will happen until they arrive and go over the scene for themselves. It’s going to be a long night for all of us. So go back home, finish dinner, and get ready for bed. Stick to your usual Saturday night routine. You don’t need to hang around in the street to see us bring the body out of the house. That might not even happen until tomorrow morning. You don’t want to be standing out here all night. It’s better to watch from your windows and get out of the road.”
Among the crowd, Tazzie Crossland raised her hand. “By any chance, does the body belong to Lance Hayes?”
Brent narrowed his gaze and frowned. “As far as I know, Lance Hayes died twelve years ago in his own bed. Why would you think the body belonged to Mr. Hayes?”
Tazzie shrugged. “He and Vera went out some time back. Lance was the first person who popped into my head when someone mentioned a body in her bedroom.”
“How did word spread so fast?” Brent asked, pivoting toward Logan.
“Don’t ask me. I was inside the entire time,” Logan said before studying his wife. “Kinsey?”
Kinsey rolled her eyes. “I might’ve called Jordan because she has the kids. But I doubt Jordan said anything to anyone except Nick. I called Brogan because she’s the reason we were in there.”
“I’m so sorry,” Brogan relayed. “It never occurred to me you’d find a body. I didn’t tell anyone except our friends we had over for dinner. And they didn’t have time to tell anyone either.”
Kinsey looped her arm through Logan’s. “It’s okay. I just want out of here. I want to pick up my kids and get them settled into bed.”
“Go ahead. Eastlyn will be by tomorrow to take your statements,” Brent said, watching a few neighbors head home. But it wasn’t enough. Raising his voice to benefit the others who refused to leave, he practically shouted, “If you don’t get out of here, I’ll start writing tickets for impeding an investigation.”
