Live and Let Pie Page 6

  “Huh?” She stared at the girls, who had wrapped themselves in giant polka-dotted beach towels, and then back to the raft. “She found that.”

  I followed her gaze. Suddenly I knew why the teenage swimmer had been acting off too. Sitting in the middle of the raft was a skull. An undeniably human skull.

  “Hannah found that skull in the water?” I asked.

  The woman’s mouth hung partway open. “Can you believe it? She said that she thought she had found a doll. She saw something that looked like a flowy shirt. She tugged a couple times and then yanked the skull free. She was running out of air so didn’t look at it until she reached the surface. That’s when she screamed.”

  I glanced behind us. The girls had linked their arms together. Ellen’s head rested on Hannah’s shoulder. “No wonder she’s upset, but it can’t be real, can it? It’s probably part of an old Halloween costume. Teenagers always come to the lake and old cemetery on Halloween night.”

  “It looked pretty real to me.” The woman bit her bottom lip.

  “Do you want me to take a look?”

  “Would you? Yeah, that would be good.” She tried to smile. “I didn’t get your name.”

  “I’m Jules.” I offered my hand.

  Her fingers were cold to the touch. “Susan.”

  We walked to the raft. The teenage boy who had swum out to help the girls stood next to the raft. His surfer-style swim trunks dripped with water.

  “Hey.” He flashed us a hang loose sign. “Is everything cool?”

  I knelt closer to get a better look at the skull that was propped in the middle of the inflatable raft. “We wanted to take a closer look to see if this is real or if maybe it’s just an old prank from Halloween.”

  The teenager grabbed a stick. “I think it’s real.” He used the stick to flip the skull over. On the back of the head there was a large indentation as if something had fractured the skull.

  My stomach fluttered with nerves. “Okay. Good move using the stick. Let’s not touch it.”

  “What do we do now then?” Susan’s brown eyes bulged out of their sockets. “We can’t call 911, can we? Or should we?” Her hands trembled.

  I stood up and placed my hand over hers. “It’s okay. I’ll call my friend Thomas. He’s a detective. He’ll know what to do.” Unfortunately, I had seen death close-up in the past, and knew that the single most important thing we could do at the moment was remain calm. I could tell that Susan was precariously close to going into shock too.

  “Can you take her to go sit with the girls?” I asked the teenager.

  He sprang into action, guiding the visibly shaken mother over to be with her girls. He called over a few of his friends who distracted the girls with gummy worms while he told funny stories about how he once tried to use the candy worms as fish bait. I could have kissed him. Thank God I wasn’t here alone.

  I called Thomas. He answered on the second ring.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure?” His familiar voice held a hint of playfulness. “Is there a pastry emergency at Torte? Because if there is, Jules, you know I’m your guy.”

  “Thomas, there’s a—uh—situation.”

  He cleared his throat and his demeanor shifted. “What’s going on?”

  I explained what had happened. He told me to stay put and that he would be there as fast as he could. After we hung up, I remembered that Mom had called the Professor about touring the house. Obviously I wasn’t thinking clearly either. I should have called him first. How much time had passed since I left Mom in the parking lot?

  Next I called Mom.

  “Are you still at the open house?”

  “We are just leaving, why? You sound funny.”

  “Mom, I need you and the Professor to get down to the other side of the lake by the crew boats and dock right away.”

  “We’ve on our way. But why? Juliet, what’s wrong?”

  I gave her a brief recap of what had happened.

  “We’ll be there as fast as we can, honey,” she said, hanging up the phone.

  Knowing that help was on the way brought my heart rate down. Now I needed to check on the girls. They had a bit more color and were laughing with the group of teenagers. I knelt on the beach next to Susan.

  “The police are on their way. They should be here any minute,” I said in a whisper.

  She kept her dark brown eyes lasered on the skull. “I just can’t believe that poor Hannah found a human skull. What am I going to tell her mom?”

  “You don’t need to worry about that right now. First, we don’t know for sure that it’s real. It could be fake.”

  “But it’s all bashed up,” Susan said in low whisper.

  “True, but that could have happened if kids were playing around and dropped it on a rock or something.” Even as I tried to think of rational explanations for Hannah and Ellen’s discovery I wasn’t convinced. The way the skull had deteriorated in the water and the fracture lines made me think it likely was human remains. If the skull had been made of hard plastic, it was unlikely to have weathered with time. “When the police arrive, I’m sure they’ll be able to determine if it’s real or not. If it is, they’ll walk you through everything. They have therapists on staff and are trained to handle crisis situations. They’ll take good care of you and the girls.”

  “How do you know so much?” Susan picked up a small piece of agate and massaged it with her fingertips.

  “The lead detective who is on his way is my stepfather.” I didn’t like calling the Professor my “step” father. It sounded cold.

  “That makes me feel slightly better. I always thought I would be a model of calm in a crisis, but I can’t stop shaking.” She held out the piece of agate in her quaking fingers as evidence. “I’m so worried about Hannah and Ellen. Is this the kind of thing that will scar them for life? They’re only ten.”

  I sat down on the sand. “I’m sure they’ll be okay. Kids are resilient. I know it’s upsetting, but I also know that our community will encircle them with love and support.”

  She brushed a tear from her eye. “Thanks. I’m not sure why I’m so emotional.”

  “Because your daughter and her friend just found a skull. I would be worried about you if you weren’t emotional.”

  “What do you think happened? If it’s real, could it be from the old graveyard, or do you think someone drowned in the lake and they never recovered the body?”

  I had been wondering the same thing. Was it human nature to be curious about cause of death, or did I have an unhealthy obsession with mortality? My mind spun with possibilities. The skull appeared to be fully developed. Aside from the gash, there weren’t any other obvious signs of trauma. Not that I was an expert in forensics by any means. I knew from listening to the Professor and Thomas that the remains would have to be carefully examined by an expert medical examiner.

  The rocky soil felt hot even in my boots. A warm wind kicked up, causing ripples on the water. It was as if the once peaceful lake was sending a message. Had something sinister occurred within its deep cold waters?

  The sound of police sirens cut through the air. That was fast.

  “My friend Thomas is here,” I said to Susan, standing and brushing dirt from my pants. “I’ll go meet him and bring him down.”

  She managed to nod okay.

  I hurried to greet Thomas. I was surprised he had turned on his sirens. An old skull didn’t seem like it would warrant that level of response. I jogged over uneven ground. When I reached the parking lot Thomas and his new partner Detective Kerry were already out of the car and headed straight for me.

  As usual, Detective Kerry was dressed in a pencil skirt and silky tank top. She wore three-inch heels. I wondered how she was going to navigate the rocky terrain. As the thought flashed through my mind, her heel caught in the dirt. She wobbled on one leg, trying to reclaim her balance. Thomas caught her from behind.

  I watched as his hand lingered on her waist for a moment. She turned and gave hi
m a look of thanks. Then he took her hand in his to help her down the steep hillside.

  “Thanks for coming,” I said when they reached me.

  “Where’s the skull?” Thomas asked. He looked very official in his blue police shorts and shirt with a gold badge pinned to his chest. Unlike Detective Kerry, he wore a pair of low-top sturdy hiking boots.

  “This way.” I pointed them toward the beach next to the dock. “I should warn you that the two girls who found it are pretty freaked out.”

  “Understandable.” Detective Kerry gave me a curt nod.

  She and I hadn’t exactly hit it off. She took her responsibilities extremely seriously. Not that she shouldn’t, but Ashland’s laid-back vibe meant that the Professor and Thomas tended to take a slightly more personal approach to police work. Rather than slapping handcuffs on one of the travelers panhandling on the plaza, they knew the street kids by name and directed them away from the plaza or offered to buy them a coffee or doughnut to help them move along. The technique worked. They were true community police officers. Detective Kerry had been slow to embrace their style, but I had started to notice a subtle shift in her brisk attitude. I had also noticed a growing rapport between her and Thomas.

  “The girl who found the skull is Hannah. She’s in the pigtails. Her friend Ellen with the short hair is next to her, and that’s Ellen’s mom, Susan,” I said, pointing out everyone.

  “Let’s see the skull first,” Thomas said, pulling a pair of disposable plastic gloves over his hands.

  I showed them to the raft. Thomas carefully examined the skull. As did Kerry. “Well, what do you think?” I asked, after they each had had a chance to study the skull. “Is it real?”

  Thomas placed the skull back on the raft. “We’re not medical examiners, but I’d say odds are very good that it’s real.”

  “How old is it?”

  “That’s a question for the medical examiner.” He shrugged. “I’ll put in a call and then we can interview the girls.”

  “We’ll take it from here.” Detective Kerry dismissed me and walked over to the blanket where Hannah and Ellen sat next to Susan.

  I half expected her to begin interrogating the girls as if they were in a holding cell. I wondered if anyone noticed my mouth hang open when she dropped to her knees and spoke to them in a quiet, calm tone. She almost sounded maternal. Thomas followed suit. He handed each girl a police badge sticker.

  “You two are real heroes, you know? You’ve cracked a case for us, and what quick thinking. That was so brave of you to recover your discovery.”

  I noted that he hadn’t used the word “skull” or “human remains.”

  “Most people might have panicked but not you,” he continued. “You both deserve these badges. You are officially part of the Ashland Police Squad, right, Kerry?”

  She nodded. “Absolutely.”

  The girls looked at each other and giggled. “I almost dropped it when I realized what it was,” Hannah confessed.

  “She did. It’s true,” Ellen concurred.

  “But you didn’t. That’s the important thing,” Detective Kerry said. “You acted like real partners. What a great team.”

  Hannah and Ellen perked up.

  “Do you think you could show us where you were swimming earlier?” Thomas asked.

  The news that they were heroes revived their spirits. I wasn’t worried that either of them was at risk for going into shock. Ellen pulled Hannah to her feet. “Come on, let’s go show them.”

  Susan raised her index finger. “Officers, do you think that’s such a good idea?”

  Detective Kerry and Thomas shared a look. Kerry followed after the girls who were already running toward the shallow waters of the shoreline.

  “One thing we know from experience is that it’s critical to take statements from witnesses immediately. We’re going to be calling in a dive team to dredge the lake floor and want to pinpoint as close as possible the spot where the remains were found.”

  Susan listened to Thomas, but kept her eyes focused on the girls. Detective Kerry had recruited the teens and sent them to flag down a motorboat.

  Thomas continued. “The girls will be in good hands, and quite honestly I think getting them back on the lake will be good for their emotional well-being. You know the old saying, you have to get back on the horse? I think it applies in this case.”

  “If you’re sure.” Susan didn’t sound convinced. She had wrapped the towel so tightly around her shoulders that I thought she might cut off circulation to her arms.

  “I can vouch for Thomas and his partner. They’re Ashland’s best. They wouldn’t do anything to put the girls in harm’s way.” I picked up a piece of lava rock.

  “Okay, maybe I should come with you?” She yanked the towel tighter.

  “You bet.” Thomas was about to lead her away when the Professor and Mom arrived.

  “Good timing, Professor.” Thomas let out an audible sigh and went to show the Professor the skull, which was still propped in the middle of the inflatable raft.

  “What happened?” Mom asked.

  I filled her in while we watched the Professor remove plastic gloves and a pair of reading glasses from his short-sleeved Hawaiian-style shirt. He examined the skull and then placed it in a plastic evidence bag.

  The motorboat zipped off with the girls, Susan, Thomas, and Detective Kerry inside. The Professor strolled over to us with a look of concern clouding his face.

  “Doug, is everything okay?” Mom asked.

  He held up the bag containing the skeletal remains. “I don’t know yet, but I fear that we’ve stumbled upon a very old murder scene.”

  Chapter Seven

  “A murder?” The incredulous look on Mom’s face matched my thoughts.

  Doug gave her a solemn nod. “I do believe that something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”

  “Huh?” I had a feeling the Professor’s reference was from Hamlet, although admittedly my Shakespeare was a bit rusty. The man was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge when it came to the Bard. He could quote sonnets at will and rattle off a soliloquy without pausing for a moment.

  “Hamlet.” He tucked his reading glasses into the front pocket of his shirt.

  Mom nudged him. “Doug, in modern language, please.”

  “But of course, my love.” He smiled and kissed her cheek. “It’s too soon to know, but there are very clear signs of trauma on the skull. It’s certainly possible that our poor departed soul had an accident. However, in very synchronistic timing, I had been reviewing an unsolved murder case just the other week. It was presumed that the body was dumped into the lake but was never recovered. And there’s a saying in police work—no body, no case.”

  “You think the skull that Hannah found is from the same case?”

  “Odds are in favor, I would say. From my initial observations this has been underwater for decades. This isn’t from a recent accident or otherwise. The coroner will date it, but if I had to wager a guess I would assume that it’s been underwater for decades.”

  I shuddered.

  “Speaking of the coroner, if you’ll excuse me I need to place a few calls.” He walked away for privacy.

  Mom sighed. “Well, that wasn’t expected.”

  She linked her arm through mine. “Me either.” I placed my head on her shoulder.

  We stood in silence, watching the motorboat make large circles around the area where the girls had been swimming.

  “I almost forgot, what about the house? Did the Professor like it?”

  Mom smiled. “He loved it. We’re thinking of putting in an offer.”

  “You are? That’s great.” I wrapped her in a hug.

  “I don’t want to get too attached. It sounds like there are a number of other interested parties, and now with this…” She trailed off.

  “Oh no. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”

  “No, no. This is Doug’s job. He would have been called to the scene an
yway. This absolutely takes precedence.”

  “Maybe you should call your real estate agent. You could write up the offer and then bring it over for the Professor to sign. It looks like he might be a while here.”

  The side of her mouth tugged down. “No. I don’t want to do this without Doug. This is the next step in our new life together and I want us to both be a part of it.”

  “Good point.” A dive team arrived on the scene. Red, blue, and white police lights flickered on the water. The team moved with speedy precision. One part of the team readied the boat while two divers suited up in wet suits and prepped oxygen tanks.

  “Should we stay, or do you want to go?” I asked.

  She frowned. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not really in the mood for a picnic anymore. It would feel strange.”

  “Agreed. Let’s head back to Torte.”

  We drove in silence. The image of Hannah surfacing with a skull replayed in my mind. I hadn’t lied to Susan about my sense that the girls would recover from the shock, but I was still flustered by the shift the afternoon had taken. When we got to the plaza, Mom found a parking space near Lithia Park. She turned to me. “That wasn’t how I was expecting the afternoon to go.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  Her cell phone buzzed. I waited for her to read the text. She massaged her brow. “Uncanny timing. That was my agent. She wants me to go see a lot nearby that has a few offers pending.”

  “A lot? Are you and the Professor considering building a new house?”

  “Not necessarily. Doug mentioned it in our initial meeting. He said that if the right lot in the right location came on the market, it might be worth exploring. I don’t know anything about the process of building a house, but Doug has plenty of connections.”

  “Where’s the lot?”

  She pointed up Main Street. “Right around the corner.”

  Was she talking about the lot that Pam had shown me?

  “Want to go take a quick peek? We can walk.”

  “Sure.” I left my things in the car. “I think I’ve seen the lot you’re talking about. Pam from Nightingales came by and she was telling me about it. Is there a smaller, old house on it?”