“Yes, your crew seems anxious to see you.” Chief Rodney was looking over her shoulder.

“You’re a carpenter?”

“I own Island Contracting,” Josie answered proudly. “And we’d better get down to work. When Courtney decides to show up, we want to be ready for her.” She managed a slight smile, grabbed her toolbox, and headed into the house.

Her crew really did appear anxious to know what was going on. Jill was perched on a tall ladder. Dottie and Annette stood at the bottom. All three had concerned expressions on their faces. “Nothing to worry about,” Josie assured them. “She’s an old acquaintance. Someone I knew when I was a kid. She’s here to see Courtney Castle.”

“Then she has a problem,” Dottie announced. “Courtney Castle is dead.”

FIFTEEN

"WHO? WHERE? HOW? Josie realized she was asking the same questions Naomi Van Ripper had asked just a few minutes ago.

“She’s-”

“Shh! They’re coming in. Don’t say anything!” Dottie hissed the order.

“Chief Rodney-” Josie began as he and Dr. Van Ripper appeared in the open doorway. She didn’t get a chance to finish. Jill Pike jumped down off the ladder-and onto Josie’s right foot. “Ouch!”

“She’s hidden. Don’t say anything!” Jill whispered in Josie’s ear, pretending to be checking on any damage she had done. “Sorry,” she said more loudly. “Guess it’s lucky you were wearing work boots.”

“I just wish you hadn’t been, too,” Josie said, looking around. Where had they put the body? she wondered. There was a pile of furniture covered with a large blue tarp against the wall opposite the door. She realized she was staring at it. “No harm done. And we have to get started working.”

“We’re just passing through. College kid out front said that Bobby Valentine is on the dock. Thought he might know when Courtney Castle is going to be back,” Mike Rodney said.

“She invited me for lunch. She will be here. Courtney is very well brought up. When she accepts a social commitment, she lives up to it. And SHE always returned her books on time. That says a lot about a person in my experience.” Naomi Van Ripper glanced at Josie to see if her barb had met its mark.

Josie didn’t respond. She had more important things to worry about. Forced to be content with a parting harrumph, Dr. Van Ripper followed Chief Rodney from the house. The back door swung closed behind them, but it was a minute or two before anyone moved or spoke. Then Josie dashed across the room and ripped the blue tarp from the pile. Sawdust and dirt flew in all directions.

“What the hell?” Jill was stunned.

“Why did you do that? Do you think we should cover her?” Annette asked the question.

But Dottie understood why Josie had done what she had done. “She’s not there. Up there,” Dottie explained briefly, and pointed at the ceiling.

For one wild moment Josie considered the possibility that someone as bitchy as Courtney Castle had made it into heaven. Then she looked up and realized what Dottie was saying. “She’s in the canoe?”

“Yup.”

“She is!” Annette added, her eyes wide with shock. “We all saw her.”

“I found her,” Jill said. “I was so surprised, I almost fell off the ladder.”

Josie took a deep breath and then walked toward the ladder. “I guess I’d better see for myself.”

“Be careful. It’s a little weird,” Jill cautioned her.

“More than a little. It’s horrible,” Annette added.

“Go up. You’ll see what we’re talking about,” Dottie said, holding the ladder still as Josie climbed.

She went up slowly, dreading what was awaiting her. Blood, gore, rot… She had imagined that and more when she reached the canoe. Taking a deep breath, she peered over the edge of the boat. “My God.”

“Strange, isn’t it?” Jill asked.

“Yeah.” Strange was one word for it. Courtney Castle looked almost as good dead as she had alive. She was lying on her back, eyes closed, hair combed, hands crossed on her chest, no expression on her face. She even seemed to be wearing makeup. A heavy wool Hudson Bay blanket covered her from the waist down. She might have been napping. Except that she smelled-just a little.

Josie wrinkled her nose.

“Yeah, it’s hot up there and that blanket isn’t helping things either. We’re going to have to get her down before the entire place stinks.”

Josie looked down at Dottie. “We-”

“You ladies need some help or can you handle that thing yourself? Them wooden ones can be damn heavy. Give me a nice aluminum or fiberglass model any day.” Chief Rodney was back.

“I-”

“We can handle it ourselves,” Dottie told him. “Do we look weak?” She flexed an ample biceps as she spoke.

“Yeah, I guess you can manage. Gotta get going. Can’t spend the day escorting people around. See you.” He actually tipped his hat at Dottie Evans before leaving.

Annette giggled. “I think he’s got the hots for you.”

“Oh, yeah, me and a cop. That’ll be the day.” But, Josie was surprised to note, Dottie seemed to be blushing.

Josie was still standing on top of the ladder. “We should have said something. I… I should have told him that Courtney was up here. That she was dead.”

“Are you nuts?”

Josie looked down at Dottie. “What do you mean? We can’t just leave her here.”

“Yeah, I know. In this heat and up there near the roof, she’ll start smelling in no time at all. But I agree with Dottie, that doesn’t mean we should tell the police about her,” Jill said.

“Do you have anything to say about this?” Josie asked Annette.

“I… I don’t think we should say anything either. I mean, I know you should. You know, that you’re supposed to tell the police about stuff like this, but, well, considering what people are saying…” She stopped speaking and suddenly seemed to discover something of interest on the toe of her boot.

“About what?”

“Huh?”

“People are saying what about what?” Josie asked, becoming impatient.

“About you and Courtney Castle. You know, about your past.” Annette seemed to find it impossible to look at her boss. “Your past together.”

Josie climbed slowly down the ladder, not speaking until she was on the floor. “How do you know what people are saying?”

“I… You’re mad at me!”

“Annette, I’m sorry. I’m not. It’s just…”

“It’s just that there’s a dead body hanging over her head, you dummy,” Dottie broke in.

“I… Yes. Let’s all sit down and have some coffee. That way if anyone comes in it will just look like we’re on a break,” Josie suggested, suddenly realizing how likely that was.

“Good idea.” Jill nodded.

“I could use some coffee,” Annette admitted.

“I could use a shot of bourbon, but ya gotta make do with what ya got,” Dottie said, kicking her tool chest open and pulling out a thermos.

“Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea if we sort of kept a lookout-you know, just to know when someone is coming,” Josie suggested. They were, after all, sitting in a large, cleared space with an open door on either side.

“Yeah, smart.” Dottie obviously approved. “If I sit up here”-she lifted her hefty hips onto the blue tarp-“I can see straight out the back-door way, right down to the dock.”

“And I can just plop myself down here.” Jill leaned her shapely body against the covered work of art. “And I’ll be able to tell you if anyone is coming from the front.”

Josie, still at the base of the ladder, looked around. Her crew was spread out, but, unless anyone came in looking for something strange, no one would notice. Annette was still standing nervously by one of the windows. “Why don’t you sit down and relax and you can tell me all about what you heard and how you heard it,” she added.

“It’s Chad.”

“Who?”

“The college kid who works with the television people.” Dottie identified him. “That kid is always snooping around.”