Black Beans & Vice (24 page)

"Then I might need to borrow him sometime," Lucy stated solemnly. "We could make him an honorary deputy."

All the way back to Quincy's Gap, Eliot questioned Lucy about
being an officer of the law. He was especially interested in how she got assigned to work with the K-9 units and wanted to hear about
Lucy's dogs even though he had never heard of the rock stars
Bono, Benatar, or Bon Jovi were named after.

When James pulled into his driveway, Lucy insisted on doing a
sweep of the house before anyone else went inside. After receiving
an all-clear signal, James walked Eliot to his room and kissed his
son goodnight. He still had to run Lucy back to the library so she
could retrieve her jeep.

"I really think you should get a dog," Lucy counseled as they
drove through the sleepy town. "Did you know that the sound of
a barking dog is the number one theft deterrent. A big canine with
a mouthful of teeth and a deep growl is much better than some
electronic alarm. No one's going to stick around long enough to
tack notes to your birdhouse if they know they risk the chance of
being bitten."

James envisioned a wolfish-looking dog sinking a row of razorsharp teeth into Kenneth's leg. It was a supremely satisfying image.
Back when Jane had left him for Kenneth, James had looked up his
rival on his law firm's website and had been sickened to see that
not only was Kenneth the youngest partner in the firm's history,
but he also looked like a Calvin Klein model.

"I'd want a kid-friendly dog breed, not Cujo" James said as he
shook off the memory of Kenneth's headshot. "I know your German Shepherds aren't child-eaters, but they are enormous and can
be rather intimidating" He grew thoughtful. "I could ask Willow.
She volunteers at the local shelter and I bet she could recommend
the perfect pooch for our family."

The ringing of a cell phone interrupted Lucy's reply. "It's Sullie," she mouthed and then cooed, "Hey, Sugar" into the phone. Whatever Sullie said in return wiped the smile from her face, replacing it with a tightening of the lips and a quick glance out the
window. "We're coming up on the turnoff now," she told him, her
voice tinged with urgency. "I'm with James. I'll explain later."

James wondered why Lucy was now sitting ramrod straight in
her seat, every muscle tensed.

"Turn here!" Lucy directed before he had a chance to ask. The
Bronco's tires screeched on the asphalt as James obeyed. He sped
down a gently curved road leading to a thoroughbred farm and
a development of upscale houses built at the feet of one of the
Shenandoah Valley's beautiful blue hills. The residences of Bridle
Path Road were some of the wealthiest in the county, and James
couldn't imagine why Lucy suddenly needed to take a detour in
this direction.

"Lucy?" he asked, slightly put out. "Would you like to tell me
where we're going?"

She was clearly trying to read the brass numbers secured to the
mailbox posts. "Sorry. I don't want to blow by the house. It's number two-fourteen." She tapped on the window. "That was oneeighty, so we're getting close."

"To what? It's been a long day and though I am so incredibly
grateful to you for-"

"Sullie's found a body!" Lucy interrupted hotly. "He hasn't
even had time to identify the victim but there's obviously been a
struggle and he needs back-up ASAP so he can secure the house."
She took a shallow breath and continued. "He was responding to a
neighbor's 9-1-1 call and has only been inside for about five minutes. The EMT guys are already en route, but I couldn't drive by
without stopping to help. What if the perp is still around?" Even in the dark, James could see the glimmer of excitement in her eyes.
"Here it is!"

James drove up a long driveway illuminated by solar lights. Sullie's cruiser was parked in front of a detached two-car garage. When
James pulled in behind the brown sedan Lucy said, "You'd better
stay here."

James hesitated for a moment, but then he followed her up a
brick path lined with miniature boxwoods to the double entrance
doors of a stately white Colonial. A faint strip of light escaped
from between the front doors, one of which was slightly ajar.

"Sullie?" Lucy shouted into the foyer.

James heard the thuds of a heavy tread on the floorboards
above their heads. "Upstairs!"

Lucy shot a warning glance at James. "Don't touch anything."

Though he was tempted to remind her that this was hardly his
first crime scene, James kept his mouth shut and followed her up
the carpeted staircase. A strange odor hung in the air.

"Do you smell that?" he whispered. "It's familiar..."

Lucy sniffed. "Reminds me of that nasty incense Gillian likes to
burn during her home meditation sessions."

"Yes, that Patchouli stuff." He looked at the rich wood of the
banister and the expensive chandelier hanging from the center of
the ceiling. "Seems out of place in this environment."

They'd reached the top of the stairs by then and James was
glad to see that the hall lights had been turned on. Sullie popped
out from a room at the end of the corridor and glared at James.
"What's he doing here?"

Lucy looked over her shoulder as though she'd forgotten she
wasn't alone. "I drove him up to Harrisonburg because the Bird man made contact with his son. He was bringing me back to my
Jeep when I got your call, so I had him make a detour."

Sullie stared at James for a moment longer, as a range of emotions flitted over his face. Trust won out over suspicion, however,
for his blazing eyes softened and he nodded at James in apology.
"Is your kid okay?"

"He's fine, thanks." James gave the other man's hand a hearty
shake. "My whole family is going to need your protection until this
guy is caught."

"Don't worry, we've got your back" Sullie straightened his shoulders, looking like a linebacker prepared to drill an unsuspecting receiver deep into the turf. He then snapped back into professional
mode. "E.T.A. for the paramedics is five minutes. The vic's in here."

Sullie handed Lucy a pair of gloves. As she put them on, she
turned to James. "You need to stay in the hall. This is a crime scene
now.

"How can you tell?" he asked, but as he moved to the threshold
of the spacious bedroom, he realized that it was a dumb question.

The first thing he noticed was the pair of legs sticking out from
behind the bed. It was hard not to fixate on them for they were encased in a pair of purple and green striped socks. James had a flash
of the Wicked Witch's feet protruding from beneath Dorothy's
farmhouse. However, while the witch's corpse was pinned under
a home, this corpse was positioned between the wall and the bed,
creating the illusion that the rest of the woman's body was hidden
from view beneath an ivory dust ruffle.

James' gaze traveled around the room, taking in the rumpled
bed, the overturned bedside table and the lamp lying askew on the
carpet. The bare bulb threw circular shadows onto the back wall, creating the mirage of an eclipse in the center of the floral wallpaper. Books and picture frames were scattered at the base of a
cherry dresser, leaving only the incense holder containing a single
stick of fragrance on its polished top. A poster tacked to the wall
next to the dresser caught his attention. He recognized it as one
of Tia Royale's animal rights posters. Looking around the room
again, James counted ten different posters, some of which appeared much older than those he'd seen during Tia's recent demonstrations.

Lucy spent a moment absorbing the scene before she stepped
carefully across the carpet to kneel down next to the body. James
could only see the top of her head as the four-poster bed blocked
his view. "Do you know her?"

"Yes. So do you." She peered at him over the coverlet. "It's Tia
Royale."

James was flabbergasted. "Is this her house?" He'd pictured her
living in a dimly lit apartment decorated with futons, beaded curtains, lava lamps, and shag rugs.

Sullie opened a door leading to the walk-in closet. "Lots of
plain dresses, jeans, and T-shirts in here. Some rolled-up banners
with pictures of dead pigs and cows and chickens."

"This is her room then," Lucy said with a sigh. "I know the girl
rubbed folks the wrong way, but who would want to kill her?"

Standing anxiously in the doorway, James stuck his head into
the room. "How did it happen?"

"She might have been strangled. There are bruises on her neck."
Lucy suddenly seemed to realize that James was out of place at a
crime scene. "You'd better go. Sheriff Huckabee won't be happy if
he knows I brought you here."

James wanted to be of assistance, but he knew he would only
impede both the paramedics and deputies if he stayed. Thanking
Lucy again, he solemnly wished both her and Sullie good luck and
then headed downstairs.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard a noise coming from
one of the rooms toward the back of the house. Fearing the killer
might still be inside, James raced up the stairs two at a time and
frantically asked Lucy and Sullie to investigate the rooms on the
bottom floor.

"I did a preliminary sweep after I found the body," Sullie told
Lucy as they responded to James' plea. "No sign of disturbance except in the victim's room."

Sullie took the lead, turning on lights with one hand while
holding his gun out in front with the other. Lucy had also drawn
her weapon and was walking slightly behind Sullie, training her
gun to the side while also checking to make sure no one was
sneaking up from behind. The couples' movements were so synchronized and graceful that they seemed more like dancers in a
Russian ballet troupe than two sheriff's deputies on the hunt for a
murderer. James followed in their wake, every muscle tensed as his
blood surged through his body and his heart pumped at a frenzied
pace.

Upon entering the kitchen Sullie immediately lowered his
weapon. "Here are our intruders." He relaxed and pointed toward
a side door facing the detached garage.

"Awww." Lucy holstered her gun and grinned.

James pushed past her and saw the pet flap built into the door.
Alongside the door was a bowl of water and an empty ceramic dinner plate. Two animals gazed up at the three humans with hungry eyes. Lucy squatted down and stroked the head of a little schnauzer
and then reached out to pet a tortoise-shell tabby. The animals responded eagerly to her attention and soon, a chorus of barks and
meows echoed in the kitchen.

At that moment, a pair of male voices shouted, "EMTs!" and
entered the house. Sullie dashed out of the kitchen and as Lucy
turned to go, James held her by the elbow. "What about these two?
What will happen to them?"

"I'll have to call animal control in the morning." She glanced at
the dog and cat and then jerked her eyes back to James' face. "Unless someone else takes them now."

James didn't even hesitate. "I'm bringing them home with me.
If I have to sign papers or something later on, I will. But I won't
leave them here with their caregiver lying dead upstairs. These two
need food and a quiet place to sleep."

Lucy nodded and hustled out of the kitchen while James rummaged around in the cabinets until he found a stack of Alpo cans
and another of Fancy Feast. He gave a can to each animal, surprised that they were so good-natured over having to share the
same plate. By the time they were finished, the noise level had increased within the house. James loaded a grocery bag with canned
and dry food and was relieved to discover a pair of pet carriers in
the far reaches of the pantry.

He placed the carriers on the floor, got down on his knees, and
reached out to the animals. They both came right to him, snuggling against his leg.

"I'm James Henry," he told the friendly pair as he examined
their collars. "Nice to meet you, Snickers," he said to the smiling
schnauzer. And with a laugh, he spoke to the cat. "And you too, Miss Pickles." He pointed at the carriers. "I know it's late, but I'm
going to take you someplace safe. Come on," he gently pushed
each animal into a crate. "We're going home."

WHEN JAMES RETURNED HOME carrying two animal crates, a bagful of dog
and cat food, and a litter box, Jane was
speechless. As he quietly explained what
happened on the way to drop Lucy off
at the library, James unlatched the metal
doors of the crates and coaxed Snickers
and Miss Pickles out. Both animals took
their time exiting their carriers. They each put their front paws on
the floor and then paused, sniffing nervously. When James mentioned Tia's name, Snickers released a soft whine and James pulled
the small dog against his chest.