(2012) Colder Than Death Read Online Free Page B

entrance of the four-story, official-looking municipal building, then backed the hearse into what was, for all intent and purpose, a loading dock for bodies.
    “We're here,” I said, nudging Perry softly in the ribs as I brought the hearse to a stop.
    Perry grunted and spent about thirty seconds shaking himself awake and maneuvering himself out of the car. I went to the back of the hearse to open the door. As I was doing so, Greg Hoxey pulled up alongside of us. He got out of the cruiser and walked over to Perry's side of the hearse, ignoring me.
    An Assistant Pathologist came out of the building holding a clipboard with some paper attached to it. I'd dealt with him before. His name was Ray and he possessed a jolly demeanor that made him come off more like the entertainment director on a singles cruise ship.
    “Who do we have here?” he asked cheerfully.
    “Unidentified at the moment,” I said.
    “Oh, right. Body in the cemetery.” He scribbled something on the form.
    Perry pointed at Greg, saying, “He'll give you a hand.”
    I held open the door. Greg and Ray removed the body bag and placed it on a gurney, then a release form was signed and the body was quickly whisked away into the building. Perry thanked me for picking up the body, then promised that once the identity of the dead girl was learned, if her family didn't have a preference, he would recommend us to handle the funeral arrangements.
    That was what I'd been waiting to hear. I thanked him, then before I left he said one last thing:
    “What you said about the killer hiding the body in the mausoleum? I appreciate that, Del.”
    I nodded. “Just trying to help.”
    “You get anymore bright ideas like that and you let me know, okay, man?”
    He winked at me, then yawned, revealing a brief flash of his ravaged teeth. He patted the top of the hearse, then headed into the building, sticking a wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth.
    I was convinced that Perry loved his job as top law enforcement person in Dankworth. It was his identity. Just as being a Funeral Director was mine. It was the only thing we had in common. He had found his place to hide from the world and so had I.

Chapter 5
    Five days passed and I hadn't heard a word about the dead girl's identity. Business picked up. We had two funerals and three people came in for Pre-Needs. That’s when someone makes arrangements for themselves or a loved one in advance of their passing.
    Then Perry Cobb paid me a visit.
    “I got some business for you,” he said as I opened the door. “Mausoleum girl's been identified. Her family will be calling you.”
    “Thanks, Perry. Come on in.”
    “No time. Gotta meet with Gowen and Timerlane.”
    Richard Gowen and Bennet Timerlane were the County Sheriff and District Attorney respectively.
    “They're trying to dump the entire investigation on me.” There was concern in his voice.
    “You mean you don't want it?” I stepped outside.
    “Thought I did 'til I found out she was killed nine years ago. And from what I've learned so far, she won't be a sympathetic victim. Your basic party girl. Liked to put the booze away. Dance on tables. You know the type. Black sheep of the family. No long-term employment. And what's worse, hardly anyone remembers anything about her. Gowen and Timerlane aren't saying it, but they view this as unimportant. Like big city cops not spending more than a second investigating the murder of a junkie or a prostitute. But let the Mayor of Youngstown get bumped off and they'll call in Interpol.”
    “So... who was she?”
    “Name's Susan Parker. Actually, went by the name of Brandy. I did a check on the computer. Missing person report. We had her down as a probable runaway nine years ago. I vaguely remembered the name. Got the word from the Coroner yesterday afternoon. I've been digging through her file, such as it is. My dad interviewed a few people back then. His notes say it was more likely that she took off, then met with foul