A Deadly Fall Read Online Free Page B

order.”
     
    I walked out of the office in a daze. Judy was going to be devastated. Hell, I was devastated. Ever since our family had moved here at the beginning of high school, Sarah and Judy had been inseparable. By the time they were in middle school and I was getting ready to leave for college, Judy was always tying up the phone lines with Sarah on the other end. She’d get off the school bus and immediately pick up the phone, continuing whatever conversation they’d been having. I never did understand how girls talked as much as they did.
     
    Even with Judy traipsing all over the country, their friendship never seemed to be put on hold. Judy always came home for Sarah—her wedding and both miscarriages and seemingly insignificant life events as well. At least seemingly insignificant to an outsider. To them, everything was significant.
     
    Judy always stayed with me when she visited, but it was Sarah who she was really visiting. I would get the short version of all of the events, including Judy’s personal struggle with changing her lifestyle and heading back to school. It was ultimately Sarah’s joy in her settled down life with Jack that convinced Judy that single traveling wasn’t going to fulfill her life’s mission.
     
    And where was Judy now? I sent her a text, Let’s meet for an early lunch. And then it was a waiting game. I needed to figure out how to break the news while offering as much support as possible. She was going to be put through hell by having to give a statement and possibly testify if any viable suspects were dug up.
     
    Sounds great. How ‘bout The Lazy River? she wrote back.
     
    Meet you there at 11 . Now we had a plan. I just needed to make my own plan. And fast. Somehow it was already past ten.
     
    ***
     
    “What’s up, how’s work going today? Any progress on the ID of the body?” Judy asked as our food was placed in front of us and we both started to dig in. I’d had to make small talk and avoid work related topics until she had some food in her. I knew she wouldn’t be able to eat once I dropped this bomb on her.
     
    “You never ask about work,” I said with a smile, not letting anything away just yet. I wanted to give her another few moments of thinking life was all good.
     
    “I don’t usually show up first on a crime scene,” she laughed.
     
    “Actually, there is progress. I was sent home. Captain told me to take today and start working again tomorrow,” I said, seriousness creeping into my voice and body language.
     
    “Sam, what’s going on?” she asked, worried. She’d always been able to read me like an open book, even before we were close.
     
    “Judy, there’s really no easy way to tell you this—” I paused. It was too much.
     
    “Sam, you’re scaring me.”
     
    “Judy, the body we found was Sarah.” There, I’d said it. Let the terror take over.
     
    “What? No! It couldn’t be! I just saw her on Friday!” she said, clearly in denial.
     
    “I know.”
     
    “Does Jack know yet?” she asked.
     
    “No. He’s away on a business trip. He’ll be home later today. He’s on the flight now so we haven’t been able to contact him.”
     
    “It can’t be her,” she said again, clearly not having heard me talk about Jack.
     
    I couldn’t break her heart anymore by trying to convince her. I knew when she was ready she would let the doubt creep in and then start to deal with reality. I’d let her at least finish lunch. Maybe bring her to Krista’s for the afternoon. She’d stopped working since she’d found out she was having twins and wanted to take it easy to avoid any early deliveries or complications.
     
    “It’s can’t be,” she said again. “Tell me it’s not her.”
     
    “Judy, it’s Sarah,” I said again.
     
    “But. . .but. . .”
     
    “Judy, I know it’s hard to accept, and I know you just saw her, but the body we found yesterday in the woods was Sarah. I’m here to help you get through this. Right