Money Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 2) Read Online Free

game. Her eyes widened at the sight. She glanced over at Eddy but he didn't seem to notice.
    “Maybe the backpack was with the body?” Eddy swept his gaze over the tall grass. “Maybe the body washed up in the grass.”
    “No, it looks like he was murdered where we found his body.” Detective Brunner glanced over his shoulder. “The body was hidden by the grass. If we hadn't been looking for the backpack it probably would have taken a few days before the body was found. It makes me think that whoever did this didn’t have time to move the body or was planning on getting out of town pretty fast.”
    “How terrible.” Samantha shook her head. “He was a nice man.”
    “Did you know him well?” Detective Brunner looked at her with interest.
    Samantha felt a pang of guilt as she thought about whether she should have taken the time to get to know Vince better. He was the type that would crack a joke and always seemed to be laughing. She hadn’t really made the effort to talk to him. She felt like she had tried her best to connect with people at Sage Gardens, but had found that she was rejected by the social butterflies that ran all of the events. She had settled into a strange but satisfying friendship with Eddy and a few others. That was enough for her.
    “No, I didn't know him well. I just saw him come and go. He was the driver for the activities bus,” she explained. “I don't think I have ever even had a conversation with him.”
    “Then what made you think he was nice?” Detective Brunner asked.
    “He was courteous. He would help his passengers up the steps if they needed it. He always said hello to the office staff. Any time I saw him he was smiling or laughing,” Samantha said as she looked back over at the grass. “I can't understand why anyone would want to kill him.”
    “Maybe for the backpack full of drugs?” Detective Brunner spoke in a dry tone.
    Samantha narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. She felt as if Detective Brunner was making fun of her.
    “If she remembers anything else, I'll let you know.” Eddy offered his hand to Detective Brunner. Detective Brunner gave it a quick shake. Then he began walking over to the crime scene.
    “He's a new detective,” Eddy muttered, as if that explained the detective's behavior. “He's still getting his feet wet.”
    “Eddy, I know that he is a detective, but I don't think he's taking this case very seriously.” Samantha frowned with concern. She didn't think it was appropriate at all that he was playing a game during an investigation.
    “You have to understand, Sam, that detectives see these types of crimes all the time. Just because it may not seem like he's focused on the case, doesn't mean that he isn't. It's just that finding a dead body isn't as shocking to them after seeing so many.” Eddy shrugged. “I'm sure he'll do a fine job.”
    “I think that it should be shocking every time,” Samantha said heatedly as she watched the body bag being loaded into the back of the coroner's van. “He was somebody. He deserves a thorough investigation into his murder.”
    “You're right. I'll keep an eye on him. If he's not up to snuff then I'll look into it further. All right?” He placed a hand lightly on the curve of Samantha's shoulder. Samantha relaxed a little at the touch. Despite how tough and standoffish Eddy could be, he often knew the right moment to be tender.
    “I think that we need to find out some things for ourselves, too. I mean the backpack is still missing. Plus we found that footprint.” Samantha started to walk back up the hill. “We should see if we can pick up the trail.”
    “Samantha.” Eddy followed after her. “This really isn't the kind of case to get into the middle of. I mean we have no idea who this man was. Maybe this happened because of criminal activity. Maybe someone was getting revenge. It's best to let the authorities look into it.”
    “Oh, I'll let them all right. But the moment that they don't follow