The Murder Pit Read Online Free Page A

we hadn’t seen it before.”
    She started to say something, but something caught her eye in the living room. The kids. She stared again for a long moment, as if each one of them were a suspect. “Those your kids?”
    “Yes,” I said, a little defensively. “All four of them.”
    “Four?” she asked incredulously. “You lose a bet or something?”
    Jake shot me a warning look and I took a deep breath. “No. We…we like kids.”
    “Well, I like cats, too. But I’ve got three of ‘em and that’s one too many,” she said, shaking her head. “Can’t imagine feeding and taking care of four.”
    I wasn’t clear on whether or not she thought our kids actually were cats or what she was getting at.
    She refocused. “Did you know the deceased?”
    “We haven’t even seen the…deceased,” I said. “Other than his shoes.”
    “So you did not put the body down there?”
    “No,” I said, bristling at the idea. “We did not.”
    “I was asking just you, ma’am,” Hanborn said, raising an eyebrow.
    “No,” I repeated. I folded my arms across my chest. “I did not.”
    “Hmm. Okay. We’ll see about that, then.” Her voice told me everything I needed to know. She didn’t believe a word I’d said. “Gonna go outside now and help them pull the body out,” she said. “Don’t go anywhere.”
    “It’s our house,” Jake pointed out. “We’re not going anywhere.”
    “Right,” the detective said. She glanced into the living room again. “Four. Wow. Just…wow.”
    She turned on her heel and headed back outside, pulling the door closed behind her.
    “I’m gonna buy a massive litter box,” Jake said. “Should cut down on the need for the toilet for them. Since we only have one.”
    “Pretty sure litter is more expensive than toilet paper.”
    He chuckled. “Maybe. But we could always try.”
    I peered out the kitchen window. Priscilla Hanborn joined the group of officers who’d gathered in our backyard. She said something to them, then stomped toward the back door, the officers trailing behind her.
    “She was…interesting.” I chose my words carefully, trying to be diplomatic.
    “She seems…intense. And slightly insane,” Jake said, standing behind me to get a look outside, as well. “I’m glad you did not put that body down there.”
    “Be careful or they’ll come back and find yours.”
    He chuckled and I slipped away. I opened one of the whitewashed cupboards, pulling a mug out for myself. I poured coffee and added a generous splash of creamer and brought the steaming cup to my lips.
    “Please,” Jake said. “Who would unfreeze your pipes if you killed me?”
    “According to you, no one.”
    He lifted his eyebrows. “Damn right. We’ve had this conversation. But I was talking about your other pipes. The ones under the sink.”
    I glanced at the offending appliance. It was decidedly newer than the house but the stainless steel sink and cupboard combination still dated from the 1950s. It was a little rusted and one of the doors didn’t latch properly but I didn’t care. Like so many of the the other quirky features in the house, I loved it completely.
    “Ohhhh.” I grinned. “Good point. You do have some value.”
    He shot me a look and I bit back a smile. He was pretty good at unfreezing all my pipes and he knew it.
    I cradled my cup of coffee and we both watched as Detective Hanborn pointed fingers and barked instructions to the crowd gathered in our snow-filled backyard. There was a team of police officers as well as a small group of people in plain clothes—I couldn’t tell if they were detectives or people from the coroner’s office or what. A couple of them bounced on their heels, their arms wrapped around themselves, trying to stay warm in the subzero temperatures. After about ten minutes, the entire herd of them backed up. I looked away just as I saw several men come around the side of the house carrying a long, sheet-covered board with tennis shoes sticking out