Read Online Borrowing Trouble by Stacy Finz - Free Book Online Page B

coming down the bank.
    â€œSir, I need you to turn around.”
    â€œThat’s my dad,” the boy said.
    â€œYou must be Officer Sloane.” The man totally ignored her and kept coming. “Clay McCreedy.” He stuck out his hand.
    She refrained from rolling her eyes and shook it. “Okay, everyone, let’s take it over here.” Sloane herded the group as far away from the remains as she could.
    â€œWas the person murdered?” a girl with curly hair wanted to know.
    â€œMore than likely not. But we’ll investigate.” She wondered if anyone—a hiker, hunter, fisherman—had gone missing from the town recently. Surely, she would’ve been briefed on something that important. “As soon as the chief gets here, I’ll need to individually interview you. Does anyone need to call home?”
    A couple of the kids got on their cell phones.
    She turned to the McCreedy boy. “Were you the one who called 9-1-1?”
    â€œI did.” This from the boy’s father. “Justin called me.”
    She couldn’t help herself and ruffled the boy’s hair. To this day she still called her dad when things went wrong. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing Marty McBride couldn’t fix.
    â€œI’ll need to interview you as well,” she told him.
    â€œNo problem.”
    A few minutes later, Rhys and Jake parked in the turnout. From the top of the embankment, with a rope, Rhys began lowering large klieg lights. Clay helped Sloane untie them and sent the rope back up. Jake hiked down and Sloane showed him the skeleton. Together they strategically placed the lights to illuminate the area.
    â€œLooks like an adult from what I can tell,” Jake said. “Probably was unearthed after the last snow thawed, and floated down the river.”
    That’s what she’d thought too. “I scouted out the area the best I could, but I don’t think we’ll find the rest of the remains tonight.” Or ever. Animals had probably scattered much of them.
    â€œWe’ve called for the coroner from the Plumas County sheriff. Someone from the office should be here soon.”
    â€œNo one has gone missing in recent months?”
    â€œNo one in the county who hasn’t been accounted for. It was the first thing Rhys checked.”
    Rhys came up on them, got as close to the bones as he could without disturbing anything. “It’s hard to say, but they look like they’ve been around a while. That, or animals and weather conditions picked ’em clean.”
    Sloane looked up to see Harlee coming down the side of the ridge on her butt. “We’ve got company.”
    Clay helped her down and she started taking pictures with her phone camera. Sloane suspected she wanted to get as many photos as she could before they kicked her off the scene.
    â€œWant me to shoo her away?” Sloane asked.
    â€œNah.” Rhys let out a breath. “Before long the whole town will be here. Just keep her to the side.”
    â€œOkay.” She walked off to get witness statements and say hi to Harlee.
    â€œIs it human?” Harlee asked.
    â€œYep. We think an adult, but can’t be sure.”
    â€œAny theories? You think it might’ve been foul play?”
    â€œWay too soon to know,” Sloane said. “I’ve got to interview the kids. Rhys wants you to stand back here.”
    â€œI’d love to get a close-up of the skeleton.”
    â€œI don’t think so, Harlee.” Sometimes reporters and cops forgot about the survivors. Not because they were naturally callous, but because the job could desensitize you. “So that’s Clay McCreedy, huh?” She nodded her head in his direction.
    â€œYeah.” Harlee raised her brows. “What do you think?”
    Sloane’s lips quirked and in a low voice she said, “If word ever got out about this place, single women would flock in from all over the