Read Online Dead Boogie by Victoria Houston - Free Book Online Page A

remembering that Peg rarely locked her doors, Ray had called Lew’s office and offered to drive over and secure the cottage—but she had thanked him and said she preferred to do it herself.
    Osborne followed her in. They stood for a moment, taking in the details of the living room. The setting sun sent rays of light through a picture window facing west. Dust motes floated in the gold air. All was silent, expectant.
    An old oak desk situated to the left of the door held an oval brass bowl into which had been tucked a number of pieces of mail. Also on the desktop were three more items: a blank notepad, a ring-bound weekly calendar, and a small address book, set side by side and in line with the edge of the desk. A tall ceramic mug, painted with a map of Wolf Lake, held pens, pencils, and a pair of scissors.
    “Very neat,” said Osborne, glancing around the room. The house felt good—warm, welcoming, everything in its place, from pillows on the sofa to newspapers stacked neatly on a side table. It was as if Peg had dusted and vacuumed before she left.
    “Peaceful … and undisturbed,” said Lew. “Certainly doesn’t look like anyone’s been in here rummaging around, does it. I’d like to do a quick check—see if anything jumps out at us—and come back in the morning for a thorough search.
    “And just so you know, Doc, it’s legal to look over everything that’s out in the open. Anything else has to wait until tomorrow when I’ll have that search warrant.”
    Lew waved toward the far side of the living room where two doors were closed and another, to a bathroom, stood open. “I’ll start in here—why don’t you check the back entrance and the kitchen area.”
    Earlier, while Lew completed the paperwork for the warrants that would allow her to do a thorough inspection of each of the victim’s homes, Osborne had walked Pauline out to the curb and waited with her until the weasel drove up. She seemed to stand straighter now, and her face was less fallen than when she had arrived. She told Osborne that in spite of her grief, she felt a little better knowing she had been able to give the Loon Lake Police valuable information.
    “You certainly pointed Chief Ferris in the right direction, Pauline,” said Osborne. “I hope you know you can trust her to follow up on anything else that might come to mind.”
    “Oh, yes,” said Pauline, “I trust her all right—I can tell she’s damn good at what she does.” Osborne was relieved to hear that. Pauline may have walked in angry and defensive but she was leaving eager to cooperate.
    After asking her not to disturb any of her daughter’s belongings until they could be examined, Lew had given Pauline her business card—on the back of which she had written both her cell and her home phone numbers. “Anything you think might be important—please call me right away,” said Lew, her arm around the woman’s shoulders. “Do not hesitate. Understand?”
    Pauline had nodded, eyes glimmering with tears.
    Ralph got the same card, but without the extra phone numbers. No doubt he would have multiple theories on what had happened to his daughter—input Lew preferred to filter. Marlene would know how to handle him.
    “In the meantime,” Lew had said, shaking his hand, “I’m going to bring on an extra deputy or two so I can get somebody up to those poker tables where Donna was training. Thanks to you and Pauline, we have some excellent leads here, Ralph.”
    Before Lew left the office, she touched base with Bruce, who was still hoping to make the Shania Twain performance. He had nothing new to report, except that the overturned convertible had been thoroughly checked for trace evidence and was on its way to Robbie’s warehouse. He added that Robbie had been able to reach his friend in Rhinelander and Bruce gave them the go-ahead to pull the car’s electronics for a computer analysis first thing in the morning.
    Walking to their cars after talking to Bruce, Lew told