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car.”
    â€œI’ll be right there,” Wally said. “Sit tight and keep the doors locked.”
    â€œWill do,” Skye agreed, then added, “You’ll want to keep the particulars of this case quiet so you might want to stay off the radio.”
    â€œWhat—” Wally cut himself off and said, “Never mind. I’ll be there in five. You can explain then. Call my cell if anything happens.”
    â€œCome alone,” Skye warned just before he hung up. She turned to Dorothy and said, “On a positive note, everyone will be so caught up in the attempted burglary at the American Legion, maybe the more salacious details of Mr. Lynch’s murder might not get out.”
    Dorothy grunted, then leaned against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. While the older woman rested, Skye called the high school and left a message that she wouldn’t be coming into work and asked that all her appointments and meetings be canceled.
    She indicated that her absence be marked as a personal day. There was nothing in her current contract that allowed for time off because of involvement in a murder investigation. Although considering Skye’s past record, she should try to add a dead body clause next time she signed a new agreement.
    Seconds later, Wally’s cruiser, without lights flashing or sirens wailing, raced down the street. He pulled the squad across the driveway, effectively blocking anyone from entering or leaving, and leaped from the vehicle.
    Skye popped the lock, scrambled out of Dorothy’s Catera, and threw herself in her husband’s arms. Heran his hands over her as if to check for injuries and rained kisses on her face.
    Once he was convinced she was okay, he said, “Why all the secrecy?”
    Summing up the housekeeper’s call, what happened once Skye arrived, and the condition of the corpse, she concluded, “One way or another, if bondage is truly Lynch’s sexual preference or the killer did this to him to humiliate him, as soon as the details get out, we both know the case becomes that much harder to solve.”
    â€œOf course.” Wally gave her one last squeeze, then released her and said, “Let me go look things over, then I’ll decide how to proceed.”
    â€œShouldn’t you have backup?” Skye asked. “I know I said to come alone, but—”
    â€œHow long were the two of you in the house?” Wally raised a brow, but didn’t wait for her answer before adding, “And Dorothy was there awhile before that, so unless the murderer is dumber than a box of rocks, they were already long gone before either of you arrived. Or at least he or she escaped when you two came out and sat in the car waiting for me to get here.”
    â€œRight.” Skye knew she was being silly. Surely the killer would have attacked Dorothy or her rather than wait for an armed police officer.
    When Wally returned a few minutes later, he was tucking his cell phone into his shirt pocket. His expression was grim and he rubbed the back of his neck.
    Approaching Skye, he said, “The county crime techs will be here in about forty minutes. Reid is on his way. He was preparing for a memorial service so I caught him at the funeral home. And Quirk will be here as soon as he drops off a witness at her car.”
    Sergeant Roy Quirk was Wally’s right hand at the PD. Simon Reid was the coroner and owned the local funeral parlor and the bowling alley—which his mother,Bunny, managed. Unfortunately, Simon was also Skye’s ex-boyfriend.
    They had dated on and off for over two years, until Skye thought she caught Simon cheating on her. He’d been too stubborn to explain his actions, and shortly afterward, Wally and Skye became an item. To say that the three of them working together presented an awkward situation was way beyond an understatement.
    Skye nodded her understanding, then leaned against the car. Dorothy was still