Crops and Robbers by Paige Shelton Read Free Book Online

the EMTs. They ventured into my barn, and then one of them walked to the porch and made sure Mom didn’t need any medical attention. He also made sure I was okay before going back to the ambulance. I thought they might remove the body, but they didn’t.
    “You’re sure the body is Joan’s?” Ian asked when I finished talking.
    I nodded.
    “Okay, and your parents were in your stall when Joan offered her ‘critique,’ so to speak?”
    “Yes.”
    “Did anyone besides Bo say something derogatory about Joan?”
    “I don’t think so. Not really. I got a lot of support but nothing else bad.”
    “Of course, be sure and let Sam know exactly what Bo said.”
    “Yeah, of course.”
    “It’s going to be okay, Bec,” Ian said as he put his hand on my leg.
    “You sure?” I said, looking into his concerned eyes again. I didn’t want to cry, but I could feel the tears beginning to pool.
    “Positive. Sam’s the best at what he does, and I don’t believe your mother did this”—he nodded toward the barn—“this . . . well, from everything you’ve told me, your parents are peace-loving, not violent.”
    I sniffed away the tears and leaned my head on his shoulder. “I hope so.”
    Another car pulled into the driveway and parked behind the ambulance. Officer Norton greeted the driver, who carried a big camera and wore a baseball cap. I had no idea who the man was, but it was clear that he was there to document the scene. Ian and I were silent as we watched him disappear into the barn.
    It seemed that only a few minutes passed before he came out and rejoined Officer Norton. She escorted him to the porch, where he took pictures of Mom, specifically her hands. I swallowed away more tears as she turned them in every direction. Then, she pointed to an area at the side of the barn. Sam helped her stand, and they, along with the guy with the camera, walked to where she’d been pointing. I made a move to hop off the tailgate to join them, but Ian held on to my arm.
    “I think we’d better wait here a minute.”
    “Yeah, probably,” I said, deflated.
    Time passed slowly as the three of them disappeared to where they couldn’t be seen from my perch on the tailgate. I caught Officer Norton looking in my direction. She must have been reading my desire to check what they were doing, so she shook her head slowly.
    I sighed and waited until they reappeared, the photographer continuing to take pictures of the ground all the way to the barn’s door.
    Sam retrieved something from his car and then used to use some sort of swab on Mom’s hands. He worked quickly and efficiently. Once that was done, he said something to her that had her nodding profusely. He turned to watch the photographer as Mom made her way toward the house.
    She looked at me and said, “Can I clean up inside?”
    Again I made a move to hop down.
    “No, Becca, stay there. You still need to talk to the police. I just need to go in and clean up.”
    “Should I call Dad?” I asked.
    “Officer Brion is taking care of that,” she said, and she went through the front door.
    “Becca,” Sam said as he appeared beside the truck. “I need to talk to you next. Ian, can you excuse us?”
    Ian hugged my shoulders before he scooted off the tailgate. Hobbit raised her head and pondered whether she should follow him back to the porch or stay with me; she chose me.
    “How’re you doing, Becca?” Sam asked as he peered at my face. I could tell he was trying to keep his as neutral as possible.
    “Not so good. How’s my mom?”
    “She’s very cooperative,” he said after a moment’s hesitation.
    “That’s good, I guess.”
    “That’s very good. Becca, I need you to tell me about what happened, from your point of view. I take it you knew who the deceased was?”
    I nodded and swallowed hard. Again, I recounted the events of the day. The more I talked about it, the worse I felt about Joan’s fate. Because she’d been in my barn when she was killed, I