Grave Situation by Alex MacLean Read Free Book Online Page B

put up down here as well. Close off
Salter, Bishop, even all the way down to Morris. We need to keep
people out of this area. We should also contact the local radio
stations so they can put out a travel advisory.”
    “I’ll take care of it.” Malone
walked off, keying his shoulder mike.
    Allan headed toward the officer
Malone had been talking to.
    Reaching him, Allan asked, “Are you
the first officer?”
    The young man nodded once.
“Yes.”
    Allan took out his spiral again.
Below the time of his arrival at the scene, he wrote down the
officer’s badge number and name, Craig Ellis.
    “What time did you get
here?”
    Ellis consulted his own notepad.
“Five-fifty-one. The call came into dispatch at
five-forty-five.”
    “Did you touch anything?” he
asked.
    “No, sir. I only went close enough
to the body to see if the victim required medical
attention.”
    “Did anyone else disturb the
scene?”
    “No.”
    “Did you see anyone in the area as
you arrived?”
    Ellis shook his head. “No one. Just
Mister O’Dell.” He gestured to the guard standing several feet
away.
    “Has Coulter been
notified?”
    “Yes. He should be arriving
soon.”
    Allan felt the eyes of the guard,
watching.
    Voice hushed, he asked Ellis, “Has
the gentleman over there given you a full statement?”
    “Yes, he has.”
    “Good. I’ll read your report when
you pass it in.” Allan thanked the officer and walked toward the
guard.
    “I’m Lieutenant Allan Stanton,” he
said, reaching out.
    “Greg O’Dell.”
    Through their handshake, Allan
could feel a tremor in the guard’s grip.
    “Did you witness the crime?” he
asked.
    Greg glanced at the victim. “No. I
found Brad this way.”
    “Can I see some identification,
please?”
    A curt nod. “Sure.” He produced his
wallet and fumbled out his driver’s license from it.
    “What’s your relationship with the
victim?” asked Allan, taking notes. “Are you friends outside of
work?”
    “I’m married
with three kids. It’s hard for me to have time for buddies in my life.” He
paused, adding quietly, “My relationship with Brad was mostly work
related.”
    Briefly, Allan appraised him. “Do
you work together as a team?”
    “At times through the night we
did. At other times we didn’t. We always kept in touch by radio. If
something went down, we were only a click away.”
    “Was Brad married?”
    “No. Long-term
relationship.”
    “Did he ever mention having
problems there?”
    “No. I assumed everything was all
right. He never really talked about it much.”
    “Prior to discovering the body,
did you see anyone leaving the area?”
    “No.”
    Allan gave him back the driver’s
license. “Did Brad radio you at any point to report
trouble?”
    Frowning, Greg looked down at his
shoes. “Not exactly.” He ran his fingers through the stubble of his
brown hair. “He was about to check on someone in a
truck.”
    Allan scribbled
in his spiral. “I know your thoughts might be a bit cloudy right
now, but try to be as detailed as you can. And please , try to leave nothing
out…”

10
    Halifax, May 9
    3:46 a.m.
     
    Stars speckled the night sky. Low
on the horizon, the large moon was a dim smudge. The cool breath
drifting in from the harbor was a welcome reprieve from the bizarre
heat wave the province had languished through the last
week.
    Is there
something to this global warming hoopla? Greg O’Dell wondered .
    He raised his wrist to his face,
checking the time. 3:46 am. Just over two hours and his shift would
be finished. The security firm he worked for was contracted out to
provide after-hour protection against break-ins and vandalism to
many waterfront businesses.
    Greg stood in Sackville Landing,
near a sculpture of a huge rolling wave. Constructed of
ferro-cement, the wave was twelve feet high and painted bluish
green. Ahead of him, beyond the docks, the black water coruscated
with light.
    It was quiet here, serene with the
murmur of the harbor. The atmosphere