The Graves of the Guilty (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 3) by Ellery Adams Read Free Book Online Page A

look after another Lincoln’s way, and although he’d hugged her upon his arrival, he didn’t seem overly concerned about her welfare.
    “We’re about to remove the victim,” McNamara said quietly. “In another hour or so, your sister and her husband will be able to get some sleep.” He paused. “Or try to sleep.”
    Reluctantly, Cooper asked for a ride to her truck, and McNamara responded by pulling one of the uniformed officers away from his ham and cheese sandwich. “You’re to inspect Ms. Lee’s vehicle until you’re certain those tires are as full as your belly. Are we clear?”
    The man instantly tossed his sandwich aside, stood a fraction taller, and said, “Yes, sir.” He even helped Cooper into her coat and opened the front door for her with a flourish.
    Ashley handed Cooper her mittens and the sisters embraced. “What will happen to us?” she whispered.
    Over her sister’s bent head, Cooper watched as two men from the Medical Examiner’s Office exchanged a few words with Wiser before heading inside the garage. There was a great deal of noise in the Love house for such a late hour, and the two sisters stood in their embrace, letting themselves get lost in the din. Radios crackled, cell phones rang and were answered, water rushed through pipes, and a chorus of male voices echoed throughout the downstairs. Cooper reflected on the fact that the most powerful noise of the entire night had been the lack of sound—the dark vacuum of silence surrounding the body in the garage.
    “You’re going to be fine,” Cooper promised Ashley. “But it may be awhile before things feel normal again.” She touched her sister’s smooth cheek. “I’m not saying that to worry you, but I want you to be prepared.”
    “What should I do?” Ashley clung to her sister’s hand.
    “Talk to your husband. You should comfort each other,” Cooper said. “Call me tomorrow, okay?”
    After giving her sister a final squeeze, Cooper stepped into the darkness. The clouds had thinned, allowing for a scattering of lonesome stars in the tar-black sky. Their weak twinkling seemed cold, standoffish.
    A slanted square of light from Ashley’s open garage spilled onto the pebbled driveway. The shadow of a gurney and of the two men lifting their burden into a white van marred the light and then, even the shadows were gone.
    Within a few hours, the house would grow still, the lights would go off, and the silence would spread out and reclaim its dominion.

4
     
    Cooper felt like a zombie the next day at work. After briefly telling Angela what had happened the night before, the office manager quickly restructured the daily schedule, giving Emilio the repair calls and putting Cooper on shredder detail.
    Emptying document bins stuffed with nests of white paper proved to be the perfect occupation for Cooper’s fatigued body and restless mind. She called Ashley during her lunch hour but barely recognized her sister’s voice.
    “What a nightmare,” Ashley croaked as though her throat was inflamed. “I had to go to the police station and give a formal statement early this morning. Too early!” she added indignantly. “It’s not like we got any sleep last night. When we finally did crawl into bed, I told Lincoln that if he had the slightest idea how that man ended up in that trunk, it was his one and only chance to come clean with me.”
    “And?”
    “He swore that he was as shocked as I was,” Ashley said through a yawn. “I believed him. But we still couldn’t sleep, so we talked about all kinds of stuff—the way we used to when we were first married. I know this sounds awful, but that dead man reunited us.”
    Cooper murmured tiredly, “I’m glad for you.”
    “The police tramped all through the house again this morning and those two investigators are at the West End dealership right now. That’s where Miguel worked as the head lot attendant.” She paused. “Now that I know his name, I can’t stop wondering about him.