Angels Fall

hair. "Maybe we'll do something later. Take a drive. Or I can borrow a boat. Something."
    "Something sounds good. I'm all right. I'll be fine."

    PETE WAS BACK at work, and sent her a wink when she walked into the kitchen. "That teriyaki chicken san of yours is the hit of the early lunch crowd. Lots going out, and not much of it coming back on the plates."
    "Good."

    "Went some over on your break," Joanie said from the grill.
    "Sorry. I'll stay some over after my shift."
    "Brody painting upstairs?"
    Reece paused in the act of washing her hands. "How do you know these things?"
    "Carl came in for a cup of coffee, told Linda-gail Brody was down to the mercantile and bought paint and supplies. Brody's car's still out front here. Two and two."
    "Yes, he's doing me a favor."
    "Better not be some crazy color."
    "It's a very pale blue. It's just the bathroom. It… needed it."
    "Likely it did."Joanie piled steak on a long bun, flipped on eggs and began to build a hoagie. "Nice having a man take on some of the chores."
    "It is." After drying her hands, Reece snagged the next ticket in line.
    "Don't recall Brody ever doing the same for any other woman around here. You recall him doing the same, Pete?"
    "Can't say that I do."
    Pete was right about the teriyaki. She had orders for two, one with onion rings, one with the black bean soup, Reece got to work.
    "You both know I'm sleeping with him," she said mildly. "Men often do a few chores for women who sleep with them."
    "You wouldn't be the first one he's slept with around here," Joanie put in. "But he didn't paint anyone's bathroom for the privilege."
    "Maybe I'm just better in bed."
    Joanie let out a hoot of laughter, dumped an order of fries on the plate with the hoagie and added a scoop of slaw; "Order up! Denny, how you doing?"
    "Doing fine, Joanie." Instead of sitting, the deputy stood at the counter. "Sheriff sent me down. Wanted to see if Reece could come in for a few minutes, you could spare her."
    "Hell, Denny, she's just back from break and the lunch rush is starting."
    "Well. Denny pushed a hand under his uniform hat to scratch his head. "It's just… Can I come back there a minute?"
    Looking aggrieved, Joanie waved him hack

    "What's going on?" Linda-gail whispered, working her way down the counter.
    "Nothing that concerns you like taking that order to a paying customer does." joanic turned back into the kitchen. "Now why does Rick want to short me my cook at goddamn noon when I'm up to my ass here?"
    "The sheriff wants me?" Reece looked over from sizzling chicken.
    "He'd like it if you could come down for a couple minutes. Thing is… I didn't want to say much about it out there, where people are eating and all that." Denny said to Joanie. "Thing is, they found a woman's body in the marshes in Moose Ponds." His eyes looked sorrowfully into Reece's now. "Sheriff's got. um, a couple of pictures he thought you should look at. See if she's the one you said… I mean the one you saw up over the river."
    "You go on," Joanie said briskly.
    "Yes." Her voice was dull. "Yes. I should go up and… I'll just finish this order."
    "I can finish the damn order. Pete, run on upstairs and get Brody."
    "No. No. Don't bother him." Absently, Reece untied her apron. "I'll be fine. We'll just go now." Pete waited until Reece was out of earshot. "Want me to go up and get Brody?"
    "She said no. Reece knows her own mind." But there was worry on Joanie's face as she turned back to the grill.
    He'd brought the radio car, so the trip was quick. It didn't give her time to settle the idea, or to obsess about it. It would all be over in a few minutes, Reece thought. She could put all this behind her—or try to.
    "I'm going to take you right back to Rick's office." Denny gave her shoulder a hesitant pat when they were out of the car. "You want some coffee? Some water'"
    "No, no, I'm fine." And she didn't think she could swallow. "Do you know how she was… how she died?"
    "You'd better talk to the sheriff." Denny opened the door for her. Hank looked over from Dispatch, put his hand over the mike. "Bunch of crazy tourists chasing down buffalo with an SUV, trying to get action pictures. Got a wrecked SUV now, and a pissed-off bull. Reece." He mustered up a smile for her. "Doing okay?"
    "Yes."
    "Denny, I'm going to need you to go on out with Lynt, haul this bunch in, tow the vehicle. Bunch of fuckheads. Beg your pardon, Reece."
    "I'll just go back to Sheriff Mardson's office."

    "Where are they?"