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Kelto confirmed it all with a nod. |
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"Kelto saw her first. From just inside the doorway it looked like she was just sitting in the rocking chair, maybe sleeping. I went over to wake her and, well, you can see what I found." |
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Madden's deeply furrowed frown had turned into a face mirroring compassion. Now it was Brenda who was caught up in the ugly little scene, and it made a difference. |
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"Did you check her?" he asked. |
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B.C. nodded. "She's been dead awhile. As E.G. well knows, I'm no authority on this kind of thing, but her skin is cold and hard to the touch. With all those wraps around her, I can't tell if there is any swelling or discoloration to anything other than her face." |
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Jake was still staring at the dead woman when I interrupted. "There's something you need to see." |
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With B.C. and Kelto following, I led the trio out the door and around to the rear of the cabin to the cliff overlooking the hidden inlet. Jake stared down into the fog-choked crevice with a puzzled look on his face. "I discovered this last night." |
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The look on Madden's face told me he hadn't put the two events together. |
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"You were still tending to Vernice when I came out here to talk to the old woman. |
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