Page 19 of Out of Time (Undaunted Courage #3)

She rose too. “No, thanks. I want to get a book from the collection in the study. Besides, with so much law enforcement presence right now, it’s not like I have to worry about walking around by myself.”

“ Did you worry about that?”

She lifted one shoulder. “A little. I’m a city girl, remember? Being on an isolated estate can sometimes be a bit unsettling.”

“There’s nothing wrong with trusting your instincts if you sense danger. It’s always safer to be too cautious than not cautious enough.”

“I suppose, but—”

“Oh, Sheriff, I’m glad I caught you.” Natalie reappeared in the doorway.

“I took a quick look through my father’s files to see if he had any information on next of kin for Micah.

I found one contact name and a phone number.

But it’s from many years ago, after Micah’s father died, so I’m not certain it’s valid anymore.

” She walked over to him and held out a slip of paper.

He took it. “Thank you. I’ll also check the cabin.” He started to fold the paper. Paused at the two words written on the back.

Be careful.

He raised his eyebrows. “What’s this?” He held it up.

“I wrote the contact information on the back of a note Micah left for me after he finished the repairs in here. Another example of why I always felt he looked out for me.”

“What do you think prompted this warning?”

She shrugged. “Coming on the heels of the fire, I imagine it was his way of showing he cared about me. Like his produce and egg deliveries, and the occasional bouquet of wildflowers he picked in the meadow. He was a sweet man.” She massaged her temple. “Now I’m going to rest for a bit.”

As she once again retreated down the hall, Brad pocketed the note.

“It would be sad to have no family who cared when you died, wouldn’t it?”

At Cara’s quiet question, he gave her his full attention. Compassion had softened her eyes, the slight shimmer in their depths evidence of her caring nature.

“Yes, it would. But maybe the name on this paper will lead me to a long-lost relative.” He tapped the shirt pocket he’d slipped it into.

“What will happen to him if no one claims ... if there’s no one to make arrangements?”

“I’ll talk it over with Natalie. She may have some thoughts on the subject.”

“That makes sense.” She motioned toward the hall. “I’ll go on to the study and let you get down to the lake.”

Much as he’d like to extend his time with her, duty called.

He crossed to the back door and turned. “I’ll keep you and Natalie apprised of the investigation.”

“Thanks.”

He let himself out, then struck off for the lake, circling counterclockwise to speed up his trip to the location Cara had provided.

It didn’t take long to make the short circuit, and the young deputy was waiting for him on the path above the body.

“You take a close look yet?” Brad stopped beside the man.

“Only to confirm he was dead.”

Not surprising. Newly minted deputies weren’t inclined to get up close and personal with death if they could avoid it.

“Coroner should be here soon. I’m not going to touch much until Rod’s done. He always gets first dibs. Hang tight till he shows up.”

“Roger.”

Brad scrambled down the slope, gave the body a cursory once-over, took several photos, and rejoined Alan to wait for the coroner.

Rod’s assessment would help guide the investigation, what little of it there was liable to be.

Unless he found obvious evidence of foul play, they’d document the scene, then rely on the autopsy to determine cause of death.

In all probability, manner would be accidental or natural.

Several minutes later, Larry appeared around a bend in the trail, Rod and his assistant behind him with a stretcher in tow.

After a brief exchange, Brad followed the coroner down to the edge of the lake.

The man took a number of overall photos, then got up close and personal with the body.

“You see the gash on the back of his head?” Rod leaned closer.

“No. I was waiting for you.”

“Water washed away the blood. It’s not easy to spot with all the hair this guy has.” He patted the edge of the boat. “There’s a smear of what appears to be blood on this side.”

“You think he fell, knocked himself out, and went into the water?”

“Plausible. But that’s not my determination to make.

” He flashed him a grin. “I just rule on cause and manner. You’ll have to determine how the deed happened, if the case merits that sort of scrutiny.

Let me get a water temperature and sample, take a few more photos, finish my scene work, bag the hands, then we’ll transport and leave you to investigate further. ”

It didn’t take long for Rod and his assistant to wrap up, and with Alan lending a hand, they carried the body out.

“I want to take a few photos of the blood on the boat and get a sample.” Brad motioned to the satchel Larry was toting. “I assume there are evidence envelopes in there?”

“Yep.”

After tugging on latex gloves, Brad didn’t waste any time completing that task and giving the area a thorough inspection.

But other than the blood on the boat, there was nothing to see. Certainly nothing that appeared suspicious. While it was possible there was trace evidence in the small craft, nothing was visible to the naked eye.

Just in case, though...

“You still have that plastic sheeting in your trunk?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s take the boat back to Micah’s cabin, put it in his shed, and cover it.”

His deputy arched an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting we carry it back?”

“Why not?” Brad hiked up the corners of his mouth. “It’s not that big, and it’s aluminum. It can’t weigh much more than a hundred and twenty pounds. I thought you’d gone back to working out with weights.”

“I have, but hauling a boat around is different than picking up a barbell.”

“Tell you what.” Brad fished out one of the paddles that was caught in the reeds. “Why don’t you row it back across the lake and I’ll meet you near the cabin? Put on gloves and grab the other paddle.” He motioned to it, stuck in the reeds farther down. “That work?”

“Yeah. I can handle rowing. You want to ride along?”

“No. I want to walk the path.”

After the other paddle was retrieved, Brad steadied the boat while Larry boarded, gave the craft a push, and set off down the trail that wound through the woods—even though the odds of spotting anything suspicious were small.

Securing the boat was probably overkill too, but better safe than sorry.

He pulled his sunglasses out of his shirt pocket, Micah’s note to Natalie crinkling as he withdrew them.

Be careful.

Brad frowned as the man’s warning strobed again through his mind.

The older woman assumed Micah’s cautionary advice had been prompted by the fire, but what if that hadn’t been the impetus? What if Micah had been aware of dangerous activity on the estate? Was it possible the fire, and even Natalie’s dizzy spells, were somehow related to the warning?

He picked up his pace down the path toward the man’s cabin, questions swirling through his mind that would be a stretch under normal circumstances.

Now that Micah had turned up dead, however? Not so much.

In fact, despite the lack of an apparent motive, the previous happenings cast a shadow of suspicion over the man’s sudden end.

Nevertheless, he’d wait for the coroner to weigh in and for the autopsy report to be completed before jumping to any conclusions.

And if either generated so much as one smidgen of doubt, he’d dig in deeper.

Because while no one other than Natalie might miss Micah, the man deserved justice.

And if someone up to no good had assumed the demise of a man who preferred animals to people would pass with little fanfare, they were in for a surprise.