Page 4 of The Graveyard Girls (Detective Ellie Reeves #11)

THREE

Green Gardens Cemetery

Twenty minutes later, Ellie parked at the graveyard where local police were already on the scene. She darted a glance toward Cord, who’d lapsed into one of his brooding silences.

Odd that the graveyard was called Green Gardens when nothing about the land here was green. She knew the history of the area. Brambletown was named after the numerous Bramble family members who’d occupied the semi-remote area for decades.

Gray storm clouds had rolled in, hovering over the desolate, parched terrain, making the area look even more eerie.

The little white church on the hill still sat, obviously vacant, paint peeling, trees dead, the faint sound of praise hymns lingering like a ghostly cry from the heavens mourning the dead.

Yet someone had recently created a memorial for those lost due to the fire and now tourists and residents had come to either honor or gawk at the stone markers in front of the church on the hill.

Distaste soured her mouth. Morbid curiosity seekers, Ellie thought.

Some people even collected murderabilia, a hobby she didn’t quite understand.

She saw enough horror in her work not to want to have the evidence at home in a glass case to display as if honoring the demented killers’ tools of the trade.

She quickly scanned the area. “Is the land still toxic?” she asked Cord.

Cord shook his head. “Toxins are thought to be farther north and the area has been cordoned off and warnings posted. The cemetery has been tested and proven safe. Although people have reported still seeing steam oozing from the ground at times from the heat below.”

Ellie breathed out in relief and climbed from her Jeep.

Cord followed, their doors closing and echoing in the silence created by the lack of wildlife; forest creatures no longer lived on the land.

There had been controversy about how the toxins had been handled and people were up in arms for the government to do something.

But change took time and the government bigwigs didn’t see this run-down town as a priority.

The local sheriff’s car was parked by the edge of the graveyard, but as they walked toward the cemetery, Ellie noticed the sheriff and a couple of his officers were actually pacing a deserted section of woods bordering the graveyard. An area with dry grass, dead weeds and rotting, downed trees.

An officer met them at the edge of the woods and identified himself as one of the deputies. Ellie made the introductions, and he led them toward the cordoned-off scene. “Who found the body?”

Deputy Newberry gestured toward a thin man with a goatee sporting an expensive-looking camera. “Says he’s a wildlife photographer.”

“Did he see anything? Anybody around?”

The deputy shook his head. “No, but I doubt he would have. Judging from the situation, the body may have been here a while.”

Ellie gave a small nod and they walked toward the sheriff, a medium-built guy with short brown hair and a scruffy jaw.

His police-issued shirt strained across his broad chest and his khaki pants looked a size too small.

She pegged him as an athlete in high school.

He’d replaced his father as sheriff, so who knew if he was qualified to do the job or if he was a shoo-in because of his father.

“Sheriff Clint Wallace,” he said, his expression hidden by a hat. “No need for you guys to get involved. Brambletown is my territory. I can handle it.”

Sensing he didn’t like his authority questioned, she gave a nonchalant shrug. “I get it. But our boss said you need our ERT.”

She gestured to the crime team van that rolled up and parked. Four investigators climbed out and began to collect their kits from the van.

“While they get ready, tell us what you found.”

His broad jaw snapped tight. “See for yourself. That dumb-ass memorial has brought in all the crazies.”

Ellie didn’t comment. His attitude probably spoke for half the people around here, who didn’t like outsiders and wanted the past to stay buried. “Any idea who the body belongs to?”

“Not a clue. We haven’t had any trouble around here in years.” He patted his belt where his baton hung and then his holster. “Now this.”

“You’re talking about Ruth Higgins, the girl who disappeared from Brambletown fifteen years ago?” Ellie asked.

A frown pinched his face. “What do you know about that?”

Ellie’s pulse jumped at the sinister look in his eyes. “Just what I’ve read about Brambletown’s history.”

Lieutenant Williams, head of the ERT, led the group toward her as Cord met them to discuss the search.

Anger flared on the sheriff’s face and she remembered her boss’s comment about his father. Was he annoyed they were invading his space or did he know more than he wanted to share?