Page 22 of The Shop on Hidden Lane

Mack hesitated. “The lack of ID and a key bothered me. But it was the running gear that clinched it. All the clothing was dark and there was no reflective tape. Also, the shoes weren’t right. They were sneakers, but not the kind specifically designed for running.”

Luke lounged against the kitchen counter and automatically began connecting dots. Bad habit, he thought, but hard to break. “A thief casing the neighborhood?”

“Maybe,” Mack said.

“Who found the body?”

“Got a call from Mayor Madeline yesterday afternoon. She said someone here in Mirror Lake had seen the body on the side of the road. She checked. Didn’t recognize the victim as a local so she contacted Elk Cove. The captain sent me out to take a look.”

Sophy went still. Luke paused his mug of coffee in midair and waited for the other shoe to drop.

“Mayor Madeline called you?” Sophy asked carefully.

“That’s right,” Mack said.

Luke glanced at Sophy. “What am I missing?”

“Madeline Stockton is the mayor of Mirror Lake,” she said evenly. She focused on Mack. “Are you saying the body was found here? Not Elk Cove?”

“Yes,” Mack said. “But the mayor didn’t recognize him, so the victim isn’t someone from the area.”

“Why do you want Sophy to take a look at the scene?” Luke asked, giving himself a beat to decide how to handle the new development.

Mack scowled. “She’s got a good eye for detail.”

“I know what you mean.” Luke drank some coffee and lowered the cup. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? You would think she has a genuine psychic talent for reading crime scenes.”

Sophy shot him a repressive look. He ignored it.

Mack’s eyes hardened. “Look, I don’t know who you think you are—”

“I’m an old friend of the family. The Harpers and the Wellses go back a long way.”

“Sophy’s never mentioned you.”

Luke shrugged. “She’s never talked about you, either.”

Sophy was starting to look exasperated. That was probably not good. He assured himself he was not lying. Until last night, Sophyhad not told him about Rivington. The fact that he and Sophy had not met until last night did not alter the truth of the claim.

“Let’s get one thing clear,” Mack growled. “This does not involve you. This is between Sophy and me.”

“Stop it, both of you,” Sophy snapped. She turned to Mack. “Where was the body found?”

“About a mile or so from here. Just off Hudson Road.”

The location was not far from Deke’s cabin.

“If this is murder, is there any reason to think the killer might be local?” Luke asked.

“Who knows?” Mack said. He rubbed the back of his neck. “At this point I can’t even be sure I’ve got a case. All I can tell you is that there’s something wrong and I could really use Sophy’s opinion.”

Luke met her eyes and knew they were both recalling the tense conversation at the cabin. He had asked her where she would dump a body because he had assumed the killer would have wanted to conceal it. Why go to the trouble of removing it from the scene if that wasn’t the case?

But Sophy had said the killer appeared unstable. Hyped-up. Nervous. What if he had intended to conceal the body but changed his mind and dumped it by the side of the road instead? Maybe he had wanted it to be found. He would not be the first murderer to get a thrill out of displaying his handiwork. Murder by paranormal means was a damn near perfect crime.

Sophy inclined her head once in silent agreement and looked at Mack.

“All right,” she said. “I’ll take a look this morning.”