Read A Child's Garden of Death for Free Online Page B

.” The glint returned to her eyes and she hastily brushed the remaining tears from her face. “That pompous, ignorant ass has already alienated half the people here. Let’s see what I can do about the other half.” With a flounce and a twitch of her rear she strode from the room, and Lyon had a picture of her adjusting her lance as she galloped onward to meet the black knight.
    Lyon made drinks for Helen and Rocco and a double for himself. He went in search of the Chief.
    He found Rocco Herbert at the desk in the study making aimless doodles on a yellow legal pad. He put the drink firmly in the Chief’s hand.
    â€œYou didn’t tell me you were going to have a Goddamn political convention here,” Rocco said without turning.
    â€œI didn’t know, but should have guessed. This time of year they slither under the doorway.”
    â€œSontilly of the Hartford Courant is here. If he spots me he’ll think I’m bucking for first selectman.”
    â€œI won’t allow that. I’ll tell him that the Murphysville chief of police is in my study getting stinking drunk.”
    â€œVery funny. You know, old buddy, it’s against FAA regulations to land balloons on golf courses.”
    â€œHow did you know about that?”
    â€œOne of the players who you almost landed on top of is mayor down there and made a complaint to headquarters. I squelched it this time. You know, it’s getting so I have to practically have a unit watching over you to keep you out of trouble. Another incident or two and you’ll be barred from highway and airway.”
    â€œThanks.” Lyon picked up the large blow-ups Rocco had brought with him from the police photographers. The largest, taken from the balloon almost directly overhead, he pinned to the edge of the mantel, the edge of the photo held firmly by the feet of the Wobblies. He sat in the leather chair next to Rocco and looked at the picture.
    â€œYou’ve got a good camera,” Rocco finally said. “Excellent clarity and detail.”
    They pulled on their drinks and kept looking at the aerial photograph. “You know,” Lyon said, “it is too far up the hill to make sense.”
    â€œAlmost on the leading edge of the ridge,” Rocco replied. “Oh, man, if we were still in Korea, I’d say it would be a good spot for a company defense perimeter.”
    â€œYes, wouldn’t it,” Lyon said. He took the photograph from the mantel and spread it out on the desk. Getting map dividers from his balloon navigation kit, he calculated a scale from a section of the stone wall along the road that he carefully estimated at fifty feet. Using the dividers carefully, he made calculations on the edge of the photograph.
    â€œWhat do you think you have?” Rocco asked impatiently.
    Lyon tapped the pencil against his teeth and stood back from the photograph. “The grave site is 375 yards from the road, but of course that doesn’t include the incline of the hill. For someone to cart three bodies through all that brush all that distance.… Now, look at the other side of the hill … right over the ridge, less than fifty yards from the grave.”
    Rocco squinted at the photograph, and Lyon handed him a magnifying glass. “There’s a cut through there, along the edge of the ridge; it runs down through the hill on the other side of the lake.”
    â€œRight. It’s an old logging road. I’ll lay you ten to one that thirty years ago it was passable by auto.”
    â€œOld maps would verify that.”
    â€œWouldn’t it make a lot more sense, with three bodies, to drive a car up that way, move them a few yards and then dig the grave? Far less chance of being seen, and far more practical.”
    â€œYes,” Rocco said.
    â€œThen what would he or she do?”
    â€œGet the hell out of there.”
    â€œThree bodies, probably killed within minutes of each other, carried