Read Charred for Free Online Page B

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    “Thanks,” he said, and left the morgue, happy enough to get the hell out of there. He checked out with the secretary, scribbling his name on the log, and then went outside to find that the temperature had escalated about five more degrees, the wall of heat like a battering ram.
    “Holy crap.” He sucked in a breath, plucked at his lightweight T-shirt, and then made his way across the parking lot to where he’d left his car. The asphalt reflected heat like a stovetop burner and he thought idly as he took out his keys to unlock the Mustang that this sort of temperature was fine if there was a beach nearby, a cold beer in your hand, and bikini-clad women everywhere.
    But for Milwaukee in the middle of July? It really sucked. It got hot enough here … it was the Midwest after all. Ice cold in the winter, hot in the summer, but not this damn hot. The unusual weather had everyone on edge.
    His phone vibrated in his pocket and he fished it out before sliding into the car, which was like a preheated oven. MacIntosh, he saw as he glanced at the display. He pushed a button. “Yeah?”
    Not a charming greeting, but hey, that wasn’t part of his job requirement. He’d just left the morgue. He didn’t feel all that charming at the moment. Maybe he wasn’t ever charming.
    “What did Reubens have to say?”
    “Nothing worthwhile to us, except it looks like she died somewhere else. He thinks maybe the body was already decomposing.”
    “That’s strange. So he carried her inside?”
    “I thought so too. Ballsy, isn’t it?”
    “I like that though, it gives us something.”
    A pause. Awkward. Why the hell couldn’t the chief have given him Simmons as a partner? They played basketball together. Simmons he could handle. Goddamn it. He asked, because he couldn’t think of a single other thing to say, “Where are you?”
    “West Allis right now, following the slimmest lead on earth, but it is better than nothing.”
    Even though they didn’t jibe, he had to grudgingly admit that she seemed to be a smart cop. Not big-city street smart particularly—he doubted if the woods of northern Wisconsin groomed you that way, but intellectually savvy. “Mind telling me just what kind of lead?”
    We are supposed to be working on this together .
    He didn’t say it out loud. She had, so he refused to repeat it.
    “Matthew Tobias has a sister who lives here and I thought it was worth a shot to talk to her. Remember the neighbor who mentioned she stayed with them for a couple of months not all that long ago? When I started thinking about that, I wondered if she might know something. I have no idea what that could be, but I did manage to get her number, and she’s actually at home today.”
    He started his car and said over the growl of the engine. “Give me the address. I’ll meet you there.”
    *   *   *
    “Matthew called me.” The woman set down a glass of iced tea, and put two fingers to her forehead. “It’s unbelievable. He and Michelle stayed with her parents last night. They are devastated. I don’t know how else to put it.”
    The efficiency apartment was spare, with a few scattered chairs and a battered coffee table, the rug patterned in bold geometrics and the only new item. Since Matthew Tobias’ sister was a student and self-professed slob, it was fairly cluttered.
    “I would be too.” Ellie picked up the glass and condensation dripped on her leg. She wore a skirt today instead of slacks—it was just too damn hot for the latter, and she rubbed the moisture away with her palm. “That’s exactly why we are here. Your brother and his wife were really in shock yesterday and found it hard to answer questions. We were wondering if you could remember anything that might link the fire to the body.”
    “Me?” Pretty, but as colorless as her brother, she looked perplexed. “Why would I know anything?”
    “You stayed with them for several months. That means you know the house, the neighborhood, at least a