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need to take our photos and get him out of this alley before the sun worshipers start heading for the beach.” He turned back to the young man and began studying him head to toe. Nothing seemed out of place if you didn’t take into account that his body appeared to have been drained of a large percentage of his blood, and he had that gaping neck wound.
    But on the hem of his yellow T-shirt, Fin noticed a whitish line. A salt stain left by ocean water. He reached out to check the shirt to see if it was still damp, but caught himself before he touched it, possibly contaminating evidence. “I need gloves, Chief. Can you get me a pair of disposable gloves? There should be a box in the trunk of Pete’s car.”
    “Gloves. Can do.” Sean hiked up the back of his sagging pants as he hurried past the Dumpster, toward the police car on the street.
    While he waited for the gloves, Fin stepped back from the body and took his cell phone from his pants pocket. He hit auto-dial and waited for the familiar beep. He didn’t expect her to answer this early.
    “Fee, it’s Fin,” he said, wishing she hadn’t returned to Philly the night before. “I need you to call me as soon as you get this message.” He hesitated, not sure of how much to say. Then he caught a glimpse of the surfer out of the corner of his eye. He was watching Fin with those sightless blue eyes, silently begging. Fin turned his back on him, afraid he wasn’t up to the task of finding his murderer. “I’ve got a dead guy here and we need your help.”

Chapter 4
    “H ey.”
    Kaleigh looked up from where she sat squished beside Rob on a bench in front of the NASCAR arcade game. He didn’t seem to notice when she got up; he was too busy gripping the fake steering wheel, trying to navigate his way around the track on the video screen in front of him. It was the fourth time in a row he’d played the stupid game, so she was relieved by the respite. “Hey,” she called to Katy.
    The girls had to put their heads together to hear each other above the roar of Rob’s NASCAR engine and the general chaos of the arcade. Pinball machines pinged, air hockey pucks slammed against the tables’ bumpers, and a mechanical voice hollered in Mandarin from the kung fu game beside them.
    “You hear anything juicy about the dead HM they found this morning in the alley?” Katy questioned with morbid excitement.
    “How would I hear anything? I didn’t even know there was a dead guy until you woke me up to tell me.” Kaleigh picked at a piece of peeling skin on her shoulder where she’d gotten sunburned the other day.
    “You didn’t talk to your uncle? This is Fin’s beat. He has to know something .” She popped her gum.
    Kaleigh frowned as she excised a nice piece of dead skin and dropped it on the cement floor. “If he’s investigating a murder, don’t you think he’d be a little too busy to talk to me right now?”
    Just then, Richie Palmer walked by, jingling his apron of change. “Hey, Richie,” Katy called, flirtatiously.
    He turned around and walked backward so he was facing them. “Hey, Katy. Hey, Kaleigh. How’s your summer going?”
    Richie had graduated from their high school the year before; he’d been working at the arcade for a couple of summers. This season he’d made manager. He was pretty cute in a geeky way and nice, but Kaleigh had never hung out with him in school. His girlfriend was a total bitch and word was she’d do the nasty with anyone with a warm six-pack and a pickup truck. Richie could be doing so much better.
    “You need any change or anything?” He jingled coins in his apron again.
    “Nah, thanks.”
    “Richie! You coming or not?” some kid hollered from the next row of games. “Ninja Warrior ate my quarters again.”
    “Sorry. Gotta go.” Richie flashed a shy grin. “See you around.”
    “See you around.” Katy gave a little wave. As she turned back to Kaleigh, her eyes lit up. “Hey, hey, hey. Hottie at three