Read It Takes Two to Strangle for Free Online

underneath a white sheet. A petite Asian-featured woman trailed the cart, presumably the medical examiner Grace Chu. As the gurney bumped along the hardened dirt toward the back of the truck, Damon noticed an assemblage of reporters and cameramen gathered among a nearby grove of fruit trees.
    He instinctively looked for Bethany. Of course she wasn’t there. She was a weatherperson not an investigative reporter. A myriad of news cameras laser-focused on the men loading the sheet-covered body for transport while the carefully coiffed reporters spoke with appropriate gravity impressed on their faces.
    Damon drained the last of his coffee, reflexively crushed the cup in his hand, and headed over to Liz de la Cruz who stood alone watching the scene.
    “Quite a morning,” Damon said, forcing a smile.
    “Like you wouldn’t believe. And my husband is out of town for work. I had to find a neighbor to come over and pack the girls off to preschool.”
    “Sorry about that.”
    “It’s not your fault. So that Lirim guy we met a few days ago was murdered?”
    “Strangled. What have you heard?”
    “Just the commissioner and police chief arguing about how long they need to close down the fair. The commissioner was pushing to reopen it tonight, but the chief laughed and said he’d be lucky if it they allowed it to reopen by Saturday.”
    “Two days will sure take a toll on the profits.”
    “I’m sure Jim Riley isn’t pleased about that,” she said. “I wonder who gets Lirim’s share of the business?”
    “I imagine his daughter, unless he has other kids.”
    “I’m sure the police will find out. Isn’t there always some insurance money at stake in gruesome murders?”
    “I don’t know whether there’s any insurance money, but you’re right that strangulation is pretty gruesome. It makes it seem like there was a personal vendetta. As if someone really wanted to show Lirim how much they hated him.”
    The group of county employees standing near them broke up. The commissioner and police chief strode off toward the television cameras, Margaret Hobbes started toward the amphitheater and Gerry came over to Damon and Liz.
    “The plan for now is to allow you to reopen on Saturday morning,” he said without preface. “The carnival crew can go about the town but we’re not letting any of them leave Hollydale. We’ll have a twenty-four hour police presence here while we investigate. Margaret went to tell Jim Riley and the others.”
    “Is there anything we can do?” Liz asked.
    “No,” Gerry said with gratitude. “We’re going to start interviewing people one by one and the chief wants you both to take off. I’ll keep you up to date.”
    Gerry left them to join Margaret in the amphitheater where she was engaged in a discussion with Jim Riley. Damon couldn’t decipher the look on Jim’s face in the distance but if he had to guess, Lirim’s former business partner appeared more pleased than saddened.

    The sky clouded over and a moderate rain began to slick the grass. Damon and Liz quickly climbed the hill seeking the shelter of their respective cars. When they crested the rise to the parking lot, Damon saw Clara Jovanovic and Jordan Hall emerging from a gray SUV trailed by a police officer who had just come out of his squad car. Clara pulled a green raincoat hood over her bowed head and moved lethargically toward them. She looked up briefly when they passed and gave Damon a piteous look that went unnoticed by Jordan.

Chapter 4

    Damon took a steaming hot shower, allowing the scorching water to pound his back, then turned and challenged it to pummel his face. Stepping out, he shook with the transition from hot to cold. The sky had continued to darken and the rain picked up in intensity.
    He laid in bed and called Rebecca. He could hear the industrial strength dishwasher in the background. Damon knew Rebecca’s schedule by heart, and she was in between classes.
    “Did you hear?” Damon asked without proffering