Read Maximum Security (A Dog Park Mystery) for Free Online Page B

about George? Have you
found him?” she bit her lip as her eyes pleaded for
answers.
    “We’re not sure. We have some
questions for you,” Peter said. “May we come in?”
    “Yes, please do. Can I offer you
coffee?” Manners collided with nerves as she rattled on. “I have
scones. I baked scones this morning. Please say you’ll have one. I
didn’t have anything better to do, so I baked.” She stopped talking
suddenly and blinked, as if uncertain what to do next.
    “Thank you, Mrs. Munce,” Peter
said. “It’s not necessary. You don’t need to go to any
trouble.”
    “No trouble at all, it’s already
made.” She led them into the kitchen. “Have a seat at the
bar.”
    The kitchen was ruthlessly clean
and organized. A fresh pot of coffee warmed on the brewer. A
platter of scones studded with some kind of dried fruit sat on the
breakfast bar. Next to the platter was a jar of clotted
cream.
    She pulled two pottery mugs out of
a kitchen cabinet and set them on the counter. As she reached for a
third, one of the mugs on the counter slipped and crashed to the
floor.
    “Oh! I’m so stupid!” She stooped
and started picking up pieces, shaking her head. “I can’t believe I
did that. I loved that mug. . . I’ll have this cleaned up in a
jiffy.”
    Brent crouched beside her. “It’s
all right, Mrs. Munce. Why don’t you let me take care of this while
you sit down with Detective Dourson.” His voice whispered of Tupelo
honey, soothing.
    She shut her eyes for a moment,
inhaled deeply, collected herself. “Let me get you coffee, at
least.”
    “I see the coffee right over
there. How about I pour some for you?” He took her by the elbow and
gently raised her up, guiding her to one of the stools.
    “I see you’ve got Splenda sitting
out. Is that what you take in your coffee?” She nodded,
surrendering to Brent’s ministrations.
    “There’s half-and-half in the
fridge. I’m sorry, I’m just so nervous. Please tell me you’ve found
something.”
    Peter’s eyes met Brent’s. Brent
handed her a cup of coffee, then went back to picking up the broken
pottery. She clutched at the cup, rubbing her thumb over the clay
ridges formed on the pottery wheel.
    “Mrs. Munce,” Peter began, “we may
have a lead.” Her hollow eyes bored into him. He plowed on. “We
found a body, and we think it might be a match.”
    “A match? You mean it might be
George? George isn’t dead, he’s just missing,” she said inanely.
“You’re supposed to find him.”
    “In that case, we need to rule
George out, make sure this isn’t him.”
    “You want me to look at him? I
gave you pictures, can’t you tell?” Peter noticed a stridency in
her voice that suggested she was getting angry.
    “It’s not that simple. The body
was exposed to the elements. It’s not recognizable. We’re going to
need dental records. Can you tell us who his dentist is?” Peter
lowered his voice and spoke slowly, in the hope that she would also
lower hers.
    “He was just here, four days ago.
How is it possible that he’s not recognizable? Let me see him, I’m
sure I can tell if it’s him or not.”
    “I’m afraid we can’t do
that.”
    “Why ever not?” She demanded,
escalating several decibels.
    Peter changed the subject. “Mrs.
Munce, this body was in Mount Airy Forest. Did your husband ever go
there?”
    “Yes, he liked to hike with Daisy.
What does that have to do with identifying him?”
    “Scavengers got to the body. There
is little left to identify. That’s why we need the dental
records.”
    “You mean something ate him?” She set down the mug with a thump, slopping coffee over the
sides. She stared at Peter.
    “We won’t know for sure until the
coroner completes her report . ”
    “How did he die?”
    ”That’s undetermined at this
time.”
    “ Mrs. Munce,”
Brent placed a soothing hand over hers. “We’re still not sure that
it’s George. One step at a time.”
    “I’ve been sitting here, waiting
for him