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shone my light around the scene. A few feet away from Tess’ s body, the cat’s head basket mold sat in a patch of blood-spattered grass.
    Instinctively I stumbled back, knocking my hip into the side of the booth. Several baskets fell off the cart and bounced softly onto the field. Taking a deep breath, I dialed 911.

Chapter Six
    The next call I made was to my sister’s cell phone. I wrapped my coat tighter around me. I heard the twins screaming in the background. “Can you repeat that?” Carmen asked.
    And so I did. I held the phone away from my ear as Carmen yelled at her husband, Chip, that she needed to go out. “India’s found a dead body.” She sounded almost nonchalant about it. I shivered to think what my nieces and nephew would consider alarming if that pronouncement could be said in their presence without a qualm. It wasn’t that Carmen was callous or uncaring; she was in super-mom mode, which allowed no time for hysterics. It was better just to do as she ordered or get out of way.
    Sirens interrupted our conversation. A minute later, the flood lights clicked on, washing the field and empty booths in a garish yellow light. If anything, the lighting made Tess’s head wound look more gruesome. I clicked off my flash.
    A small army of police jogged across the grassy field, with Officer Knute leading the charge. It would have to be Knute first on the scene, wouldn’t it? He stumbled when we made eye contact, and his floppy blond hair fell over his eyes, but not before I saw the look of shock quickly followed by annoyance. The officer jogging behind Knute wasn’t watching where he was going and ran into Knute’s back. The pair tumbled into the damp grass. Despite the circumstances, I couldn’t help but smile. Knute deserved a few grass stains on his pristine uniform. The smile immediately died on my lips when I saw Detective Rick Mains maneuver around the officers, who fumbled about in an attempt to right themselves.
    Mains saw me and closed his hazel-green eyes briefly , as if to wish away my appearance. When he opened them again, I did a finger wave. He muttered something to himself that I couldn’t hear. Probably I didn’t want to hear it.
    He was just a foot away from me now. “You’re the one who called nine-one-one?” He pushed his dark hair away from his forehead. He had great wavy black hair, which makes women insanely jealous. It was completely wasted on a man, as were his long dark eyelashes.
    I nodded.
    He looked down at Tess. “Did you check her vital signs?”
    My eyes went wide. “No.” I instantly felt horribly guilty. What if she was alive when I got there?
    He put a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. Looks to me like she’s been dead for a while.”
    His hand felt warm. I noticed he was looking at my legs. I gave an inward groan. My I Love My Cat PJs were showing under my trench coat. “What exactly were you doing when you discovered the body?”
    I was about to answer him, when I heard my sister call my name.
    Mains took a deep breath and closed his eyes again. “Is that who I think it is?”
    I nodded and watched my sister advance. She marched across the festival grounds with a clipboard firmly clutched in her hand. Everything about her demeanor said damage control . Her gait was the same Mom March she used on the playground when other kids teased my five-year-old nephew, Nicholas. The march was intended to make children cower. I felt a little shaky myself, but it could have been the dead body four feet away.
    I shivered from the cold as much as from the presence of Tess’s body. Winter was on the way; there was no doubt about it. I felt its icy fingers on my neck. I wondered if it would snow within the week. It had been known to snow on little witches and goblins on trick-or-treat night in Stripling. I glanced at Tess’ s feet. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her head.
    Carmen came to an abrupt halt in front of me and paled. She put her hand to her mouth. I