Read The Lady Who Sang High: A Reed Ferguson Mystery (A Private Investigator Mystery Series - Crime Suspense Thriller Book 7) for Free Online Page B

sunglasses. As I donned them, a low voice floated over the sounds of the fans, singing about a sweet leaf. I was partial to 80s alternative music, but that didn’t mean I was unfamiliar with 70s hard rock. The tune was “Sweet Leaf” by Black Sabbath. How appropriate for this environment.
    I ventured farther into the warehouse, in the direction of the voice. I found Jodie partway down one of the aisles, toking on a joint. And unless I missed my guess, she was singing to the plants.
    She whirled around. “Oh.” She turned fire engine red. “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”
    “I didn’t want to be gone long, in case something happened,” I explained.
    She contemplated the joint. “Okay, sometimes I use. It’s been a stressful day. But I never use when others are around.”
    “And the singing?”
    “I heard that singing to the plants helps them grow better.” She giggled. “I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it makes me feel better. My parents sang to me when I was little, and…I don’t know…maybe singing to the plants will help them like it helped me.”
    “Did your parents sing stoner songs to you?”
    “Of course not.” She blushed.
    Okaaaay. That’s a little odd , I thought. I glanced around. “What do you need me to help with?”
    “You want some?” She held out the joint.
    “No, thanks. I need to keep a clear head.”
    “Oh, right. Good thinking.” She took another hit, bent down and tamped out the joint. Then she pocketed it. She made a production of brushing off her hands, then said, “We’ve got to clean up first. Then we’ll water the plants.”
    I followed her through the aisles to one corner of the room, where some brooms and other equipment was stored. “Have you seen anything suspicious back here?” I asked as I started sweeping the aisles.
    “I thought I heard voices a couple of times when I was supposed to be the only one here, but when I walked around the warehouse, I didn’t find anyone. But I’m wary when it comes to our secret. Or as Jude would say, paranoid, so I’d be more interested to know if you noticed anything unusual.”
    “No,” I said. Unless you counted her arguments with Jude.
    The conversation idled, and time crawled as we spent a couple of hours in the warehouse. I knew it had to be getting dark outside, but under the lights in the warehouse, there was no way of knowing that.
    At nine, Jodie walked up, carrying a large plastic trash bag. “Will you throw this out in the Dumpster? It’s in the alley out back.”
    “Sure,” I said.
    I took the bag and walked down an aisle to the back door. I pushed it open and stepped into the alley. It was dark, but still hot, without the humidity of the warehouse. A light illuminated an area near the door, leaving the rest of the alley in shadows created by moonlight. I walked down a short flight of stairs, turned left and walked to the Dumpster. I shoved the lid up and dropped the bag in. As I was turning away, I noticed something on the other side of the Dumpster. A Nike tennis shoe. The kind Jude was wearing. My stomach churned.
    I took a couple of tentative steps toward the shoe. A body came into view. It was Jude, sitting next to the Dumpster, his torso leaning against the building, his legs splayed out in front of him. His face was twisted into a mask of surprise and shock. A dark hole in his forehead gaped at me like a third eye. He was most definitely dead.
    “This is unusual,” I said to the empty alley.

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    What would Jodie think? That was my first thought. She adored her brother. This would crush her. Then my investigative instincts kicked in.
    I looked up and down the alley, but saw no one. I listened, hearing only the buzz of traffic on the nearby streets.
    My gaze fell to that hole in his forehead. Blood ran down from it and into an open eye. I stepped back, took a deep breath and let it out through my clenched teeth. I’d only seen a dead body one other time, when I was