Murder Alfresco #3 Read Online Free Page A

his attention for some time and signaled he’d be right there.
    “McCoskey, since I know where to find you, and I trust you can keep your mouth shut, I’m going to send you home to get what sleep you can before work. However, I will ask you not to discuss what happened tonight with anyone until we’ve had a chance to talk again, and I mean anyone.”
    “I have to pretend it didn’t happen?”
    “You don’t have to lie. If it comes up, just tell people you can’t talk about it until later. The less you say the better. And under no circumstances talk to anyone from the press. I don’t want any more information out there than is absolutely necessary. Your little hike has gained us a few hours and I want to make the most of them.”
    “The killer will assume the girl won’t be found until morning.”
    “Correct. I assume this show was not put on for your entertainment. I’d say you spoiled somebody’s surprise.”
    Sunny looked away. “What do you do now? I mean, where do you start?”
    “First we gather as much evidence as we can, assuming we can find anything left under your footprints. Then we go to work trying to figure out who she was, what happened to her, and who knows about it.”
    “What about the people who own the winery?”
    “I’ll handle that. You take it easy. I’ll be in touch this afternoon. Meanwhile, all you know is you discovered a woman who was an apparent victim of homicide. End of story. No details.”
    “One more thing,” said Sunny. “I think he saw me when I was standing by the side of the road and he turned on his headlights.”
    Sergeant Harvey made a fist and bounced the thumb side against his lips, thinking. “Anything make you think he came back to check on you?”
    “I didn’t notice anything.”
    Sergeant Harvey frowned and gestured for her to wait a moment. He walked back toward the others and was immediately surrounded. Sunny watched the proceedings around the girl. The forensics group had moved farther out, scouring the ground for evidence, and the ambulance team was cutting the girl down at last. Enough daylight had come to show the marks on her face and body in a rainbow of sickening hues. Sergeant Harvey extracted himself from the group vying for his attention and motioned to a somber-faced officer drinking coffee from a Styrofoam cup.
    “Jute, drive Ms. McCoskey home, will you? Go inside with her and secure the place before you leave.”

3
    Rivka Chavez had both the ovens on and the music cranked up in the kitchen when Sunny arrived at Wildside later that morning. Rivka was standing at the cutting block, wearing a white tank top and jeans and singing loudly to a Lenny Kravitz song. The blue and red swallows tattooed on the backs of her arms glistened with perspiration.
    Sunny carried her bicycle into her office. It was days like this that made her glad she’d taken a risk on a kid whose sum total experience in a kitchen was the year she spent in cooking school. She couldn’t imagine Wildside running smoothly without Rivka Chavez to pick up the slack.
    Rivka turned around and eyed the bicycle. “You’re feeling ambitious this morning.”
    “You could say that.”
    Or you could say that she forgot she had left her truck at the Dusty Vine until about three seconds after Officer Jute pulled away from her house. It was bike to work or walk, and this time she chose to bike. Sunny changed into her work clothes and tied a fresh white apron around her hips, then stood in front of the mirror. Today would be a game. How long can she pretend to becoherent, and that nothing bad has happened. She smoothed her bangs to the side and caught them in a tiny green barrette.
    Rivka turned down the music. “Andre called,” she said loudly from the kitchen.
    “When?”
    “About an hour ago. He wants you to call him.”
    Sunny opened the window and sat on the edge of her desk staring outside. A bumblebee the size of a thimble was nuzzling lavender blossoms one by one. She