A light came on in the backyard of a home two houses over. Mason could see the roofline of the home, but not the backyard or people. They were waking up the neighborhood. “You’ll need a canvass of the neighborhood first thing in the morning,” he said under his breath to Nora.

She nodded. “On my list.”

Not wanting to step off the deck, Zander shone his flashlight at the barkdust along the fence. Mason noticed a tall gate where the fence met the house on the west side of the home. He walked to the other side of the deck and checked the east side of the home. No gate.

“I’ll tell the techs to check the gate latch for prints,” said Nora. “Let’s check on the guys out front.” The group followed her back through the house. The medical examiner was instructing the crime scene techs about additional photos of the body, and several cops stood around watching. “Outside, please, guys,” Nora ordered. “Let’s give him some respect.”

The cops silently filed out the front door and joined two others who’d just finished the search of the front yard. One stepped up to Nora. “We didn’t find anything in the yard that wasn’t a Halloween decoration. There’re tons of footprints everywhere, especially around the gravestones and other stuff, that I’d assume the victim made while he was placing them.” Mason wasn’t surprised.

“Did you see any large items that could be used as a weapon?” Nora asked. “Something to hit a guy in the head and take him down?”

The two cops exchanged a look. “Some of those gravestones are heavy,” said one. “I’d assumed they were Styrofoam or a light plaster, but they’re really solid. They’d kill a guy if you swung one at his head with enough force.”

Death by gravestone?

That would be a new one for Mason.

“We need more light,” said Nora. “We’ll have to study them closer in the morning.”

“Wonder if you’ll find one with some real blood on it,” said Mason. “Although I think this guy is a planner. He would have brought his own weapon, not relied on finding something handy.”

Seth Rutledge stepped out the front door and joined the four investigators. “I’m going home to bed,” he stated. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep, but I want to shut my eyes for a while.”

“No fair,” muttered Ava jokingly.

Seth smiled at her, his eyes bloodshot. “Trust me. I get called out in the middle of the night a lot more than you do.”

“You’re the boss,” said Mason. “I’d think you’d be able to pull rank and hand off the on-call night shifts.”

“I do,” said Seth. “But I’ve always felt I should cover a few nights here and there. Keeps my head in the game. My predecessor did it until he retired. I guess he had the same philosophy.”

“Anything else we need to immediately know?” Zander asked.

The ME shook his head. “I’ll have a report for you this evening.”

10

“Howdy, neighbor.”

Ava glanced over and saw Cheryl Noble standing by the border of short bushes that separated their properties. Ava had just slammed her car door, her mind occupied with horror movies and masks. Cheryl in her funky boots, jeans, and sparkly teal sweater was a feast for her eyes. She’d been studying too many crime scene photos. Having Cheryl as a neighbor was Ava’s chance to escape into a girly world.

“Hey, Cheryl. Great sweater.”

“It’d be perfect with your coloring,” Cheryl returned. She was on a constant mission to get Ava to perk up her wardrobe. She’d already introduced some bright colors into Ava’s closet. The items made Ava smile when she looked at them on their hangers, but they rarely made it onto her body. They didn’t feel right for her job. But she was happy knowing the clothes were there if she and Mason went out to dinner.

“What’d you decide on the hotel ballroom?” Cheryl asked.

Ava’s heart sank. She’d promised Cheryl an answer yesterday. “I’m sorry, I haven’t even looked at it. I caught a heavy case.”

Cheryl put her hands on her hips and tipped her head at Ava. “Seriously. I’ve never had a client like you. Usually women can’t decide because they’re in love with too many locations. You don’t like anything and don’t make any effort to find something you do like.”

Cheryl’s frankness was part of why Ava admired her. “I know. I’m making your job difficult.”

“Do you want to get married?”

“Yes! That’s why I hired you. I’m not good at planning.”

“Or making decisions,” Cheryl added. “You won’t even pick a date.”

“I’m trying to keep the date flexible in case the location isn’t available.”

“Well, we need to find this dream location. What’s the holdup? You say you want to get married . . . what’s keeping you from moving forward?”

Ava felt as if Cheryl’s green eyes saw right into her brain. “I’m really sorry.” She looked away from the penetrating gaze. “I’ve been up since two. Can I email you later?”

“You say that when you want to avoid conversations, Ava.” Cheryl gave her a warm smile. “You don’t fool me, but you do have me stumped. I’ve never had such a reluctant bride.”

“I don’t want to waste your time—”