“Yes.”
“Why? Plan to sell them to a tabloid?”
Sam bristled, but held her temper. Barely. “I grew up around cops. I know the drill. I knew you would do your own photos, but decided more wouldn’t hurt. Even if they were old-fashioned black and white prints.”
He pursed his lips while he mulled over her statement. “Tell me exactly what you did, where you stood, where you, you know.”
Sam flushed and nodded toward the body. “I went over there,” she pointed to a pine tree on the right. “I didn’t—not after I saw her.”
“Go on.”
“I followed the same path back here, and called it in.”
“Tell me about the pictures.”
“I stood here and shot the area with a wide-angle lens in sections. I tried to capture the area from over there by the holly bush, to the spot where those people are standing. I used a zoom for some close ups of the garbage along the bank, and what I could see of the area where I found her.” She waited for the next question.
“What about Jack?”
“He went to the big pine by the passenger side door. When I came back, he was in the front seat.”
“Did he go near the body?” Clipped, rigid, his voice radiated tension.
I bet he gives lessons on how to be brusque. “I told you. He was in the car.”
Jimmy Don returned from his assigned task. “What’s next, Sheriff?”
Coop pushed away from the car, and looked back toward the body. “Judge on his way?”
“Yeah. Alice got him out of bed. He’ll be here in a bit.”
Coop nodded and looked back to his deputy. “Start a log, then work on diagrams. Stuff’s in the back of the Bronco. I’ll do the pictures.”
“You got it.”
“So,” Coop turned back to Sam, “what kind of doctor are you?”
His tone tweaked her patience, and put an edge to her voice. “A good one.”
“Where?”
“Dallas.”
“How long?”
“Too long.”
“How long?”
Sam glared, trying to discern what had his shorts in a wad. Other than a dead body, of course. “Ten years, give or take.”
“Where in Dallas?”
Arms crossed over her chest, her tone exuded defiance. “What difference does it make?”
A muscle flicked in his jaw, but he remained silent.
His implacable expression unnerved her. “Central Valley Hospital, their community clinic, and a contributing partner in The Wellington.” Until I had to sell it to pay off Paul.
“Wellington, huh?” An edge of derision filled his voice. “Home of mega-dollar nose jobs.”
Sam couldn’t decide if it was his sarcastic attitude or her ambivalent feelings about him making her testy, but testy she was. “I didn’t work there. I worked at Central Valley Hospital, and volunteered at the Community Clinic. I’m a damn good doctor.”
He turned and spoke to Billy Ray who stood a few feet away. “Dammit, Billy Ray, keep those people behind my truck.” He shook his head in disgust and directed his attention back to her. “I can have someone drive you back to town or you can wait here.” He nodded toward her car. “I can’t let you drive out until I’m done.”
Anticipating an extended wait, she’d resigned herself to a long day. “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll just wait. This car is…special. I won’t leave it unattended.”
Mouth tight, he shook his head slightly as though dealing with a temperamental child. “Have it your way,” he said at last, “liable to be a while.”
She got behind the wheel but remained silent when he shut the door with more force than she thought necessary. The man was stubborn, snappish and tried her patience to the max.
So why did her body tingle and her mouth go dry watching him walk away?
Sam parked in the driveway, but lacked the energy to get out. A glance at her watch showed two in the afternoon, and she hadn’t eaten all day. At least Jack had dog food in the car. Around noon, Delaney let her take him to the creek on the other side of the road for a drink, and he dozed in the back seat the rest of the time.
