Something's Knot Kosher (22 page)

Dolleen Doyle's arms stretched away from her body, and her legs twisted to the side where she fell. Strands of blond hair lay across her face as if blown there by a hostile breeze. The top of her pink robe hung open to reveal abnormally large breasts barely contained in an expensive black lace bra. I estimated her age to be in her thirties, judging by the fine wrinkles just beginning to show at the corners of her unseeing eyes. Who did she remind me of?

Frantic Chihuahua tracks dotted the floor in all directions, from the puddle under her head into the living room and back again. The blood had turned dark brown where it had dried, indicating she'd been lying there since the day before. Clearly, Dolleen Doyle would never get up again.

Lucy closed her eyes and shook her head. “Dang it. I can't believe we found another dead body. Please don't say anything to Ray. I'm sure this was just an accident. She must have just slipped and fell.”

I scanned the room to see if I could determine what she could have fallen against. A thready trail of blood on the floor led away from her body to where an aluminum trash can stood. I pulled it away from the wall.

A two pound metal hand weight had rolled behind the can from where it had been dropped. Blood and strands of blond hair covered one end. The room spun when I stood, so I grabbed Lucy's arm for support.

“This was no accident, Lucy. This was murder.”