The Summer Bones (38 page)

So he'd taken the high road and not said much about it.

He was aware that she'd been assigned as his partner because not everyone wanted to work with him and she had been the new kid on the block. His smartass mouth frequently got him into trouble. On the other hand, they'd solved some pretty high-profile cases together already in less than a year.

There was no foyer, but that wasn't surprising considering the age of the house. The front door opened into the living room, and it was about as impressive as the outside. Dreary curtains on dreary windows that looked like they'd just been left behind when the last tenant moved out. No couch, nothing but a single plastic outdoor chair facing a small television in the corner.

MacIntosh looked around, her expression thoughtful. “Not a single picture on the walls to give us an idea of his personality.”

He didn't have any either in his apartment, so Jason muttered, “Doesn't mean a thing besides that he didn't have much of an emotional investment in this place.”

Ellie's red hat stuck out in the center of the room, a bright spot in a sea of ambiguity. As she swept the room with an assessing gaze, he recognized the analytical look on her face. “Three weeks and he really hadn't moved, that I can tell. Why?”

She was right, but she was frequently right. The house smelled like mildew and maybe old socks, and Jason thought gratefully of his apartment in a complex that might be generic, but was hardly anything like this place. Jason pointed out, “The television is new.”

It was, sitting on what looked like an upended milk carton by the wall. They went to check the kitchen. The refrigerator held a quart of orange juice, three cans of Budweiser, and absolutely nothing else. Ellie mused, “He was staying here, not living here. Treading water, giving himself time.”

It wasn't like he disagreed, so he didn't comment. “Upstairs?”

“Let's go.”

Gloom, more cold … even he was starting to feel depressed, and Jason could have sworn he'd conquered that monster, but these cold, empty walls were a little hard to take as they went up the narrow staircase to the first bedroom.

Square room, unmade bed, small dresser. No curtains even though the house faced east. The occupant would also have to look at that damned abandoned school and for some reason that bothered Jason more than anything.

The thought of those echoing halls … his ex-girlfriend had once told him he had too much imagination for this job, and while he scoffed at it—most of the department thought he was insensitive and irreverent—maybe Kate was right. He took one look out the window and turned his back. “Cozy, huh?”

Ellie prowled around and opened a few drawers—all empty—and didn't comment at once. The closet was small, and also empty. She frowned, looking perplexed. “Not hardly. What is going on here?”

T
OR AND
F
ORGE
B
OOKS BY
K
ATE
W
ATTERSON

(Note: Within series, books are best read in listed order.)

DETECTIVE ELLIE MACINTOSH

Blending mystery and romance, this action-packed series finds Detective Ellie MacIntosh racing to stop killer after killer.

Frozen

“Thaw”

Charred

“Bleed”

Buried

Fractured

DANNY HAASE MYSTERY SERIES

(Kate Watterson writing as Katherine Smith)

Detective Danny Haase has returned to his hometown police force looking for peace after leaving the despair of the big city, only to discover that small towns hide many sins and that the danger he hoped to leave behind is all around him.

“The Summer Treason”

The Summer Bones

Blood Is Quicker Than Water

The Opposite House

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ON
M
C
M
AHEL

KATE WATTERSON
grew up on a steady diet of mystery/suspense novels. If it involves murder and intrigue, she is bound to be hooked. She is the author of
Frozen, Buried,
and
Charred.
Kate also writes award-winning historical novels as Emma Wildes. She lives in rural Indiana with her husband, three children, and a temperamental cat named Poot.