“Sorry,” Roz added. “I’m a little shook up.”
“Roz.” Duke gave her a look of kind concern. “Did you find him?”
“No, Sheryl did. Sheryl Pugh.” Roz pointed to Sheryl, who now leaned against the bumper in the open back doors of the ambulance with a blanket around her shoulders, talking to the paramedic.
“We came out of the bookstore when we heard her scream,” Alden added.
Duke’s eyes narrowed. He’d made it clear he didn’t like Alden much, partly because Duke hadn’t quite given up an interest in Roz. “Did you touch anything?”
“No, sir,” Alden said.
“Me neither,” Roz added.
Duke sighed. “Good. Naya, I’ll call the ME if you call FIS.” The medical examiner and the forensic team, Roz realized.
“No problem. And you two need to step back,” Officer Byrd told the reporters. “Way back. Into the store.”
“We’re not doing any harm here,” Roz said.
“Now, Roz, you have to let us do our job,” Duke said. “You’ve seen all you can see anyway. We can talk later.” He lifted an eyebrow, and she got it. He’d give her more than he put in the police report, but she had to play nice.
“Fine. Let me say a word to Sheryl before we go.” She walked over to the ambulance, not asking permission first. Because she knew Sheryl would be Duke’s next stop after his phone call.
“Sheryl, are you OK?” Roz asked her.
Sheryl let out a shuddering sigh. The medic patted her shoulder and walked toward the body, leaving them alone. “I’ll be OK, I guess. It’s just such a shock.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Listen, the police are going to want to talk to you. I advise you to get a lawyer. If you don’t have one, give me a call. I’ll see if our publisher can lend you ours.”
“But this has nothing to do with the paper,” Sheryl said.
“Maybe not, but you might be treated as a suspect.” Roz lowered her voice, spotting Duke walking toward them as Alden hovered by the back door. “Do you have a lawyer?”
“If there’s one thing I got out of my divorce, it’s a lawyer. I’ll call her right now and see what she says. I think she has a colleague who can help me.”
“Good.” Roz gave her a hug.
“Thanks for being so nice.” Sheryl’s reddened face and watery eyes tweaked Roz’s heart.
“Of course. I’m so sorry.”
“Roz? It’s time.” Duke had his hands on his duty belt and a small frown on his lips.
“All right. I’ll call you later,” she told Sheryl, then nodded at Duke and slipped by him before he could say anything else. Officer Byrd was across the alley, on her phone.
Roz met up with Alden by the door and tried not to look at the body, but the image was burned in her brain. She felt a little shaky.
Alden slipped an arm around her and guided her into the back hallway of the shop, past the two restrooms, a closet and the office.
“Did you tell Sheryl to get a lawyer?” he murmured.
“Of course.”
“Good girl.”
Roz lifted an eyebrow at him. “Duke won’t think so.”
“Maybe Duke likes bad girls.”
