"Keep everyone back, Tom. At least thirty feet." The Sheriff approached the bench, his expression already settling into resignation. He took one look at Raymond's slumped form, shook his head, and moved closer. He looked over the body… checking for a pulse he clearly didn't expect to find, looking at Raymond's face, his position, and the flask on the ground.
"Well," Sheriff Gordon said heavily. "He’s dead. That's unfortunate."
"Unfortunate?" Sara Lee heard her grandmother question.
The Sheriff straightened, his knees creaking. "I don't see any signs of violence. No blood, no obvious wounds." He looked at the flask. "Man drank himself to death, looks like. Alcohol poisoning, probably. Maybe a heart attack."
"Shouldn't we wait for the medical examiner to determine that?" Nana June asked, her voice mild but pointed.
Sheriff Gordon shot her a look. "Well, with any death not seen, I’ve got a call out to the ME. But I’m sure he’ll confirm what's obvious, Ms. June. Raymond was a drunk. Everyone at the festival saw that. He probably sat here drinking all night, and his body finally gave out."
Sara Lee watched her grandmother's expression. Her face was calm, but a tiny crease between her eyebrows meant that she was thinking hard.
Nana June observed. "There's something in his jacket pocket."
The Sheriff glanced at the pocket. "Whatever's in his pocket can wait for Doc Ward to check." He pulled out his radio. "I need to call this in, get the medical examiner out here."
Nana June nodded, but all Sara Lee could think was that their simple first day of June walk had turned into something she never expected to see. Her grandmother seemed to suspect that natural causes weren’t the culprit. And she wondered if Nana June was right.
6
SARA LEE
While Gordon made his calls, more people arrived, stopping on their way to church or just out for a stroll. Carl came jogging across the grass, his hair still mussed from sleep, wearing jeans and a T-shirt like he'd thrown on the first clothes he could find. His face flooded with relief when he saw Sara Lee standing upright and apparently unharmed.
"What happened?" he asked, slightly breathless. Then he saw Raymond's body and stopped short. "Oh."
"We found him on our morning walk," she explained, her voice sounding distant to her own ears. "Pippi found him, actually."
Carl moved closer to her, not quite touching but near enough that she could feel his solid presence. "Are you okay?"
Was she? Sara Lee took inventory. Shaky hands, racing heart, and the image of Raymond's dead eyes burned into her brain. "I don't know."
Ted showed up next, walking directly to June. Heplaced a weathered hand on her shoulder. "You all right, Junie? Carl gave me a call after he heard from Sara Lee.”
"I'm fine, Ted." Nana June patted his hand absently, her attention still on the scene. "Though I think the sheriff is being premature in his conclusions."
Sheriff Gordon heard that and turned, his expression caught between irritation and respect. "Ms. June, I know you read a lot of mystery novels, but this isn't one of your books. Sometimes things are simple. A man drinks too much, and his heart stops. That's all this is."
"Perhaps," Nana June said noncommittally. "But the medical examiner will want to be thorough, I'm sure."
The crowd was growing now. Word spread fast in Meadowlark Creek, but tragedy had a way of traveling at light speed. Pastor Pete appeared, dressed in his suit, but still with the wide-eyed appearance of having run out of his house the moment he heard. Helena followed more slowly, her face settling into the normal pleasance that Sara Lee was used to but had been noticeably absent for the past two days.
More people drifted over, careful to stay behind the yellow tape. Early morning joggers, dog walkers, the curious and concerned. Sara Lee saw Diane standing at the edge of the growing crowd, her face still pale, her expression unreadable. Pastor Pete moved through the gathering, offering quiet words of comfort, his pastoral instincts at work.
Jerry stood with his arms crossed, his lips curving on one side. Not quite a full sneer, but something close. His wife, Ivy, stood beside him, her face troubled as her gaze darted around. The Cordells had arrived together. Boband Betsy, with Bill and Barb trailing behind and looking worried. Barb caught Sara Lee's eye and started toward her, but Tom gently redirected her to stay behind the tape. Ted and Carl assisted by keeping the people behind the cordoned off area until a few more deputies arrived.
Mayor Orville and Lucy walked past the whole scene on their way to church as if they couldn't be bothered by the spectacle. Lucy’s face was hidden behind her large signature sunglasses, but Sara Lee thought Lucy glanced quickly toward Raymond's body.
The medical examiner arrived twenty minutes later. Dr. Simon Ward was an older man, who'd been the county medical examiner for decades. He drove a pristine vintage sedan and wore a three-piece suit even on hot Sunday mornings. He carried his medical bag and ducked underneath the crime-scene tape that Tom held up for him.
"Sheriff," he greeted with a nod, then caught sight of June. "Ms. June. Didn't expect to see you at a death scene."
"Pippi found him," Nana June explained, gesturing to the dog who sat obediently at her feet now, the barking fit apparently over. "We were just taking our morning walk."
Dr. Ward approached the body with professional detachment. He set down his bag, pulled on latex gloves, and began his preliminary examination. Sara Lee watched him carefully, surprised by how interested she was in his process. He carefully picked up the silver flask, sniffed it, and set it back down.
Then she glanced behind her to see the crowd also watched in awful fascination. This was the kind of thing that didn't happen in Meadowlark Creek. People died, of course, from old age, illness, or the occasional car accident. But not like this. Not slumped on a park bench the morning after the town's biggest celebration.
