Razing the Dead by Sheila Connolly Page B

information. Marty would know it, though . . .
    As if by magic, Marty materialized at my door. “Someday I’ll figure out how you do that, Marty,” I said. “I was just thinking about you.”
    Marty dropped into a chair. “Good things, I hope. How’d Lissa work out?”
    â€œWhat, you haven’t heard?”
    â€œHeard what?”
    â€œWe went out to see the site yesterday and found a body. Eric said it was in the paper.”
    â€œYou’ve got to be kidding! No, I haven’t had a chance to look at the paper this morning. This was a body on Wakeman’s patch?”
    I nodded. “It was. The three of us were walking the grounds and we found him in a pond.”
    â€œAnybody know who he is?”
    â€œApparently an official with the township there. You don’t have any friends or family in Goshen, do you?”
    â€œMaybe. Old neighborhood, there—mostly Quaker, way back when. What was the guy’s name?”
    â€œGeorge Bowen, I think. James will know.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause the local police called in the Mounties, and he got the case.”
    Marty laughed heartily. “You’re kidding! I would’ve loved to see that little meeting! They really think they need the FBI out there?”
    â€œI think that was Wakeman’s involvement. You know he wants only the best.”
    Marty gave one of her ladylike snorts. “What’s your take on Wakeman, now that you’ve spent some time with him?”
    â€œOverall I’m impressed. He seemed like a straight-arrow guy, I guess. Not at all pretentious. He was really excited about this development project of his, and happy to show it off. At least, until we found the body.”
    â€œDid Wakeman know the dead guy?”
    â€œHe said not.”
    Marty shot me a look, and I wondered if I had sounded more skeptical than I intended. But she didn’t pursue it. “So, you took Lissa along on this little jaunt?”
    â€œYes. I thought it made sense—she could get a feeling for the physical lay of the land. And I wanted to see how she got along with Wakeman, although they probably won’t run into each other again.”
    â€œWhat did you think of her?”
    Something in Marty’s tone made me look more carefully at her. “She’s smart, and she’s very calm—didn’t panic about the body, and she asked intelligent questions. She was older than I expected, but she explained that she’d taken some personal time off before going back to school. Wakeman okayed her. How did you come to recommend her?”
    â€œI met her at Ethan’s office, and he said good things about her. And she needs the money.”
    Marty sounded a bit abrupt, even for her. In the time I’d known her, Marty hadn’t been involved with anyone, or at least not seriously. And she’d kind of hidden her involvement with Ethan, although since I’d been a little preoccupied, I could have missed the signs. Was she worried that Ethan had some interest in Lissa? I felt I was treading on shaky ground with my next question—although Marty had never hesitated to involve herself in my private life, I rationalized. “Do Ethan and Lissa have a history?”
    Marty shrugged. “Maybe. I haven’t asked.”
    â€œOkay,” I said cautiously. “But you have no problem if the Society hires her for this project for a couple of months?”
    â€œNope. If Ethan vouches for her, she’ll do a good job.” Marty’s tone made it clear that she wasn’t going to comment further.
    â€œFine. Do you know where I can reach her? I want to tell her the project is moving forward.”
    â€œSure.” Marty pulled a scrap of paper out of her pocket and scribbled a number on it, then handed it to me. “That’s Ethan’s office—his assistant should know where to find Lissa.”
    â€œThanks. Was there something