Chapter 2

ERIC

My fingers paused over the keyboard. I glanced at my story outline, then back at the page I'd spent the last hour rewriting. It wasn't working. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find a convincing way to make a dead body appear in Aaron Connelly's orchard.

Sherlock, my German Shepherd, looked up and sighed.

"You're right," I said with a smile. "It's time for a break. Let's go for a walk." Before I could push back my chair, Sherlock was already sitting in front of the French doors, eager to escape.

As soon as I opened the doors, he bolted down the path that led to Willow Lake.

I limped after him, wincing as a sharp pain shot down my right leg. I knew better than to sit in one position for too long, but time had a way of disappearing when I was writing. I wanted to finish the second chapter of my book in the next couple of hours, but that depended on how quickly I could get a dead body out of the Hudson River.

Sherlock had disappeared into the forest, but I wasn't worried. He rarely went more than a hundred yards from me. He was probably sniffing out a skunk, chasing a red squirrel, or terrorizing a wild cat.

I took a deep breath, enjoying the sweet scent of the pine trees surrounding the property. After spending most of my life in New York City, Sunrise Bay felt like living in a parallel universe. I'd only been there for three months, but I couldn't imagine going back to the concrete jungle I once called home.

My cell phone rang, and I sighed. Sometimes, the rest of the world found you whether you wanted it to or not. I looked at the caller display before answering. It was my friend, Alex. "Hi. What's up?"

"Where are you?"

The urgency in Alex's voice worried me. "Walking toward the lake. Why?"

"The grandson of the original owners of the cottage is coming to see you. He didn't know you'd rented the property."

"Why does that matter?"

"He was going to stay there."

I rubbed my leg, feeling the familiar ache. "He can't. I'm here."

"That's up to you to work through. I just wanted to let you know that he's on his way. His name's Riley."

Of all the things I needed right now, an unexpected visitor wasn't one of them. "Where did you see him?"

"He was buying groceries at the general store. I overheard him talking to Jenny."

I frowned. Anyone who spent more than a day in Sunrise Bay ended up in the general store. "Thanks for warning me."

"No problem. How's the book coming along?"

"Slowly. How would you get a dead body from the Hudson River to Delaware?"

"Refrigerated truck?"

"Too risky."

"Boat?"

"Maybe." Sherlock sprinted toward me with something dangling from his mouth. "I have to go. I'll call you tonight."

"Good luck with Riley."

"I don't need luck. I have a copy of the rental agreement and a screenshot of the original listing. If Riley has a problem with that, he can talk to the person who rented me the cottage."

"I'm looking forward to hearing how that conversation turns out. Call me after seven o'clock."

Sherlock dropped an old shoe on the ground.

I said goodbye to Alex, then studied the rotting shoe. An idea started to form in my mind. An idea that might just get my dead body across to Delaware.

I knelt beside Sherlock and rubbed his ears. "Have I told you what a brilliant dog you are?"

Sherlock's big brown eyes seemed to laugh at me. At least someone was having a good day.