A Thousand Bones
1
Echo Bay, Michigan
October 1975
The sharp buzzing noise filled her ears, coming from everywhere and nowhere
at the same time. It took her a moment to realize it was coming from
somewhere outside her brain.
She looked up into the green lace of the leaves. She knew that was where
they were, up there in the trees. That's where the cicadas were hiding as
they sang their dying summer song.
A bead of sweat fell from her brow and into her eye. She blinked and looked
down to the yellow crime-scene tape hanging limp between the trees. Down to
where the men worked over the dirt. Down to where the clean white bone had
been found.
"Joe?"
She turned toward the deep voice.
"You want to come take a look?"
Cliff Leach was standing at the bottom of the gully inside the yellow tape.
The three other officers had all glanced up when he spoke, looked first at
him, then up to her. She wished the sheriff had not singled her out, but
her curiosity was stronger than any worries she had about how the others
felt about her.
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