They 'got off' scot free.

Sergeant Barnes had been on the phone for several minutes before he finished up his call and came over to the two deputies.

“Alright, you two. We got a ‘good news-bad news’ type of situation. The good news is homicide don’t want it. The body has been there too long, they’re not interested in it. Forensics are coming to collect the remains. The bad news is they won’t be here until tomorrow morning. More bad news is because you found it, you get to watch the scene all night Malone. Stockton, you’re writing the report.”

“But Sarge, don’t we want to at least check out the homeowner a little bit first,” Deputy Stockton began to argue.

“Jesus ‘Fucking’ Christ, son. The body has been down there longer than you’ve been alive. Malone, smack him in the head for being such a fucking idiot,” Sargent Barnes cursed at him.

Evelyn found herself starting to relax at last. She and Spencer’s slip before looked him it would go unnoticed. Still, she’d been the one to call it in, she’d hoped she be the one to get the credit for it in the report. “But Sir. As you said, I was the one who found it, I was hoping I’d be able to…”

Her superior officer knew where she was going with this. “Ev,” he said calming her, “despite his otherwise lack of brains, Stockton been around longer and writes a good report. That’s going to be important with this one here. He may be writing it but it’s your name that’s going to be on the bottom of the page. You’re welcome to run your eye over it before we send it in but we all know who’s going to be getting the pat on the back and their photo in the paper with the Mayor.”

“Thank you, sir.” Evelyn felt a little chastised and also triumphant at the same time. She should have known her Sergeant wouldn’t try and steal her just dues. The hope of what was to come would make it easier standing out in the field for the rest of the night.

Later when the rest of the Avonwick’s Sheriff’s Department had left, Spencer came back outside his house and over to where Evelyn was standing watch by the barricade hole John Monaghan had dug. “You get stuck with guard duty?” Spencer asked the rhetorical question.

Evelyn nodded. “Perks of the job I suppose.”

“Do you really have to stand out here all night?” Spencer asked again with sincerity.

Evelyn had collected a thick rain-resistant jacket from her squad car but the nights still got blisteringly cold this time of year.

“A team will be here in the morning to collect the skeleton. It’s fine honestly,” she reassured him.

Spencer wasn’t having it. “I’ve got to pick Amy up from school now but my house is right over there. You can literally see the hole from the window. Go inside, help yourself to coffee, food or whatever you want.”

“I really shouldn’t…”

“And we really shouldn’t have had sex in my room but we did.”

“Alright, Spencer. Thank you,” Evelyn said and she meant it. Spencer was a gentleman to think so much of her after she’d slept with him. She stepped towards him and delivered a lingering kiss on his lips. Spencer’s hands enfolding around Evelyn’s lower back as they said goodbye for now.

The final thing he did was to bring a patio chair around from the back of his house for Evelyn as he had a feeling the stubborn officer wouldn’t go and get one for herself.

At the school, Karen McAdams was prowling the line up in the search of some gossip. Seeing Spencer she came stalking over in the four inches heels she was always wearing.

“Spencer, dear,” she called out to him as she got closer.

“Hello Karen,” Spencer replied. “How are you?”

“I’m good thank you. I was just wondering though. While I was in town this morning, I saw a hell of a commotion. Dozens of deputies leaving the station and rushing straight out of town. They were headed out to town towards where you have your farmhouse, I think. You didn’t happen to see anything out there did you?”

Small towns and their ability for gossip always amazed Spencer. It hadn’t been dozens of deputies at his place. Seven tops if you counted Evelyn who had been there already. Spencer debated correcting her but it would only confirm him as a source of the gossip she was looking for.

“I didn’t think this town had dozens of deputies,” he told her avoiding mentioning what he knew.

“Well anyway, I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough,” Karen said. “A little birdie tells me you and the lady from the bank are an item now…”

Karen had lured him in with the gossip of the deputies and then delivered the sucker punch of Spencer and Danielle dating.

Spencer could feel the heat rising on the back of his neck, “we’ve recently begun dating yes.”

“Oh well I’m so happy for you Spencer,” Karen clapped her hands. This was like finding a giant gold nugget while panning. “I’m sure she’s just lovely after your dear departed wife.”

Ouch! That stung a little. It had taken Spencer six years and it wasn’t as if he’d moved on overnight. He still wasn’t even sure he had moved on. Before he could say something unsocial, Spencer was saved from Karen by Amy arriving. Giving Ms McAdams a terse goodbye, Spencer joined Amy in the BMW and drove off with relief.

Spencer thought he should warn Amy about Deputy Evelyn being at their house and the disturbing discovery he’d made. “Amy, when we get home, I just wanted to warn out about something first.”

“What is it, Dad?” Amy asked. She was used to her Dad and his overcautious warnings. He’d warned her about his date with Danni just last week.

“When we went to dig up the foundations of the barn we found a very old skeleton. It’s been there decades so there’s nothing for you to worry about or anything.”

“Whoa! That’s so cool.” Amy wasn’t worried a bit.

“There’s a sheriff’s deputy that has to remain out there overnight so don’t be alarmed.

When they got home and parked Amy jumped straight out of the car and ran towards Evelyn and the entrance to the hole. Spencer was glad to see that she’d been sitting while he was gone. As he got closer, he could see that she’d fixed herself a mug of coffee too and had some biscuits from the pantry too. That made Spencer even happier.

“Amy, this Deputy Malone. Deputy, this is my daughter,” Spencer made the introductions.

“Please, call me Evelyn.”

“Is there really a dead body down there?” Amy asked looking at the hole in awe.

“Unfortunately, we have made the discovery of a deceased person,” Evelyn told her solemnly.

“Can I see it?” Amy gasped.

Spencer didn’t have time to shoot Evelyn a horrifying warning look. The deputy however knew what any father would want for his little girl.

“This still has to be considered an active crime scene so I’m unable to let you do that sorry.”

Evelyn seemed to be doing a good job answering all of Amy questioned so with her blessing, Spencer left the pair of them to talk while he went inside and started seeing to dinner. He put a simple casserole on to cook and some potatoes to boil making sure to add enough so that there would be plenty for Evelyn to had dinner too. An hour later as it was starting to smell nice, Spencer came back outside with a fresh cup of coffee for Evelyn and then began moving over an outdoor table and some chairs. If Evelyn didn’t want to come inside the house and eat while he and Amy were home, he’d bring dinner to her. He made sure to bring over a large gas heater so that they would be comfortable and warm over dinner.

The three of them sat down to eat and it was one of the stranger meals Spencer had had. Passing chunks of bread and butter around while they got stuck into Spencer’s casserole, not more than six metres from where an old moonshiner had been killed and buried. Spencer thought that Evelyn was appreciative of the hospitably and as the dinner was completed and it started to really get cold he was able to talk her into coming back inside the house with them and keeping vigil from the kitchen.