The Traveling Corpse by Double Edge Press

that they should be looking for a
body out here,” Von reasoned.
    â€œDidn’t both the Andersens and Davises drive
their golf carts here early this morning?” Verna asked, then
answered her own question, “I think Art parked here in the
courtyard, but Doc parked closer to the kitchen patio door.”
    â€œBut, remember, Verna, like Security, they
weren’t looking for anything out here when they parked.” Von began
poking around the A/C units which were bolted into the cement just
outside the west side wall of Old Main.
    â€œLooks to me like one of those big funnels
would be a perfect place to shove a body down into,” Verna
said.
    â€œIt does, doesn’t it?” her husband answered,
“but she was laid out straight in that drawer. If rigor mortis had
set in, maybe you couldn’t bend the body, and her feet would hang
out of the funnel.” He turned to examine the space behind the
units. “I suppose you could wedge a body back here, especially if
it were a small woman. Look, Verna, look here behind this A/C. If
you stuffed it back there, the body would be off the ground on top
of the A/C base and wedged behind its chimney.”
    â€œThat would be good,” his wife reasoned,
“because it would be harder for a fox to get at it.” She started
checking the other A/C units and soon called excitedly, “Von! Von!
Look at this! Look at what I found!” She pointed to a tiny scrap of
material which was caught on the back side of a metal chimney.
Under a rough piece of sheet metal there was a scrap of light blue
denim. Von pried it out with his pocketknife.
    Verna fingered it carefully and said, “I
think this is torn off a pair of jeans, and it matches that light
blue canvas sneakah Barb just found. Somebody must have hid her
body here and left her overnight. Probably, when the murderah
pulled her body out this morning, this tiny bit of cloth got caught
on the chimney.” Verna headed for the kitchen as she said, “I’ll
get some aluminum foil and give it to Doc to hide with the rest of
our evidence. Von, you were so smart to think to check out these
A/C units!”
    â€œThank you, darlin’. I’ll go with you to the
kitchen. After you give that bit of cloth to Doc, we should find
the Andersens.”
    Verna quietly walked up to Doc where he was
slicing meat. From the look on Verna’s face, he knew this was no
time for a joke or smart remark. She opened her hand, and he saw
the scrap of material. All she said was, “Please take good care of
this.”
    Realizing that it was more evidence to be
locked in the freezer, Doc said, “I’ll get some foil.”
    Â 
    * * *

    The workshop meeting was winding down as Von
and Verna pushed open the swinging door into the Annex and found
chairs at the back of the room.
    Art, Annie, DeeDee, and Barb were all
surprised to see them come in the meeting after telling them they
were going home. They figured something important had occurred. As
soon as the business meeting was over, the friends moved to a
corner of the room, and the Vigeauxs told them about finding the
denim material caught behind an A/C unit.
    â€œWhat a wonderful piece of detective work.
This is absolutely an important piece of our puzzle. Thank you,
Verna. Thank you, Von,” Annie said sincerely.
    â€œI think it’s time to call that deputy,” Art
said firmly.
    â€œCome over to our house to use the phone,”
Verna suggested.
    â€œYes, it’ll be a lot more private at our
place than using the phone here in Old Main,” Von urged.
    â€œI don’t want ta miss anything,” DeeDee said.
“I’m comin’, too.”
    â€œWe’ll be over, too,” Barb said, “as soon as
Brad finishes here.”
    Â 
    * * *

    Brad and Barb arrived at the Vigeaux’s just
as Annie hung up their phone. “I convinced Sgt. Menendez to come
and pick up our freezer-cold