High Profile

2

Jesse slid into the backseat of the cruiser, where Molly was talking to the young woman.

“This is Kate Mahoney,” Molly said. “She found the body.”

“I’m Jesse Stone,” he said.

“The police chief,” the woman said.

“Yes,” Jesse said. “How are you?”

The woman nodded. She was holding a middle-aged beagle in her lap.

“I’m okay,” she said.

Jesse looked at Molly. Molly nodded. Yes, she was okay. Jesse scratched the beagle behind an ear.

“Tell me what you saw,” Jesse said.

“I just told her,” the woman said.

She was probably thirty, brown hair tucked up under a baseball cap. Blue sweatpants, white T-shirt, elaborate running shoes. Jesse nodded.

“I know,” he said. “Police bureaucracy. You were out running?”

“Yes, I run every morning before I have breakfast.”

“Good for you,” Jesse said. “You usually run up here?”

“Yes. I like the hill.”

“So you came up here this morning as usual...” Jesse said.

“And I saw him...” She closed her eyes for a moment. “Hanging there.”

Jesse was quiet. The woman shook her head briefly, and opened her eyes.

“See anybody else?”

“No, just...”

She made a sort of rolling gesture with her right hand. The beagle watched the movement with his ears pricked slightly.

“Just the man on the tree?” Jesse said.

“Yes.”

“You know who he is?” Jesse said.

“No. I didn’t really look. When I saw him, I ran off and called nine-one-one on my cell phone.”

“And here we are,” Jesse said.

“I don’t want to look at him,” the woman said.

“You don’t have to,” Jesse said. “Is there anything else you can tell us that will help us figure out who did this?”

“‘Did this’? It’s not suicide?”

“No,” Jesse said.

“You mean somebody murdered him?”

“Yes,” Jesse said.

“Omigod,” she said. “I don’t want any trouble.”

“You just discovered the body. You won’t have any trouble.”

“Will I have to testify?”

“Not up to me,” Jesse said. “But you don’t have much to testify about that Molly or I couldn’t testify about.”

“I don’t want any trouble.”

“You’ll be fine,” Jesse said. “I promise.”

The woman hugged her dog and pressed her face against the top of his head.

“You’ll both be fine,” Jesse said. “Officer Crane will drive you home.”

The woman nodded with her cheek pressed against the dog’s head. The dog looked uneasy. Jesse gave her one of his cards.

“You think of anything,” Jesse said, “or anything bothers you, call me. Or Officer Crane.”

The woman nodded. Jesse scratched the beagle under the chin and got out of the car.