I exchanged a glance with Patrick and we both grinned. Trying to derail Nat when she had made up her mind was a good way to get run over. Or worse. All our lives, Nat had made a point of keeping up with the boys and had never asked for special treatment, or a handicap, or a head start. To even suggest it was to invite her wrath.

“I have to admit,” she said, “I’m not really ready to settle down into a boring, generic small-town life just yet, either. Not without one big adventure, anyway. Maybe this is it.”

“Gee, I dunno, sounds risky,” Patrick replied. Nat and I both rolled our eyes. No one was fooled. Patrick would always be the first one to jump into the deep end.

Nat put her fists on her hips and glared down at the body. “So what’s the next step?”

I held the corpse under the arms and Patrick supported the feet while Nat held the freezer lid open. “This guy is heavy,” Patrick groaned.

“Stop complaining. You’ve got the easy end.” I gave a final heave and the corpse settled into the freezer.

“We’re actually dumping it into a chest freezer, like a bunch of mobsters?” Nat let go of the lid and it slammed down.

“We could put it in Patrick’s father’s meat locker,” I offered.

“Not a friggin’ chance, boy-o. Not the least because Dad would find it within a day. He can sense when that freezer door is opened from miles away. And he has the complete inventory in his head.”

Nat chortled. Mr. Jordan’s parsimonious nature was a well-established joke around town.

“Come to think of it,” Patrick mused, “he might just chop up the corpse and try to pass it off as pork.”

“What about it being discovered here?” Natalie pointed at the freezer.

“I don’t think Mom and Dad even know we still have this,” I replied. “I was supposed to get rid of it, and never got around to it.” I tapped the top of the appliance. “The lid won’t stay up. Mom got whacked on the head twice and decreed that it would be replaced.” I pointed to some hay bales at the back of the barn. “Actually, I think we should move it there, so it’s out of sight. I’ll need to get an extension cord.”

“What if it’s not dead?” Natalie asked. “What if we actually kill it by freezing it?”

“Crushed head. Hasn’t moved. Isn’t breathing. Body has cooled.” Patrick shook his head. “Seriously, I think that ship has sailed.”

“Fine,” Natalie said. “Now what?”

“Well, tomorrow’s Saturday, so we have the weekend to search.” I paused. “Meanwhile, I have to tell my dad about the accident, while maybe leaving out a few details. I guess I’ll be borrowing the Buick for a few days while the truck is in the shop.”