They both shook their heads.

“I guess we’ll have to wait for fingerprints. I don’t even see any clothes around. Maybe he was killed somewhere else and dropped off here.”

There was the sound of approaching engines, and Hank walked around to the back of the ambulance where he saw two department cars approaching, lights and sirens off.

Thank God.

“What took you so long?” he asked Brad as the sheriff and Issac got out of the first vehicle. Mitch and Bill F. were emerging from the car directly behind them.

“Issac forgot the camera. We had to go back for it.”

“I thought I could just use my phone—”

“No, you didn’t. You know the protocol. You forgot.” There was a tone in the sheriff’s voice that kept the deputy from responding. “So where’s the body?”

“Over here!” Jasper called out.

“It’s bad,” Hank warned, though he’d told that to Brad over the radio.

“No ID yet?”

“No clue.”

Brad walked to the edge of the ditch and looked down. “Jesus,” he breathed.

“I think we can safely call this a homicide,” Issac said as he started taking photos.

“No one’s touched the body yet?”

Hank shook his head.

“You?” Brad asked, looking over at Jasper.

“Haven’t touched a thing.”

“So how did you find him?” The sheriff glanced around. The ditch ran alongside the edge of the forest, several yards away from the dirt road on which they’d all parked, a control road running between the highway and the refuse transfer station. “This seems a little out of the way.”

“I was out for a walk.”

Brad eyed him suspiciously. “A walk?”

“It’s a free country.”

Hank, Brad and the other deputies shared a look. They all knew that there’d been complaints from residents living on the outskirts of town about shots being fired on some of the side roads.

“You sure you weren’t out here for a little off-season hunting or unlawful target practice?”

Jasper held up his hands. “I’m unarmed. Sir.”

The sheriff turned his attention back to the body. “Let’s canvas the area and look for a weapon. Issac, finish up those photos. Bill, go to the back of the car and get some tape to cordon off the scene.” He addressed the paramedics. “When the M.E. gets here, give me a shout. I need to talk to him.”

Hank felt relieved. In quieter moments, he sometimes daydreamed about being sheriff, but the truth was that he was much more suited to following orders than giving them, and he was glad that Brad had arrived to take over. He could handle the small everyday stuff, but all the training in the world could not prepare him to deal with something like this. He faced away from the body, took a deep breath of fresh air.

Jasper snorted derisively.

“You have something to say to me?” Hank demanded.

Jasper grinned. “No, sir, officer. Nothing at all.”

****

Jasper Brooks was being an asshole, as usual, mocking Hank and behaving as though he was a part of the investigation. So Brad found it especially gratifying to send the old coot on his merry way. Jasper was the first to have come across the body and it was obvious that he felt proprietary about his discovery and wanted to see this through to the end, but the sheriff pulled rank, informed him that this was a crime scene and that he needed to go. They would contact him later for an official statement.