Fifteen
Rose Patterson, Miles Armstrong, and Parson Sloan walked toward the Brighton Hotel after dumping Jim’s body in the ditch. They’d rolled the young man’s corpse in a blanket before they left the hotel and they carried him between them. Limp bodies were surprising awkward to carry any distance. Fortunately the drainage ditch wasn’t too far from the hotel. Sloan and Miles carried the young constable’s body, with Rose acting as director.
They’d waited until just before dawn and no one had seen them with the body. Rose kept a look out for any curious early morning passersby.
As they walked back from dumping the body some of the early risers were already moving about. Mrs. Wallace was headed to her chicken coop to retrieve the morning eggs. She waved at them as they passed. Sloan smile
