The Gardens of Digby Green: Bobcat
While he waited for the forensics team, Jessup strung crime scene tape around the property perimeter. When he reached the witch hazel stand, he made a phone call to the city maintenance department, to request a Bobcat. Yanking the shrubs out by the roots would make access easier.
Half-a dozen pre-teen boys, attracted by the barrier tape, ranged along the chain-link fence. Jessup warned them away. Reluctantly, they moved to a nearby driveway where they had a slightly obstructed view.
Ten minutes later, the city worker arrived with his machinery, and the sheriff let him through. “Don’t start work yet. My team needs to check the ground for possible evidence.”
“Right, Sheriff. Where will you need me?”
“Around back. There’s a corner of the yard that hasn’t been landscaped. If you look between the shrubby witch hazel, you’ll see an orange stake. When you do start work, don’t go that far in until they say they’re ready.”
“Gotcha.”
The forensics van pulled up, and the team of techs piled out. They carried a tent, folding tables, shovels, and bags of smaller equipment.
Sheriff Jessup led them around the house, and directed them to the corner area. He got a series of black looks for his trouble, before the skinnier team members pushed into the bushy thicket.
The Bobcat operator pushed back his baseball cap, slouched in his seat, and lit a cigarette.
“Ground’s been disturbed here,” one man said, and bushes rustled as he jammed a yellow stake into the ground. More markers followed, outlining a neat rectangle. He crawled backward from his handiwork, and rubbed twigs and spiderwebs out of his hair.
Jessup signaled the Bobcat operator, who adjusted the throttle on his machine and went to work.
As each witch hazel bush parted from its roots, a technician checked the exposed soil for any possible evidence. Gestures and head shaking signaled the moment to pull another shrub. When enough of them were cleared, the team dug in.
The Gardens of Digby Green is a serialized story that posts on Fridays.
Next week, part forty-six, Helicopter Pad.
Find a link to purchase Heartland Treasures anthology here.
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