10
That night KSNB has a reporter on the scene.
She looks unsure of herself—definitely weekend help.
She’s standing in front of the police cars blocking County Road F from the turnout.
“Following an anonymous tip, KHP troopers were called to a deserted gas station in the town of Gunnel late yesterday afternoon.
They discovered the body of an unidentified female buried behind the station, which…” She consults her notes and brushes hair out of her eyes.
“… which closed in 2012 when Route 119 was widened to four lanes.
If the woman has been identified, KHP isn’t saying.
Certainly her identity won’t be released to the press pending notification of next-of-kin.
Police are not saying if she was murdered, either, but given this isolated location…” She shrugs, as if to say what else? “Back to you, Pete.”
She’ll be identified soon enough, Danny thinks.
The important thing is he hasn’t been ID’d.
He is just “an anonymous tipster.”
My good deed for the year, he thinks.
And who says no good deed goes unpunished?
But then, just to be safe, he knocks on wood.