Welcome to River Bluffs, Indiana, a cozy small town populated with charming homes, close-knit families, and the occasional deadly secret. . . House-flipper Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod have found their latest project. The property, formerly owned by the late Cal Juniper, is filled with debris that must be cleared before the real renovation begins. But a trip to the attic reveals something more disturbing than forgotten garbage—a skeleton wearing a locket and The Body in the Attic A Jazzi Zanders Mystery By Judi Lynn KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. Copyright © 2018 Judith Post All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-5161-0839-8 CHAPTER 1 It was sweltering. The sun beat down, and perspiration dripped along Jazzi's spine. Uncomfortable and impatient, she wished the auctioneer would hurry up. She wanted this house. She and her cousin, Jerod, had walked through it, top to bottom, at the initial showing and hadn't seen any major problems. They'd flipped houses together for four years now. Mostly successes. Jerod rambled back to stand beside her. Tall and hefty, he towered over her. At five-six, she didn't consider herself short, but the top of her head came only to Jerod's chin. "We should get this at a decent price," he told her. "To buy it 'as is,' along with all the garbage the renter left inside, scares most people. The ones I talked to came to bid on the '70 Nova found in the garage." Good news. Cal Juniper's house had good bones and oozed charm. A cobblestone cottage style with a rolled roof and an "eyebrow" near the front door, it was two stories with a storybook feel. The roof was in good shape; the trim just needed a little paint. They'd barely made a profit on their last flip, but they'd be making only cosmetic changes to this one. Once upon a time, Cal had almost become a part of their family. Jazzi still remembered stories about Aunt Lynda's engagement party here. People said Cal had beamed all night as if he'd won the grand prize. Lynda's vitality made people feel alive. That was before she ran off to New York and never returned. Cal never married. He died six months ago of a sudden heart attack. The house went downhill fast after that. Jerod bumped her arm, signaling for her to pay attention. The bidding would start soon. Jazzi's hair stuck to the back of her neck, and she lifted it to cool off. She and her hair had a love-hate relationship. Thick and honey colored, she got lots of compliments on it, but on hot days, if she didn't slap it into a ponytail, she always regretted it. She'd pulled it up today, but the stupid rubber band had died. Her own fault. If she'd have looked for her hair tie like she should have, this wouldn't have happened. Jerod glanced at her and shook his head. "What's the matter, Jasmine, can't take the heat?" She tossed him a sour look. He only called her by her birth name to annoy her. "Shut it, cuz. Maybe you should clean out this one yourself." He grinned. She'd already told him she couldn't wait to get inside the place and get down and dirty. Dirty was the key word. The renter threw everything — empty pizza boxes, drained beer cans, and greasy paper wrappers — on the floor, a fly and rodent's paradise. She didn't want to know how many maggots were happily living in there. The auctioneer finally got to the car and bidding went crazy. The good news? After a gray-haired guy with black grease under his fingernails — most likely a mechanic — got it, the crowd thinned out. Jerod had been right. Not many people were interested in the house. Jazzi was even more surprised when everyone else dropped out at fifty-six thousand and they won the bid. Jerod raised his hand for a high five. "We did it! I'm going to give Ansel a call and let him know." Ansel. Their tall, blond construction contractor. Quite the distraction. Jazzi wished he were here. He worked with them on most houses. He'd meant to come with them today, but this was his girlfriend's, Emily's, first day off after three twelve-hour shifts and she'd informed him he was spending time with her. He never went against Emily's orders. At six-five, he was taller than Jerod, but thoroughly under the thumb of a five-four nurse. He had white-blond hair and sky-blue eyes — looked like a Viking, but was easygoing. Emily wasn't. If all people with Norwegian backgrounds looked like Ansel, Jazzi would welcome Norwegian immigrants to River Bluffs with open arms and possibly groping hands. If only Emily weren't in the way. She stayed to finalize the paperwork with the auctioneer while Jerod made his call. They'd worked with this auction house many times, always paying cash so they could start work right away. She braced her shoulders and walked into the house. Putrid pulled pork, sour milk, and moldy tomato sauce combined into a foul stench. She couldn't stomach it and walked to her pickup truck to don a white face mask. She grabbed two flat-blade shovels and a box of trash bags, too. A broom wasn't going to cut it. When