We spent almost an hour searching (with our eyes, for me and Jack) and scenting (Lizzie) but came up with nothing.
“I’m sorry, Lizzie,” I said, dejected. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
She shrugged. “It’s still a good idea. I’ll try to find a way to get near his van. I’m not sure I could smell the gun, anyway, after three days, but these wolf senses are pretty keen. I can’t imagine how intense it must be for a werewolf who can actually shift into a wolf.”
“You can’t shift?” Jack’s question was curious, not judgmental, and Lizzie recognized the difference.
“No. Or maybe I should say ‘not yet’?”
“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here,” he said quietly, and I didn’t miss the look of relief that crossed her face.
“Okay. I’m out of here. Need to get back on patrol. Somebody named Bubba McKee has a snake that’s eating cats.”
“Welcome to Dead End,” I told her, grinning.
On the way back to my place, though, I thought about the McKees and lost any sense of amusement. “Ishmustbe the killer, Jack. His alibi was completely fake. We could ask Granny G if he was really there, and she’d be as likely to say yes as she would be to tell us aliens dropped by for tea.”
“Which puts the memory of him holding that gun to your head in an entirely different light,” Jack said, face grim.
I hadn’t thought of that. If he’d already shot one woman with a gun, and she was hismother, then he could have shot me with no qualms at all.
Suddenly, I was hyperventilating.
Jack gently touched my shoulder. “Put your head between your knees and take deep, slow breaths until you get it under control.”
So, I did. And I breathed like that all the way home. After that, we barricaded ourselves in the house, safe from murderers and bank robbers and mutant plant monsters.
It was a lovely evening.
35
Jack
On Friday evening, no criminal activity of any kind occurred. And nothing else that happened belongs in a case file. —Jack
36
Tess
Saturday dawned overcast, but it was supposed to clear up later, just in time for the father-daughter dance. Shelley was so excited she’d texted me and Jack a dozen times about our plans. We were meeting her at the school—Jack was her date, and I was helping with refreshments. At Shelley’s age, we didn’t have to worry about anybody spiking the punch, at least.
I’d made the executive decision to leave the shop closed for the weekend. We still had a lot of cleanup and repair to do, and with that, the dance, and the missing murderous Phleabottom, I needed a break. I was always closed on Sundays, of course, but a day off on Saturday was so rare I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do first.
Jack brought me coffee in bed, a rare luxury, and I sat up to drink it, still yawning.
“I can’t believe I slept in till nine! I can’t remember the last time I got to sleep in on a Saturday.” I sipped the coffee and smiled. Maybe I’d just stay in bed all day with Lou and a book, and Jack could bring me food and coffee.
“That was a nice smile.” He sat on the edge of the bed with his own coffee. “What were you thinking about?”
“Just about how wonderful it is to have you here. And about maybe spending the entire day in bed.”
His eyes lit up. “I like that idea.”
“Jack! Not like that.” I could feel my face heat. Even after we’d been together for a while, I was still shy about some things. “I meant to read and nap.”
“That’s what I meant, too. Tess,” he said sadly, shaking his head. “You have such a dirty mind.”
I put my coffee down and whacked him on the head with my pillow. He put his cup on the nightstand and pounced on me. Then Lou climbed on his head and started kneading his scalp with her paws, claws half-extended, and I couldn’t stop giggling every time he said “ouch.”
