You've Got Tail

by Renee George

  Remember how I said the day had started out so well? “Oh, give me a break.” Apparently, my mountain man had a fragile ego.

  “Don’t deny it.”

  “Have I denied anything, yet?” For shit’s sake, I’d fallen into his man-trap. I’d have tried for deflection again, but there was nowhere to go that wouldn’t sound disingenuous. “What do you want from me, Babel?”

  “I want you to tell me you don’t want him.”

  “Fine. I don’t want him.” I threw my hands up in frustration. “Anything else?”

  Babel started pacing. For a coyote, his movements were nearly catlike and graceful. I found myself staring at the way he controlled every part of his body with purpose. He was hotter than a blowtorch in a room full of firecrackers. And just as explosive. I licked my lips then bit my tongue to keep from screaming, “Take me now!”

  The next words out of his mouth were better than any cold shower. “I don’t believe you.”

  Oh, no, he didn’t. “You have a lot of nerve, buddy. You’re going around with Sheila, then me, then back to Sheila, then back to me. I don’t think I’m the dishonest one here. So. Screw. You.”

  “You already have.”

  “Get out,” I said, clenching my teeth tight.

  “There’s nothing between—”

  “Get out!”

  His expression changed from angry to stupefied and back to angry. He knew he’d taken it too far, but his man-genes kept him from apologizing. With a “whatever” flick of his hand, he left. Judah popped his head around the corner. How long had he been there? He cocked his head at me as if saying, “bitches be crazy.”

  I grabbed a washcloth and threw it at him. He just kept staring at me with those sparkling green eyes as the damp rag soared right through his head and body.

  “Just shut up,” I told him.

  Truth was, I felt like a crazy bitch.

  Chapter 17

  I hid under the covers most of the night. Who’s a fraidy cat? I am, that’s who. Sick of myself, I threw the blankets off my head. Judah was still staring at me. “Fine. I’m getting out of bed.” I was naked, so I added, “Go somewhere else so I can shower and dress. I don’t need an audience.”

  The shower would have been much better with Babel in it, and my body ached a little more today. Post-crash stiffness and bruising along with a side of mauling. It dawned on me I was beginning to get used to bad shit happening to me. I didn’t like it, at all, but it was becoming par for the course. I wondered what Peculiar would throw at me next. Thinking about the possibilities made my head feel like it would explode. Bereft of cell phone and vehicle, my avenues of communication were limited. I wanted to get in touch with Billy Bob and find out about Jo Jo.

  Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready to leave the Bat Cave, yet.

  The pants I’d worn the previous day were crumpled in the corner. I took the wedding picture of Brady and Rose Ann out and unfolded it. There were some scratches from the frame’s broken glass, and little blood from the cut I’d gotten on my palm.

  I dusted it with my fingers and sighed. Rose Ann didn’t leave her family of her own free accord. If the necklace was the same in the picture as it was in Judah’s lockbox, it would at least be evidence. Another piece to prove that Judah had been on to something that could have put him in danger. I retrieved the box from behind the display counter and pulled out the necklace with the heart charm and compared it to the photo. They looked identical.

  My peripheral vision narrowed, and darkness engulfed me.

  Straw, dirt scented with urine and other foul body wastes inundated my senses. I reached out to the metal bars caging me. I heard a whimpering. The noise made me turn.

  In the corner of the cage, a woman lay curled up. Her arms wrapped her body. The dress was tattered and dirty, but I recognized it and her. Rose Ann.

  A clanging sound, like the metal cups in those prison movies, redirected my attention. A man with short blond hair, neatly trimmed, ran a rod over the bars.

  “It’s almost time. The moon will be up soon and the hunt will be on.”

  Rose Ann rolled up on her knees and bared her teeth with a vicious growl.

  Amazing. She still had fight left in her.

  The man laughed, then two more men arrived. They were all wearing full hunting gear, including orange vests.

  “She turning, yet?” one of the newcomers, a short, dowdy man with a bald patch and round glasses, asked.

  He looked like an accountant, not a murderer for heaven’s sake.

  It dawned on me, all three looked like clean-cut businessmen, not the hillbillies of Deliverance I’d imagined.

  Rose Ann growled again, and I stared as her body shifted from woman to mountain lion in a matter of seconds. She hissed at them.

  I hadn’t realized Rose Ann was a mountain lion. For some reason, I thought she’d be a coyote like her husband.

  “Oh, shit,” the balding accountant muttered.

  “Carl,” said the blond. “Let her out. We’ll give her a head start for a challenge.”

  The third guy, banker type, dark hair, tall, soft around the middle, looked like a giddy teenager as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation before he climbed up on top.

  The other two guys stepped far back against the wall. Guns ready if the mountain lion chose to turn on them here.

  “Oh, Rose,” I said, hating myself for being a human. I wanted the vision to end. I didn’t want to see anymore.

  Please end.

  They opened the cage.

  End.

  She ran out the double bay doors.

  End.

  They waited approximately five seconds to chase after her. Ten seconds later, I heard three shots.

  Oh God.

  A minute later they dragged her carcass back into the building. They hadn’t even given her a chance.

  “Goddamn it, John,” Carl laughed.

  “That was fast. Not hardly worth the sport,” the blond guy, apparently John, replied.

  Carl lifted her lifeless head. “When can we get another? We’ll take our time with the next one.”

  “You think she’ll look good mounted?” the nameless balding guy asked.

  End!

  I was back in the restaurant, slumped with my back against the counter. Dropping the picture and the necklace to the floor, I wept for the loss of Rose Ann. Judah rubbed his ghostly body around my legs and whimpered.

  I couldn’t breathe. I had to get outside and into the light. I ran for the front door and threw it open, stumbling onto the sidewalk.

  One thought pulsed in my brain—monsters are real. And not just of the supernatural variety.

  Deputy Connelly, a very lanky, skinny man, stopped me as I came out of the restaurant.

  “Where you off to, Ms. Haddock?”

  Damn, I’d forgotten about my protection detail. “Just going to go visit Ruth Thompson. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

  “No offense, ma’am, but no way in hell I’m letting you out of my sight.”

  “Deputy. Truly, I admire your dedication. But I think I can safely make the five blocks to Doe Run Automotive safe and sound.”

  “Uh-uh,” he said, rubbing his throat. “I can still taste the shoe leather from yesterday’s ass chewing from the sheriff. So, wherever you go, I go. Okay?”

  Like I had a choice in the matter. “I suppose.” I shook my head, taking in the determined law man. He reminded me of a cartoon I’d seen a couple of times. “Fine. Come along, Deputy Dawg.”

  “Squirrel, ma’am.”

  “Huh?”

  “Not a dog.”

  “Oh.” Deputy Connelly was a weresquirrel. I’d have never guessed. “Got it.”

  “I’ll give you a lift.”

  “No thanks.” The breeze was perfect outside and it wasn’t too hot. “I’d rather walk if it’s just the same to you.”

  “Suit yourself.” Connelly tipped his
hat to me and went to his car and started the engine. He waited for me to head up the sidewalk then drove slowly down the road, keeping about two car lengths behind me.

  “Sunny!” I heard someone call.

  It was Sheila. Fan-friggin-tastic. I did not need a dose of bitch today.

  I kept walking. She caught up to me. Wonderful. “What?” I didn’t even try for polite.

  She pulled her chin back, hackles rising. “I just wanted to tell you I was sorry—”

  “For hurting me,” I finished for her. “Fine. It wasn’t your fault. Yada, yada. I get it. Are we done?”

  Sheila’s eyes widened and her lower lip quivered slightly. “You mean, you know?”

  Weirdly enough, she seemed almost frightened. “It’s the brown eyes. You have a very distinctive color to them. It wasn’t hard to figure out.” I was letting her off for the full-moon attack, so I wished she’d just go away.

  “I didn’t—”

  Neville came out of Blonde Bear Cafe at that moment and smiled at both of us. “Sunny,” he said. “So glad to see you’re all right. The sheriff told me what happened. I’ve heard from Doctor Smith that the boy is going to be just fine.”

  A sense of relief washed over me. In that second, I could have kissed the mayor. “Really? Oh, good. I’m so glad.”

  Sheila fidgeted with her belt buckle. “Well, I guess I’ll let you go.” She swiveled her eyes towards Neville.

  The corner of his mouth tugged up into a half-smile. Oh, man! She was sleeping with him, too.

  “Did you get those papers filed, Ms. Murphy?” Neville asked. “The ones for the Community Preservation Project?”

  “Not yet, Mayor. I’ll have it done this afternoon,” she answered.

  Ms. Murphy and Mayor. As if. Who did they think they were fooling?

  “See you around, Sunny,” Sheila said as parting words.

  Not if I see you first. “Bye.”

  “Well, back to the old grind.” Neville smiled, his eyes sad. “Take care of yourself, Sunny.”

  I watched him stroll down the sidewalk, nodding and smiling at people as he went along. I wondered how many people knew he was doing the bump and grind with his secretary. In this small town, probably everyone.

  Ick. I didn’t even want to think about it.

  When I got to Doe Run, Ruth came out of the garage in full coveralls, wiping grease from her hands. “Girl,” she said, giving me a light hug. “I was going to stop and check on you today. You didn’t have to come all the way down here.”

  “It’s not like you live that far,” I said. “Took me five minutes.” Not including the awkward run-in with Sheila.

  “Do you want to come in for some coffee?”

  “Tempting offer, but no.” Please say yes. “I was hoping I could borrow your car to run out to Billy Bob’s.”

  Her forehead wrinkled.

  So I added, “I want to see how Jo Jo is doing.”

  “Let me get cleaned up,” Ruth said. “I’ll go with you.”

  Now my forehead wrinkled.

  So she added, “I want to pick up some marshmallow root for my youngest. He’s starting to get a cough.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Was there even such a thing as marshmallow root? I shook my head. It was too strange not to be real.

  I told Connelly where we were going and he followed us out to the shaman’s house. Billy Bob’s place was a sprawling one-level ranch house. Huge, let me tell you. I wondered why a single guy would need a home so large, until I got inside. The whole left side of the place was a clinic. He literally worked from home.

  “Very cool,” I said with a bit of awe as Billy Bob led us down the corridor to Jo Jo’s room.

  Brady Corman sat in the chair next to his sleeping son’s bed. “What are you doing here? Haven’t you caused enough trouble?”

  Before I could say anything, Ruth stepped in front of me. “You just watch your mouth, Brady Tyler Corman.” She snapped her fingers. “I won’t put up with your sass. Especially not with all Sunny’s been through lately. She gives a damn about your boy, which is more than I can say for you.”

  Jo Jo’s father winced as if he’d been slapped across the face. Which, in a sense, he had. Ruth had made her words a fist and verbally punched him in the nose. He glared at Ruth and she glared back. They had a good old fashioned stare-off that lasted several tense seconds. Brady looked away first.

  Go, Ruth!

  “Well, I don’t want to wake Jo Jo,” I said, ready to leave now that the situation had become even more strained. “I’m sure he needs his rest more than company.”

  “I’m awake,” Jo Jo said, his eyes still closed. He flickered them open and looked at his dad. “I’d like to talk to Sunny alone for a minute.”

  Brady rubbed his face, but stood up. I smelled the alcohol when he passed by me, his shoulder brushing against mine. I wanted to tell him that Rose Ann hadn’t been a cheater. She hadn’t voluntarily left him and their son. But since I couldn’t prove it, there wasn’t any point. Not yet.

  Billy Bob massaged my shoulders for a moment and the tension eased a little. Finally, he gave me a gentle pat and said, “I’ll leave you to it.”

  Ruth left with him, I assumed to get her marshmallow root, and I was left alone with Jo Jo. I let him take my hand. “Are you doing all right?”

  “Yes, thanks to you. The shaman told me if you hadn’t been thinking quick, it could have been a lot worse for me.”

  I’d noticed Jo Jo addressed him as shaman and not doctor. “He’s giving me a lot of credit for nothing. I just made a phone call.”

  “You did more than that, but never mind. Just…thanks. Thank you. That’s what I want to say.”

  I’d put Rose Ann’s necklace in my purse, thinking to give it back to Jo Jo, but I didn’t know how to explain where and how I found it. I thought, especially at a time like this, he could use something of his mother. Firming my resolve, I took it out.

  “I think you should have this.” I placed the gold chain with the small heart charm in his hand. “It was your mom’s.”

  Wetness formed in the brim of his eyes. “You keep it.”

  “I don’t know everything,” I told him fiercely. “But I do know this. Your mom never wanted to leave you. Believe me when I say, she wouldn’t have left you if it had been her choice.”

  He gripped my hand tightly, fighting back the tears. “What do you know, Sunny? What did you see about my mom?”

  “Nothing I can prove.” I pressed the necklace into his palm. “Not yet, anyways.”

  His eyes searched my face for more answers, but I couldn’t give him what he wanted. Jo Jo was still a teenager. Once he learned the truth, any idealism he had left would disappear in the horror.

  Finally, he nodded. He held the necklace in a tight fist and brought it to his chest. “Okay, Sunny. But when the time comes, I want to know everything. You may think of me as a kid, but I’ve had to grow up fast. I can handle the truth.”

  Some truths were hard even for adults. I was one, and I was barely handling it. I wanted to hug the grown-up right out of him. At seventeen, the only problems Jo Jo should’ve had were what acne wash to use and what girls to date. “You should rest. I’ll check on you again soon.”

  I passed Brady on the way out. He glowered at me and I wanted to shake him until his brain rattled. I resisted the urge. I’d learned a long time ago, you can’t change someone who doesn’t want to change.

  Ruth and Billy Bob were out on the porch waiting for me. He was disproportionally tall compared to her; hell, even when standing next to me, and I’m tall for a woman. It would have looked strange on Babel, who was perfectly proportioned for his height, but lanky really worked for the doc.

  Ruth had a brown bag in hand, which I assumed was the medicinal herb she wanted. “You ready?”

  “I’m ready if you are.”

  Billy Bob’s eyes sparkled like crystals when he stepped out into the
sunlight. His dreadlocks, loose around his face, swept past his shoulders. He walked us out to Ruth’s car and kissed my cheek. “The swelling’s down,” he said.

  “A little.” I smiled, but the sadness in my heart made it feel insincere.

  Suddenly, Ruth said, “Oh, and I almost forgot. I’m having a potluck tomorrow night to welcome Sunny to town. I fully expect you to bring your sweet potato casserole, Doctor Smith.”

  A potluck. This was news to me, but it did sound like a good opportunity to read a few people, possibly get more information on Chavvah.

  “I wouldn’t miss one of your shindigs.” Billy Bob smiled. “I’ll be there with bells on.”

  Ruth squealed with delight then ran back to the patrol car and invited Connelly to the “shindig.” I knew if I was going, the deputy would have little choice but to attend.

  On the way back to town, I asked Ruth, “How long have you been planning this dinner thingy?”

  She grinned. “About ten minutes.”

  Wow. “I really like you, Ruth.”

  “I really like you, too, Sunny.”

  Back at Ruth’s, she invited me in for a minute. I was tired and ready to go back to my place, but she insisted. I quickly found out why when Ruth produced a handgun. “I want you to take this for protection.”

  I already had Deputy Squirrel; did I really need a gun? “I wouldn’t even know how to use one of those things.”

  “It’s easy, honey.” She held up the weapon with an experienced touch. She popped a magazine with bullets out by pushing a button on the bottom of the grip. While explaining the fundamentals, Ruth went through the motions as well. “This here is a Ruger .22 pistol. It has a ten-round magazine. You just load your bullets here.” She pointed to the butt. “Stick the mag back in. Pull the slide back to chamber a round. Flick the safety off. Aim. Breathe. Pull the trigger to shoot.”

  Okay, so she didn’t pull the trigger, but everything else. She put the safety back on and thrust the gun into my hands. It felt heavy and good to touch. I hated it. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

  “Go ahead. You try it.”

  I managed to get through all the steps, the second time without prompting. It was so much easier to be armed and dangerous than I’d ever expected. I felt like Dirty Harriet.