by Renee George
Our conversation on the way had been energized, the way conversations can get when two people escape death together. When I’d pulled into his driveway, Brady thanked me, and I’d felt the, “I’m gonna kiss you,” vibe from him. So, I just jumped right in there and laid one on him.
Gah! Talk about sizzle, that heat of the man’s lips lit my loins like a match to gasoline.
Then, just as abruptly as I’d kissed him, he disengaged, opened the truck door saying, “I can’t do this,” and then closed the door behind him with a hard slam, and rushed into his house.
I’d never been so confused, hurt, turned on, and dejected all at the same time. Which is why I sat at the end of his driveway now, because our lunch earlier hadn’t made me any less confused, hurt, turned on, and dejected. I wanted Brady the way I wanted air and food and water. In other words, I felt like I couldn’t live without him. Was that strange? I thought so. I’d had a lot of lovers over the years, but not a one of them moved me like this cranky single dad. At least, I was pretty sure he was single, considering the way Ruth and Sunny pushed me at him.
The first time I saw Brady, last June when Jo Jo had been kidnapped with Ruth’s daughter Michele, he’d gone to the police station to report his son missing. Luckily, we’d found Jo Jo and Michele later that night tied up in the woods no worse for wear. Brady’s vulnerability, the way he worried for his child, had tugged on every girly string inside me. It hadn’t hurt that he was incredibly hot in a young Jeffrey Dean Morgan way. (Yes, I’d gone through a Supernatural phase. No, I still wasn’t over it.) He’d worn a wedding band at the police station, but at Halloween and today, he’d been without it. Why would any woman in her right mind leave a man like him?
I cranked up the volume on my mp3 player and launched into the chorus of “Love Hurts” by Nazareth, a favorite of my father’s. When the driver side door of my truck opened, I tore out the earplugs and jump hard enough to hit my head on the cab roof. Considering how short I am, the maneuver was a feat. “Jeezus. H. Christ. You scared the ever-loving shit out me!”
Brady appeared befuddled for a moment, but he managed a glower when he said, “You’re the one scaring, well, everything out here. I thought someone was dying.”
I blushed. “I have a fine singing voice.”
“More like a cat yowling.”
“You’re being a jerk.”
“You’re parked on my road in the middle of the night.”
“I’m parked off your road in the middle of the night.”
“Fine.” He shook his head. “What are you doing here, Willy?”
“I’m thinking.”
“And you couldn’t do that back in town?”
“I found a body tonight. You could be a little kinder to me.” Besides, earlier he’d said it was nice to see me. Had something changed between then and now?
“What?” He dipped his head. “You found a body? Like an actual person?”
“No, like a fake person.”
“Willy...”
“Yes, fine. An actual person.”
“Who? Where?”
“Now all we need is the what and why, and the crime will have solved itself.”
“So, it was a crime?” Alarm rose in his voice. “Someone was murdered?” He reached in and grabbed my arms. “Who?”
Damn it. I really was an asshole. Brady had lived in Peculiar his entire life. Of course, he’d be freaked out. It didn’t help that he knew the victim. After all, he was building a screen porch for her. I hoped she’d paid him up front.
“It’s Evelyn Meyers. Sunny, Ruth, and I found her dead at the community center tonight. I’m so sorry, Brady.”
He ran his fingers through his thick, dark brown hair. His amber eyes glowing with his animal just below the surface. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
“Are you sure she was murdered?”
“She had a sword through the chest. I’m pretty sure she didn’t do that to herself.”
“How long ago?”
“I’m not sure. We were there at eight-thirty p.m., rehearsal was over by six, so it had to be sometime in that two and a half hour window. I’m sure Doc Smith will have more information after his autopsy.”
“Billy Bob isn’t going to share jack shit with me.”
“He might with me. Why do you want to know when Evelyn died?”
“No reason.”
“That’s a load of crap, Brady. I know fishing when I hear it. Do you have an idea who wanted to kill her? I mean, other than half the town.”
“No, not really.”
I remembered Jo Jo’s outburst at the center. “Is this about your son? Do you think he might have been angry enough to--”
“That’s ridiculous.” His brow furrowed, worry apparent.
I got out of the truck and put my hand on his forearm. Electric sparks shot up my fingertips and through my body. God, I hated and loved the way he made me feel. I removed my hand. “I’ll keep close tabs on the investigation.” Which I’d already planned to do, but I felt the need to reassure him.
Brady nodded. “Thanks.” He ran his hand through his hair again. Oh, how I envied those fingers. He gave me that same, “I so wanna kiss you,” look, but I didn’t jump into his arms this time. Burn me twice, shame on me.
“I better get back before Ruth sends out the troops.”
He raised a brow. “Ruth can be a real drill sergeant.”
I recognized sarcasm when I heard it. “Well, really, I’m just trying hard not to scare you off again. Figured, I’d be the one to take off first this time.”
Brady’s eyes widened before a sly smile spread across his lips. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
“Sorry for kissing me like you meant it, or sorry for running off?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed once. Hot damn, I wanted to lick the nervous sweat off his neck. “Both.”
“Explain.”
He reached out and tucked a long curl of mine behind my ear. “You’re nothing like her, you know.”
“Who?”
“My wife.”
Fuuuck! Was he still married? “I’m a goddamn homewrecker. Jeezus, Brady. Why did you flirt with me? You don’t even wear a freaking ring.”
“I only stopped wearing the band last year.” He fidgeted with his left ring finger. “Rose Ann died.”
“Shit. I’m sorry, Brady. I didn’t know.” The way Sunny, Chavvah, and Ruth liked to gossip, I can’t believe not one of them clued me into this tidbit of information. Although, I guess I could have asked. I think a part of me had been afraid to know the truth. “Was it recent?”
He shook his head. “Twelve years now, but until about two years ago, I didn’t know how or why.” He shook his head again. “It’s a long story. One I’m not ready to talk about.”
“Okay.”
“I’d really like to kiss you again.”
“But?” I waited for the other shoe to drop.
“I haven’t been with anyone but my wife.”
“Ever?” I hoped we weren’t trading histories, because I lost my virginity at seventeen, and I’d never lived like a nun.
“Ever.” He touched his ring finger again. “It feels a little like betrayal.”
“Do you think Rose Ann would feel that way?”
He chuckled. “No. She was the kindest, most gentle person I’d ever met.”
“So, my complete opposite.”
Brady snorted. “Well, her other half was a mountain lion.”
I smiled. “Aww, you like the kitties,” I teased. “Sorry. I should probably keep the flirting to a minimum.”
He dipped his head and inhaled my hair. “You smell like fresh cut grass on a sunny day.”
“I hope you like fresh cut grass,” I said. I tilted my head sideways, giving him access if he wanted to take advantage of my neck real estate.
When his lips grazed my skin, my whole body tensed at the jolt of pleasure. “Damn, woman, you’re so beautiful.” His fingertips stroked down my bare arms.
He kissed my neck again. “I haven’t wanted anyone, not like this, in a very long time.”
I pressed my palms into his broad chest and sagged against him. “I want you, too, Brady.”
The porch light came on. “Dad? You out there?”
Brady practically threw himself away from me. “I’m here. Be right in.” He looked at me, his face stark as if he’d just seen a ghost. “I’m sorry, Willy. I...can we talk tomorrow?”
“Uh, sure. I’ll try and find out more about Evelyn. And don’t worry. Jo Jo’s a good kid. I’m sure he didn’t have anything to do with, you know.” Cripes. Investigation 101. You didn’t rule out suspects based on emotions. Just because I wanted Jo Jo to be innocent for Brady’s sake didn’t mean the kid wasn’t guilty.
“I appreciate that.” His lips tugged up at the corners in a sweet, simple smile. “I really do want to continue tonight’s conversation at a later time.”
Rawr. I flashed him a grin. “It’s a date, hot stuff.”
He laughed. My pulse raced. I waited for him to walk up the drive, appreciating the view, before I got in my truck and left. My neck still sizzled where Brady had trailed kisses. I wasn’t used to slow-playing a man, and Brady was more damaged than the average guy, but I had a feeling he would be worth every agonizing moment I had to wait for him to be ready.
Chapter Five
Morning came early at the Thompson home. I heard the sounds of showers running, toilets flushing, girl’s talking, boys walking, and the scent of bacon, pancakes, and fried eggs miraculously made its way to the second floor. I’d told Ruth I got up at seven o’clock, and on the hour, I heard one of the younger boys knock on my door and loudly proclaim, “Bathroom’s free!”
I rolled up into a sitting position and swung my feet over the side of the bed. The freshly washed sheets had smelled like lavender, and I’d slept more soundly than I thought possible after the way the night had ended. I dressed, peed, washed my face, brushed my teeth, finger combed my messy curls and headed down to the kitchen where I prayed a strong black cup of coffee waited for me. Mornings were the only time I indulged.
“Morning,” I said as Ruth greeted me with a smile and a mug. Yay! Coffee. I took a sip. Mmm mmm. “Breakfast smells great.”
Ed was sitting at the table reading a newspaper. God, I loved small town living. So much simpler than city life where every bit of news came through the internet. He had the classic deer shifter features, thin face, high cheeks, and wide large brown eyes. His sandy blond hair was short and combed neatly. He wore a blue t-shirt and jeans with grease stains, and steel tipped work boots. I noticed Ruth was wearing similar attire.
“Gotta go into the shop with Ed today. I have to rebuild a carburetor on an F150 today. It was an unexpected order, and Ed has to go into Lake Ozarks for a couple of cases of 10W40.”
I gave her a bland look.
“Motor oil for performance cars. We could order it in, but after shipping costs, it’s cheaper for the customer and us to drive the thirty miles to pick it up.”
“Ah,” I said. “That’s fine. I wanted to go talk to the sheriff this morning anyhow, and I have that lunch date with Sunny this afternoon. I can keep myself busy.”
A small boy with the same color hair as his father streaked naked through the kitchen. He squealed with joy as he ran around the table back to the living room and up the stairs.
“Linus!” Ruth hollered. “Get your clothes on, boy. You come back down here naked and I’m feeding your share of bacon and pancakes to Leroy and Emma Ray.”
“Noooooo!” I heard him cry out.
To me, she said, “I’m so sorry, Willy. He’s a free spirit.”
I laughed and waved away her apology. “I barely saw a thing.” Besides, it wasn’t like therianthropes were known for their modesty. We had to undress to shift, and when we shifted back, we were still naked. The fact that Ruth thought anything of Linus being naked surprised me. It was an almost human reaction. “Breakfast smells awesome.” Louder, I said, “If we’re giving away bacon and pancakes, I want in on that.”
Linus ran into the kitchen wearing red shorts and a purple tank top. “I’m dressed,” he announced. “No giving away my food.”
Ruth ruffled his hair. “Go get your brother and sisters. Tell them to move their feet or lose their meat.”
Linus giggled, and it was such a pleasant sound. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You’ve got good kids, Ruth.”
Ed, who hadn’t uttered a word since I’d come down, put his paper down, and smiled. “The best,” he agreed. “But with a mom like Ruth, how could they be anything less.”
He grabbed his wife by the hand and pulled her down on his lap. They kissed, sweet and soft. Again, the familiar twinge of envy pinched my chest. “You all should come with a cavity warning,” I teased, but it was nice to see that sparks could still fly after twenty-three years of marriage.
After breakfast, I walked to the police station. It was a warm summer morning, and like most cats, I loved the feel of the sun on my skin.
“Willy,” Deputy Connelly said. “What are you doing in Peculiar? Council business?”
“No,” I replied a little too quickly. “I’m here for a visit. Unfortunately, I found Evelyn Meyers last night with Ruth Thompson and Sunny Trimmel.”
“Bad business, that. The woman could be a terror, but I never actually thought someone would bump her off.”
“That’s why I stopped by. A car tried to run her down yesterday afternoon. It went up on the sidewalk and took a swipe at her. I didn’t think of it until late last night.”
Deputy Connelly’s expression turned serious. “Let’s go have a seat.” I followed him to his desk. It was as skeleton crew today, which didn’t surprise me, considering Sheriff Taylor probably had most his deputies on duty last night with the crime scene. Still, I saw Sid in his office and gave him a nod when the deputy and I passed by.
Connelly woke his computer up. “Hold on. It’ll take me a second to pull up a witness statement.”
“Take your time.” I looked around the room. There were five desks with desktop computers, a book shelf with procedural manuals, and a copy machine. There was a door that with the words “File Room” another with the words “Evidence Lock Up” and a final door with “Armory”.
“Here it is,” Connelly said.
“Where’s the interrogation room?”
“What?”
“The place you take suspects to interrogate them.”
Connelly laughed. “We rarely have serious enough crimes to have to interrogate anyone. However, when we do, we have a small room down the hall off the break room.”
“Cool.”
“Now, where did you see this car when it swerved to hit Ms. Meyers?”
“Out in front of Dolly’s Beauty Shop.”
“When was this?”
“Around one-forty-five. I’d finished eating at Sunny’s Outlook around one-thirty and walked down this way. I was standing outside your building as a matter of fact when I saw it go down.”
“Did you recognize the driver?”
“Unfortunately, the windows were heavily tinted. I couldn’t make out the driver.”
“What kind of vehicle?”
“It was a black two-door muscle car. One of those boxy numbers. I got a partial license plate number when it passed me, but after it swerved up on the curb, I stopped looking at the car and started running toward Evelyn who’d fallen on the sidewalk.”
“What did you get from the plates?”
“The first three letters were ERG. Missouri plate.” I shook my head. “I wonder if Evelyn’s death might have been prevented if she’d just reported the incident.”
“Why didn’t she?”
“I don’t know. I offered to come into the station with her to give a witness statement, but she insisted that it had just been a reckless accident.” I met Connelly’s gaze. “I saw the car. It purposefully turned toward Evelyn.”
“Would you recognize
the car if you saw it again?”
“I would.”
“Is there anything else you can remember about the incident.”
“No,” I said. I took one of Connelly’s cards off his desk. “If I remember something else, I’ll give you a call.” I noticed a picture of him in a tuxedo next to a white-gowned buxom woman with golden-brown hair. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” He held up his left hand to show me his wedding band. He beamed with enormous pride. “Four months now.”
“You make a cute couple,” I told him. I thought about Brady and his lack of a ring. “What do you know about the death of Rose Ann Corman?”
Connelly shook his head. “Too much.” He rubbed his face. “She was the first victim of that hunter group. She’d worked for Neville Lutjen as his assistant. Brady was the mayor then.”
“Brady Corman?”
“Yes.” The deputy laughed at me. “Your face is priceless. Yes, Brady Corman was our mayor for almost a decade before Lutjen. His wife’s disappearance drove him down a dark path. He lost almost everything. He’s lucky he didn’t lose Jo Jo.”
“Deputy Connelly,” Sheriff Taylor said. “I don’t pay you for idle gossip.”
“It’s my fault,” I said.
Connelly changed the conversation. “Willy saw a car try to hit Evelyn Meyers yesterday afternoon in front of Dolly’s.” The weresquirrel might look slow, but he knew how to recover from a bad situation.
The sheriff’s lips thinned in a grimace. “Do we know who was driving?”
The deputy shook his head. “Not yet, but there can’t be that many black muscle cars in town.”
“If you need an extra set of eyes or ears, Sheriff Taylor, I’m happy to help out.”
“I’ll let you know,” he said. “I’m still waiting on Doc Smith to get back to me with an autopsy report.” The skin around Sheriff Taylor’s eyes always looked a little dark. It was a common phenomenon in raccoon shifters, but today his circles had circles.
“How’s Jean holding up?” It had to be hard losing a sister, even one as repugnant as Evelyn.
“My daughter is home with her.”
