by Renee George
Brady, who’d finally got his pants on, stood up. “What in blazes are you doing out here?”
“I needed to run.” He walked down closer after I wrapped the blanket completely around me. “It looks like I’m not the only one.”
The boy had a lopsided grin on his face. I grabbed a nearby broken twig and chucked it at him.
He dodged it easily.
“I’m sorry, Jo Jo. I didn’t mean for you to find out about Willy like this. I should have talked to you sooner.”
Jo Jo raised his hands. “Hey, I’m glad you finally made your move. Willy doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who likes to wait.”
“Excuse me,” I said. “I’d wait as long as it took for your dad.”
The young man gave me an appraising look. “Good answer.” To his dad, he said, “Since this place is occupied. I’ll go find someplace else to work off some energy.”
“You don’t mind?” Brady said.
“Be happy, Dad.”
“I am.”
Those two words made my heart do flips. “I am, too, if anyone cares.”
“He cares,” Jo Jo said. “See you all later.”
“Bye, now. Call ahead next time,” I said.
I heard Jo Jo chuckling as he walked into the woods.
“Where’d he come from?”
“The house I guess.”
“It took a gazillion hours to get here, your house isn’t that far from town.”
Brady reached down and scooped me up, blanket and all, in his arms. “This is the property attached to the back of ours. I bought it after Rose Ann disappeared. It’s an easy walk from the house, or a long scenic drive if you know the way.” He smiled. “How about we check out the cabin? I changed the sheets today and everything.”
“Ohhh, clean sheets. I love the way you spoil me.”
He swept me inside and spent the rest of the night spoiling me for other men.
Chapter Eighteen
The next day, Brady and I dabbed anti-itch medicine on all of our mosquito bites. Brady had a big red bump on his ass. I guess that’s what happens when you climb on top. Better him than me, because I was feeling antsy enough without an itchy butt. I’d rather spend the morning with Brady than start my day meeting with Stenson and the leaders of Peculiar.
Brady got me back to Ruth’s before seven a.m. He walked me to the door and gave me a proper kiss goodbye, making me want to take him upstairs and let him spoil me some more. However, there was no way I was having sex in Ruth’s house, let alone in her daughter’s bed, because even I had enough manners to know that was just wrong.
Ruth and Ed were already awake, of course. They both greeted me with knowing smiles as I walked in. “Morning,” I said as I passed by the kitchen.
By eight-thirty, I had showered, and I brushed my teeth, dressed appropriately, and was out the door.
Halfway to the courthouse, I remembered I’d left the backpack at Ruth’s. Again. Crap. I’d have to go back for it later.
Stenson waited for me just inside the main doors. Air conditioning and all. The two of us walked into a somber room. Babel Trimmel sat behind his desk, Billy Bob leaned against the wall on the right side of the room, and Sid sat in one of the guest chairs.
“I’m sorry about why we had to send Willy to Peculiar, Babel,” said Stenson after the initial greetings. I inwardly groaned. I’m sure Sunny had told Babe, Billy Bob was already in the loop, but Sid had been in the dark. “I’m not sure who reported your wife, but Willy assures me that Sunny is exactly who she appears to be.” He offered an insincere smile. “Some people just like to stir up trouble.”
“Especially anonymous ones.” Babe, who looked a little like Karl Urban, crossed his arms and stared at Stenson. “I can’t believe there was ever any doubt about my wife.”
“Me, either,” Sid said. His disappointed gaze met mine. I would apologize later.
“President Stenson, while it’s nice to see you again after the stress of last year’s Tri-State Council meeting, I have a medical practice,” said Billy Bob. “My patients start stacking up about now.”
“Yes, you’re right, I don’t want to keep you. I just wanted to make you all aware of why I asked Willy to step into the investigation of Evelyn Meyers’ death.”
“I’d sure like to know,” Sid said his irritation evident. Yikes. I’d have to add a bottle of bourbon to go with my apology.
“Ms. Meyers was providing the council with intel on a fraud ring that has been plaguing therianthrope communities in the Tri-State area. We’ve been coordinating with our therian faction in the FBI since the fraud crosses state lines, and we think the people behind it have scammed human victims as well.”
“Did you know about this, too, Willy?” asked Sid.
“Nope.”
“Willy polices therians as directed by the Council. She wouldn’t be involved with an investigation like money scams. However, since we now believe Ms. Meyers’ murder is directly related to the scammers, things have changed. It’s important to find the killer and bring him to a swift therianthrope justice.”
In other words, Richard Stenson wanted the murderer dead, do not pass go, do not collect two-hundred dollars. Brady said he’d seen the president coming out of Evelyn’s house at six in the morning. Had he been there for business or pleasure? I’d ask, but not in front of the Peculiar Trinity.
Babe stood up. “Who was Evelyn investigating?”
“She wouldn’t say. Not until she had proof. She said she didn’t want to ruin someone if they were innocent.”
Babe sneered. “That would be a first. That woman took great pride in making folks miserable.”
I’d seen the same thing just in the short few minutes I’d been around her. “It had to be someone she had a personal connection to. A close friend, maybe.”
“She didn’t have any close friends,” Sid said.
I shrugged. “A lover then.”
Babe laughed. Even Billy Bob looked amused. Sid scowled, and Stenson blanched.
Sid leveled his gaze on me. “I doubt she had a lover. Evelyn had a cold streak that damn near ran to heartless.”
“I found a half empty box of condoms that begs to differ with you,” I said.
All the men in the room gaped at me.
Sid shook his head. “There wasn’t mention of that in any police report.”
“The box was under her feminine hygiene wipes. All your deputies are men. I’m sure Connelly, who is a decent policeman, didn’t touch them. Most guys wouldn’t. It’s like tampons and douches. You all know they exist, but you want to pretend they don’t.”
Sid held up his hand. “Fair enough.” To Stenson, he asked, “What kind of proof was she offering?”
Stenson sat in the other guest chair, his thin face pinched. “She said she saw an accounts book, and she was certain it was the key.”
Crap. That meant the ledger I found might not be Evelyn’s. Which means, she wasn’t a gazillionaire. Maybe. Probably. Why else would someone take it? Damn it. Now I had to come clean about my find. “I saw the book. The accounting log.”
“What? Why didn’t you say something?” Stenson blustered. “This could be a turning point in finding the culprit.”
The sheriff was conspicuously quiet.
“I didn’t tell you because I thought it listed Evelyn’s accounts, not those of fraud ring I didn’t know about until last night.”
Stenson’s glower lessened a smidge. “Where’s the ledger now?”
“Gone,” I admitted. “I saw it when I did my first unofficial sweep of Evelyn’s house.” I sent an apologetic look to Sid, but he was staring down at his shoes. Huh. “When I saw it hadn’t been logged in the police report, I returned to the house with Deputy Farraday, and it was missing.” Now that the cat was out of the bag—the cat being me—I could spill the rest. “I took pictures of the pages.”
“During that unofficial visit?” asked Babel. “Which means whatever evidence you uncovered is inadmissible.
”
Babe’s years as an integrator were shining through. Stenson said what I was thinking. “If we were planning on trying the culprit in a human court that would matter, Mayor Trimmel. But this particular case will be met with therianthrope justice.”
Sid cleared his throat. “I have the book.”
I think Babe and Billy Bob were as shocked as Stenson and me. “Why?” I asked. “Why take it? Why not log it into evidence?”
“To protect Jean. Evelyn spent her entire adult life making my wife miserable. I wasn’t about to let her do it in death, too.”
So Sid had looked through the ledger and learned enough to believe the information could harm his family. Or maybe he’d really taken the book to protect himself. I hated that Sid was a suspect, but he’d put himself on the chopping block.
Stenson had obviously reached the same conclusion. “Sheriff Taylor, you’ve withheld key information that could shed light on a major case, not to mention a local murder. I’ll be talking to the board this afternoon about your transgression.” The opossum shifter looked exasperated. “Why didn’t you just give it to your daughter Nicole?”
Sid startled. “Why would I have given it to her?”
“Because she’s on the fraud task force we have inside the FBI.”
The hurt and confused expression on the sheriff’s face told me he’d had no idea. I began to suspect that Nicole got the ledger, and Sid found it. He’d tried to protect his daughter, not his wife. Either way, it didn’t bode well for the guy.
Like human towns, the sheriff’s position was an elected one, just like the mayor. But unlike human communities, those in elected positions were under the purview of the Tri-State Council. Which meant, Sid could be fired. That was the last thing I wanted.
“Let’s not be hasty here,” Babe said. “Sid is a respected member in this town.”
“And Evelyn told me it was someone well-respected in town who was behind the scams,” Stenson countered.
“No one would ask Evelyn for the time of day, much less for her opinion about one of our citizens,” said Babe. “The only person she thought highly of was herself.”
“She didn’t give you any names or real proof, either,” added Billy Bob.
“And yet, she was right,” responded Stenson.
“Sid Taylor is not some con artist.” Billy Bob shook his head. “This is ridiculous.”
“Your opinion is noted,” said Stenson. “After the Council makes a ruling, I’ll let you know.” He nodded toward the door. “Walk me out, Willy.”
He was the boss, and not just of me. Babe and Sid had to take his orders, too. I turned and followed him out of the office.
When we were out of the earshot of the others, Stenson said, “I’ll return to the city this afternoon. I’ll call you with our decision, and you can inform the mayor.”
Awesome. I’d get to be the one to deliver the bad news. “I doubt Sheriff Taylor had anything to do with Evelyn’s death or with the scam. His home is modest. He and his wife don’t live above their means. He’s a decent guy, President Stenson.”
“He let his personal feelings interfere with his investigation. A professional would have recused himself.”
Pot meet kettle. Stenson’s indignation was hypocritical, and I couldn’t help but bristle. “Are you going to recuse yourself?” I asked. “Because you had a personal relationship with Evelyn Meyers, too.”
Stenson puffed up, his mustache twitching. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Maybe you want to think about your answer, sir. Surely the Tri-State Council President wouldn’t lie to the lead investigator in this case.”
Stenson flushed. His mouth flopped open, but no words came out.
“Two weeks ago, in the early morning, a witness saw a man fitting your description leaving Ms. Meyer’s home.” I wondered if I was signing my own pink slip by pressing Stenson so hard. But if he was going to spout on about Sid’s poor judgment, he had to abide by the same moral criteria. Well, I wasn’t one to half-ass anything. “Your mustache is a unique feature.”
He caved. “I’ve been seeing Evelyn occasionally since last June. Nothing serious.”
Obviously. The man didn’t seem too broken up about her death. “So, her suspicions were conveyed over pillow talk and not by letter.”
“I told her to write the letter,” he admitted. “So that I could use it to start an official investigation.”
“And the anonymous communiqué about Sunny?”
“I honestly didn’t know that she sent the letter about Mrs. Trimmel. I only found out when you told me last night. Evelyn only informed me about the one letter.”
I believed him. Evelyn had not wanted anyone to know she pointed the finger at Sunny. Just more evidence of her vindictive behavior. I wished I could feel worse about her death. I wasn’t ready to pin a medal on her murderer’s chest, but I could almost understand the impulse to kill her.
“Will you admit your relationship with Evelyn to the Council?” I asked.
“It won’t matter,” he said. “I had nothing to do with her murder, and I can prove I wasn’t in town the day it happened. Revealing information about my sex life will only muddle the waters.”
Which meant he wasn’t going to tell the Council jack shit. And knowing Stenson, he’d manipulate the situation into a win. And if I came forward with the information, I’d walk away without a job. Or worse. Did I mention how much I hate therian politics?
“Take your own personal connection to this case into account when it’s time to decide Sid’s fate.”
He nodded. “I will.”
“That’s all I can ask.”
He gave me an appraising look. “You really are a good investigator, Ms. Boden.”
I winked. “I get lucky sometimes.” Like last night. God, how I’d hated leaving that awful, wonderful lumpy twin bed this morning. I watched Stenson get into his car and drive away. Fucking hell, today was already a shit show, and it wasn’t even 10 a.m. I returned to Babe’s office. I wanted to check in with Sid and make sure we were okay. The locals weren’t the only ones who respected the sheriff. I also understood how a personal connection could blind you. If Jo Jo or Brady had been involved, I would have helped them bury the bodies. Well, maybe not that far, but I certainly wouldn’t have turned them in.
Sid had already left. Babe and Billy Bob were in the middle of a serious discussion though. I knocked to let them know I’d come back. “I missed the sheriff, huh?”
“He went out the back when y’all scurried out,” the doc said.
Ouch. I guess Billy Bob wasn’t thrilled with me. I couldn’t blame him. I didn’t like me much right now, either. The last thing I wanted was to be the catalyst for Peculiar’s implosion.
“I appreciate you keeping Sunny’s secret, Willy,” Babe said. His expression was less gratitude and more growl-itude.
“But?”
“But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m furious about President Stenson riding roughshod over Sheriff Taylor. You’ve been in the middle of this mess from the very beginning.”
“I took an oath, Brady, just like you did when you took office. And part of that oath was to do my job to the best of my ability.” I blew out a breath. “Better me than an investigator who doesn’t bother working with local law enforcement, much less attempt community outreach. I’ve worked with Sid. I like the man. I don’t want to make things worse for him. Let me do my job. If I find the real killer, Sid is in the clear.”At least I hoped he would be.
Babe sat down in his chair. I swore he looked older than he did last year, which is strange for our kind since we aged much slower than humans. I guess running a town, having to hide a human wife, and chase after two kids could take its toll, even on a young man.
“Okay,” he said. “I won’t interfere. For now.”
“That’s all I ask.” I turned my attention to the doc. “Did you get the toxicology reports back?”
“Yes,” he said. “I dropped them of
f at the Sheriff’s Department this morning. Evelyn was definitely poisoned. She tested positive for potassium cyanide.”
“Can that happen from car exhaust?”
“No. It wasn’t in gas form. Her lungs would have been wetter, and she would have tested positive for hydrogen cyanide instead. She definitely ingested the poison. Not enough to kill her quickly, but she would have only lived for two to four hours before she expired. I suppose she wasn’t dying fast enough for the killer, so they finished her off with the sword.”
“If that’s the case, it might negate the idea that the killer wanted her to suffer. It could indicate that the poisoner didn’t know enough to give her the right dose for immediate death.”
“Or maybe the killer did want her to suffer, and something else forced him or her to speed things up,” said Billy Bob.
“I have to re-check alibis to account for the time difference. I need to know where everyone was before rehearsals.”
“Oh, another thing.” Billy Bob pressed his lips together and glanced around the room uneasily. “I had another patient who tested positive for cyanide. Only in a much lower quantity. Not enough to kill, just enough to cause illness.”
“Who?”
“I can’t tell you that. Doctor-Patient confidentiality. But after Evelyn, I am more acutely aware of the symptoms. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have checked.”
“I don’t want you breaking patient privilege.” Time to play the guessing game. “Can you tell me the symptoms of a mild case of cyanide poisoning?”
He nodded. “Headaches, fatigue, mild confusion, dizziness, anxiety.”
“Thanks, Billy Bob.”
His silver eyes studied me as if he’d just made up his mind. “I appreciate you not pressing me for more information.”
“Would it have done me any good?”
“Nope.”
“That’s why I didn’t press you for more information. A good investigator knows how to read people.” And besides, based on the symptoms, I was pretty sure I knew which patient had been exposed.
It was time to see a mother about her son.
Chapter Nineteen
