by Erin Johnson
She cocked her tiny head to the side and whined again. You speak dog?
I glanced up at the distracted bouncer. Heidi twirled her side pony between her fingers and giggled. I grinned—the flirt—then turned back to the little dog. I woofed. Yeah, I speak dog. Don’t worry about your boyfriend—we’ll make sure he’s taken care of.
Her curled tail wagged and she broke out in a huge smile. “Woof!” Oh, thank you so much for saving him! She winked. I owe you a favor.
I sniffed. That’s cute, kid.
Fifi lifted her nose in the air and huffed. I happen to be Ms. Kang’s personal dog, which makes me important. So don’t dismiss a favor from me.
Wow. I’d never met a small dog with such big attitude. I nodded seriously and barked. Okay then… I won’t?
I stood back up and interrupted Heidi and the bouncer guy. “Alright.” I waved at hand at the frozen dog. “You can let him go.”
The bouncer cast me a doubtful look but murmured a few words and pointed his wand at the dog. The blue light flashed brighter and the dog finished its bark in a weird strangled noise. It looked around, blinking, as if bewildered, then raised its yellow eyes to me.
“Woof!” You’re really going to find me a home?
He held very still.
I rolled my eyes. Snakes, did he have to be so cute? I gave the guy a tight smile and let out a quiet whine. Yep.
His tail wagged, and he turned to Fifi and whined. I guess this is goodbye.
She trotted up to him. I’ll never forget you.
It would have been touching if they didn’t spend the next few moments sniffing each other’s rear ends. I gave them a minute, then cleared my throat, and Heidi and I started down the alley with Rufio trotting along beside us.
I looked back when the bouncer scoffed. He watched the dog, bewildered. “How’d you get him to be so well-behaved?”
Heidi threw an arm around my shoulder, a tease in her voice. “My friend’s a real dog whisperer.”
I shot her a flat look, and she giggled.
We soon wound our way through the dark, narrow alleyways until we spotted Will, Peter, and Daisy waiting in the doorway of a closed shop.
Daisy noticed us first and leapt to her feet, barking. Who is that?
Peter turned and grinned at me. “Did you get any good information?”
“No!” Heidi skipped up to them with Rufio trotting behind her. “But we got a dog!”
“Ha!” Will scoffed and shook a huge finger at Heidi. “We’re not keeping him.”
She pushed the finger away and rolled her eyes. “I know.” She grinned down at Rufio, who was trying to sniff Daisy’s backside. “He’s cute though.”
Daisy kept turning and turning to thwart the pit.
What are you doing? Stop. That’s so undignified!
22
ALL NIGHTER
“Hngh?” I startled awake, the world a blur. My head ached, and I plopped my face right back down into the pillow.
Bang bang bang! Knocks sounded at my door again. I groaned and without looking felt around for my other pillow and tossed it in the general direction of the front room.
“Go away!” My voice sounded muffled against the pillow under me.
Another muffled one yelled a moment later.
“Jolene? It’s me—Peter.”
Oh, Peter. We have to stop meeting this way.
After I’d yanked my tangled mess of long hair into a lopsided bun and thrown on a random assortment of clothes, hardly what one might deem an outfit, I clomped downstairs still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
“Coming.”
I slid the various locks open and yanked the door open. “Ah!” I threw an arm up to block the bright sunlight that streamed in and blinded me. “No wonder I’m tired. What time is it?”
“Oof. Sorry. I know it’s early.”
I sniffed. The warm, earthy aroma of coffee wafted into my nostrils and prompted me to peek through my fingers at Peter. “You brought me coffee?”
He nodded.
I grinned and held out my hand for the cup. “Then you’re forgiven. What’s up?” My vision was gradually coming back. Today Peter wore his police uniform with its navy cloth and gold buttons.
He looked as handsome as ever, and I looked as trash panda as ever. Daisy stood with her back to us, ears pricked, scanning the street. Did this dog ever relax?
Peter grinned back and tipped his head toward the street behind him. “Can you walk and talk?”
I sighed—not really up for anything requiring ambulation or speech at this early hour—but nodded. As I slipped into my boots by the door, I glanced up at him. “How are you so chipper? We were out together last night, and I’m pretty sure neither of us has had more than a few hours of sleep.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and gave me a sheepish grin. “I, uh—didn’t sleep, actually.”
I straightened and eyed him warily. “Why?”
We stepped into the street, and I locked the metal door behind me, then walked beside Peter, the coffee cup warming my hand in the chilly morning air.
He shrugged. “I ran by the station before heading home last night, to see if there’d been any updates.”
I swallowed a sip of coffee. “And?”
“And… nothing yet.”
Daisy whipped her head around to look at Peter, dark eyes wide, but said nothing and continued on.
I frowned as we walked uphill through the cobblestone streets. It was early, so the streets were still fairly empty, but human tourists were beginning to fill the narrow passageways with their chatter and picture taking. A few gulls circled overhead in the gray sky.
“Sorry if this sounds insensitive…” I glanced up at Peter to make sure it was okay to continue.
He nodded me to go ahead.
“…but you didn’t seem like the biggest fan of Davies. Why are you so committed to this case?”
Peter shrugged. “It’s not insensitive—just true.” He shook his head. “I have to admit, it bothered me that Davies was being given Officer of the Year. I mean the guy’s a—” He stopped himself and looked around, then leaned close and lowered his voice. “He’s a real jerk sometimes.”
I fought to hold back my smile. Such strong language, Officer Flint.
He shook his head. “I know I was acting a little… out of character the other night.” He huffed. “It’s just… when I first started as a cop, I got hazed, just like those guys were hazing the rookie, Russo. And Davies was often the ringleader of shenanigans like that.”
I frowned. I’d forgotten about that. And Russo was the one who’d first reported the murder—could he have been behind Davies’s death? He’d had opportunity, and possibly motive if he’d wanted revenge for being mistreated.
“And my first partner, before I got Daisy”—Peter nodded at the German shepherd who trotted ahead of us—“lied to me and betrayed me.”
I blinked up at him, surprised. I’d assumed Daisy had always been his partner. My stomach twisted. And now here I was, lying to him, like his first partner.
“I can’t stand cops that bully newcomers or those of us willing to stand up for what’s right—even if it means going against the code.”
I raised a brow. “The code?”
“Cop code.” Peter quirked his lips to the side. “We protect each other… sometimes at the expense of protecting the public.” His expression darkened. “I can’t stand that stuff. It really… breaks my barnacle.” He shot me a quick glance. “Pardon my language.”
I had to bite my cheek to keep from smirking.
He went on, a crease between his brows, and I had to jog to keep up with his quick pace. “I mean, it just didn’t sit well with me in the first place, Davies winning cop of the year. And then he dies at his own awards ceremony?” He shook his head. “So I looked into it more. I feel like something’s off.”
I raised a brow and eyed him. As we passed from the shadows of the narrow, overhanging buildings into a brig
ht open courtyard, the bags under his eyes became visible. “You looked into it all night?”
His throat bobbed and he shot me a side-eyed look. “Maybe.”
“Ah.” I took another sip of coffee. “And how many of these have you had?” I held up my cup.
“A few…” He looked away. “…dozen, maybe.”
My eyes widened. Well that certainly explained our clipped pace. “Go on.”
He splayed his big hands as Daisy trotted ahead. “The reason Davies was getting the Officer of the Year award was for bravery on the job.”
I frowned. “I thought all the cops voted on it.”
Peter nodded. “Yes, but to even be nominated there needs to be a reason—some moment of heroics, usually.”
“Ah.”
Daisy led the way as Peter continued. “A witness in custody attacked Davies, he defended himself and was injured in the process, but the witness was killed in the scuffle.”
I frowned. “A witness attacked? Not a suspect?” Why hadn’t that part of the story stuck out to me before?
Peter shook his head. “Exactly. The witness was some nobody, Gregor Caron, a low-level criminal. He’d been arrested a bunch of times before, and everybody chalked his outburst up to desperation or just being a rotten fish.” He frowned. “But according to his records, he’d only been arrested for theft and possession of illegal potions, that kind of thing—he had no history of violence.”
“Okaaayy….” I was starting to see what had triggered Peter’s all-night study session.
“So I looked into the case Caron was involved in. Turns out, he was going to testify against one Jacob Watts.”
I glanced up at Peter. “As in Emerson Watts’s son? My old b— I mean, the lawyer?” I remembered he had a son, a real screwup who was always besmirching the family name.
“Yep.” Peter nodded. “Emerson, Jacob’s father, is a lawyer. I recognized the last name from our questioning the other night at the ball.”
He flashed me an excited grin. “Get this. He’s not only a lawyer, but a top lawyer here in Bijou Mer and a big donor to the police department.” He bit his lip and leveled me a serious look. “I don’t know, Jolene. This smells fishy to me. What do you think?”
I grinned up at him, proud that I was working with one of the few honest cops who’d be willing to question his own. “I think you’re onto something big, Peter.”
His face relaxed a little. “You think?” He nodded to himself, then spun back to face me as we walked up the cobblestone thoroughfare. He shot me a grateful look. “Thanks.” He stopped abruptly. “You ready?”
I continued on a few steps, then doubled back and grinned up at him, puzzled. “For what?”
He jerked his chin at the building behind me. “To question Emerson.”
My stomach sank as I spun around and suddenly realized where we stood. I’d been so engrossed in the conversation that I hadn’t even noticed we’d climbed to the third-highest tier in Bijou Mer and now stood outside the imposing stone building with Watts, Baker & Low chiseled above the heavy wooden doors. My old law firm.
23
QUESTIONING
“Oh, no no no….” I staggered back into the middle of the street.
Daisy’s hackles rose, and her dark eyes darted around, looking for the source of danger, and even Peter drew his wand, before remembering the humans nearby and hastily stowing it away.
“Jolene—what’s wrong?”
My heart thundered in my chest. I hadn’t been back here in years, not since the Bruma Eve party when my life imploded. And it was the last thing I wanted to do this morning. My muddled brain searched for an excuse.
“I’m—not dressed for it.”
Daisy barked. Lie!
Peter gave me a warm smile. “You always look beautiful.” His cheeks reddened as he caught himself. “I mean—so does Daisy. She looks beautiful. It’s a, uh—a beautiful day. Lots of beauty—you fit right in.”
I let out a combination chuckle/whimper. Why did he have to be so kind to me? And I knew it was kindness, too, because in my current state, I definitely didn’t look beautiful.
“I just—I’m so tired and not really feeling well.” I let out a weak cough.
Daisy barked again. Liar! Stop lying to Peter!
I gritted my teeth and shot her an exasperated look. Can it, Daisy!
Peter, a pained look on his face, glanced from his barking partner to me. “Look, Jolene.” He took a few slow steps toward me, eyes on his feet. “I know you have your reasons for not wanting to question Emerson… or maybe for not wanting to work with me?”
My chest tightened. I hated him thinking that.
He lifted his eyes to mine. “And I don’t want you to feel pressured to tell me what they are…” His eyebrows pinched in the center and he shot me a weak grin. “Though, that’d certainly help me understand…?”
He looked at me hopefully, but I kept my lips pressed tight together. I wanted to tell Peter everything, I really did. I glanced up at the law firm—I was probably about to be exposed anyway.
But snakes—my stomach twisted—what if I told him the truth and he turned away from me, like every other nonshifter I knew had? My stomach turned again. Or worse—what if knowing the truth about me somehow put him in more danger from Ludolf? My little visit to the sewers was still heavy on my mind.
After giving me time to jump in, Peter licked his lips. “Okay. That’s okay. You don’t have to tell me your reasons.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I—I don’t mean to be that guy, but I’m paying you—I mean, the department’s paying you to do a job. We need you on this one.”
I scrunched up my nose. “Then don’t pay me.” I waved it away. “I barely questioned those fish the other night—no need to pay me for it. I’ll sit this one out.” I spun on my heel and started back down the hill toward home, eager to put distance between me and ol’ Watts, Baker & Low.
Peter jogged ahead and cut me off. “Listen—please.”
I stopped dead, surprised at the desperation in his voice.
“I really need you on this one. Emerson Watts is a big donor to the police. If there’s something going on that involves corruption in the department, I can’t go to anyone at the station. I need someone on the outside I can trust.” He sighed and stared at me earnestly. “If I’m wrong about this or handle it badly… my job might be on the line. Will you help me, Jolene? Please?”
I glanced over my shoulder at the imposing, four-story law building and the stone steps that led up to the double front doors. It looked oppressive, crushing—I wanted nothing more than to run from this place and never look back, just like I’d done years ago.
But Peter needed me, and I wanted to be there for him. Besides, if I didn’t step up now, he’d probably lose all faith in me. There’d be no explaining it away without Daisy calling me on my lies, and I’d probably end up spilling the fish. I took a shaky breath.
My hair was much longer since I’d worked there, and back in the day I’d been dressed to the nines in designer fashion on the daily. Maybe no one would even recognize me in my current state.
Sure, Zale and Eve had at the ball the other night, but I’d been looking all fancy and showered. At least if I went in, there was a chance, small though it be, that I’d make it out again without anyone recognizing me.
I nodded at Peter. “Alright. Let’s do this.”
He gave me a faltering grin. “Yeah?”
I nodded, more emphatically. “Yep.” Let’s get this the shell over with. I tugged my hair out of its tie as we climbed the steps to the law firm, then pulled my long, tangled locks heavy around my face. Hair, hide me now!
24
THE FIRM
I bounced my leg furiously as I slunk low in the leather chair. I eyed everyone who entered and exited the firm’s lobby through the curtain of my dark hair.
Peter cast me an uncertain side-eye but said nothing. Daisy, who sat beside Peter, growled at me, baring her white pointy t
eeth.
Why are you so agitated? You’re making me anxious. Her wet black nose twitched. You smell like stress. She flattened her ears. At least, I think so—it’s hard to tell under your usual stench.
I curled my lip at her. “What’s that, Daisy? You feel dirty.” I turned to Peter. “I’m getting that she’s feeling like she needs a bath.”
The German shepherd continued to glare at me.
“And she has a secret desire to have her nails painted?” I shrugged when Peter blinked at me, surprised. “I’d never have guessed it either.”
Peter looked down at his dog, a crease between his brows. “Okay, girl… well, if that’s what you want….”
Daisy growled at me. What are you telling him? You are so meddlesome!
I grinned, though my amusement was short-lived. Every tick of the big clock on the marble lobby wall nearly made me jump out of my seat. I nibbled at my thumbnail. Oh, just kill me now. Why, oh why, had I agreed to do this with Peter? It was possibly the dumbest thing I’d ever done—and I’d had plenty of years to do dumb things.
I glanced over my shoulder toward the double doors that led out into the street. Was it too late to turn back now?
Peter looked over my head to the big clock. “We’ve been waiting for nearly an hour.”
Hope surged through me. “Maybe Emerson’s too busy and we should just come back another time?” I plastered on a smile and fluttered my lashes at Peter.
He pulled his lips to the side, thinking it over. Leaving now would be a real win-win for me. I’d get credit for volunteering to help Peter, which would hopefully hold off his suspicions of all the lies he knew I’d been telling him (courtesy of Daisy and her lie-detecting nose). But I wouldn’t actually have to brave my old offices and risk my secrets being exposed.
Heels clicked on the black marble floor, and we both glanced up. The blond receptionist approached us, her hands folded neatly in front of her. “Mr. Watts will see you now.”
My stomach sank like an anchor and rooted me to the spot. Peter and Daisy rose to their feet and followed the receptionist a few steps. I stayed in my seat, heart racing, debating making a break for the doors.
