“It’s so great to see you, El. How’s your folks?” His father had been ill with Fox Flu the last time I’d been back. It was an ailment that affected, well, foxes, and other species that are close kin. The virus affected muscles and nerves in fox shifters, and sometimes, it affected smooth muscles, like the intestines and lungs. When it did, it was usually a death sentence. My mom had told me a couple of months back that Mr. Farraday had finally shaken the illness and was on his way to getting his life back to normal. I’d said a big thank you to the universe.
Eldin Farraday had once been my sweetheart in high school. My first love, so to speak, but other than some kissing and heavy petting in the back seat of his mother’s van our senior year, our relationship hadn’t amounted to much. Still, I’d always seen him as an ideal mate. Sweet, strong, and loyal. Those were qualities not easy to come by these days. And I still cared about him.
“Dad’s doing much better. He’s still weak in the legs, and he’s working on getting his grip strength back, but the physical therapy is going well, and Doc Smith said he should make a full recovery over time.”
“Well, if Doc says he’s on the mend then I believe it.” I reached over the squeezed Eldin’s hand. He looped his fingers and mine and gave me a squeeze back.
“Thanks for asking, Nic.” He took his hand back and put it on the steering wheel. “So, you’re a big FBI agent now, huh? That’s pretty exciting,” he said, changing the subject.
“Yep, that’s me. Big.”
Eldin chuckled, and the warmth of his humor wrapped me up like a cozy blanket. “I’ve missed you, Nic. You should come home more often.”
“I get home plenty,” I said.
“As long as a federal crime is involved.”
“Well, that’s a given.” I shook my head. “Though technically, I was doing a favor for my aunt last time. It wasn’t an official case.” I gave Eldin a light punch on the shoulder. “You know, I’ve missed you too. We didn’t get much time to visit the last time I was home.”
“I’m sorry about your aunt.” He shook his head. “I know she was an unpleasant woman. God knows, she could try the patience of a saint, but she didn’t deserve what happened to her.”
I shrugged. Evelyn Meyers never met a person she couldn’t piss off but, for whatever reason, I’d come running when she asked me to investigate her neighbor Milo Green. I still can’t believe my dad thought I might be involved in Aunt Evelyn’s murder. “She wasn’t the kind of person to let you in,” I told Eldin, “but still, my mom lost her sister, and that means something.”
“What do you want to do first when we get to town? Check in with your mom or your dad?”
“We better see Dad first. I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with the local law enforcement.” The corner of my mouth tugged up in a smile I couldn’t hide.
“Your dad about blew a vein when he found out you’d joined the FBI.”
“Believe me. I brought an umbrella for that conversation.”
Eldin glanced at me, his brow raised.
“You know, for the blood spray.”
He laughed. “Smart girl. But then, you’ve always been smart.”
“Says the guy who used to cheat off my math homework.”
“I always changed it just enough so Mr. Peters wouldn’t suspect.” He grinned.
Less than an hour of small talk about high school and the good ol’ days later, Eldin pulled his police cruiser into a parking spot outside the sheriff’s station.
“Time to face the music,” I said.
Eldin hummed the Jaws’ theme song as we exited the vehicle. Tyler Thompson walked out of the station as we were headed inside.
“Hey, Nicole,” he said. “Good to see you.”
I nodded my head. “You too.”
The sheriff’s station smelled like mildew, copier ink, and stale coffee. The crime board, as I’d called it when dad would take me to work with him, only had one open case on it, a reported theft at the Paw-On Pawn Shop on Main Street.
My dad sat behind his desk in his office, the dark circles under his eyes darker than normal, even for a raccoon shifter. He rubbed his temples. His shoulders slumped forward as if he carried the weight of the entire town on his shoulders. I guess in a way, he did. I fought back the impulse to crawl onto his lap like I had when I was small. Instead, I knocked on the frame of his open door.
“Hey, Dad.”
His eyes slowly pivoted up and met my gaze. He gave me a tired smile. “Hey, kiddo. Come on in.”
I sat in the chair across from him. “Are you okay?”
He shooed away my concern. “Fine, fine. Just got off the phone with Stenson. He’s threatening to send a representative if we don’t clear up this mess.”
President Stenson, the new Tri-State Council President, had a bug up his butt about my dad since my Aunt Evelyn’s case. Stenson had been having an affair with Evelyn, and he felt that my dad had mishandled the investigation. Which he had, but in his defense, he’d thought he was protecting me. Still, all therianthropes in the Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas area were subject to the law of the council. They were our system of government, and Stenson had the authority to interfere if he wanted to take it that far.
“We’ll just have to clear things up before that happens,” I said.
Dad smiled. “That’s my girl.” He rubbed his face. “Darling, there hasn’t been any disappearances in over three years.”
“This isn’t like then, Dad. No one is selling therians to hunters for sport.”
“No, there is just some sick bastard, who apparently frequents our town, possibly someone we know, and who is carving people up and chopping off toes.”
“Just one toe.”
Dad shook his head. “That’s not funny.”
“Not even a little bit,” I agreed.
“Stop it.”
“I’m only the tiniest bit ashamed.”
My dad leaned forward and tried to stare me down. “Little girl, I can still take you over my knee.”
From the door, Eldin said, “Can I watch?”
At the same time, Dad and I said, “Shut up, Eldin.” Then we locked gazes again. I cracked first. I laughed as I looked away. I could never beat my dad in a stare-off.
“Your mom is expecting you,” Dad said.
“I need to get up to speed on any evidence you all have gathered then get a room at the motel for Agent Tartan.” I already figured out my mother would not abide me getting a motel room. I wasn’t even going to argue about it.
“Nonsense.” Dad stood up and pulled the creases out of the trousers before he walked over to his coffee maker and refilled his cup. “Tartan can take the guest room.”
Wait. What? I felt a mild sense of panic at the idea of Dominic staying at my parents’ house. With me. Ack! “I don’t think Dom would be all that comfortable there.”
“Oh, you don’t, do you? Go on and call your mother. Tell her you want to break her number one rule about hospitality.”
Dang. He had me there. “You’ve been married to mom for too long,” I groused.
“There will never be enough years for me.”
My heart softened, and a small sigh of resignation escaped. “Fine. We’ll stay at the house.” In a way, I was glad. I still had clothes at home, and I’d only packed enough clothes for a couple of days. Which had been dumb, considering I had no idea how long this case would last. “But, just so you know, this is a federal investigation, Dad. We have to follow the FBI protocols.”
“Look at her all grown up,” Eldin said.
“Deputy Farraday,” Dad said. “Don’t you have work to do?”
“Uhm, yes, Sheriff. Getting on it.” Eldin smirked and gave me a quick salute before he hustled back to his desk.
I turned my attention back to Dad. “Any leads about Little Piggy?”
Dad’s exasperation was written on his face. “Not a gol-darn clue. I haven’t had a chance to question the Blondina, Roger, Selena, and Brandon. Farraday is running the prints against those of anyone we’ve arrested here in town, but so far I’ve got nothing.”
“Brandon is back in town?”
“Yeah, after he got out of the Army, he struggled a little. Blondina and Roger talked him into coming back home.”
That’s good. I’m glad Brandon’s back.” Brandon Messer had been a nice guy in high school, even if he had a little temper, but what hormonal teenage therianthrope didn’t. He was an all-around athlete, good student, and he and Donna Kurts had been the prom King and Queen our senior year.
“Did he and Donna ever get married?”
Dad shrugged. “No. Brandon married a gal who was also in the Army. An integrator. Things didn’t work out. Another reason his parents wanted him home. Donna married Brett Johnson. He owns the feed store outside of town.”
“I remember Brett.” He was older than Donna, who was my age, by about ten years, but in therian terms, an age difference wasn’t that noticeable until a shifter got closer to one-hundred-years-old. “Isn’t he related to the Delbert and Elbert?” The twin opossum shifters ran the general store in town. When I was young, the two men used to give me candy whenever dad or mom took me into their store.
“Distant cousin,” Dad said. “Anyhow, when you interview the Messers, I’d like you to take Farraday with you. I think they won’t be so nervous to give witness statements to people they know and trust. Agent Tartan agrees with me.”
“Oh, you and Tartan agreed, huh? I love how I was included in the decision-making process. I’m not a lackey, you know.”
“No, but you are his subordinate.”
“In what world?” I asked.
“In the FBI, or am I missing something? Agent Tartan is a senior officer, isn’t he?”
“He...I...”
Dad smiled as I fumbled with a defense. “So if you had been included, what would you have wanted to do?”
I slouched down in my chair feeling as grouchy as I must have looked. “I would have suggested that I interview the Messers without Tartan so they would be relaxed and be more willing to open up about their customers.
Dad nodded. “That’s a good instinct, girl. I say you run with it.”
I stuck my tongue out at him. “Gee, thanks, Sheriff. I’ll do just that.” I stood up and grabbed my purse. I walked over to my dad and kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you at home, old man.”
“Hey, now. Watch the old talk.”
I smiled as I walked out of his office. I pointed my index finger at Eldin who had been pretending to do work. “You coming or what?”