by K E O'Connor
Nick walked over and handed me a mug of tea.
“Thanks. While we’re on this break, can we discuss the Spring Fling?” I asked.
“Is that still happening?” Maggie asked. “It will be lovely to have something to look forward to, given how hard we’re working.” She looked up at Nick and grinned.
“No Spring Fling this year,” Nick said. “It’s too dangerous to have public events when we’ve got a lethal killer on the loose.”
“We’ll find him if the interviews go well,” Maggie persisted, oblivious to Nick’s glower.
“I’ve had an idea. A way to keep the Spring Fling going and make sure everybody is safe,” I said.
“You should be working with Archer if you can guarantee you’ll keep the town safe from rabid zombies.” Nick raised an eyebrow.
“I can pretty much guarantee it.” I ignored his sarcasm-laced words.
“I’m listening,” Nick said.
“We hold it indoors at the town hall,” I said. “I’ve already had a look. The indoor bowling green will be perfect for the welly throwing competition.”
Nick shook his head. “It still means a lot of people in one enclosed space. What if the rabid zombie gets into the town hall and attacks? Where will you run to?”
“Out the front door or through a fire exit,” I said. “We could even hide in cupboards if it came to it. There are loads of rooms to pick from. The rabid zombie won’t get inside.”
“How are you planning to guarantee that?” Nick asked.
“I thought I’d ask Archer to spare a couple of his crew,” I said. “They can act as lookouts for any rabid zombie who takes an interest in the Spring Fling.”
“We can’t spare anyone to look after some daft social event,” Nick said.
“The town search will be over by then,” Maggie said. “We’ve looked everywhere already. There’s no sign of the zombie. Archer’s people are patrolling the fence again. I’m sure we could get volunteers.”
“You’re not helping, Maggie,” Nick said. “Haven’t you got work to do?”
I smiled at Maggie. “We could bribe volunteers with Laura’s muffins and the promise of a few free tries at the welly flinging.”
“I don’t like it,” Nick said. “People need to stay inside and out of the way. Hundreds of people packed into the town hall with music blaring and lots of noise will be a magnet for the zombie.”
“Why not use that to your advantage?” I said. “If you haven’t found the zombie by then, put extra security around the town hall and wait for the zombie to come to us.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Alex looked up from his pile of papers. “It could be a way of drawing them out.”
“Exactly! And we can’t cancel now,” I said. “Everyone’s excited about the Spring Fling. It’ll be safe.”
“It’s too resource heavy.” Nick drained his mug and thumped it on the desk. “The Spring Fling can’t go ahead.”
“I promise you, I’ll make it safe,” I said.
“You might think you can do the impossible, but your judgment and reliability are questionable when it comes to zombies,” Nick said.
“Meaning what?” I glared at him.
“Let’s think about this for a second,” Nick said. “Your last boyfriend turned out to be a crazed zombie collector who thought if he had enough zombies he could turn into a superhero.”
“Everyone liked Grant!” My cheeks flamed. “No one suspected him of killing a zombie and kidnapping more of them.”
“You dated him. You should have seen the warning signs if you’re so big on safety.”
“Okay, that was one mishap.”
“You also got yourself almost killed by Bert Figgins murderer when you decided to meet him alone at night in a warehouse.”
“I didn’t suspect it was Bert’s brother, but neither did you. You were busy pursuing the zombies, convinced it was one of them who’d killed Bert. Your judgment is also questionable,” I said.
“My investigative skills aren’t in question here. You thinking that Bill’s brother was a normal guy shows you aren’t the best judge of what constitutes a safe situation,” Nick said.
I looked into my half-full mug of tea and was tempted to dump it over Nick’s head. Resisting the urge, I glared at Nick and stomped to the tea table and ate several cookies instead. I was sensible. I knew what was safe. The Spring Fling had to go ahead.
“I take it that’s an end to the discussion?” Nick asked. “Cancel the Spring Fling. You can make up for it next year.”
I shot him my coldest, evilest glare. “Let’s get on with the interviews.” I was determined not to give up on the Spring Fling. It would happen, even if I had to go behind Nick’s back to make it so.
Chapter 12
My back was stiff, my head pounded, and all I wanted to do was go home, eat dinner, take a long hot bath, and crash into bed for about three days.
I was still fuming about Nick’s insistence that the Spring Fling had to be canceled. We might no longer be talking about it, but it was very much on my mind. Nick would not win this fight.
We’d completed twenty interviews by the end of the day. None of the zombies had presented themselves as potential suspects. They’d all been gentle and placid. And with each interview completed, I’d sensed Nick’s stress levels rise a notch.
Alex knocked on the interview room door, where I sat with Nick and Selina as we finished the final paperwork on the last interviewee.
He grinned at me. “Jen’s stopped by with food from Laura’s diner. She thought you might need it.”
I could have kissed Jen. It was exactly what I needed. Tasty, comforting food from Laura. “Great, we’ll be right out.”
“Just a minute,” Nick said. “Selina, can you leave us alone, please?”
Selina snapped her laptop shut, shot me a hope he doesn’t kill you look, and left the room without a word.
“What? Are you going to tell me off again?” I folded my arms over my chest. “What have I done wrong this time?”
Nick sighed and sat back in his seat, lines of tiredness around his eyes. “You haven’t done anything wrong. I wanted to say well done for today. That’s a lot of interviews to complete. Despite the fact you occasionally asked questions when you shouldn’t, you were a real help to the zombies. Your presence calms them.”
I blinked a few times, surprised by the gentleness in his tone. “I like being around them. The zombies like me, too.”
“Yes, they do seem to like you.” Nick rubbed the back of his neck. “I got the impression they knew we’d been arguing. They kept looking at you and then me. Not in a friendly way.”
“They probably also know you don’t like them,” I said. “You don’t hide the fact you’re suspicious of placid zombies.”
“I like them well enough,” Nick said. “The more I get to know the ones around here, the more I see why you like them, too. As you’ve said to me before, they didn’t ask to be infected with the virus, none of us did. They wouldn’t have wanted to turn into placid zombies.”
“Which is why we need to treat them fairly.” I rested my hands on the table. “That’s what I’m always telling you.”
“And do you think I am?” Nick asked. “Are these interviews a fair way of finding out if one of our zombies has something wrong with them?”
“I think you’re being fair,” I said. “But I’m not convinced it’s one of our placid zombies. You have looked everywhere for a rabid zombie in hiding?”
“Yes, every building in town has been searched,” Nick said.
“Jen and Selina wondered if someone accidentally found a rabid zombie in a basement or locked up somewhere, and they’d escaped. Could that be possible?”
“I see you’re still talking about confidential police business with your friends,” Nick tapped a finger on the table.
“I wasn’t sharing any information I shouldn’t.” At least, I didn’t think I had. “We were just coming up with ideas of how
this must have happened.”
“Sure you were. It’s an unlikely scenario,” Nick said with a tired smile. “A rabid zombie won’t survive for long locked up somewhere. If these interviews don’t turn anything else up, we’ll have to look at other options. A basement full of rabid zombies included.”
“Or the zombie came and went,” I said. “I know that’s unlikely too, but there has to be a reason only one attack has happened and nothing since then. A true rabid zombie doesn’t behave like that.”
“I know.” Nick stood and picked his papers up from the table. “Let’s hope the final interviews turn something up.” He opened the door. Stool sat outside, looking in at us and wagging his tail.
“Somebody knows the food has arrived.” I ruffled Stool’s furry ears, my mood improving thanks to the sight of his happy face and the delicious smells drifting toward me from the food on the desk.
“Don’t stand on ceremony,” Jen said as she spotted Nick and me by the door.
I didn’t need any encouragement and walked to the desk. There was a delicious looking veggie lasagne, a tray of roasted vegetables, bread rolls, and potato salad. My stomach grumbled in appreciation at the effort Laura had gone to.
“We thought you’d need this after your first day interrogating suspects.” Jen grinned at me before giving Alex a piece of bread. “Although, you almost didn’t get any of it.”
“Why not?” My attention was on the lasagne as the rich tang of basil filled my nose.
“I was carrying the food from Laura’s diner, when Nancy Atherton almost knocked me over,” Jen said.
“Is she still looking for her cat?” I asked.
“I didn’t know Nancy had a cat.”
“Neither did I, until I found her searching in an alley,” I said.
“I can’t imagine Nancy curled up on the couch with a cat on her lap. She’s always struck me as more of a Rottweiler type of person. You know, owners being like their pets and all that,” Jen said.
I laughed. “Don’t let her hear you say that.”
Jen smiled and shrugged. “Nancy is a scary lady. How are the interviews going?”
I picked up a plate and began to fill it. “So far, we’ve had nothing useful.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Nick said, joining me with his own plate. “We’ve discounted a lot of zombies as suspects.”
I sampled the potato salad. It was rich and creamy with a hint of dill mixed in.
“And we’ve got another full day tomorrow,” Nick said. “Somebody will reveal something, and we can get this cleared up.”
“How are the zombies handling the pressure of being interviewed?” Jen cut a slice of lasagne and passed it to Alex.
“Some got distressed,” I said. “On the whole, they’re managing well. So long as Nick isn’t too mean to them.”
“I’m never mean to zombies,” Nick muttered, before sampling the lasagne.
“You were mean when you showed those pictures of body parts,” I said.
“Yuck! I’m glad I’m not involved in that,” Jen said. “It would put me off my food.”
“I’m sure Alex is keeping you informed as to what’s going on.” Nick raised an eyebrow at Jen. “We wouldn’t want you feeling left out.”
“My lips are sealed.” Alex smiled at Jen.
“That’s right. Alex never talks about work with me.” Jen discreetly winked at me.
Nick muttered something under his breath, before sitting at his desk on the other side of the office, Stool by his side, begging for scraps.
“Is he too terrible to work with?” Jen whispered to me, shooting a glance at Nick.
“He’s okay. He can be a bit abrupt and doesn’t always give the more fragile zombies enough time to think through their answers.” I watched as Nick fed pieces of lasagne to Stool. “I get the impression he thinks they’re trying to come up with a cover story, rather than that their brains are simply slower than ours.”
“He’s not bullying them?” Jen asked.
“No, and he’s consistent in his approach to the questioning,” I said. “He even gave a couple of zombies a break when they became stressed.”
“Then why have you got such a grumpy face?” Jen asked. “I assumed it was because you’ve spent the day with Nick and were ready to strangle him.”
I hadn’t realized I was frowning. I pulled my face into a more pleasant expression. “It’s partly due to Nick. He’s not letting the Spring Fling happen. Even though I suggested having it in the town hall, he still refused.”
“The town hall would be safe,” Jen said. “And it’s the perfect compromise. The beach is always fun, but it can be cold.”
“I tried to talk him round, but he’s having none of it,” I said.
“You should hold it there, anyway,” Jen said.
“And risk the eternal wrath of Nick Morton?”
“What’s he going to do, arrest you for holding a fun event?” Jen asked.
“Quite possibly,” I said. “I bet there’s some arcane law he knows about that allows him to prevent a public event if he thinks it’s dangerous.”
“You should still do it,” Jen said. “You can book the hall, get the catering sorted, and even have extra security if you need it. Once it’s booked and in place, he won’t dare make you cancel it.”
“He would,” I said, but I liked Jen’s thinking. Nick wouldn’t be popular if I changed things, promoted the event, and then he canceled it. It was sneaky, but it might work.
We made swift work of the food and were tidying up when Nick came over. “I’ve got one more zombie who’s arrived. He says he can do his interview now, but not tomorrow. Can you stay a bit longer and finish up with me?”
I nodded, not wanting to stay. I was tired and my head ached, but it would be one less interview to do tomorrow. “Give me ten minutes to help Jen take the plates and empty food trays to Laura’s. Then I’ll come back.”
“You don’t have to help,” Jen said.
“I do. I want to stretch my legs and get some fresh air. Otherwise, I’ll doze off in the middle of this interview.”
Once everything was collected, I walked with Jen to the diner. It was an hour before curfew and already the streets were eerily quiet.
Laura was at the counter when we walked in, the tables empty other than a couple of regulars who’d never miss their last latte of the day.
“Thanks for the food,” I said to Laura as I set the empty plates on the counter. “It was what I needed after spending a day doing interviews with Nick.”
“I’m glad to help.” Laura flipped shut the newspaper she’d been reading. “Have you had any success?”
“Nothing, but we’ve got more to do tomorrow,” I said. “They might turn up something useful.”
“You don’t sound convinced.” Laura stacked the dirty plates behind the counter.
“I’m not,” I said. “Although, I’m not sure what else we should do to find this zombie.”
“I hope you find them soon,” Laura said. “I don’t want to run into a rabid zombie when I’m putting the trash out. Plus, I’ve had barely any customers. People are scared to leave their houses, despite Nick trying to keep the attack quiet. We’ve all lived through the uprising. Everyone knows what’s going on.”
“It won’t last for long,” Jen said quietly, glancing over her shoulder.
“Yes, and then you’ll be back to stressing out about not having enough tables and wait staff to serve everybody,” I said to Laura, trying to ease the tension in the air.
“I hope that’s true,” Laura said.
I spotted a batch of green iced muffins with edible zombie head stickers on the counter. “I’ll take five of those to go.”
“Coming right up,” Laura said. “Who are they for?”
“I’ve got a final interview to do before I’m allowed to leave,” I said. “These will sweeten up the station. I also need to keep working on Nick about the Spring Fling. So far, he’s digging his heels in an
d insisting we can’t have it.”
“You think a muffin will change his mind?” Laura rang up my sale and handed me the bag of muffins.
“They won’t hurt,” I said. “We all know how good your baking is. I’ll catch up with you both tomorrow if there’s any news.” I left Jen at the counter and headed back to the station.
I’d been using a bit too much stick to force Nick into allowing the Spring Fling to happen. It was time to change tactics. Maybe a bit of bribery would work and get him to change his mind.
A few muffins and some flattery could be just the thing needed to make sure the Spring Fling went ahead.
Chapter 13
I’d been inside the police station for mere seconds, when Stool found me, his nose in the air as he sniffed out the bag of muffins.
“These aren’t just for you.” I held the bag up. “You’ll get some from Nick if you’re good.”
“Have you brought treats?” Alex asked, his expression as excited as Stool’s.
“I thought we could finish off our meal with muffins,” I said.
Alex was on his feet straight away and clicked on the kettle. “They’ll go perfectly with an after dinner coffee. Would you like one?”
“Please. Make mine a tea,” I said.
“Did I hear somebody mention muffins?” Maggie’s head popped around the side of the door.
“Yes, I got one for everybody.” I placed a muffin on Alex’s desk.
“Nick!” Maggie shouted. “We’ve got muffins.”
“Karl’s out right now, so I’ll have to eat his,” Alex said.
“No, you won’t,” Maggie said. “Don’t be greedy. We’ll put his in the fridge.”
“It’ll go stale,” Alex said. “It’s best I eat it now. We don’t want it to go to waste.”
As the two of them battled over the muffins, I took over the tea and coffee making duties.
Nick appeared a few seconds later. He grabbed a coffee from me and sat. “What’s the occasion?” He pointed at the muffins.
“No occasion,” I said. “I thought we could all do with a treat after today.”