“Mrs. Gillingham had a distinct floral perfume, and hairspray, lots of hairspray smell.”
Morgan smiled. “Right. I remember, from the pawnshop. Her scent’s definitely in the basement, too. On a cleaning cloth near the shelving rack. Things had been moved around. I could see dust marks, like a box had been there at one time. Maybe Bowman gave them to Mrs. Gillingham for safekeeping and Mr. Gray took them to his place.”
“Then they fought about it during the parade.”
He nodded, his eyes sparkling.
“Could be,” I said, pulling him back onto the sidewalk so we could keep walking. “Then maybe someone who knew he’d been killed that night came back and took those records.”
“Or one of the wolves,” he said, in a hushed whisper. “Maybe Ezra’s had those records the whole time.”
We headed up our front walkway. “Come on in,” I said.
Laughing, Morgan let me pull him up the walkway. “I could stay for a bit. You’re sure your father won’t—”
“Shh,” I said, placing a kiss on Morgan’s lips. I wanted him to be in my space, with me for a little while. To feel like he really was part of this family, this pack. Part of my life. I wanted his hands on me, his mouth on mine. Our skin to touch. I didn’t think anyone would find out. But nobody could blame me if they did. I loved Morgan.
As we climbed up a few steps into the porch light, my gaze drifted to the welcome mat. There was something dark on it. My first instinct was to think it was dried blood or soot, but as I bent closer I could see it was two black feathers.
Morgan squatted and picked them up. “Some kind of message?”
I shuddered. It wasn’t just the feathers—there was something else. A scrap of a masquerade mask, a piece that must’ve been attached to the decayed red ribbon I’d pulled from the leaves during my vision. I held it out to Morgan.
“A warning? Or someone trying to make you think it’s a warning?” he said.
“Or the ravens are telling me to hurry up. There’s a reason the crime went unsolved. Hunters went unpunished. Maybe they targeted Millicent for being a freak with the birds. Or a friend to the wolves in town, if there were any wolves besides Mr. Gray. Maybe Charlie was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time? Maybe there was a police chief who wouldn’t investigate because he was a hunter, too.”
Morgan stood up. “You’re reading a lot into some litter left on your doorstep.”
“Maybe, but I’m also tired of these ravens.” I placed the feathers and mask back down on the side of the mat for now. “Is it normal, like in London, for a bunch of birds to stalk you?”
Morgan’s eyes crinkled with his smile. “You know there’s nothing normal about any of this.”
“So what if everything’s connected? The ravens. Mr. Gray. Millicent’s murder?” I slipped my key into the lock and pushed open the door. “I don’t like Ms. Wilson poking around the house. She’s only acting nice to Maggie to get access to photos and stories.”
“Maggie’s bright, she’ll see through it.”
The smell of popcorn and caramel drifted out from the kitchen. Probably Fawn and Rose cooking up snacks. I called out a greeting to the twins.
I hung our coats up in the front closet. “Mmm,” I murmured, drinking in the candy’s scent as I took a seat on our couch.
“My thoughts exactly,” Morgan said, lowering himself next to me. I knew he wasn’t taking about the caramel corn. He leaned in and kissed me, and I felt safe and warm with him there. The problems of the outside world shut away for a moment. And I knew the reprieve wouldn’t last, so I was going to make the most of it.
***
“So what did you really want from my dad last night when you stopped by?” Tom asked me the next day in class.
Our staff meeting had broken into smaller conversations. Ms. Wilson was working with the sports reporter, trying to figure out how they’d close out the football season coverage. Other kids were discussing possible features and Jeanie was trying to figure out how to include the bowling alley in her food column this issue.
“No, it was about the hat,” I lied. I glanced down at my notebook, writing down some notes on the historical society opening, about the volunteer positions that Maggie thought she’d need to recruit.
“Right. That’s why my dad was up half the night looking at all the photos. There was something important in there,” he said, taking a seat in the empty desk next to me and moving it closer. “I think I have a hunch, too.”
“You really don’t. You have no clue,” I said, offhandedly like I didn’t care.
Tom didn’t fall for it. He leaned across the desk and whispered, “Secret society, maybe?”
I raised my head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, I do. There were several,” he said. “One of which I’m sure my great-grandfather must’ve been in. Maybe your relatives, too.”
“What are you talking about?” I said, my stomach knotting. Was Tom calling me out as a wolf? “Dad moved us here ten years ago,” I hedged.
“I found a picture of the club,” he said. “All those guns and rifles. You probably don’t want that to get out since it might rile up the anti-wolf people again.”
“A hunting group?” I let out a breath, feeling relief flood my body. He hadn’t seen the astronomy club photo. “Wait–– didn’t everyone hunt then?”
Tom gave me a funny look. “Yeah, sure. But this was an enthusiast group. Uniforms, stuffed trophies in the background. They looked like badasses. Not just grandpappy shooting deer.”
That gave me the creeps, but I tried to keep my cool. “If your dad was so interested in these photos, couldn’t he have dragged them out of Town Hall’s basement before this?”
He gave me a funny look and shrugged. “He’s only been interested in this history stuff in the last few months. I guess he didn’t care so much before.”
I tried not to let my surprise show. The last few months, well, that made sense if someone had recently talked him into joining a group of hunters bent on taking out wolves. The fact that Tom didn’t seem to know too much about it was comforting. He didn’t seem to be involved, at least.
“Hey,” Jeanie said, bouncing over to our desk. “You should’ve come out to the bowling alley with us last night.”
“Sorry, is this newspaper related?” Tom said, putting on an officious voice.
“Yeah, it kind of is, because it was news,” Alicia said as she took a seat on a nearby desk.
“I think we should cover the food offered at the alley, especially since they’re expanding to include pizza delivery.”
Alicia sighed. “Jeanie’s burying the lede, per usual,” she said. “There was a huge fight at the bowling alley last night!”
“Oh, I was gonna ask my dad about that this morning, but he got in so late, he was still sleeping when we left for school,” I said.
“Yeah, some big dudes got into a scrap with the owners. All of them, the cook, the mean guy that rents the shoes—even the super old man and the lady,” Jeanie said, shaking her head. “They were shouting at the strangers—I guess they were customers. Anyway, they all went outside to the parking lot. Someone inside called the police.”
“Anyone hurt?” I asked.
“No, the fight broke up when the first cop car arrived. The strangers took off on a couple motorcycles and a jacked-up black pickup truck. Tore out of there,” she said.
Alicia nodded. “Lots of yelling and shoving up to that point.”
I couldn’t believe what they were telling me. Here we’d all thought that the outside muscle Cooper had seen was working for Ezra, but why had they had such a big fight if that was the case? “Did you hear what they were yelling?”
“Something about money, I think,” Alicia said. She glanced up at the clock. “Yeah, we’ve only got a few more minutes. Tom, what did you think? You want me and Jeanie to do a photo essay on the new menu over there?”
“Yeah, maybe that’d be
good,” he said, shrugging. “Listen, Lily. About what we were talking about before. I’ll ask my dad why he wanted those pictures tonight. I’m curious, too. Maybe it really is for a display.”
“That’d be great,” I said.
“We should pool our resources on a lot more,” he said. “You know, work as a team, since that’s what the staff’s supposed to be.”
“I like this new Tom—being all editor-in-chief and stuff,” Alicia said, giving him an appreciative nod. Tom blushed.
The bell rang and we all got our stuff to go. Ms. Wilson avoided eye contact with me but I called out good-bye to her, thinking about Tom’s find—a hunter group from long ago. The odds were pretty good they’d been created to counter the attacks that swept the town in the 1870s.
Kill or be killed. It’d been happening even way back then.
Chapter Ten
At the Pioneer Falls sheriff’s station that afternoon, the smell of pepperoni pizza hit me before the usual odor of floor cleaner and stale coffee when I walked in. Manning the reception desk, Deputy Mac Williams pulled his next slice from a cardboard box, a red splat of tomato sauce already decorating his thick mustache.
Before I could ask him about Dad’s whereabouts, Sheriff Polson came around the corner, bringing with her a scent of lavender perfume and hand sanitizer. Her gray curls were shorn close to her head and a pair of pearl earrings decorated her lobes. “He’s in the holding unit,” she said, gesturing toward a secured doorway off down the hallway. “Be out in a minute.”
I frowned, realizing they must’ve made an arrest the night before. I took a seat on one of the plastic and vinyl chairs in the lobby.
Deputy Mac called over to me, “You wanna piece of this pizza, Lily? It’s pretty darn good.”
“No, thanks,” I said, my frown deepening. “Getting a little sick of pizza.”
Sheriff Polson lingered for a moment at the reception desk.
I picked up an old copy of People magazine from the table. I didn’t start reading, though, since my ears were perked, listening.
“You arrange for transfer to the county jail yet?” she said.
“No, ma’am. Awaiting space.” Mac dabbed at his mustache with a paper napkin. “I’ve got a call in over at the courthouse. They’re backed up. Bail hearing’s Tuesday.”
Dad came out then, looking frustrated. He was about to say something to the sheriff, but then he noticed me waiting and veered toward the waiting area. “Something going on?” he asked, taking a seat next to me.
“Mr. Lindstrom took a whole box to look through, not just one photo of the Fillis Noctus club. There was an active hunter group, around the same year,” I whispered. “Do you think Lindstrom could be a hunter? Maybe he wanted to destroy that photo in case some wolf would use it to trace those families?”
“I’m not sure, but we’ve got another problem,” Dad said, with a glance toward the reception desk before continuing in a lower voice. “Mac arrested one of the men in the parking lot last night. Young guy. He’s not talking, but he’s one of us.”
“One of the guys in the brawl…”
“The others fled the scene, left this kid behind. Mac cornered him behind the alley, pulled him in. No ID, so we’re calling him a John Doe. He’s charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.” He ran a hand over his eyes, the stress clearly wearing on him. “Ezra hasn’t made the complaint, it’s coming from this department. Mac’s determined. This kid’s young, Lily. About your age, I’d guess.”
“And Ezra won’t help him,” I said.
“Nope. And we’re only a week and a half out from the full moon...”
“You can’t convince Mac to drop the charges?” I said, scooting forward on my chair.
Dad gave a glance toward the reception area then said, “I’m trying, but with the arson at Murphy’s auto shop, the whole department seems wary of strangers. They can’t believe that someone who knows Bob would’ve set the fire. It’s easier to pin it on this kid. An outsider.”
I let out a groan. “And it could be him, literally. If he and his buddies were working for Ezra. But wait—people at the bowling alley last night said there was a shouting match between the Smiths and the outsiders. That’s what started the fight.”
“So maybe they had some kind of falling-out?” Dad said, his eyebrows drawing together. “I wish this kid would talk.”
“Did you try communicating with him without words?”
“Of course I did. He’s not responding. Why should he?” Dad crossed his arms and shot an anxious glance toward the reception desk, where Mac was closing up the pizza box. Sheriff Polson had moved off down the hall toward her office. “He’ll be moved to the county jail later today if I can’t get Mac to change his mind on the complaint. That means someone needs to bail him out once the judge sets bail.”
“Ezra probably knows this kid.”
Dad gritted his teeth. “I’ve called over there. He could give two rips about this kid’s welfare. Almost like he wanted him in jail for the arson.”
“Sure, using him as a scapegoat to keep the heat off himself.”
Dad’s shoulders slumped a little. “I don’t know what bail will be, but we’re going to have to come up with some cash for the bail bond.”
“The jump money.” We’d need to dip into his emergency cash, hidden in case we ever needed to make a quick exit.
He smiled tightly. “Yep. For appearances, we’d have to ask Cooper to work on the bail bond with our cash. I can’t be seen doing that.”
“So you don’t think this kid set the fire?”
“It doesn’t matter even if he did,” Dad said, letting out a slow breath. “We can’t afford to leave a wolf in jail. Even one with ties to Ezra.”
“We have to put a stop to this. It’s not just abandoning this guy in jail. What if Ezra’s pack tries to hurt another hunter?” Anger rose in my blood. When would my father decide that enough was enough and drive them out of Pioneer Falls, once and for all?
“Lily,” Dad said, shaking his head. “What are you proposing we do?”
“Not we, Dad. Me.”
A storm brewed in Dad’s eyes. “No way.”
“I need to know all the hunters’ names. Find out who the wolves suspect.”
“And then what? Provide the hunters with guards 24/7?”
“No. I don’t know…but we need to do something. And if you won’t, I will.”
***
When I got to the coffee shop for work a few hours later, I found Rose, Fawn, and Fawn’s boyfriend Lewis sitting on one of the couches. An array of cups and dessert plates littered the table in front of them.
“No Science Club today?” I asked Rose, taking a seat in the armchair.
“Mr. Dalrymple cancelled. I figured I’d use the time to study at the library.”
“And I told her she should enjoy a break and a mocha,” Fawn said, slipping an arm around her twin’s shoulders.
“My mom invited you guys over for dinner tonight,” Lewis said as he took a last sip from his cup and added it to the bunch of dishes. “The twins said you have to work?”
“Unfortunately,” I said.
“She’s showing me how to make her famous lemon chicken,” Fawn said. “I’m sure she’ll send us home with leftovers for you and Dad.” She got up from the couch and squatted near my chair. “Hey, I need you to talk to Dad about something.”
I braced myself for another of Fawn’s exorbitant requests. “I’m listening.”
“Maggie mentioned that she’s getting overwhelmed with baking orders. If she expands, she’s gonna need help. I was thinking that maybe I could help her out part-time with the baking stuff.”
I gaped at her. “You want a job.”
“Well, football season’s over. I’m not sure I want to cheer for spring sports.”
“And you talked to Maggie?”
She nodded. “Don’t be mad at me for not talking to you first.”
“I’m not. I guess, sure, I can
talk to Dad about it.”
“Thanks, sis.”
Rose and Lewis stood up, collecting all the dishes and taking them to the bus tub over against the wall. I headed to the back to hang up my stuff and wash my hands.
Maggie raised her eyebrows as I donned my apron a minute later. “I take it Fawn told you her grand plan.”
I shrugged. “It’s not terrible. She could learn a lot from you. But don’t expect her to load the dishwasher. And she avoids work whenever possible.”
Maggie let out a laugh. “I’ll break her of any bad habits in my kitchen.” She scaled another blob of pizza dough before she formed it into a perfect round. “She seems eager, anyway.” She placed the ball onto her greased tray.
“Well, be prepared to draw the line when she starts suggesting you import your flour from Italy. You’ll go broke.”
The back door swung open and Morgan entered, carrying a couple boxes of dry goods. He saw me and smiled. “Storeroom for this lot?” he asked Maggie.
“Yep.” Maggie rolled another perfect ball of dough and set it on her tray, then wiped her hands on her side towel. “I’ll put those away. Lily, you better get back out front.”
“Aye, boss.” Morgan emerged from the storage area and then followed me out to the counter. He encircled my waist and planted a kiss on my lips. The place was empty, now that my sisters and Lewis had gone. I kissed Morgan back, feeling the stress of the day melt from my body.
“You didn’t text after school,” he said.
I filled him in on my unscheduled stop at the station. He listened intently, then gave me a last squeeze before moving around the edge of the counter. “That young wolf in custody must’ve been low priority for his crew to leave him behind.”
“Maybe.” I poured a cup of drip coffee and handed it to him. “And how was your day?”
Morgan shrugged. “Went ‘round to Ms. Wilson’s place earlier. Closet shelves are all done, so she wanted to settle her bill. Apparently, not so much as a peep from Millicent the poltergeist as of late.”
“How’d Ms. Wilson seem to you? She barely looked at me in class today.” I grabbed a cloth from the cleaning bucket Maggie kept behind the counter and headed out to wipe down tables.
A Light So Cruel (Pioneer Falls Book 3) Page 12