Marsh stopped it with his boot. “All the same, we’d like to take a look around, if that’s okay?” He glared at me right in the eyes. “We’re worried the same person who attacked those hunters might also be harboring a dangerous animal. The wolf that escaped those hunters may be responsible for two deaths already. A nurse at City Hospital, and Peter Bradshaw, who died two nights ago.
“What?” Charity asked softly. Her mouth had popped open at the mention of Pete’s death. This was probably the first time she’d heard about it.
“This is a matter of public safety,” Sheriff Wright said.
“My niece knows better than to bring something dangerous into this house.”
I tried desperately to keep a straight face.
Charity gave me another strange look.
“Besides, I know my rights,” Carol said, wagging a finger at Marsh. “You need a warrant if you want to come in here.”
“No,” I said. “They’re welcome to look around. I have nothing to hide.” I stepped aside and waved my hand, inviting them in. The only way for them to stop suspecting me was to give them access to what they wanted. I trusted Daniel’s abilities enough to know he’d keep out of sight.
“We’ll be out of your hair soon,” Sheriff Wright said as he and Marsh came inside. I listened to their heavily booted footsteps as they trudged through the house, opening and closing doors.
Carol followed behind them, grumbling about the mud they were tracking around. Carol and my mom were alike in a few ways. Charity said something about needing to get the rest of the bags and disappeared out the front door.
“I hungwy,” James said again, rocking in my arms.
“Let’s get you some cereal,” I said, trying to keep my superhearing trained on the sheriff and Marsh as they took their search down to the basement. I hoped all the mud had washed away from the clothes that were still sitting in the washer.
I set James in his booster chair and then opened the pantry and pulled out a box of cereal. I poured a bowl and set it in front of him.
“Nana, too?” James asked with a smile too cute to deny him.
I grabbed a banana from the counter and then pulled a knife from the butcher block. As I sliced into the thick peel I suddenly remembered that I’d stashed the hunters’ rifles under the back porch. I’d been so concerned about Daniel last night, I’d completely forgotten about hiding them. My eyes darted toward the back door, wondering how quickly I could get to the rifles before the police came back downstairs. But then what would I do with them, throw them over the fence into the forest? What if one of them went off when I tossed it? What if I got caught?
“Nana, nana, nana,” James crooned from the table.
“It’s coming.” I sliced the knife down a second time just as Deputy Marsh appeared through the kitchen entrance, making me flinch. “Shhhh,” I hissed. I’d cut right into one of my fingers. Droplets of blood pricked up from the cut. I grabbed a paper towel and wrapped it around the wound as Deputy Marsh gave me a snide look. Like me flinching was a sure sign of my guilt.
“Sorry to scare you,” he said. “You don’t mind if I take a look outside, do you?”
I wished I could wipe that smirk right off his face. “Not at all.”
I watched out of the corner of my eye as he went through the back door out onto the deck. He was standing right over the spot where I’d stashed those rifles. How was I ever going to explain myself if he found them? He jogged down the porch steps, whistling an all-too-merry tune, and moved out of my line of sight.
I squeezed the paper towel into my cut, concentrating on healing over the stinging sensation as I rocked up on my tiptoes and tried to spy out the window. I still couldn’t see him. I took a step back and realized I was practically standing on Aunt Carol’s feet.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I held up my finger, still wrapped in the bloody paper towel. “I just cut myself.”
Carol raised her eyebrows. She started to say something, but she was cut off by the sheriff’s voice as he reentered the foyer.
“Do we have an all clear?” he asked. I heard the cut of static and assumed he was speaking into a walkie-talkie.
“All clear,” another voice answered, with just enough edge of disappointment that I knew it belonged to Deputy Marsh. “Nothing out of the ordinary in the yard.”
How had he not found anything?
“Sorry for invading your morning, ma’am,” Sheriff Wright said to Aunt Carol. “Looks like everything here is in order.”
“What else did you expect?” she snapped. “Honestly!”
“Truly, I am sorry. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t check out every lead in this case. We had an entire forest full of hunters last night, but that wolf still managed to escape. Wouldn’t want any of the townsfolk putting themselves, or their neighbors, in danger.”
“Nana. I want nana,” James cried. I could hear the lack of sleep in his strained little voice.
I grabbed another banana and sliced it with a butter knife while listening as Aunt Carol escorted the sheriff out the front door. Every muscle in my body tensed until I heard them drive away. But I still couldn’t duck off to the backyard yet to figure out why Marsh hadn’t found those rifles, because Aunt Carol had decided to regale me with one of her long griping sessions about small-town life and the idiocy of Rose Crest’s government.
After about what felt like an hour of listening to Carol, I realized James was asleep, one of his cheeks resting on his bowl of dry cereal and bananas like it was a pillow.
“Why don’t you take James upstairs so the two of you can take a proper nap,” I suggested to Carol. “You deserve it after all that driving.”
Carol yawned and picked up James. As soon as they were up the stairs, I slipped out the kitchen door into the backyard. Curiosity was killing me. Why hadn’t Marsh found those rifles?
I was about to pad down the porch steps when I heard someone call my name in a loud whisper. I looked up to find Daniel perched on the edge of the roof. So that’s where he’d been hiding!
He stood up, his bare toes peaking over the edge of the roof. If he’d been normal, I would have worried about his falling. Instead, I watched in quiet adoration as he pushed off with his toes and did a twisting flip in the air before landing soundlessly in the grass in a crouched position. It reminded me of the night he first told me about his powers. He’d made an exit in a similar way.