Chapter 50

CHAPTER 50

I was burning up. I'd once been on a helicopter that had been shot up and autorotated in, fuel leaking everywhere, and my greatest fear had not been the crash-landing but the thing going up in flames. We slammed into the ground hard and it did catch fire and I had to leap out, but then had to run back and drag the pilot to safety. Going back for that pilot as the flames ate the chopper had been one of the hardest things I'd ever done. The memory was seared so brilliantly into my mind that even through the fever, I could see the look on that pilot's face when I cut him free.

I thrashed about in sweat-soaked seats, belatedly realizing I might hit Rose, but she was gone. The room was dark, the shades pulled. A glass of water was on the nightstand next to me and I managed to take it, wrap both hands around it, and guzzle it down.

The effort exhausted me and I collapsed back into darkness.

* * *

I woke once more to darkness and alone. But both were fake.

The darkness was because the shades were pulled in Rose's bedroom. I could see the outline of sunlight all around them. The alone was temporary because when I reached over, I thought I could still feel her warmth on the pillow next to mine. Or was it because my fever had finally broken and I'd overheated the bed?

I was being a slug, sleeping in. But I felt pretty good again for the first time since being under the weather for the last several days. That was all I'd needed, a good night's sleep. I slid out and stood. My legs almost buckled and I realized I was a bit woozy. I sat down on the edge of the bed and took a moment, then got dressed. I made it downstairs and grabbed a cup of cold coffee, which I reheated in the microwave. I wondered where everyone was as it was Sunday morning. Probably next door at Coral's.

I took a sip of coffee and felt strength and vigor returning. It looked like a beautiful day outside. It got even better when Rose appeared at the kitchen door with Maggs.

"Good," she said. "You're up."

"I feel?—"

"Harvey Ware is dead."

* * *

Yeah, he was most definitely dead. We had a cluster gathered round the van. Me, Luke, Pike, Rose, and Betty. And Maggs and Fernanda, who were keeping their distance as if they knew the van and its contents were inherently bad. Rose and Betty gave quick summaries.

"He wasn't on his way out to my place," Pike said.

"Nor mine," Betty added, which ruled out Harvey possibly doing a service call unless he'd gotten a message from a chipmunk. We all knew he'd been out here stalking Rose. For the last time. So, there was a bright side to it. Plus, no one was going to miss Harvey. The downside, and there was always a downside, was that this was our third killing, fourth if you count Bearton. And Harvey wasn't the killer because it didn't look like suicide.

I looked at Pike. "Did we ever get a cause of death on Sid?"

Pike snorted. "An extreme case of asshole-itis and good riddance. That little redhead is bugging me for the body. She's staying at his place and wants to have a funeral for him."

"Bea threw Harvey's shit out on the street yesterday," Betty said. "Maybe she did him in? She was pretty pissed at him last night."

"We don't have that kind of luck," I said.

Rose said, "The truck wasn't here when I walked out here. So this happened within the past hour."

Luke felt Harvey's skin. "Still warm."

Betty Baumgarten frowned. "Killing him here? That's a message. Someone didn't like Harvey snooping around Rose." She looked at me. "Did you kill him?"

"Not funny," I said even though it had been on my to-do list.

"I wouldn't blame you," Betty said. "I'd congratulate you."

Pike hitched his pants up and tightened his belt a little. "Well, Marshal, you and your deputy need to get this under control. Let me know when you catch this asshole." Then he strode off toward his old truck.

It looked like a getaway to me.

Betty shook her head—about Pike, Harvey, or me being Marshal, I couldn't tell—and headed back to her cottage with her llama.

Leaving me with Luke and Rose. And Harvey.

It wasn't going to be a good week.