McCray frowned at Bon, who was still scowling, then back at me. “Are dogs allowed to have that?”
I shook my head. “No—those are just the treats I like.”
She winked at me. “Well played.”
Peter cleared his throat. “Speaking of, what brings you by the precinct this evening, and how can we help you?” His voice held a hint of tension. I glanced up at my handsome boyfriend. Was he feeling the same misgivings toward the chief that I was? I supposed I should be wary of Bon too, but frankly he seemed so inept and terrible at playing politics or making anyone like him, that I found it unlikely he was in anyone’s pocket.
McCray laced her fingers together and rested her hands on her knee. She cleared her throat. “Jolene… I know what you are.”
Icy fear washed over me, but I held very still. “Oh?” I let out an awkward chuckle. “A pet psychic?”
She pressed her lips tight together. “No—a shifter.”
Peter’s breath caught, and he edged slightly in front of me, placing himself between us. Bon gasped, then appeared to choke on his own spit and pounded his chest as he wheezed and attempted to breathe.
McCray just stared at me for a long moment. “I don’t know what you’re up to, exactly, but you’ve got a certain powerful someone quite concerned.”
Daisy’s hackles rose, and her dark lips twitched, revealing sharp white canines. Her dark eyes locked onto McCray.
The chief ignored the enormous German shepherd and kept her gaze on me. “I’m in a difficult situation. I’m being pressured by a Mr. Caterwaul to call you off—to silence you all, no matter what it takes. Do you understand?”
I couldn’t speak around the lump in my throat, so I just nodded. Were we really having this conversation? Peter’s warm hand wrapped around mine, and I squeezed back, grateful that he was standing with me.
McCray licked her lips and looked down at her folded hands for a moment before glancing back up. “So I really hope you’ve got something good on this guy. Something we can put him away with?”
I frowned. “Come again?”
She splayed her palms. “I’m being pressured because my predecessor was in this man’s pocket. I’m not my predecessor, so I’ve been holding Mr. Caterwaul off as long as possible. But the time has come that I need to make a move. I would like to help you put him behind bars, but I need you to trust me so that I can assist you.”
I looked up at Peter. Was this a trick?
He squeezed my hand, then turned to Daisy. He patted her head. “Chief, can we trust you?”
McCray looked at Daisy, then at Peter and lifted her chin. “Yes—you can trust me. I’m on your side, not Mr. Caterwaul’s.”
We all looked to Daisy, including Bon, who seemed to be stunned silent. Daisy wagged her tail and whined. She’s telling the truth… but I still don’t like her. She huffed. She treated me like a common house pet.
I nodded at Peter, and he grinned down at me. While I still felt nervous, having Daisy confirm that McCray was on our side was a huge relief—and a big assist.
McCray rubbed her palms together, grinning. “Alright, tell me what you’ve got on this guy and how we can put this slimy slug in prison where he belongs.”
I grinned. Somewhere between leaving the palace and entering the jail, a plan had started to form in my mind. The Polly Pierre case had got me thinking about how sometimes the things and people we were most passionate about could also be our greatest weaknesses. I licked my lips and outlined my plan to use Ludolf’s passion against him.
34
AN ACCUSATION
Peter, Daisy, Russo—the rookie cop—and I headed to Polly’s bakery. Tonya let us in, and we gathered upstairs in the flat she had shared with her mother. Tonya, a blue scarf tied around her head, sat in an oversized sweater and leggings at the kitchen table. She fidgeted with the edge of the floral tablecloth as Daisy stared her down. A clock on the wall ticked off the minutes until a few more uniformed officers showed up, escorting Lorenzo and Elin.
Lorenzo was pale and jumpy, while Elin’s cheeks were flushed red as she scowled around the room.
The tall, thin sister crossed her arms with a huff and glared at her twin. “What’s this all about?”
Tonya shrugged, then darted her eyes to Daisy again.
Peter, Russo, and I had squeezed together on the couch, with Daisy sitting on Peter’s toes, but I rose as the others entered. “Hey, guys—glad you could join us.”
Elin rolled her eyes, and Lorenzo’s throat bobbed as he snuck wide-eyed glances at Tonya. No doubt he was uncomfortable being in the same room with a bunch of cops, his fiancée, and her twin who he’d been cheating with.
I stuck my hands in the pockets of my bomber jacket and paced in the middle of the room, my boots scuffing along the hardwood floor. I looked to Peter before I began. I’d filled him in on my theory, and he gave me an encouraging nod.
I gulped, feeling like I used to when I’d been a lawyer—right before delivering my closing. The other two cops stationed themselves around the room, one standing in front of the stairs that led back down into the bakery, to prevent anyone from fleeing. I privately asked the third to run downstairs and search the kitchen for evidence I suspected might be there.
With everyone gathered—and many sets of eyes on me—I cleared my throat and began. “You’re all here this evening because we believe that we’ve discovered Polly Pierre’s killer.”
Tonya frowned. “But—where are the other bakers from the tent? It had to be one of them, right?”
I shook my head. “The fact that Polly was killed during the competition strongly pointed to a rival baker having the motive and opportunity.” I pulled a hand out of my pocket and
