Dorothy skirted around the edge of the hall to avoid the unconscious Thomas. “It took me a little while to get untied from those ropes! How long will he be out?”
“Long enough for the police to take care of him. And this time he won’t escape.”
A short while later, both Meade and Orville entered the house and tied Thomas up tightly with his own ropes.
“Back to the jail cell,” Meade declared. “And I’ll set a watch all night. I’m glad he’s not dead. He needs to stand trial.”
“Here and in Highbank,” Orville added. “There’s a body up there that needs accounting for. And Thomas might just be the key to taking down Big Eddie. This could end up being a very good day for justice in the woodlands.”
“Quite a start to your run as chief,” Vera said.
“I hope the rest of my run isn’t so eventful. Now, let’s get this miserable creature back to his jail cell. And tomorrow, we’ll sort out all the details.” He looked at Vera meaningfully. “Such as how you knew Lefty had been here that night.”
Vera smiled weakly. “That will be an interesting conversation.”
“Uh-huh,” he agreed. “One that will require a lot of coffee and a lot of pie to endure.”
Epilogue
Vera spent a few long days and nights working feverishly on her story for the newspaper. She made sure to thank the authorities in Highbank and Shady Hollow, and put in a special note of appreciation for Ms. Boatwright’s excellent reference work. BW Stone was so eager for the draft that he couldn’t even sit in his chair. He paced a tight square in his office, puffing madly on his cigars and yelling at everyone who passed by his door to check on that Vixen to hurry her along.
When Vera finally arrived to give her final draft to BW, he practically snatched it out of her paws. He exchanged his cigar for a big red pen and set to reviewing the piece, making lots of scribbled comments and swooping marks for the proofreaders. At the end, he sat back in his chair, sighing heavily.
“What a scoundrel,” he said, his expression rather stunned. Then his eyes brightened. “Let’s get some extra pictures to run with this on the front page. We’re going to need extra print runs for this issue!”
He summoned the proofreader, a young rabbit with black fur, very long ears, and a good eye for typos. BW gave instructions for what he wanted and then set the rabbit bounding off to carry the orders out.
“All right, Vixen,” BW told her then. “Good work. Take today and tomorrow off, and try not to stumble over any more corpses while you’re out.”
“Yes, sir!” she agreed.
By evening, everyone in town was reading Vera’s article, chattering about the murderer in their midst. Thankfully, in the corner of the front page was another small article titled “Silver Mine Heiress to Return Home by End of Year.” Hazel Springfield, the daughter of Edward and Dorothy, had booked passage on a ship as soon as she got word of what happened, so that she could be reunited with her mother. Vera was glad for that, and hoped the new year would be a good one for them both.
All in all, she was done with excitement for a good long time. Vera spent her day off in her own den, enjoying a pot of tea and reading one of the many books waiting for her on her shelf.
The next morning, she rose very early, because Orville was due at the town hall for his swearing in ceremony as the new chief of police. By tradition, this ceremony was performed at sunrise on the Sunday after an election. No one especially liked this tradition, but since it was enshrined in the town ordinances from the very founding of Shady Hollow, it was respected.
With bleary eyes, the mayor swore in the winners of the recent races, and they all raised sleepy limbs and recited their pledge to serve in a somber tone. The exception to this was Mariana Beckenbauer, the oriole who would serve as town clerk. She looked wide awake as she trilled her pledge to file all papers correctly and with promptitude. Vera tried not to resent early birds, but sometimes it was difficult.
Orville received his new badge, which looked exactly like the old badge, except that it said CHIEF instead of DEPUTY, and it was brilliantly shiny with newness. After the ceremony concluded, most of the participants headed toward a table set with coffee and pastries. But Orville escorted Vera outside, intent on spending some time alone.
They strolled down the main street, enjoying the hushed scene of empty streets and sidewalks, and the buildings all quiet and sleepy except for the occasional glow from a window.
At Nevermore Books, light streamed from the doorway. “Huh,” said Vera. “It looks like Lenore is already at work.”
They knocked and stepped inside. The raven fluttered down from her office at the top level. When asked, she told them she stayed at the store overnight. “Unpacking a big shipment of gift books that I couldn’t deal with while all the Marvel nonsense was going on. Thankfully, that’s taken care of and I can work on my new displays!”
“Looks good, Lenore,” Orville said, taking in the view. The bookshop certainly looked a lot more spacious without all the chairs set up for an event.
“Why thank you, Chief Braun.” The raven nodded at the shiny metal badge, suitably impressed. “Got that this morning, did you? What’s your first order of business?”
“Walking my beat,” he replied, “which is what I did before anyway.”
“But this time, I’m walking with him,” Vera added, curling one paw around the shaggy limb of her beau.
“Lucky him.” Lenore winked. “Have a good time. And don’t wander too far. Snow’s on the way.”
Despite Lenore’s warning,
