same bullish challenge I’d gotten from cops and prison-yard toughs.
I didn’t answer. “Ray Lilly,” Steve said, “this is Pippa Wolfowitz, mayor of Washaway.”
“Nice shiner you got there. You’re the fellow who got himself carjacked last night.”
“I am.”
“Funny how all this happened just as you came to town.”
I was about to tell her it wasn’t funny at all, but I didn’t. For all I knew, one of the bodies I’d found today was a member of her family. She was entitled to be a little testy.
“Pippa, Ray here saved my life. Penny tried to chop me down like a tree, but he stopped her.”
“Big Penny?” Pippa looked at the back of Steve’s car. “What’s she got against you?”
“Not a thing as far as I know. It’s like I said: everyone is going crazy. It started at the Breakley place, then somehow got to Isabelle’s house. Isabelle brought it here, and it got to Penny and Little Mark.”
“It? What
Steve looked at me, his mouth working. “We don’t exactly know yet.”
“Don’t play games with me, Steve Cardinal. I’m too old for that stuff.”
“Sheriff get here?”
“No, and don’t change the subject.”
“It’s all the same subject. You need to call the state police and have them block the roads. We can’t let this spread.”
“Block the …? The festival is tomorrow! People here
“Pippa—”
“Is this about November, Steve?”
“For goodness sakes, would you listen to me?” His voice got high and whiny when he was angry. “This has nothing to do with the election.”
He was losing her, and the more I thought about it, the less it seemed to matter. What could she do, anyway? Organize a posse? Warn people to stay indoors? I wasn’t even sure how useful a roadblock would be.
What I did know was this: I was wasting time listening to these people. I backed away from them and looked up at Penny’s house. It was dark and quiet.
I went inside and took out my ghost knife.
I searched the house from basement to attic but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. The sapphire dog certainly wasn’t hidden there, and Penny didn’t have any spell books I could find. The only things I found were a pair of tabby cats cowering under the bed and an old police-band scanner in the kitchen.
When I went back outside, Pippa and Steve were standing at the back of Steve’s car, talking to Penny.
I walked toward the Neon. Pippa heard me coming and held up her index finger, signaling me to wait. I ignored her and kept walking to my car.
Pippa frowned and followed me. “So, this is your dog?”
“Nope.”
“But you know about it,” she said. “What’s wrong with it? Rabies? Why is it blue?”
“Steve and Penny both saw it. Why not ask them?”
She stepped too close to me again. I’d have suspected she was clueless about personal space if it hadn’t been for the look on her face. “I have. Now I’m asking you.”
Steve had felt the effects of the sapphire dog. I’d talked to him because he already knew enough to get killed. With Pippa, things were different.
And I didn’t like or trust her.
The ambulance siren chirped as it pulled out.
“Come on, Pippa,” Steve said. “He saved my life and he’s trying to help.”
She ignored him. “I don’t trust you. When the sheriff gets here, I’m going to have you locked up until the real truth comes out.”
“Well, you should call him, then.”
“I think I will.”
She walked away, putting her cellphone to her ear. Steve came close. His expression betrayed his embarrassment, but he didn’t apologize.
“Once Penny’s locked up,” he said, “we’ll talk again. Go back to the Sunset, okay? You look like you could use some sleep anyway.”
“You’ll block those roads, right?”
“Right,” he said. “Pippa will order it. I’ll make sure.”
He started toward his car, but I wasn’t finished. “Steve, what happened to the Breakleys?”
