Page 116 of Fresh Old Bounties

I studied Dru’s somewhat gleeful expression. Like she had won, even though she had lost. “You’re not upset the Corner Rose sold?”

She made a face. “As long as he didn’t get it, I’m good.”

“But you wan—” I shut my mouth abruptly. What good did it make to remind her of how much she’d wanted the Corner Rose?

“It sucks,” she admitted with a grimace, “but there are other shops.” Determination filled her voice. “I’ll get another location, and I’ll show them.”

“Hell, yeah, you will!” And I’d be here to back her up the entire way. I offered her my hand, high up.

She rolled her eyes but high-fived me, anyway.

“Forget about the bastard. I got something for you.” She pulled out a folded paper from her purse. “It’s why I came.”

“Really? I thought your bastard-detecting radar had gone off the moment he stepped into the shop.” I had been wondering how she’d made it to the shop so fast. Demons had increased speed, but she wouldn’t dare show off that much during daylight.

“A happy coincidence.” She thrust the paper into my hands. “Take a look.”

I unfolded the sheet and was met with a printout of someone’s driver’s license.

Mystery Man’s.

There he was, staring at the camera like he was facing jailtime, his full name and address clearly printed on the side.

“How…?”

Dru preened, then shrugged, as if it wasn’t such a big deal. “I went back to the bed and breakfast.”

“Dorsey’s? Why?”

“I wanted to see if the bastard was staying there.”

“He wasn’t?”

Dru shook her head. “Nope. But that nasty old lady owner was totally the kind of person to nose through her guests’ belongings.”

A slow grin widened my mouth. “She took a photo of Smithe’s driver’s license.”

“Yep. She said she copied it in case his payment bounced. Said he looked ‘iffy’ and ‘up to no good.’”

And thus a man who had thought two steps ahead at every turn and dodged us like the best of them had been taken down by a rude, old biddy.

A lesson to be remembered.

I threw my arms around Dru and hugged her tightly, barely restraining my urge to jump up and down at the same time. “This is amazing! Thank you so much.”

She patted me awkwardly and pried my limbs off her person. “You can thank me by giving me a raise.”

“Done.” I’d eat instant noodles all year if that’s what it took.

I refolded the sheet and put it in my back pocket, then touched her arm. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Her mouth pulled to one side. “No,” she confessed. “It absolutely sucks. But I’ll figure out something else.”

“Yes,” I assured her. “We will.”

I left Dru in charge of the shop and met Ian at his place. The side door of the cemetery was unlocked, so I pushed Bee-Bee right in and parked her by the gate.

Ian was waiting by his front door. As I approached, shrill, sporadic whining noises and conversations drifted from the garage-turned-workshop, and I assumed the strays were busy preparing materials for the housing projects.

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