Page 29 of Fresh Old Bounties

“You most of all.” Suspect of burrowing into my heart, then leaving me behind, alone with only hazy memories to go by like Grandma had done.

I blinked, taken aback at the turn of my thoughts. Where had that come from?

“Something wrong?” he asked, studying my face.

“No, sorry.” Being around him suddenly felt like too much. Like my skin was warm and chilled at the same time.

“Did you come up with some new plan?” he asked.

Yes, Hope. Plan to figure out who’s messing with you. Focus. I gathered my wits and sent them forth with an encouraging shove. “Will you bring Rufus later, see if he can track the smell from the envelope?”

Ian straightened away from the island. “Let’s do it now.”

“Now?” I eyed the beautiful kitchen. “But the house…”

“The kids can take care of stuff for an hour. The dogs will be happy to see you.”

And me them. I needed Fluffy to get me out of this strange gloomy well I’d inadvertently fallen into.

Fortunately, she did just that.

Unfortunately, Rufus picked no trail of whoever had slipped the envelope under my door.

Later that day, once we’d closed the shop, Dru and I lit the metal fire pit and proceeded to chill in the backyard. Fluffy lay down by my side as I reclined on one of two cheap camping chairs I’d gotten from one of Alex’s buddies. Dru occupied the other, knocking back one of my diet sodas, while Key stood opposite from us, extending her hand forward like some kind of telekinetic super hero.

The back door light was turned on, so it was enough to see a clump of soil jump and flip upside down.

Rufus woofed appreciatively.

I’d kidnapped Ian’s dogs under the pretense of walking them so he wouldn’t have to.

“It’s simply a very, very long walk, right, Fluffyfluff?” I told her.

Fluffy’s tail gave a halfhearted wag.

Dru tilted the soda can toward Key. “What is she doing, again?”

“Mage training.”

Key sent Dru a fast, irritated glance before remembering Dru was a demon, and would probably claw her eyes out if she annoyed her, and looked away. The clump flipped back into position, then burrowed slightly until the patch appeared undisturbed.

Her fist pump of victory was heartwarming to see.

Dru turned to me, her brow scrunching in confusion.

“The devil is in the details,” I told her. To Key, I shouted, “Way to go!”

She grinned, then tried to lift the clump again.

“Remind me again why she’s doing this?” Dru asked.

“She wants to be a bounty hunter.”

“And how is flipping some dirt going to help her?”

“What if the bounty makes a run for it? Then she can make them trip.”

“Well, damn,” Dru said.

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