Page 71 of Code Violation

“You idiot! I told you to stay away.”

“Just a flesh wound,” Forrest replied meekly. “You don’t look so good yourself.”

Nero had to admit that Lani did look a bit rough. A trickle of blood rolled down her cheek where Lockwood had punched her, and she was favoring her previously injured leg.

Bending down, Lani whacked her brother’s uninjured shoulder with a thwack. “Don’t try to be funny, either. You could’ve been killed, dammit.”

“You could’ve too,” Forrest returned hotly, then groaned as he got to his feet.

“Yes, but it’s literally my job! Did he get you anywhere else?” Lani demanded.

“No, just my arm. You should probably check on them.”

Forrest nodded toward the two officers and the prone man sprawled in the middle of the street. From where he stood, Nero could see a small pool of blood. It didn’t seem to be getting any larger.

“Right,” Lani agreed as she stuck her crutch under one arm and bumped over to Dale Lockwood’s final stand.

If it hadn’t been Cooper Springs, Forrest, Nero, Magnus and Wanda would’ve been ordered to stay away but as it was, they trailed after Lani, stopping a respectful fifteen feet away.

The second of the two uniformed officers was on his knees beside Lockwood’s body while the first hadn’t moved and looked to be breathing heavily. Officer number two had pulled on a pair of gloves and appeared to be checking for a pulse. Lani stopped at his side, but the officer shook his head at her and stood back up.

“Can’t say I’m super shook up,” Lani said grimly, “but the paperwork is going to be a nightmare. Officer Burgess, thank you for the backup. We all appreciate it.”

Burgess visibly swallowed. “Just doing my job, ma’am.”

TWENTY-FIVE

Forrest – Sunday afternoon

The slash on Forrest’s arm was deep enough for stitches. Lani paced around the exam room, alternating between muttering about her idiot brother during one round and stopping to wrap her arms around him and squeeze all the oxygen out of his lungs on the next.

“I’m fine,” Forrest repeated himself for the fourth or fifth time. “It’s just a few stitches. I wasn’t shot.” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully. “Now you know how I feel when you’re out doing your job.”

“I know, I know. I do. I just?—”

She stopped her rant to pull her phone out of her pocket and glance at the screen. “Chief’s back. Dina’s here. Shall we?”

“Are you sure I can come along?” He didn’t really want to. Never seeing Dina Paulson again was fine with him, but he’d never make Lani go on her own. She might act tough, but he was still her protector.

“Yeah. Forrest, Dear says she’s very ill. If we want to talk to her, best to do it now. Either they are going to give her something for the pain soon or they already did. Either way, we only have a small window of time.”

Forrest took a deep breath. “Lead the way, Pine Cone.”

* * *

Forrest stared down at the wizened form that was left of Dina Paulson. Whereas Dale Lockwood seemed to have become bigger and stronger living in The Deep, Dina had withered away to almost nothing. She barely resembled the pictures he’d seen of her when she’d been a young woman. Now he knew what it was like to face one’s own nightmare. It was freeing in a way, but also not.

He wished Nero could be in the room with them, which, considering his opinion of Nero at the beginning of the week, was beyond ironic. Nero would’ve had an interesting take on what Dina had to say. Unfortunately, doctors were only allowing Forrest and Lani because they were family and Chief Dear was there in a professional capacity.

“Ten minutes,” the nurse informed them.

Ten minutes was about nine minutes too long, Forrest thought grimly. But he nodded his agreement. He could always leave the room, he didn’t have to stay.

While they’d waited for the ambulance to arrive and carry Forrest off to the hospital in Aberdeen, Lani had called the county coroner to come and collect Lockwood’s body. She’d also connected with the county sheriff’s office. “We cover for each other on occasion,” she’d explained to Nero. They were going to put up crime scene tape, take Burgess’s weapon into evidence, and take down his statement.

In the meantime, Chief Dear and Mags had carried Dina down the mountain in a litter. She was tiny and too ill to walk on her own but apparently, she’d had enough energy to rant and rave until they’d reached a place from where they could call for assistance. Rufus was now leading Critter to the original encampment site, but the two men planned to be back before nightfall. Magnus and Wanda were impatiently waiting back at the pub.

Now, Forrest stood next to Lani and stared into a pair of faded blue eyes filled with a depth of malevolence he could not begin to fathom. Dina was partially propped up in the bed, her body almost buried under the sheets and blankets. Regardless of her age and the illness ravaging her body, Forrest barely managed to stop himself from grabbing Lani and taking a step back from the hospital bed. Ill or not, their mother still exuded pure evil.

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