Page 38 of Enemies in Paradise

“The city owns it, and I’m the mayor. The squirrels have become a nuisance and need to be moved or destroyed.” The mayor puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head to the side as though Lynette is a small child, even though she’s twice the mayor’s size.

“The trees here are their favorites, and they’ve stashed their nuts here. They won’t have anything to eat if I move them before spring.” Lynette looks close to tears as she fidgets with her fingers before shoving her hands in her pockets.

I want to jump in and help her, but I’d only make things worse.

“You should have thought of that before you started feeding them here.” The mayor’s head wags side to side, like one of those popular girls picking on a nerdy kid in a high school movie.

I’ve never met that kind of girl in real life, but Mayor Voglmeyer comes close.

“They’re my friends,” Lynette says softly.

And now I can’t stay still.

In three steps, I’m next to Lynette at the same time the mayor says, “Not my problem.”

“Is everything okay?” As soon as the words are out, I know I’m saying goodbye to any chance of the city council accepting my proposal.

The mayor’s eyes narrow at me. “I’m just reminding Lynette that the squirrels can’t stay here.”

“I’ll help her figure out where to move them. You can call off the exterminator.”

Lynette glances over her shoulder to give me a grateful smile, bolstering my confidence, and I return the mayor’s glare. If I’ve already lost, I might as well lose big.

“Don’t you have bigger things to worry about than squirrels,Bjorn?” Mayor Voglmeyer shrugs back her shoulders and lifts her chin, then walks toward the parking lot.

As soon as the mayor is out of sight, Lynette digs into the giant purse? at her side and pulls out a bag of nuts. She juts the plastic bag at me and says, “Here. You can help me feed them. They like you.”

I smile. This is her thank you. I’ll take it.

I hold open the bag so she can take out a handful of nuts. Then she crouches down and clicks her tongue, holding a nut in each hand. Within seconds, she has two takers. The squirrels come right up to her, their little paws patting her fingers before taking the nut from her.

“Your turn,” she says without standing.

I get down next to her, not sure what to expect, only knowing I have to stay quiet. If I can accidentally scare Charly, I don’t stand a chance with a pack of squirrels. They’re mostly tame, but they’re still not domesticated.

Following Lynette’s example, I hold out my hand with the nut and wait patiently for my own takers. They don’t approach me with the same confidence they do Lynette. Two get close, thenrun away, get a little closer, and run away again. They do this a few times, but each time they turn back to me, they come closer, until finally they run all the way to my hands.

They don’t take their time the way they did with Lynette. They grab the nuts and run.

I burst into a laugh. “That’s so cool! They’re really friendly.”

Lynette nods vigorously. “Because they like you. If they didn’t, they might bite. But I’ve never seen them do that. It’s okay if they do, though, because squirrels don’t carry rabies.”

And suddenly, as much as I hate to admit it, I see the mayor’s point. The squirrels really can’t stay here. Between Huckleberry Days in June and all the summer tourists, the town square fills up. Someone getting hurt is inevitable. Most likely a kid or a squirrel.

“Lynette.” I make my voice quiet and gentle. “We’ve got to find somewhere else for your friends. They’re not safe here.”

She looks at me with wide, innocent eyes and straightens her tinfoil hat over her nest of gray, frizzy hair. “Because of the aliens?”

I shake my head. “Because of Mayor Voglmeyer.”

Lynette squints, confused, then turns back to her squirrels. “That’s what I said. The aliens.”

“Right.” I smile, but I’m scouring my mind, trying to think of somewhere they would be safe. There’s too much snow higher in the mountains right now. They wouldn’t be able to find food. They’ve stashed their winter store here in the town square.

There’s only one place that might work. Except for the fact it’s currently full of cats. And even though their stomachs are probably full of mice, they still might eat the squirrels.

But, I’m pretty sure I know who the cats belong to, so getting rid of them might be easier than walking through a room full of them was.

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