Page 62 of No Man Left Behind

When Boo hissed, Oreo tilted his head and then wiggled his butt as he moved in closer. The kitten circled to the side, but the bulldog wouldn’t be denied. He kept closing the distance with his friendly prance and yips.

Finally, Oreo got nose-to-nose with the kitten. They stared at each other for a long moment, then Boo turned his back and flopped to the ground. He didn’t shift when Oreo lay beside him. Finch looked from the humans to the new friends before sitting down to keep an eye on his buddies.

Piper laughed. “No one can resist the power of Oreo.”

Marcus had to agree. “Maybe we use him as our secret weapon when we set out to trap the asshole.”

Troy grinned. “Sounds like you have a plan.”

Marcus shrugged. “Not really, but I think we’ve got to do something to lure this asshole out.”

Piper held up a sheaf of papers. “Can it wait for a bit? I promised on the website that the first round of thePhail factsandDid you know?cards would go up today. I’ve got volunteers ready to help. I was coming to corral both of you but we can postpone it if you think we should.”

Marcus managed to keep the sigh internal. Part of what he loved about this town was the way everyone volunteered to help. Getting the cards onto the posts they’d created was a big deal. Everyone was looking forward to them. The posts were at every bridge along the walking paths and scattered throughout the town.

People had put a lot of time and effort into making the posts, contributing facts and riddles. He didn’t want to put a damper on the day. The jerk might not even be in the area. He’d made a habit of popping in, disrupting shit, and disappearing again.

“As long as everyone works in groups and we have someone on guard duty in each group.”

Piper’s eyes widened. “That doesn’t sound safe to me. I’ve got some of the kids helping.”

“How many?”

“Owen and Nina for today.”

Marcus sighed. “Are Heath and Addy coming with Nina?”

Piper nodded. “Okay. We’ll team them up with another pair. And the four of us can work with Owen and Rachel.”

And everyone who’s been trained would be armed.

Elina hoped Marcus was overreacting. Carrying guns to put riddles and fact sheets around the town seemed extreme. Even if the extra protection made her feel better.

The men carried their weapons in holsters. Safe and impossible to be discharged accidentally or used against their will. These men were experts, and safety was a top priority.

Owen raced into the police station, eyes wide and excited. “Elina. Piper. Did you use any of my jokes? Can we put up one of my riddles? Did you figure out the answers to mine?”

Rachel followed with Flups on his leash. “Breathe, buddy. One question at a time.”

Owen shook his head. “Elina and Piper are smart. They can keep up.”

Elina laughed. “It’s a secret until we put the cards on the posts. You’ll find out then.”

He grinned. “I’m good at secrets. Did you use Fancy Firefly or Phil Fox on all the cards? Are the drawings all the same, or did you make different ones?”

Piper ruffled his hair. “We’d better get a move on so we can let you see the answers to some of your questions.”

Elina knew that Piper would have included at least one of Owen’s jokes this time around. To her surprise, people had submitted dozens of jokes, riddles, and town facts through the website. Others had dropped them off at Phail General, and in the mail slot of the Phail Jail.

“Are you coming too, Deputy Ramirez? Do you want to hear my jokes?”

Marcus’s chuckle warmed her. He was genuine with kids and enjoyed them. “I’d love to help. But if you tell me your jokes, I won’t be surprised when I see them on the posts.”

Owen scrunched up his face while he thought that over. “You’re right. Can I tell you the new one I learned today? I haven’t used it yet.”

Marcus nodded, and Owen bounced with glee. “What do you call a bear with no teeth?”

Marcus leaned back on the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “A bear with no teeth? I’m going to have to think about that for a minute.”

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