Page 29 of Dead and Gone

"Well, then." I link my fingers in front of me. "Are you sure the stalker put the note in your bag at school and not elsewhere?"

Corrie chews her lip. "They could've done it here, I suppose. We're in the café a lot."

Kai shifts in his seat to turn his back and converses with his companions quietly, forgetting that I can hear every word.

"Dale must have the mole. He lied and will keep all the ransom cash for himself," retorts TJ. "Sneaky bastard."

"Get the mole off of Dale, Kai," repeats Leif. "Don't be dumb."

"If Dale has the mole, wedoneed to find him and get it back," says Corrie in a wavering voice. "I don't want to get hurt. I swear someone's following me."

"Who?" I ask sharply. The same person who followed us tonight?

"No idea. I've only seen him in the distance, but more than once. He knows where I live now." She places a hand over Kai's. "Please. Find Dale. What if something goes wrong? A witch might be involved!"

Now, why would she suggest that? Because there's something jittery in the girl's manner and mind, and she's avoiding our eyes. IsCorrieinvolved in the blackmail attempt?

"Why would witches want a stuffed mole?" Kai retorts.

"It might be magic. Cursed!" continues Corrie, her pretty face paling.

"Don't stress, Corrie," says Kai. "It's probablythe curator guy trying to scare us. He was a bit…" Kai points at the side of his head and twirls a finger. "Deranged."

"The item is connected to an old witch family, Kai. There's a possibility," adds Leif.

Kai's face pales too. The Sawyers have a somewhat unusual relationship with witches, and most town humans are wary of the race. "I'll get the mole." He raises his eyes to mine. "But no telling the cops. I don't want more trouble."

"If you don't want trouble, why indulge in theft?"

"It was a joke! We're gonna take the mole back," protests Kai.

"Until money became involved." Leif slants his head. "Right?"

"Yeah, but not me. Dale's a moron, and I'll bloody kill the asshole when I find him," snaps Kai.

I arch a brow. "I do hope you mean figuratively and that you're not under influence to commit murder."

"Nah, but he'll regret double-crossing us."

I nod, then repeat my demands. "Retrieve the mole from Dale and give the item to us. We shall return the mole to the museum and then deduce who threatened you."

"Couldbe the curator in response to the ransom demand?" suggests Grayson. "He strikes me as a guy who'd take this into his own hands if the police won't help."

"Whoever it is, you need to call Dale. Tell him you know what he's done and want to be involved," says Leif.

Kai rubs the back of his neck. "Fine. I'll get the mole and meet up with you tomorrow. Here."

"I do hope you choose the most sensible course of action, Kai, and don't join in with Dale's scheme," I inform him.

"I'm not stupid."

Rowan throws me a warning look, and I bite back the response that came too readily. In all the time I've known Kai since arriving in this town, I've never once witnessed a trait suggesting intelligence.

13

When we leftthe curator at the café yesterday, I again warned him not to interfere and that we would intercept and deal with the blackmailers. We'd be more effective against the town's teens, and he eventually seemed satisfied that I could find his mole.

The guys grumbled that Dale might not show up if Kai gets to him, and we could spend an evening hanging out in the dark with no results. When I informed them my alternative would be to confront Dale directly, their complaints stopped. Besides, we've no guarantee that Dale is the blackmailer, and there could still be witch involvement.

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