Page 10 of Down and Dirty

I rounded the corner to the kitchen to find Nina standing at the counter, stirring creamer into her coffee. Jared held a fork at her back as if he were going to stab her.

“Jared, no,” I yelled.

The fork clanged to the ground, and Nina spun around, her gaze on the fork and then on me before she handed me one of the two coffees she’d been making. “He doesn’t like me much.”

“He doesn’t like anyone. I think he’s resorted to doing things like this for attention,” I said, picking up the fork. It was cold to the touch as I tossed it into the sink.

Three knives rested on the counter, including the butcher knife. I let out a hefty sigh as I put them back in the butcher block. “I refuse to baby-proof my house for a ghost.”

“Has he told you why he’s lingering?”

I shook my head. “Not yet.”

“He will,” Nina announced as she glanced down at my clothing. “You need to change.”

“Why would I need to change?” I asked, following her out of the kitchen and up the stairs to my room.

She went straight to the closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a cute top. “You’ll thank me later.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” I asked as I put my coffee cup down and changed clothes while Nina was in the closet going through my shoe boxes.

“You’re about to have a visitor,” Nina said as she stepped out with a shoebox in hand. She handed it to me. “You’re going to need this too.”

“Nina.” I peeked inside the shoebox to find the satchel that Mary, the witch in the woods, had given me, sitting on a bed of sage. I set the shoebox on the bed and called out after Nina as I followed her back down the stairs. She counted to three and then opened the door.

The man from the landfill was standing on my stoop with his hand in the air as if ready to knock. Next to him was Jimbo.

Nina patted my shoulder. “They're here to ask you some questions, but call me if you need me. You shouldn’t need me. But in case I missed something…”

My mouth parted as Nina pushed through my visitors and stepped out on the porch, leaving me to deal with both men.

“I see you found the killer,” I said to Jimbo, crossing my arms over my chest. I remained unmoving as I stared at Mr. Tall, Dark, and Killerish.”

“I warned you she’d think it was me.” The mystery man’s lips twitched into a grin.

I raised a brow. “First standing over Ann’s body and then last night standing on my street corner?”

Jimbo sighed. “He can explain, Faith. Now are you going to let us in?”

“I don’t like the tall one,” Jared said from behind me.

“Me neither,” I whispered.

“What was that?” Jimbo asked.

The man’s lips twitched as I stepped aside and let them pass.

Jimbo headed straight for the kitchen and was opening my fridge as the killer and I followed my best friend. The knives I’d put away were back out on the counter again, and I tossed Jared the best peeved-parent look I could muster without being able to argue.

“Does he always help himself?” the killer asked.

Jimbo emerged with two different coffee creamers. “Faith and I have coffee every morning. She keeps my creamer on hand.”

“I see.” Tall, Dark, and Stalkerish stared at me.

I didn’t care what he thought or how Jimbo’s confession sounded. It was true. Jimbo and I talked each morning. Why wouldn’t we? We were best friends.

“So what brings you by? Is this your way of doing a line up to pick the killer?”

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