Page 104 of Bears Behaving Badly
Judge Gomph’s assistant, Taryn Wapiti, stepped out of the shadows. She’d been standing beneath the stairs, watching as the two of them poked through Lund’s torture chamber/business venture/nap zone. The stench had covered her scent, among others.
Annette slapped her forehead. “I. Am. An idiot.”
Taryn smirked. “Lucky for us.”
Annette turned to David. “Earlier this week. Taryn was talking to Brennan the morning after you brought Caro in. I only saw him from the back, which is why it took so long to place him.” Back to Taryn: “You were at the memorial, weren’t you?”
“Sure was. Saw you pull in. Ducked in the back office before you hit the chapel.”
“And called the police. Dammit!”
“There’s an upside, though,” David pointed out.
“Nadia’s not the mole,” Annette realized.And neither was Oz.Good news. No,greatnews. Possibly the only great news this charnel house had seen.
Taryn came forward, dressed in a heavy brown sweater, a knee-length gray wool skirt, fleece-lined black tights, and sturdy boots. “You must be freezing in that ugly orange thing.”
“It’s salmon, fuck you.”
“Oooooh! You almost never drop f-bombs.”
“It’s been a stressful week. Nice to see you’re dressed appropriately for this chilly cell block. Too bad the kids weren’t allowed to.”
Taryn shrugged. “They had fur. They’d only be cold if they disobeyed and shifted without permission. That was against the rules. Can’t be someone’s pet if you’re a biped. Some of ’em were quicker learners than others.”
Annette had a sudden memory of Caro’s letter,
(I am comfortable on any floor if you are lacking in beds. I don’t mind the cold so the basement is also fine.)
felt her nails bite into her palms, forced her fists to unclench.
“You know you’re not leaving here under your own power, right?” Taryn asked with off-putting gentleness. “And that sucks. I wish you hadn’t followed the bread crumbs, and not just because we can’t let you catch us.”
“Not the ‘I like you, I’d hate to kill you’ speech. Murder me any way you like, but spare me that bit of trite bullshit.”
“I do like you, Annette.” And, ugh, the woman actually sounded sincere. “Enough to eat meat with you, even though every time we went out, I’d spend the next two days in the bathroom.”
“Your depravity knows no bounds. I’m not being sarcastic, you understand. Your refusal to have a veggie burger should have tipped me off to the fact that you are a depraved monster.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll just have to get over that, won’t I, Annette? Killing you will probably do it.”
Annette waved that away. “Yes, yes, death awaits us, evil shall prevail, good shall be forever blotted out… Is it a trap if we walk in knowing you’re waiting for us?”
“I’m not alone,” she warned.
We’re counting on it.“Why, Taryn? I know it’s naive. And I know you won’t have a satisfying answer. But what did those poor cubs ever do to you? How could you be a part of this?”
“Money, mostly.” She shrugged. “Sooooooo much fucking money. And it’s low-risk. The overhead’s low, too, and it’s so easy to pick up product.”
“Product.” David, to his credit, said that with a perfectly straight face.
“There are so few of us,” Annette said in a small voice, fiddling with the buttons on her cardigan. “How could you endanger your own?”
“‘So few’ is open to interpretation. ‘So few’ compared to Stables, sure, but that still means there are millions of juvies running around. What difference do a couple dozen here and there make? Who fucking cares? Who even notices?” The worst part: Taryn sounded genuinely puzzled. “I couldn’t believe it when the med staff started asking questions. With all the work they have to do? Once the cubs are discharged, the hospital is supposed to be out of it. Fucking nosy idiots.”
Annette shook her head. “I would try to explain, Taryn, but it would be a waste of everyone’s time.”
“God, you’re such a sanctimonious shithead.”
