Page 279 of Love Bites

“You’re not stopping.” Nor did I want him to, not until he’d reached my toes.

“You mess with my head, Violet.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It is.”

“I don’t understand why.”

He let go of my arm and stepped back, the fire in his eyes banking. “I want to see Jeff Wymonds’ place.”

His ability to snap in and out of lust made me want to beat him with my shoe. My inferno still raged, my breath still labored, my heart still galloped. No fair!

I gave in. “Fine, but I’ll have to call Jeff and see how he feels about it.” Maybe I’d figure out a way to ask why he’d tossed those clothes in the Dumpster while I was at it. We seemed to be on much friendlier terms now that I was his agent— and therapist.

“Thanks.”

Whatever. I stared over Doc’s shoulder, across the parking lot, not wanting to look at him any more if I couldn’t touch him. He sure knew how to suck the helium right out of my balloon. “Anything else?” I asked.

A flicker of sun-glare by the Mudder Brothers Funeral Parlor caught my eye. I squinted through my sunglasses, recognizing Ray’s vehicle parked behind the two-story building, the back of his SUV wide open.

“Yes. Are you still going to dinner tomorrow night with your secret admirer?”

I dragged my gaze back to Doc. “Of course.”

“Don’t.”

“I have to.” I had no choice now. He knew Addy’s name.

One of the funeral parlor’s double back doors opened. As I watched, Ray walked to his driver’s side door, leaned in, and grabbed a pair of gloves. He slid them on, looking left and right, and then marched back inside the building.

“No, you don’t, Violet.”

“Well, I am. End of discussion.”

“Fine.” Doc’s tone said it was anything but. “You’ll let me know when you get theokayfrom Jeff?”

Both of the funeral parlor’s back doors swung open.

“Uh, sure.”

This time, Ray had company—a short, beefy guy, with a white buzz cut. Together, they hauled a big, wooden crate out through the double doors and hefted it into the tail of Ray’s SUV. The weight of the crate made the vehicle’s springs bounce.

“What isthat?” I whispered.

When Doc turned and followed my gaze, I realized I’d spoken out loud. “What?”

First the Missing posters, now a heavy crate from a funeral parlor. Something told me Ray was up to no good, and I was not going to get much sleep until I knew what degree ofno goodit was. However, I didn’t need Doc harping on me about this, too. “Never mind. It was just a coyote.”

“Violet, your nose twitches when you lie.”

I covered my telltale appendage with my hand. Before Doc could drill me with any more questions or glares, I tossed out an “I’ll call you later,” and raced back to Calamity Jane’s.

Mona’s fingernails were still tapping away when I dropped into my chair. I shot a sideways peek at Ray’s desk. Somehow, I needed to get everyone out of the office, because before the day was through, I planned to do a little rummaging.

* * *

An hourafter Calamity Jane’s closing time, I sat alone in the office, staring at the key lying on my desktop.

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