I sneezed twice as I slid from the bed and disturbed Spencer. He stretched and then repositioned himself in the middle of my pillow.

It's not that I didn't want to stay in bed. I did. A day of lying around reading books or watching crap TV on my phone sounded amazing.

But someone was dead, and I had to solve the murder.

Anderson thought he had the shooter, but he only had one of them.

Two shooters had definitely been in that room.

That meant we had a killer on the loose.

My head rolled a little, but I pushed myself the rest of the way from bed and into a warm shower to help wake me after the long night of sleep.

The room had a chill to it when I left the hot water, so I dressed warmly in flannel-lined jeans and a thick thermal shirt with a pair of wool socks to keep my toes warm. February was still cold in Maine.

I passed by the bed and gave NB a scratch on his head. Spencer stood on the pillow and hissed at NB. Damn, that cat had issues.

I couldn't leave sweet NB alone with him. My pooch needed a dogsitter. There'd have to be a lot more killers in Pelican Bay for me to afford it, though.

After carrying NB from the room so Spencer wouldn't try to eat him as we left, he promptly sat on his butt rather than walk out of the basement apartment.

"It's not that bad outside," I said as we both stared at the lingering snow on the front yard. "Come on. You can pee in the bush."

NB glanced up at me, and his expression said he didn't believe a word from my mouth.

"Fine." I picked him up and carried him to my car, even when he looked longingly at his favorite bush. "No, you missed your chance."

He painted a wonderful picture of a rainbow and two clouds on my passenger side window as I drove to my office. You had to tilt your head a little to the side to see it, but it was quite the Picasso, if you asked me.

NB made me carry him from the car into my office building, and I didn't put him down until I'd closed the door behind us. "You need to act like a dog."

He grunted and found his favorite spot under my desk. I still hadn't bought him a bed for the office yet, but it was on the list.

As usual, my office was dark. With only one outlet and one lamp, there wasn't a ton of light in the room. I flicked the switch to turn it on and my gaze traveled up the back wall of the small room until it landed on the ceiling.

Did the dark spot seem bigger?

My eyes watered as I stared at the stain directly above my seat at the wooden desk in the center of the room. It was probably my eyesight being messed up from the allergies rather than its size changing. I didn't even know what they did on the second floor, but I was sure it had nothing to do with seeping ceilings.

Definitely a depth perception thing from allergies.

"Move over a bit," I said to NB as I took my seat and rolled my chair closer.

I'd spent half the day sleeping and had a ton of things to do if I wanted to solve this murder for Mick by the end of the week. I needed to start a to-do list before I made it too far on any task. Having an organized plan always helped me get more work done.

I sneezed, and my foot tapped NB. A slight knock on the door stopped my next sneeze, and it opened before I called to let my visitor come in.

Rather than Broadrick, who had a habit of just walking in instead of waiting for an invitation, Lainey McLeod strolled in looking like I had a horde of vampires that might eat her.

"Are you okay?" I asked and stood up to meet her.

She glanced behind her and flipped her head back in my direction. "I wasn't sure you'd be here."

"Sit," I said, and pointed to the chair in front of my desk.

She listened with another glance backward.

Something had her scared. I perked up at the idea of getting to kick ass for one of Pelican Bay's newest residents. "What's going on?"

She turned to me and sucked in a deep breath. "I need to tell you something."

"I figured," I said, trying not to push her but wanting to know what had her here with fear in her eyes.

"That man you saw at my apartment wasn't angry at just the math grade."

I retook my seat in the chair and rolled it under the desk. "I had a feeling."

He looked like an asshole, and Lainey seemed way too nice to be associating with him. It didn't require my PI skills to make that assessment.

"I used to work at Windsor Prep, and his son was my student. He played basketball, and one semester he lost his eligibility because of his math grade. His father has never forgiven me and blames me for his son not getting a scholarship this year for college."

Not that it mattered, but I had to know. "Any truth to that?"

Lainey snorted and then covered her mouth with her hand. Her auburn hair fell over her shoulder. "No. There weren't any scouts for sports at Windsor Prep."

I found a half sheet of paper in my desk drawer and took notes as she spoke. "And now he's here in Pelican Bay?"

She nodded. "I thought if I moved schools and towns, he'd leave me alone, but now he's here."

Poor thing had to be so worried. Thankfully, I knew how to kick ass. She'd come to the right place.

I just had to find the stun gun Broadrick bought me last month. Where did I put that thing after I took it out of my fake toolbox?

"This is easier with muffins," I mumbled. Muffins or cookies always helped people unload more secrets. Lainey had a good start, but I bet she had more she'd end up confessing.

"Muffins?" she asked, probably unsure how we went from stalkers to muffins.

I nodded. "Yeah, I brought you some the other day, but you weren't there."

"Oh, I'm sorry. What kind were they?"

I waved a hand. "Chocolate and Anessa threw in a new strawberry flavor, but Anderson stole it."

Her face fell. "I like strawberry. I'll have to try it."

"Later, I'll take you over to the bakery and grab another one. On me. How much black clothing do you own?"

"Clothing?" She leaned forward in her seat.

"Black clothing." We had to be specific. "Also, have you told any of this to your friendly neighborhood nark?"

"Who?" she asked, and now she really seemed confused.

Lainey had so much to learn about Pelican Bay. "Detective Anderson. Your neighbor."

Her face turned a bright shade of red instantly. "No."

I'd deal with that reaction later. Right then, I had more important things to worry about with Lainey. I placed my elbows on the desk and tented my fingers. "Excellent."

"What's excellent?" she asked.

I rolled my chair backward. "Give me a few days, and we'll turn it back on your unpleasant parent in proper Pelican Bay style."

Lainey pinched her lips together and then said, "I don't know what that means."

I tented my fingers. "Revenge."

Another knock on my door stopped Lainey from her next question. The neighborhood mailman peeked his head into the room. "Got a package for you."

"Bring it in, Ray." I waved him in and Lainey stood.

Ray opened the door and pushed in a dolly with a long cardboard box resting on it. "I'll set it in the corner."

I stared at the oversized package, remembering the last one I opened with a dead bird in it. "Okay."

Lainey and the mailman stood by the door. "You going to open it?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No."

That could be one gigantic bird. One huge dead bird.

"You'll let me know about... all of this?" Lainey asked waving her hand between us.

I nodded as she walked out with Ray. "You'll hear from me by the end of the week. I promise."

My end-of-week deadlines were stacking up. I stood by the package and waited as the two left my office, trying not to appear concerned about the box. I listened, but didn't hear any ticking or chirping. It smelled like cardboard.

As they stepped out, my tall, unshakable Navy SEAL slipped in behind them. I tore my gaze from the cardboard form to Broadrick only for my mouth to fall open in shock.

His eyes were red and puffy. They looked worse than mine. Not only that, but he had a scratch running from his chin and down his neck until it disappeared underneath his black Pelican Bay polo.

"What happened to you?" I asked in horror.

Had he gotten into a gang fight? Did Pelican Bay have gangs?