Did he not hear how he sounded?

He nodded.

"That's the story you're sticking with?" I wanted to give him as many chances as possible.

He failed. "Yup."

"Fine," I said and leaned back in the seat.

Broadrick didn't flinch. The man had no idea what was coming. He'd awoken the beast.

Just in case you were wondering. I was the beast. I hadn't figured how I'd bite him yet, but it would probably happen in the middle of the night. When he was sleeping peacefully and least expected it.

Either way, I'd handle him later.

At least I had two boxes checked off.

I'd gotten rid of Spencer the cat, and I'd taken down Tyler and saved Lainey. Check and check.

Now I only had to find a murderer.

A murderer with access to a gun and impeccable aim.

The suspect list wasn't too long. I had a hunch, and planned to scratch it.

Wait. No. I had an itch, and I was going to scratch it.

Yeah, that one was better.

To get started on checking the last box, I had to confront the chief about his relationship. Trish hadn't used the word boyfriend, but she gave him a mug. He gave her a gun. Everyone knew you only did that shit with someone you were sleeping with.

"Your silence concerns me. What are you thinking?" Broadrick said as we flew past the pelican leading into Pelican Bay.

I tapped the armrest. "Where do you think the chief is right now?"

I almost asked him where he'd go if he'd murdered someone, but that sounded suspicious and only one of us could be suspicious at a time. It wasn't my turn.

"I saw him outside the diner as we drove through earlier," Broadrick said with no inflection.

Didn't he realize what he'd just said? "Shit. Step on it, old man."

Broadrick sped up, but then we hit the main section of downtown and he had to slow.

"He might be killing Trish right now."

"What?" Broadrick said and hit the brakes, slowing more at the stop sign by the school. "The chief is not killing the diner's waitress."

"He's sleeping with her!" Bet he didn't know that. "And he'll want to get rid of the witness."

"What did Trish supposedly see?"

How hadn't he put the clues together yet? "Where do you think I got the gun?"

"Trish gave you the gun that killed the guy at the bed-and-breakfast?" he asked as we passed the bakery.

"Well, duh. How else did I get it?" I asked and got ready to get out of the car and tackle the chief. Why didn't he ask these questions earlier if he really didn't know?

Broadrick sighed. "With you, I can never guess."

I thumped him on the leg. "Trish rented a room saying she is writing a book, but that's bullshit. She's sleeping with the chief and they were there getting it on the night of the murder. The chief finished early and then popped off to shoot the victim."

"She told you all that?" he asked with disgust in his voice and face.

"No, but it's obvious once you put it all together." I didn't know how the new lie with Jerry worked into the equation, but I'd figure it out. "There might be a threesome thing going on."

"With Trish?"

"And the chief." I'd have solved the case days earlier if I hadn't been saving Lainey and keeping Spencer alive. This entire town couldn't make it without me.

Broadrick sped right past the bakery and turned on to my street.

"Hey?" I hit him on the arm since the leg hadn't worked. "Where are we going? Drop me off at the diner."

If that's where the chief was, that's where I needed to be. Hadn't he figured that out with me basically solving the case for him?

"NB hasn't gone potty in hours. We have to put him outside."

"You're kidding me?" I asked as he stopped in the driveway. Definitely not kidding. "We need to get him a doggy door."

"He has a little bladder," Broadrick said and beeped my keys twice, locking the door. A doggy yip came from inside.

I marched up the steps, slipping on the second one with leftover ice on it. "His little bladder is crimping my crime fighting."

Spiderman didn't have these problems.

NB rushed at us as we walked in, and I continued to the backdoor to let him out. He ran for it and took a flying leap off the steps.

Broadrick's phone rang with a regular bell rather than the three beeps, so I refilled NB's bowl and water dish so he had fresh nibbles for when he scratched at the back door and forced me to open it.

His claws scratched the door, letting me know it was time. "There he is."

NB didn't love the cold. Probably trauma for however long he had to live outside in January.

"I'll be there," Broadrick said as NB started in on his dinner, and then he hung up the phone and sat it on the kitchen counter.

"That sounded ominous, but you're smiling so..." My heart skipped a beat. I hoped it wasn't his commanding officer calling him back from this mini vacation our government graced him with. I'd grown used to having him around the place and didn't want him to leave.

"Ridge just called. He gave notice I'm going on my first task force."

"Really? Now?" Why wasn't he still at the apartment checking in on Lainey and Anderson? "What changed?"

Broadrick's eyes widened just a fraction, and he shrugged. "No idea."

I almost rolled my eyes. He was horrible at this game. These guys were up to something.

"You're leaving now?" I asked as Broadrick stole my black leather coat from the kitchen chair.

"Yeah, it's an emergency thing."

I tossed NB a treat and almost flicked it at Broadrick's head. "But it wasn't the three beep beeps."

"He had more to say," he said by the front door. "Stay home and safe while I'm gone."

"Yeah, sure," I said, waving him away and paying attention to NB so I didn't look suspicious. One of us was still good at not flopping all our cards on the table.

Broadrick whipped around. "That means you won't."

"Hmm, won't what? I do not know what you're talking about." I tossed NB another treat. It hit the fridge and rolled under, so I gave him two more as an apology.

Broadrick waved his finger mimicking me earlier. "Vonnie, listen to me. This is not safe. Ridge has it under control. Everything will be fine in less than two hours."

My breath hitched. Fuck. Shit. Balls. Whores. Ridge would leave me out if he got there first. I wouldn't get my picture in the paper.

Again.

The seconds were ticking away.

I had to solve it first. In less than two hours.

"Vonnie, Ridge is going to take care of the chief," he said with his hand on the door knob.

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about," I mumbled to myself and followed him out.

I watched as Broadrick walked to the end of my driveway and got into a black SUV waiting for him on the street. I waved Broadrick goodbye and returned inside.

"We will not let Ridge beat us," I said to NB and gave him a pet behind his ears.

The chief was going down.

I just had to find a coat.