Gill McKnight [Garoul 3] Indigo Moon

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safely. You ve no idea how helpless you are without them. Among the papers was a badly burned book, but
she didn t mention that.
Yeah. I d feel naked. Now come on! Godfrey shooed them out the door and locked it behind them with a
satisfying click.
What about my landlord? He ll go mad. I ll never be able to rent again.
Marie will deal with it. Godfrey led them along the hallway toward the wide glass doors that led to the
street. With relief, they walked out into the daylight, a welcome respite from the malevolence and gloom of the
trashed apartment.
Thank God to be out of there, Hope muttered.
Oh. That s her right there, Officer, a voice said off to the left.
Isabelle slipped her plastic wallet into Hope s hands.
Excuse me. Are you Isabelle Monk? A police officer approached.
Isabelle stepped forward. Yes?
I ll need you to accompany me to the station, Mrs. Monk, he said politely.
Is it to do with Barry?
You know about that. He watched her every move with shrewd eyes.
Isabelle nodded at Godfrey and Hope standing behind her, totally helpless.
It s the talk of the neighborhood. She moved toward him. This was inevitable, she acknowledged. It had to
be dealt with. It was crazy to think she could just cut and run. Nothing would ever be that easy again. Those
days were gone forever. The real issue here was to keep the police out of her apartment if possible.
She glanced over her shoulder at Godfrey and Hope. Thanks for your help. I ll call as soon as I can.
And with that she slid into the police car, leaving them both speechless on the sidewalk.
Chapter Twenty
I can t believe we lost her. Godfrey was aghast.
She s a feral. If she freaks at a police station it will be national news. It will be the end of the world& Hope
watched the police car pull away.
Now who works for American Theater Magazine?
Do we know any wolven lawyers? What are we going to tell Claude? What are we going to tell Marie?
The truth. There are two ferals running loose in Portland. One is a gut-spilling murderer, and the other you
invited for tea. Of course, we don t know which is which, but for the moment we re backing Tadpole s hunch.
Don t you blame this on me. If you hadn t left the goddamn door open in the first Hope bit her tongue,
realizing she was rising to the bait. At least my fingerprints aren t all over her apartment.
Oh my God! Can we go back and wipe them?
She s back, Hope said.
Huh?
She s back.
They d been so busy bickering they hadn t noticed the squad car stop down the street, then quickly reverse
back to the apartment steps.
They re coming for me. Godfrey s fingers bit into Hope s arm.
Isabelle sat in the back talking earnestly to the two police officers before one of them got out and helped her
exit the vehicle. She slowly mounted the steps toward them at the officer s side. He seemed intent on handing
her over safely.
Your friend seems a little faint, he said.
Hope stepped forward and took Isabelle s arm. Isabelle?
Do you want us to go down to the station with her? Godfrey asked, audibly swallowing a lump in his
throat.
The officer shook his head.
We re looking for a wild animal. Big cat or something. Probably from a private zoo.
Oh, dear. Godfrey tried to look shocked.
Barry s family have identified his bod him. The police don t need me for the moment, Isabelle said. Can
we go now? I don t want to stand out here. A small crowd had gathered near the steps.
Of course. Hope steered her toward their car, leaving Godfrey to give the officer the new contact details.
We ll go back to my house.
I thought we d lost you for an awful moment. What did they ask? Godfrey put the Lexus in gear and pulled
out onto Colt. Isabelle sat huddled in a corner of the backseat. She looked sickly. Are you all right? You look
very pale.
She nodded and stared out the window.
They wanted to know where I was last night. I said I was at home and a neighbor could probably verify it.
And then they started to ask about my relationship with Barry. But they already knew all that. I guess his
parents filled them in. Then the call came over the radio that it was an animal attack. People have been
calling in sightings all over the city. It s mass hysteria out there. They couldn t wait to dump me and go shoot
a lion. She sank back into her seat exhausted. Sweat shone on her brow.
We can t sit and wait for Claude, not with this other feral on the loose. It s dangerous and seems to be
homing in on Isabelle, Hope said. She had some ideas of her own, but Isabelle didn t look capable of
sustaining a hard conversation at the moment. Hope decided to quiz her later.
We need to grab Taddy and get the hell out of here. Perhaps we can arrange to meet Claude along the
way? she asked Godfrey. Isabelle can go on to Little Dip with him, and I ll come back and stay with you
until Jolie comes home. She ll know what to do.
Now, that s a good plan. In fact, it sounds a lot like my plan. He pulled up in front of Hope s house. Go get
Taddy. I m going to call Claude on his cell and organize the exchange. Where will we meet? That service
station about halfway?
Perfect. Hope quickly collected Tadpole. He scrabbled into the back and made a big fuss of seeing Isabelle
again.
Okay, lover boy. Hope slid in beside Godfrey. Settle down. We re off on a big adventure.
You talking to me or the dog? Godfrey asked.
Like you even have to ask. What did Claude say?
Don t take the interstate. If a feral is this brazen, it s not alone, and it may be watching the interstate service
stations. He suggested 26 to Prineville. He ll come down 395 and meet us somewhere near Mitchell.
That will take hours! Hope said. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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