Last Licks

She sighed. “Of course, I’ll be available if some catastrophe happens.” Somehow, she knew one would. “And I still get my paycheck while I’m doing this, right?” Sunny could have kicked herself as soon as the words were out of her mouth. At the very least, she should have tried to stick Ollie for time and a half.

“Of course,” he said.

She took a deep breath. “Then I agree.”

“So you’ll have one week from today to answer Mr. Barnstable’s suspicions,” Dr. Reese said.

Sunny shook her head. “One week from tomorrow. I’ve got to arrange coverage for the office, besides getting things set up.” She stifled a yawn. Not to mention catching up on some of the sleep I’ve been cheated out of.

Ollie had a self-satisfied smirk on his face, looking more like himself than he had since his accident. Dr. Gavrik hissed angrily into her boss’s ear, but while Reese looked as if he’d just swallowed a very unpalatable pill, he wasn’t raising any objections. Mike looked honestly worried, while Nesbit just stroked his trademark mustache with an expression Sunny had seen on Shadow’s face—the cat who ate the cream.

“What do you say we get a move on, Dad?” She was just as glad to get out of there.

By the time Sunny and Mike got home, they just beat her wake-up alarm. She dashed up the stairs to turn it off, then came down to the living room and sat in an armchair, closing her eyes. The good thing was, she was already washed, dressed, and fed. The bad thing was, she really missed those hours of sleep she’d lost. If she kept her eyes closed, she might not be able to open them.

A heavy weight landed in her lap. She opened her eyes to find herself almost nose to nose with Shadow. He had a paw on each collarbone, his gold-flecked eyes peering worriedly into hers.

“Are you concerned because I’m upset, because we’ve been running around so early . . . or because you’re afraid I’ll forget to feed you?” she asked with a laugh.

Shadow relaxed against her, his deep purr rumbling against her T-shirt.

“Right,” Sunny said, running a hand along his back. “Feeding it is.”

A moment later, Mike came into the room, a cup of coffee in his hand. “Figured you’d need this to fuel your way into town.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Sunny gratefully accepted the cup and took a sip. Hot and sweet, with lots of milk. Between the caffeine and the sugar, it should keep her going until she got the office coffeemaker percolating.

Mike hovered over her chair. “You won’t be doing this alone, Sunny. I’ll beat the bushes and see what I can find out about Gardner. I can ask Helena to do the same.”

“Leave Mrs. Martinson to me,” Sunny told him. “She’s not exactly fond of your old buddy Gardner.” She put the cup on the end table and reached up to catch his hand. “And thanks again, Dad. I always knew I could depend on you.”

With that, she devoted herself to lowering the level of coffee in her cup without scalding her mouth. Then she rinsed the empty cup in the kitchen sink and set out some food for Shadow. But as Sunny went to the front door, she was surprised to find Mike right behind her.

“It’s still early,” he said, heading for his own pickup. “Figured I’d hit the track and get a jump on the day.”

He waved as he headed out for the old high school, Sunny going to downtown Kittery Harbor. When she arrived at her office, she found Will Price leaning against the door in full uniform. His blues looked good on his long limbs and wiry build and even seemed to diminish the sunburn on his strong features. Although he was taller than Sunny, his relaxed posture put them almost on a level. Too bad those gray eyes with their brownish-gold flecks held such an enigmatic expression as he straightened up, his arms still folded across his chest.

“So,” he said, his voice mild, “I arrive at work today, and they tell me that I’ve been detailed to an unofficial investigation with you at a local nursing home.” His eyes, so disturbingly like Shadow’s, looked hard into Sunny’s. “What have you fallen into this time?”

“I didn’t fall, I was pushed.” As she unlocked the door and let Will in, Sunny briefly described the scene in Ollie’s room. Just the memory of the early hour made her yawn.

“So Barnstable thinks this is a suspicious death, but nobody else agrees with him.”

“I’ll be the first to admit it might turn out to be natural causes,” Sunny replied. “On the other hand, are the doctors responsible for the guy going to admit anything? And you know Frank Nesbit.”