I cleared my throat. “So . . .”

“Hmm?” Cody looked up from his plate of ribs.

I willed the most titillating of the Seven Deadlies to subside, casting around for a topic that didn’t involve discussing the case in public. “You never did say whether you like Jen enough to . . . you know.”

“I don’t know her well enough to say.” He gave me a level gaze. “And since I keep my word, I suppose that means I never will.”

I flushed. “I didn’t mean—”

Cody interrupted me. “Look, I respect your wanting to protect a friend. But why are you so sure I’d be bad for her?”

Anger flickered. “Oh, you mean other than the obvious? Because you’ve never dated the same woman for longer than a month or two! I know Jen; she’s got a self-destructive streak. She needs someone stable in her life, someone she can depend on.”

He looked away. “That’s not true.”

“I think I know her better—”

“Not that.” He looked back at me. “I dated the same woman for over a year.”

“Who?” The milk in my coffee curdled as I began ticking his girlfriends off on my fingers. “Sarah Holcombe, Beth Wilcox, Julia Morales—”

“It’s no one you know. She lived in Canada.” Cody nodded at my coffee mug. “Better simmer down there.”

I took a deep breath, imagined myself pouring out a glass of curdled anger. “I don’t like being bullshitted, okay? She lives in Canada? Please. That’s the oldest gimmick in the book.”

Something hard surfaced behind his eyes. “I said lived.”

Oh.

Suddenly I felt about six inches tall. I opened my mouth, then closed it. I cleared my throat a few times, scrambling to find a shred of grace. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Was she . . . What happened? I mean, if you want to talk about it.”

Cody shook his head. “Not here.” Polishing off his ribs, he wiped his fingers on his napkin. “Sam at the Shoals said Brent Timmons was on duty last night. If that’s the first place they hit, there’s a good chance he’d remember them. It doesn’t get that busy until later.”

I reached for my phone, glad to have something constructive to do. “I’ll look up his address.”

“Don’t bother.” Cody took out his wallet. “I know where he lives.”

Chapter Six

Six

We drove a way out of town into the countryside, a few miles southeast, but still well within the circle of Hel’s influence. It’s strongest in Pemkowet, where it’s centered, but it actually extends in a ten-mile radius.

Halfway there, Cody spoke without preamble. “She was killed. Shot by a hunter.” The muscle in his jaw jumped. “He claimed it was self-defense. The game warden didn’t find him at fault.”

“Game warden . . .” I inhaled sharply. Wow. Okay, I guess it was out in the open now. “She was a werewolf?”