Over near the house, I could see Augusta putting the cuffs on Carson. He looked angry. Felicity was crying. Derek stood off to the side. Idris leaned on his cane, the picture of frailty … except something niggled at me that he was anything but frail.

Striker turned me toward him. “You don’t have to worry about them. Carson’s going to jail. He’s been unstable for a long time.”

I thought about that. It was true he was a little strange when we were younger, but since I’d been in Massachusetts until recently, I didn’t really know what he’d been up to all these years.

I watched Striker wrap a large gauze bandage on my hand. His gentle motions made my heart flutter. He secured the bandage, then put his hands on my shoulders.

“I hope you’ve learned not to get involved in any more investigations, or at the very least to not go off on your own.” He looked over my shoulder at the gaping hole in the side of the Bates mansion. “As you can see, it can be very dangerous.”

His gray eyes locked back on mine and I felt a flood of warmth at the genuine concern in them.

I nodded.

“Good. Well, I’m just glad you’re okay,” he said, leaning in toward me and kissing me on the lips.

My pulse skittered and my stomach flip-flopped, but this time I didn’t throw up on his shoes.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Three

I stood on the sidewalk in front of the bookstore. Pandora, who I’d picked up from the animal hospital on my way to work, lay in my arms. She must have missed me, because she was letting me hold her while she purred contentedly.

Doc Evans had assured me she would be fine with no permanent ill effects other than the kink in her tail, which she slapped against my arm lazily.

I looked up at the bright sun and closed my eyes. The storm system that had brought all the rain had moved out of the mountains and the next few days promised to be the sunny and warm New Hampshire spring days that I loved. Even the birds were encouraged, as was evidenced by their lively twittering in the bud-laden trees.

Since it was so nice, I was having the morning tête-a-tête with Bing, Josiah, Cordelia and Hattie outside instead of on the purple couches in my shop.

“Thank goodness you weren’t hurt, Willa,” Cordelia said as she reached over to stroke Pandora’s head.

“Yes, that was a freak accident,” Josiah added. “I mean, the gas explosion. Blew the front side of the Bates mansion clear off.”

“Gas explosion?” I wrinkled my forehead at Josiah.

“Yeah, that’s what blew the side off the Bates mansion. Well, you should know, you were there.” Josiah studied me, rubbing his chin. “Why were you there, Willa?”

“Good question,” I said.