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"Claire?"
"Hmm?"
"You'll stay away from him?"
I took a minute to ponder. "No. "
"He's that good?"
I didn't need a minute to answer that. "Yes. "
"Hell. "
"This picture is going to seem like less than nothing soon enough. "
Joyce stilled. "What else did you do?"
I told her about Josh, past and present, as well as the wolf, the missing tourist, and Grace's hunting party. By the time I was done, Joyce's hair was a mess and I was worried she'd make a bald spot somewhere if she kept yanking at it.
"You should have put that bastard away on day one," she said.
"I know. "
"I can't wait to see him in cuffs. "
I couldn't, either.
"You should have come home right away after that happened, Claire. Come home to the people who love you. "
"I didn't want anyone to know. "
"By 'anyone' you mean your dad. "
"Especially him. " The one bright light to his being gone was that he'd never know about Josh.
"He'd have broken out the family shotgun, that's for sure," Joyce said. "I'd have chipped in for the shells. "
I smiled. "Thanks, Joyce. "
She shrugged. "People in this town stick together. Always have, always will. I'd do anything for you. "
"Same goes," I said, amazed to realize I'd do whatever I could not only for her but for anyone in Lake Bluff. Except maybe Balthazar.
"What are you going to do about this?" Joyce lifted the paper.
"Not much I can do, except hold my head up and give Balthazar another piece of my mind. " At the rate I was going, soon I wouldn't have any mind left.
I wasn't able to get over to the offices of the Gazette until nearly noon. Joyce wasn't the only one who'd seen the paper. The way my ph
one rang and my office filled up, I started to think there wasn't anyone in three counties who hadn't seen it.
"Not the image we want to project, Mayor," said the high school principal.
"I realize that. "
"Be a little more discreet next time. " Then he winked. I nearly fell out of my chair.
Catfish wandered in, chewing on his cigar along with his mustache, and asked, "You wanna sue 'im? I'm game. "
