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Nutsbe flipped a wave toward Olivia and started after them. He was this side of jogging to keep up.
Breathlessly, Candace reached her car and turned to Nutsbe, her palm up, waiting for her keys.
He dug into his go bag. “I’ll call the courts and talk to Olivia. How about I call you with the plan for tomorrow?” he asked. Holding the keys over her outstretched hand, Nutsbe paused to catch her eye. He wanted some kind of commitment from her.
“Yeah, sure. Tomorrow.” That didn’t have the sticking power he’d hoped for. As soon as Nutsbe dropped the keys into her hand, Candace jumped into her car, slammed the door, and peeled out of the parking space.
Nutsbe stood in the middle of the parking lot, watching Candace drive like a bat out of hell out to the road, taking the turn so fast that the rubber screeched as they tried to grip the roadway. He wondered if she’d just keep going or if she’d be there when the trial started up again.
Beowolf stood beside Nutsbe and thrust into his hip, turning Nutsbe to the side. “Okay, normally that would have dumped me on the ground, but this new equilibrium software system seems to have worked.”
Beowolf shuffled to the side, then thrust his head, pushing Nutsbe again.
“Cut it out,” he said. When he looked up, he saw Olivia coming into the lot. A gust of wind roared up. Her hair blew into her face, and she tried to capture the strands in her hands so she could see.
A last shove from Beowolf and Nutsbe headed over to her. “Dude, that wasn’t necessary. And you’re in vest. That’s not very professional. When I saw her, I’d have gone over.” Nutsbe raised his hand as a hello.
As Olivia came to a stop by her car, Nutsbe reached her, and luckily, Beowolf was walking like a gentleman on a loose lead. “You didn’t get your favorite spot under the trees today,” he said.
“Yeah, I started out later than I’d hoped, and this was the last spot. I was lucky to get it, though.” With her keys clasped in her hand, she lifted her wrist to her forehead, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Hey, do you happen to be heading home?”
“I can be, why?”
She looked down at Beowolf, then gave him a scritch. “You are so handsome. Do you know that?” She looked up to find Nutsbe’s gaze. “I have a big ask and feel weirdly damsel in distress saying it out loud.”
Nutsbe grinned.
“On my way over here this morning, something sounded wrong with my car. It felt a little scary. Whew!” She laughed as another gust rose up and whipped at her suit. “That’s strong!” With her purse on her shoulder and her hair held in a fist, she leaned against her car. “My mechanic said I can bring it in the morning.”
“Did any of your dash lights come on?” Nutsbe looked at Beowolf who had become rigid with concentration. His eyes were on the parking deck that Nutsbe was facing. A quick flick of his attention told him nothing unusual was happening. Maybe a cat or bird was up on the wall.
“No. The noise started up as soon as I hit the highway.” She explained. “It was the strangest whacking noise coming from the back of my car.”
“A tire?”
“My thought. But it didn’t affect my steering. My tire pressure readouts didn’t go down. Once I got here and parked, I walked around and looked. Nothing stood out to me as odd. The noise, though, was unnerving. After last night and everything.” She flicked her hand through the air. “In the back of my mind, Mickey did something to my car to put me in danger. Hey, did you change your spotlights to keep an eye on my yard?”
“I did. Lots of raccoons.” Nutsbe smiled.
They stopped talking while the next gust blew through. It lifted the drool from Beowolf’s mouth and sent it flying like a loogy onto Nutsbe’s suit. Good thing that Iniquus fabrics were all treated and most anything that got on them could be easily wiped off.
“You want me to take a look at your car?”
“Thanks, but I have that appointment with my mechanic. It’s right around the corner from my—well, our houses. If you’re headed home anyway, maybe you wouldn’t mind following me? If I end up having to pull over on the shoulder to call a tow truck, I’d rather not be on the side of the road alone.”
“Why don’t you drive mine? And I’ll get yours home to you.”
“Oh.” She looked startled by the idea. “I can’t drive your car. I don’t know how.”
“You don’t know how to drive a car?”
“Like with my hands.” Olivia held out open palms as if that gave him more information.
“Ah, O.K. Well, this one is from the Iniquus pool,” he pointed over to his vehicle, “and it operates like any other.”
Beowolf gave an exaggerated yawn and was panting as he focused forward. His scruff lifting. Nutsbe scanned again—nothing.
“It’s a normal car, then?” She pressed.
