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“There was an accident last night,” I said.
“What about it?”
“The driver fell asleep behind the wheel.”
“We live in a capitalist society,” West said. “Everybody is overtired from trying to make ends meet.”
“I was in town yesterday and half the people I passed seemed to be yawning,” Dottie said. “That’s not normal.”
Now that I thought about it, I’d noticed the same thing. “No, it isn’t.”
West looked at me. “What are we dealing with?”
I shrugged. “Could be a million options. A Sleeping Beauty spell maybe.”
“What’s that?” West asked.
“The one where the fairies put the kingdom to sleep,” I explained.
“Why would anybody do that?”
“I don’t know. You want ideas. I’m just spitballing.” I wasn’t even sure that was a real spell.
“They’re not staying asleep,” West said. “They’re asleep longer than normal, don’t remember their dreams, and then wake up sluggish.”
An idea occurred to me. “They either don’t remember their dreams, or they don’t have any?”
West noticed my thoughtful expression. “What are you thinking?”
“Let me get back to you.” I turned back to the group. “I’d like you to keep a sleep log for the next few days. Note how many hours you sleep, whether you dream, and whether you feel rested when you wake up.”
“Would you like the details of our dreams?” Bert asked with a wolfish grin. I could tell where this was going.
“That won’t be necessary,” I said. “Just the basic information.”
“Shoshanna, you’ll be in charge of collecting the data,” West ordered.
Bert’s hand shot in the air. “I volunteer as messenger.”
“I’ll give the data to Lorelei,” West said.
The werewolf muttered under his breath as he lowered his hand.
“Unless there’s anything else, this meeting is adjourned,” West continued.
The pack members couldn’t seem to leave the meeting fast enough, except for the one who seemed determined to get my attention. Naturally, I ignored him.
“Need a ride home?” West asked.
“I’m not going home yet.”
West’s brow furrowed. “Can you tell me anything based on what you heard?”
I chose my words carefully. “Not yet, but whatever it is, it isn’t good.”
West offered a wry smile. “In this town, it never is.”
I decided to stop by the coffee shop before I hit the books in the library. I was surprised to see Naomi Smith inside Five Beans, chatting with Chief Garcia. The investigator smiled when she noticed me.
