Part 61 (1/2)

”You got more friends back there?”

”Yeah, this is Jenny.”

Tom smiled. ”Hi.”

Jenny smiled back. ”Hi.” She turned to Annja. ”What's going on?”

Annja thumbed toward the door. ”Sheila and David are in the dining room, huddling like lovers.” She blanched and looked at Tom. ”Sorry.”

He shrugged. ”No matter. I know it as much as anyone in town. It just took longer to admit it to myself.”

Jenny looked sad. ”Poor thing, to have a wife do that to you.”

”They're here for lunch,” Tom said. ”Want some of that nouveau cuisine I was telling you about. She says if it's not good, Dave will shoot me.”

”He can't threaten to do that,” Jenny said.

Tom shrugged. ”Why not? Everyone in town knows that something's going on. They don't like messing with him at all. Nice guy on the exterior, but if you cross him he's a dangerous snake.”

”You don't say.” Annja shook her head. ”Looks like your sheriff might just need to be replaced.”

Tom sighed. ”No one around here has the guts to run against him. Last guy who did went missing and that was about the last brave hurrah we ever had. Now most folks have either moved away or stay up in their homes unless there's no choice but to come down for supplies or something.”

”This is crazy,” Annja said. ”We've got to do something.”

Joey snuck over to the door. ”Wow, that's quite a kiss.”

Annja groaned. ”Joey.”

Tom caught his breath. ”Oh, h.e.l.l, I have to face facts. And I know that kissing's about the least of it, anyway, so no harm done. At least not by young Joey there.” He bowed his head. ”Nice to see you again, Joe.”

”You, too, Tom. Sorry we had to sneak in like this.”

Tom shrugged. ”No matter. I'm glad for the company. But what brings you in this way, anyhow?”

”Dave tried to kill us last night,” Joey said.

Tom leaned against the grill. ”All of you? How so?”

”Shot us with tranquilizer darts and then stowed us in the underground cavern up by the river.”

Tom's face grew stern. ”They flushed the dam earlier today.”

Joey nodded. ”We found out.”

”Rather abruptly,” said Annja.

Tom shook his head. ”Killing an adult is one thing. But a kid's another. Don't that guy have any kind of morals?”

”Pretty sure he doesn't,” Joey said. ”But he's got to be working with somebody. Someone else pulled the trigger last night, not him.”