out some samples. I wouldn't be surprised to discover bizarre changes in his DNA."
"From a wolf bite?"
He started, blinked, glanced at me. "Hell if I know."
Clyde had been amazingly quiet all along. He, too, was staring at the table. His expression was one of horror. I'd never known him to have such a weak stomach before. Clyde must have seen things in his years on the force that I'd only imagined. So what was the matter with him now?
"Clyde?"
I touched his arm and he jumped, yanked free, and spun away from the body. Any expression that had been on his face before was gone. Clyde was a good cop, a good guy. It probably just bothered him to see Mel this way.
"Do whatever you need to do, Prescott, and get back to me. Jessie, I want you to go to the Clip and Curl."
My hand went to my hair. The feminine nature of the gesture made Clyde scowl. "Yours is fine. And since when do you care?"
I blushed. If I didn't watch it, I'd be painting my nails and buying a dress.
I lowered my hand and curled my treacherous ringers into a fist. "What for?"
"Tina didn't come home last night. I got the call just before you came in. You gonna check that out?"
"I thought you didn't want any overtime."
"Looks like that idea is shot to hell." He sighed. "I gotta talk to Cherry. I don't know what I'm going to tell her."
Since I didn't want that job, I took the one that had been given to me.
However, on the way out of the hospital I ran into the ER doctor. He recognized me and paused. "The ME discover what was up with that guy?"
I shook my head. Even if he had, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to tell. But I could ask...
"Do you think that maybe this new strain of rabies needs a new strain of vaccine?"
His forehead furrowed. "What new strain of rabies?"
"The one that's creating supersmart wolves very fast."
He stared at me for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Right. You've been watching Tales from the Crypt reruns, haven't you?"
"I'm serious."
"So am I. There's no such thing as a new strain of rabies."
"But - "
"If there was, an ER doctor in the north woods would be the first to hear about it."
The speaker right above our head blared, "Dr. Benson to the ER stat."
"That's me."
I stood in the hallway and watched him go, but I didn't really see him. I needed to talk to Mandenauer.
But first...
I pulled out my notebook and my cell phone, but I had no service. Sometimes being in buildings was worse than being in the forest. I found a pay phone, dialed the CDC, and asked for Dr. Hanover.
"Who?" the receptionist asked.
"Hanover. Dr. Elise Hanover."
"Hold on." She clicked off, returning a few moments later. "There's no Dr. Hanover here. Never has been."
That should have surprised me. But it didn't.
I was also not surprised to discover that Mandenauer was unavailable. The man I talked to at the Eagle's Nest said he'd been gone all day. Since Herr Spooky didn't have a cell phone, I'd have to hold my questions until I could get my hands on him. I had no choice but to head for the Clip and Curl.
By the time I returned to Miniwa it was nearing the supper hour - usually the least busy time of the day.
Even tourists had to eat. Today the tourists appeared to be fleeing.
I rolled my patrol car in the opposite direction of all the other cars. Their backseats full of children and their roofs full of crap, everyone was leaving. Since most rentals were from Sunday to Sunday and no one would give up a day if they'd already paid for it, I couldn't figure out what was up.
I had no problem parking right in front of the Clip and Curl. I'd have no problem parking anywhere on Center Street right now.
Tina's partner, Lucy Kelso, stared out the window at the departing exodus. When she saw me, her relief was evident and she waved me inside.
"Have you found her?" she asked before I even shut the door.
"No." Her shoulders slumped. "Do you know what's up with the tourists?"
"They're all scared of the mad wolf pack. There was a story on the news at noon."
I cursed. It had been pure luck that we'd been able to keep things quiet as long as we had. Our luck appeared to have ended.
Lucy sighed and glanced